Kelechi Osemele

Kelechi Keith Ayo Osemele (/keɪˈleɪtʃi oʊˈsɛməli/; kay-LAY-chee oh-SEM-ə-lee;[1] born June 24, 1989) is an American football offensive guard who is a free agent. He played college football at Iowa State. He was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft, and was a rookie starter throughout the team's Super Bowl XLVII championship run that season.

Kelechi Osemele
refer to caption
Osemele with the Oakland Raiders in 2017
Personal information
Born: (1989-06-24) June 24, 1989
Houston, Texas, U.S.
Height:6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight:330 lb (150 kg)
Career information
High school:Langham Creek
(Houston, Texas)
College:Iowa State (2007–2011)
Position:Offensive guard
NFL Draft:2012 / Round: 2 / Pick: 60
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Games played:101
Games started:101
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Early years

Of Nigerian descent, his name Kelechi means "Thank God" in the Igbo language.[2] Osemele was born and raised in Houston, where he attended Langham Creek High School.[3]

College career

Osemele attended and played college football at Iowa State.[4] Entering his senior season at Iowa State in 2011, Osemele had started 30 consecutive games. He was a second-team all Big 12 selection in 2009 and an honorable mention in 2010.

Professional career
Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span40-yard dash10-yard split20-yard split20-yard shuttleThree-cone drillVertical jumpBroad jumpBench press
6 ft 5+1⁄2 in
(1.97 m)		 333 lb
(151 kg)		 35+7⁄8 in
(0.91 m)		 10+1⁄4 in
(0.26 m)		5.36 s1.84 s2.97 s4.87 s7.91 s26.5 in
(0.67 m)		8 ft 8 in
(2.64 m)		32 reps
All values from NFL Combine.[5]

Baltimore Ravens
With the Ravens in 2013.

Osemele was selected in the second round with 60th overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens.[6] He started at right tackle in every Ravens game during his rookie season. He replaced the injured Jah Reid at left guard for the Ravens' playoff run. This, along with the insertion of Bryant McKinnie at left tackle and the move of Michael Oher to right tackle, solidified the offensive line. With the Ravens finishing 10–6, the team won the AFC North pennant and eventually won Super Bowl XLVII over the San Francisco 49ers, making Osemele's rookie year successful giving him his first championship title.[7][8]

On November 1, 2013, it was announced Osemele would have back surgery.[9] After playing seven games, he would finish the rest of the 2013 season on injured reserve.[10]

Osemele successfully recovered from back surgery and started all but two games for the Ravens in the 2014 season.[11]

Oakland Raiders
Kelechi Osemele in a game against the Washington Redskins in 2017

Osemele signed a five-year, $60 million contract with the Oakland Raiders on March 10, 2016.[12] He was selected to his first Pro Bowl for the 2016 season along with fellow Raider offensive linemen Donald Penn and Rodney Hudson.[13] He was also named First-team All-Pro.[14] He was also ranked 95th on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2017.[15]

On December 19, 2017, Osemele was named to his second Pro Bowl along with fellow Raider offensive linemen Donald Penn and Rodney Hudson for the second straight year.[16]

As of October 2018, he was the second-highest paid left guard in the NFL in average salary at $11.7 million, behind the Jaguars' Andrew Norwell ($13.3 million) and ahead of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Ali Marpet ($10.825 million).[17]

New York Jets

On March 10, 2019, the Raiders agreed to trade Osemele and a 2019 sixth round draft pick (originally acquired from the Chicago Bears) to the New York Jets in exchange for a fifth round pick. The deal was completed on March 14, 2019.[18][19] On October 15, 2019, it was revealed that Osemele suffered a shoulder injury and was contemplating surgery.[20] Osemele's doctors told him that he needed surgery for his injury but the Jets disagreed and did not believe that Osemele needed surgery. Osemele was fined for every practice that he missed due to his injury. On October 26, 2019, Osemele was released from the team after undergoing shoulder surgery.[21]

Kansas City Chiefs

On July 27, 2020, Osemele signed a one-year deal with the Kansas City Chiefs.[22] He started the first five games at left guard before suffering torn tendons in both his knees in Week 5. He was placed on injured reserve on October 17, 2020.[23]

References
  1. Zrebiec, Jeff. "Ravens rookie offensive lineman Kelechi Osemele credits a complicated past with opening up his future," The Baltimore Sun, Saturday, August 25, 2012.
  2. "Kelechi". Online Nigeria. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
  3. "Kelechi Osemele's High School Timeline". MaxPreps.com. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  4. Stuve, Sam. "Former Cyclone Kelechi Osemele signs with Kansas City Chiefs". Iowa State Daily. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  5. "NFL Events: Combine Player Profiles – Kelechi Osemele". NFL.com.
  6. "2012 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
  7. Vensel, Matt (January 9, 2013). "Kelechi Osemele fared well in move from tackle to guard". baltimoresun.com. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  8. "Super Bowl XLVII – San Francisco 49ers vs. Baltimore Ravens – February 3rd, 2013". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
  9. Zrebiec, Jeff (November 1, 2013). "Kelechi Osemele likely done for year, headed for back surgery". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved August 3, 2014.
  10. "Ravens placing Kelechi Osemele on injured reserve". ProFootballTalk. November 4, 2013. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  11. "Kelechi Osemele 2014 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  12. "Oakland Raiders Sign Free Agent Offensive Lineman Kelechi Osemele". Raiders.com. March 10, 2016. Archived from the original on December 15, 2016. Retrieved March 11, 2016.
  13. "NFL announces 2017 Pro Bowl rosters". NFL.com. December 20, 2016. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  14. "Three rookies, Matt Ryan among players named to All-Pro team". NFL.com. January 6, 2017. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  15. "2017 NFL Top 100". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  16. "NFL announces 2018 Pro Bowl rosters". NFL.com. December 19, 2017. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
  17. Stroud, Rick (October 9, 2018). "Bucs' offensive lineman Ali Marpet signs five-year contract extension". orlandosentinel.com. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  18. Schneidman, Matt (March 10, 2019). "Source: Raiders trading Kelechi Osemele to the Jets". The Mercury News. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  19. Allen, Eric (March 14, 2019). "Jets Acquire OL Kelechi Osemele in Trade with Raiders, Swap Picks". NewYorkJets.com. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  20. Cimini, Rich (October 15, 2019). "Source: Jets guard Kelechi Osemele done for season". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  21. Greenberg, Ethan (October 26, 2019). "Jets Release LG Kelechi Osemele, Promote LB James Burgess from the Practice Squad". NewYorkJets.com. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  22. Scott, Jelani (July 25, 2020). "Chiefs bolster O-line with signing of veteran G Kelechi Osemele". NFL.com. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  23. Goldman, Charles (October 17, 2020). "Chiefs announce two roster moves on Saturday". USAToday.com. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
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