.png) Chenal in 2022 | |||||||||||||
| No. 54 – Kansas City Chiefs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Linebacker | ||||||||||||
| Roster status | Active | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born | (2000-10-26)October 26, 2000 (age 25) Grantsburg, Wisconsin, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight | 250 lb (113 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school | Grantsburg (WI) | ||||||||||||
| College | Wisconsin (2019–2021) | ||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2022: 3rd round, 103rd overall pick | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of Week 8, 2025 | |||||||||||||
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Leo Chenal (/ʃəˈnɛl/shə-NEL;[1] born October 26, 2000) is an American professionalfootballlinebacker for theKansas City Chiefs of theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theWisconsin Badgers and was selected by the Chiefs in the third round of the2022 NFL draft.
Chenal grew up inWest Sweden, Wisconsin township and attended school in theFrederic, Wisconsin district. He open enrolled as a freshman to nearby townGrantsburg, Wisconsin to attend Grantsburg High School, where he played both running back and linebacker.[2] As a senior, Chenal rushed for 2,038 yards and 42 touchdowns with 226 receiving yards and three touchdowns on offense and had 120 tackles and seven tackles for loss on defense.[3] He was named both the small-school Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year byWisconsin Football Coaches Association and the state Gatorade Football Player of the Year.[4] After a devastating loss to the future state champions, Iola-Scandinavia.[5] Chenal finished his high school career with 3,706 rushing yards and 68 touchdowns and 1,300 receiving yards and 17 touchdown receptions on offense and with 385 tackles, 55 tackles for loss, seven sacks, and three interceptions on defense.[6]
Chenal joined the Wisconsin Badgers as an early enrollee.[7] He played in 11 games during his freshman season and had 20 tackles with two tackles for loss and one sack.[8] As a sophomore, he was named honorable mentionAll-Big Ten Conference after finishing the season with 46 tackles, six tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks, one forced fumble and one interception in seven games during Wisconsin'sCOVID-19-shortened2020 season.[9] Chenal was named theButkus–Fitzgerald Linebacker of the Year and first-team All-Big Ten as a junior.[10]
On January 3, 2022, Chenal announced that he would forgo his senior year to enter the2022 NFL draft.[11]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft2+5⁄8 in (1.90 m) | 250 lb (113 kg) | 31 in (0.79 m) | 9+3⁄4 in (0.25 m) | 4.53 s | 1.50 s | 2.57 s | 4.24 s | 6.98 s | 40.5 in (1.03 m) | 10 ft 8 in (3.25 m) | 34 reps | |
| All values fromNFL Combine/Pro Day[12][13] | ||||||||||||
Chenal was selected in the third round (103rd overall) by theKansas City Chiefs in the 2022 NFL Draft.[14] Chenal made his NFL debut in the Chiefs' regular season opener against theArizona Cardinals.[15] He earned his first start in Week 5 against theLas Vegas Raiders.[15] He recorded his first professional sack in Week 10 against theJacksonville Jaguars.[16] He finished his rookie season with 35 total tackles and one sack in 17 games, of which he started eight.[15] Chenal won two Super Bowls, in his first two seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs. InSuper Bowl LVII Chenal recorded six tackles and a sack as the Chiefs won 38–35 over thePhiladelphia Eagles.[17] He was also a key factor for the Chiefs inSuper Bowl LVIII, contributing 6 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 forced fumble, and a blocked extra point, helping the Chiefs win 25–22 in overtime over theSan Francisco 49ers.[18] In Week 10 of the2024 season, Chenalblocked the potential walk-off field goal fromDenver Broncos kickerWil Lutz, leading to him being named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week.[19][20]