Ronald Fredrick Powell (May 14, 1991 – January 15, 2024) was an American professional football player who was a linebacker for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Florida Gators. He was selected by the Saints in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL draft.
_2010.jpg) Powell at the 2010 U.S. Army All-American Bowl | |||||
| No. 56 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Linebacker | ||||
| Personal information | |||||
| Born: | May 14, 1991 Riverside, California, U.S. | ||||
| Died: | January 15, 2024 (aged 32) | ||||
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||
| Weight: | 237 lb (108 kg) | ||||
| Career information | |||||
| High school: | Rancho Verde (Moreno Valley, California) | ||||
| College: | Florida (2010–2014) | ||||
| NFL draft: | 2014 / round: 5 / pick: 169 | ||||
| Career history | |||||
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||
| |||||
Early life
editA native of Moreno Valley, California, Powell attended Rancho Verde High School, where he played defensive end, linebacker and tight end. In his senior season, he totaled over 80 tackles, 13 sacks and 28 tackles for losses on defense, while averaging over 15 yards per catch on offense. He was named a High School All-American by USA Today, Parade and EA Sports. He was selected to play in the 2010 U.S. Army All-American Bowl, where he was voted MVP.
Regarded as a five-star college recruit by Rivals.com, Powell was listed as the No. 1 prospect (regardless of position) in the class of 2010.[1]
College career
editPowell accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he was a member of coach Urban Meyer and coach Will Muschamp's Florida Gators football teams from 2010 to 2013. As a freshman in 2010, he played in 13 games and made one start. In his sophomore year, he became a regular starter for the Gators, playing and starting in 12 games. In an injury-plagued junior year, he tore his left ACL two different times, first in the spring Orange and Blue game, and again during rehabilitation. For the 2012 season, he earned a medical redshirt. In 2013, Powell played in 11 games and started in eight.
Professional career
edit| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 3+1⁄8 in (1.91 m) |
237 lb (108 kg) |
32+1⁄2 in (0.83 m) |
9+3⁄8 in (0.24 m) |
4.65 s | 1.62 s | 2.71 s | 35.5 in (0.90 m) |
9 ft 6 in (2.90 m) |
24 reps | |||
| All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[2][3] | ||||||||||||
New Orleans Saints
editPowell was listed as the 15th-ranked OLB and projected to be a fifth-round pick in the 2014 NFL draft.[4] The New Orleans Saints drafted Powell with the 169th overall pick.[5] He played in 14 games during the 2014 season. The Saints released him on September 1, 2015;[6] after he cleared waivers, he was placed on the Saints' injured reserve list.[7]
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
editPowell was signed to the practice squad of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on November 4, 2015.[8]
Chicago Bears
editOn September 21, 2016, Powell was signed to the Bears' practice squad.[9]
Seattle Seahawks
editOn December 13, 2016, Powell was signed by the Seahawks off the Bears' practice squad.[10]
On August 10, 2017, Powell was waived/injured by the Seahawks and placed on injured reserve.[11] He was released on August 16, 2017.[12]
Orlando Apollos
editIn 2018, Powell signed with the Orlando Apollos of the Alliance of American Football for the 2019 season.[13] He was placed on the waived/injured list on January 9, 2019.[14] The league ceased operations in April 2019.[15]
Death
editPowell died on January 15, 2024, at the age of 32.[16]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "The Rivals 100: 2010 Prospect Ranking". Rivals.com. January 14, 2010.
- ^ "Ronald Powell Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved February 23, 2014.
- ^ "2014 NFL Draft Scout Ronald Powell College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
- ^ "NFL Draft - 2014 DE Draft Prospects". CBSSports.com. Retrieved October 19, 2010.
- ^ "2014 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
- ^ Kristian Garic, "Saints release WR Nick Toon amid other cuts", WWL (AM), September 1, 2015.
- ^ Joel A. Erickson, "Nick Toon, Vinnie Sunseri, Ronald Powell clear waivers, placed on injured reserve" Archived September 5, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, The Advocate, September 2, 2015.
- ^ "Ronald Powell". Pro-Football-Reference. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
- ^ Mayer, Larry (September 21, 2016). "Mostert elevated from practice squad". ChicagoBears.com.
- ^ Drovetto, Tony (December 13, 2016). "Seahawks Sign RB Kelvin Taylor, LB Ronald Powell; Place RB Troymaine Pope, FB Will Tukuafu On Injured Reserve". Seahawks.com. Archived from the original on August 15, 2017.
- ^ Boyle, John (August 10, 2017). "Seahawks Sign DE Christian French; Waive/Injured LB Ronald Powell". Seahawks.com.
- ^ Comeaux, Jonathan (August 16, 2017). "Seahawks Waive LB Ronald Powell Off I.R. With Settlement". NFLTradeRumors.co. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
- ^ Jackson, Ken. "AAF team gets a name — Orlando Apollos to start play at UCF in February". aroundosceola.com. Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
- ^ "Orlando Apollos Daily Update". Our Sports Central. January 9, 2019. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
- ^ Rothstein, Michael; Wickersham, Seth (June 13, 2019). "Inside the short, unhappy life of the Alliance of American Football". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
- ^ McVeigh, Griffin (January 15, 2024). "Former NFL teammate announces the passing of Ronald Powell". Florida Gators. Retrieved January 16, 2024.