Chigoziem Okonkwo

Chigoziem Charlton "Chig" Okonkwo (born September 8, 1999) is an American football tight end for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Maryland.

Chigoziem Okonkwo
refer to caption
Okonkwo in 2022
No. 85 – Tennessee Titans
Position:Tight end
Personal information
Born: (1999-09-08) September 8, 1999
Powder Springs, Georgia, U.S.
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:238 lb (108 kg)
Career information
High school:Hillgrove
(Powder Springs, Georgia)
College:Maryland (2018–2021)
NFL Draft:2022 / Round: 4 / Pick: 143
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 4, 2023
Receptions:42
Receiving yards:521
Receiving touchdowns:3
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Early years

Okonkwo grew up in Powder Springs, Georgia, and attended Hillgrove High School.[1] He was born to a Nigerian family.[2] As a junior, he caught 48 passes for 907 yards and 12 touchdowns.[3] Okonkwo was rated a three-star recruit and committed to play college football at Maryland over offers from Georgia Tech and Wisconsin.[4]

College career
Okonkwo with Maryland in 2021

Okonkwo caught six passes for 69 yards and a touchdown and also rushed three times for 72 yards and a touchdown during his freshman season.[5] As a sophomore, he had 19 receptions for 201 yards and two touchdowns.[6] Okonkwo missed the 2020 season after he developed myocarditis.[7][8] As a senior, Okonkwo caught 52 passes for 447 yards and five touchdowns.[9]

Professional career
Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span40-yard dash10-yard split20-yard split20-yard shuttleThree-cone drillVertical jumpBroad jumpBench press
6 ft 2+1⁄2 in
(1.89 m)		 238 lb
(108 kg)		 32+3⁄4 in
(0.83 m)		 9+3⁄4 in
(0.25 m)		4.52 s1.57 s2.65 s4.45 s7.19 s35.5 in
(0.90 m)		9 ft 9 in
(2.97 m)		13 reps
Sources:[10][11]

Okonkwo was selected in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft with the 143rd overall pick by the Tennessee Titans.[12] He made his NFL debut in Week 1 against the New York Giants.[13] In Week 4, against the Indianapolis Colts, he scored his first NFL touchdown on an eight-yard reception from Ryan Tannehill.[14] As a rookie, he appeared in all 17 games and started eight. He finished with 32 receptions for 450 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns.[15] He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team.[16]

References
  1. Simmons, Chad (April 18, 2017). "Chigoziem Okonkwo is looking national and he has a plan". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  2. "Feature Friday | A Football Family | umterps.com". static.umterps.com. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
  3. Culpepper, Juliakate E. (August 17, 2017). "Georgia Tech target and Hillgrove receiver to announce commitment". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  4. Bednarowski, John (August 19, 2017). "Hillgrove pass-catcher Chigoziem Okonkwo commits to Maryland". Marietta Daily Journal. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  5. Markus, Don (October 25, 2019). "Spurred by his father's death, tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo is becoming a man for Maryland offense". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  6. Greene, Scott (July 17, 2020). "Okonkwo named to Mackey Award watch list". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  7. Giambalvo, Emily (April 16, 2021). "Maryland tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo back after myocarditis". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  8. McFadden, Ryan (October 28, 2021). "Terps might have strongest sneaker game in college football thanks to Chigoziem Okonkwo's mysterious hookup". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  9. Brown, Wesley (February 8, 2022). "Former Maryland football standout impressing scouts ahead of NFL Draft". 247Sports.com. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  10. "Chig Okonkwo Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
  11. "Chigoziem Okonkwo, Maryland, FB, 2022 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
  12. Giambalvo, Emily (April 30, 2022). "Titans select Maryland TE Chigoziem Okonkwo in fourth round of NFL draft". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
  13. "New York Giants at Tennessee Titans - September 11th, 2022". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
  14. "Tennessee Titans at Indianapolis Colts - October 2nd, 2022". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
  15. "Chigoziem Okonkwo 2022 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  16. "2022 NFL All-Rookie Team". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
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