Eli Ankou

Eli Ankou (born June 8, 1994) is a Canadian professional football defensive tackle who is currently a free agent. He played college football at UCLA. Ankou grew up in Canada and played high school football for the St. Peter Catholic High School Knights in Orleans, Ontario, but played his senior season at Red Lion Christian Academy in Bear, Delaware.[1]

Eli Ankou
refer to caption
Ankou with the UCLA Bruins in 2016
Personal information
Born: (1994-06-08) June 8, 1994
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:325 lb (147 kg)
Career information
High school:St. Peter Catholic
(Orleans, Ontario, Canada)
Red Lion Christian Academy
(Bear, Delaware, U.S.)
College:UCLA
Position:Defensive tackle
CFL Draft:2017 / Round: 3 / Pick: 26
Undrafted:2017
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career NFL statistics as of Week 5, 2023
Total tackles:44
Sacks:2.5
Forced fumbles:0
Fumble recoveries:0
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Early years

Ankou attended St. Peter Catholic High School and Red Lion Christian Academy, where he played as a strong side defensive end. He accepted a football scholarship from UCLA.[2]

As a true freshman, he didn't appear in any games. As a sophomore, he missed most of the season with an injury. He appeared in 3 games as a backup, making one tackle.[2]

As a junior, he appeared in all 13 games as backup, posting 5 tackles (1 for loss).[2]

As a senior, he became a starter after Eddie Vanderdoes was lost for the season with a right knee injury. He appeared in 13 games with 11 starts, registering 47 tackles (ninth on the team), 5 tackles for loss (tied for fourth on the team). He had 7 tackles against the University of Colorado. He made 6 tackles against Stanford University. He finished his career with 38 games (19 starts), 91 tackles (8 for loss), 1.5 sacks, three passes defensed and one fumble recovery.[3]

Professional career

Houston Texans

Ankou was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Houston Texans after the 2017 NFL Draft on May 12.[4] He was waived by the Texans on September 2, 2017.[5]

Jacksonville Jaguars

On September 3, 2017, Ankou was claimed off waivers by the Jacksonville Jaguars.[6]

In 2017, he appeared in nine games as a backup, posting 15 tackles (one for loss), 1.5 sacks and two quarterback pressures. In 2018, he appeared in two games as a backup and had four tackles. On September 1, 2019, Ankou was waived by the Jaguars and re-signed to the practice squad on September 3.[7]

Cleveland Browns

Ankou was signed by the Cleveland Browns off the Jaguars' practice squad on October 22, 2019.[8] Ankou appeared in 9 games with 2 starts, tallying 7 tackles (one for loss). He was waived by the Browns on September 6, 2020.[9]

Indianapolis Colts

On September 7, 2020, Ankou was claimed off waivers by the Indianapolis Colts.[10] He was declared inactive during the first 5 weeks of the season. He was waived on October 17.[11]

Houston Texans (second stint)

On October 19, 2020, Ankou was claimed off waivers by the Houston Texans and placed on the exempt/commissioner permission list.[12] On October 26, he was activated from the exempt/commissioner permission list.

Dallas Cowboys

On November 2, 2020, Ankou was traded to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for a 7th round draft pick (#245-Andrew Stueber) in the 2022 NFL Draft.[13] He was acquired to provide depth after the release of defensive tackle Dontari Poe and to help improve a defensive line that was struggling to stop the run. He appeared in 7 games as a backup, tallying 5 tackles and one quarterback pressure. He wasn't re-signed after the season.

Atlanta Falcons

On May 17, 2021, Ankou signed with the Atlanta Falcons.[14] He was waived on June 17, 2021.[15]

Buffalo Bills

On June 22, 2021, Ankou signed with the Buffalo Bills.[16] He was waived on August 15.[17]

Atlanta Falcons (second stint)

On August 18, 2021, Ankou signed with the Atlanta Falcons.[18] He was waived on August 31, 2021.[19]

Pittsburgh Steelers

On October 5, 2021, Ankou was signed to the Pittsburgh Steelers practice squad.[20] He was released on October 12.[21]

Tennessee Titans

On October 26, 2021, Ankou was signed to the Tennessee Titans practice squad.[22] On November 1, 2021, Ankou was released from the practice squad.[23]

Buffalo Bills (second stint)

On November 16, 2021, Ankou was signed to the Buffalo Bills' practice squad. He played in six games, recording 10 tackles and one sack.[24] He signed with the Bills on February 7, 2022.[25] He was released on August 30, 2022.[26] He was re-signed to the practice squad on October 3, 2022. He signed a reserve/future contract on January 23, 2023.[27]

On August 29, 2023, Ankou was waived by the Bills and re-signed to the practice squad.[28][29]

Atlanta Falcons

On October 4, 2023, Ankou was signed by the Atlanta Falcons off the Bills practice squad.[30] He was released by the Falcons on October 24, 2023.

Personal life

Ankou is an Ojibwe of the Dokis First Nation through his mother Nicole Bellefeuille, while his father Adolphe is originally from the West African nation of Togo.[31] [32] He has been in a relationship with American racing cyclist Shayna Powless since 2013, after the couple met at UCLA:[33] as of 2021 the couple were engaged.[34]

References
  1. "Football recruiting: 3-star DE commits to UCLA". Orange County Register. July 11, 2011.
  2. "Returning Player Bios". 2016 UCLA Football Information Guide. UCLA. 2016.
  3. "2016 in Review". 2017 UCLA Football Information Guide. UCLA. 2017.
  4. "OFFICIAL: Texans sign 20 college free agents". HoustonTexans.com. May 12, 2017. Archived from the original on October 18, 2017. Retrieved August 26, 2017.
  5. "Transactions: Texans down to 53-man roster". HoustonTexans.com. September 2, 2017. Archived from the original on January 8, 2018.
  6. "Jaguars claim five players off waivers". Jaguars.com. September 3, 2017. Archived from the original on November 5, 2017.
  7. Oehser, John (September 1, 2019). "Roster moves: Jaguars make four waiver claims". Jaguars.com. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  8. "Browns sign DT Eli Ankou". ClevelandBrowns.com. October 22, 2019.
  9. "Browns Claim Two Players; Announce 14 Practice Squad Members". ClevelandBrowns.com. September 6, 2020.
  10. "Colts Claim DT Eli Ankou Off Waivers; Place TE Trey Burton On Injured Reserve". Colts.com. September 7, 2020.
  11. "Colts Activate DT Sheldon Day From IR; Sign WR Marcus Johnson To Active Roster; Elevate G Jake Eldrenkamp, WR DeMichael Harris For Bengals Game". Colts.com. October 17, 2020.
  12. "Houston Texans Transactions (10-19-20)". HoustonTexans.com. October 19, 2020.
  13. Wilson, Aaron (October 30, 2020). "Texans trade DT Eli Ankou to Cowboys". HoustonChronicle.com. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  14. "Falcons sign defensive linemen Eli Ankou and Olive Sagapolu". AtlantaFalcons.com. May 17, 2021.
  15. "Falcons sign four free agents". AtlantaFalcons.com. June 17, 2021.
  16. Glab, Maddy (June 22, 2021). "Bills sign two defensive tackles". BuffaloBills.com. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
  17. "The Bills release five players". BuffaloBills.com. August 15, 2021.
  18. "Falcons sign DL Eli Ankou". AtlantaFalcons.com. August 18, 2021.
  19. "Falcons announce 53-man roster". AtlantaFalcons.com. August 31, 2021.
  20. "Steelers add NT Eli Ankou to practice squad". Steelers Wire. USA Today. October 5, 2021.
  21. "Report: Steelers Sign WR Anthony Miller, DL Isaiah Mack To Practice Squad". Steelers Depot. October 12, 2021.
  22. Wyatt, Jim (October 26, 2021). "Titans Add Two to Practice Squad, Release Three Others". TennesseeTitans.com.
  23. "Titans Sign Veteran RBs Adrian Peterson and D'Onta Foreman to Practice Squad in a Flurry of Moves". TennesseeTitans.com. November 2, 2021. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
  24. "Bills sign Eli Ankou to the practice squad". BuffaloBills.com. November 16, 2021.
  25. "Buffalo Bills sign Eli Ankou to reserve/future contract". Bills Wire. USA Today. February 7, 2022. Retrieved February 7, 2022.
  26. "Roster moves: Bills set initial 53-man roster". BuffaloBills.com. August 30, 2022.
  27. Jenkins, Chris (January 23, 2023). "Bills signed these players to reserve/future contracts for 2023". BuffaloBills.com.
  28. White, Alec (August 29, 2023). "Bills announce moves to get to 53-man roster". BuffaloBills.com.
  29. White, Alec (August 30, 2023). "Bills sign 14 players to 2023 practice squad". BuffaloBills.com.
  30. McElhaney, Tori (October 4, 2023). "Falcons sign defensive lineman, place receiver on injured reserve". AtlantaFalcons.com.
  31. "Founders". Dream Catcher Foundation. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
  32. Baines, Tim (June 5, 2021). "A SOCIAL CONSCIENCE: Disturbing residential school discovery on mind of Ottawa NFLer Eli Ankou". Ottawa Sun. Retrieved July 24, 2021.
  33. Vaisvilas, Frank (October 9, 2020). "Native American pro athletes Shayna Powless, Eli Ankou planning summer camps in Wisconsin". Green Bay Press-Gazette. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
  34. Talbot, Ryan (June 22, 2021). "Bills sign NT Eli Ankou: 4 things to know". syracuse.com. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
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