| No. 96 – Chicago Bears | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Linebacker | ||||||||
| Roster status | Active | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | (1998-12-19)December 19, 1998 (age 27) Malaeimi, American Samoa | ||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||
| Listed weight | 228 lb (103 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Desert Hills(St. George, Utah, U.S.) | ||||||||
| College | |||||||||
| NFL draft | 2022: undrafted | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| |||||||||
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of 2025 | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Nephi Sewell (born December 19, 1998) is an American Samoan professionalfootballlinebacker for theChicago Bears of theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theNevada Wolf Pack andUtah Utes and was signed by the Saints as anundrafted free agent in2022.
Sewell was born on December 19, 1998, inAmerican Samoa.[1] He moved to the United States in 2012, and attendedDesert Hills High School inUtah.[1] After recording 48tackles and fiveinterceptions as asophomore, Sewell missed his entirejunior season after suffering abroken neck in his first game of that year.[2] Although he was told he may never play football again, Sewell was determined to play, and ended up recovering in time for hissenior season, where he playedrunning back and ran for over 1,250 yards and scored 16touchdowns, while helping his team win the state championship.[2][1]
Sewell committed to playcollege football at theUniversity of Nevada in 2017.[3] He saw immediate playing time as a truefreshman, being named the school's player of the week in his debut, where he recorded five tackles atsafety.[2] He finished his first season at the school with 12 games played, eight as a starter, and 58 tackles, as well as an interception and afumble forced and recovered.[1]
As asophomore in 2018, Sewell started 11 games and finished the year with 53 tackles, one interception and one fumble recovered.[1] His announced his intention to transfer after the season, and although originally committing toBYU, he ended up transferring toUtah.[4] In his first season with the school, he appeared in three games and made 14 tackles.[1] Sewell changed his position from safety tolinebacker for the 2020 season,[5] and placed second on the team with 40 tackles, while starting all five of their games.[1]
In 2021, Sewell appeared in 13 games, all but one of which he was a starter in at linebacker.[1] He made a total of 89 tackles, placing second on the team, and additionally recorded one forced fumble and an interception.[1] He had three games with more than 10 tackles and ranked eighth in the conference for average tackles-per-game with 6.8, being named first-team all-conference byAssociated Press (AP).[1] Sewell declared for theNFL draft following the 2021 season.[6] He finished his collegiate career with 44 career games played and 37 starts.[1]
| 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft11+1⁄2 in (1.82 m) | 226 lb (103 kg) | 29+3⁄8 in (0.75 m) | 8+1⁄2 in (0.22 m) | 4.67 s | 1.64 s | 2.69 s | 4.33 s | 7.01 s | 32.0 in (0.81 m) | 10 ft 0 in (3.05 m) | 24 reps | |
| All values fromNFL Combine/Pro Day[7][8] | ||||||||||||
After going unselected in the2022 NFL draft, Sewell was signed by theNew Orleans Saints as anundrafted free agent.[9] He was waived at the final roster cuts on August 30,[10] and was subsequently re-signed to thepractice squad.[11] He was promoted to the active roster on November 10,[12] and made his NFL debut in the Saints' 20–10 loss to thePittsburgh Steelers in Week 10.[13] He was waived on December 17 and re-signed to the practice squad.[14] He signed a reserve/future contract on January 9, 2023.[15]
Sewell made the Saints final roster in 2023 as a special teamer, playing in 16 games.[16]
On August 27, 2024, Sewell was placed on the reserve/physically unable to perform (PUP) list to begin the season.[17][18] He was activated on November 16. In New Orleans' season finale against theTampa Bay Buccaneers, Sewell recorded his first career sack againstBaker Mayfield.[19]
On August 26, 2025, Sewell was waived by the Saints as part of final roster cuts and re-signed to the practice squad the next day.[20][21]
On January 13, 2026, Sewell was signed to the Chicago Bears practice squad.[22] On January 20, he signed a reserve/futures contract.[23]
Sewell has three brothers who play football: Gabriel, a linebacker for theHouston Roughnecks of theUnited Football League (UFL);Noah, a linebacker for theChicago Bears; andPenei, an offensive tackle for theDetroit Lions.[24] Additionally, his unclesRichard Brown andIsaac Sopoaga played in the NFL.[25]
