 Onyemata in 2023 | |||||||||||||
| No. 90 – Atlanta Falcons | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Nose tackle | ||||||||||||
| Roster status | Active | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born | (1992-11-13)November 13, 1992 (age 33) Lagos, Nigeria | ||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight | 310 lb (141 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school | Chrisland Schools (Ikeja,Lagos, Nigeria) | ||||||||||||
| University | Manitoba (2012–2015) | ||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2016: 4th round, 120th overall pick | ||||||||||||
| CFL draft | 2016: 4th round, 35th overall pick | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of 2024 | |||||||||||||
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David Onyemata (born November 13, 1992) is a Nigerian professionalAmerican footballnose tackle for theAtlanta Falcons of theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theManitoba Bisons.
Onyemata is a native ofLagos,Nigeria, where he attended theChrisland Schools but he graduated fromRainbow College. He immigrated, on his own, toWinnipeg in 2011 to attend college theUniversity of Manitoba.
Onyemata had never seen agridiron football game until he came to Winnipeg, but he became a standout player for theManitoba Bisons. He won the 2015J. P. Metras Trophy as the top down lineman inCIS football,[1] was invited to play in theEast–West Shrine Game, and became the top Canadian prospect in the 2016 draft.[2]
| 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 ft3+1⁄4 in (1.91 m) | 300 lb (136 kg) | 33+1⁄4 in (0.84 m) | 10+3⁄8 in (0.26 m) | 5.06 s | 1.66 s | 2.89 s | 4.65 s | 7.25 s | 33.0 in (0.84 m) | 9 ft 11 in (3.02 m) | 33 reps | |
| All values fromPro Day[3][4] | ||||||||||||
Onyemata was selected by theNew Orleans Saints in the fourth round of the2016 NFL draft as the 120th overall pick.[5] He was the first player from the University of Manitoba ever selected for theNFL draft, and the twelfth NFL draft pick from the CIS (now U Sports). The Saints traded their fifth round picks for 2016 and2017 toWashington in order to draft Onyemata.[6][7] He was also selected by theSaskatchewan Roughriders in the fourth round of the2016 CFL draft.[8]
In 2018, Onyemata played in all 16 games with four starts, recording 35 tackles, 4.5 sacks, and a forced fumble.[9]
Onyemata was suspended the first game of the 2019 season for violating the league's substances of abuse policy.[10] He was reinstated to the active roster on September 10, 2019.
On March 18, 2020, Onyemata signed a three-year, $27 million contract extension with the Saints.[11]
In Week 9 against theTampa Bay Buccaneers onSunday Night Football, Onyemata recorded his first career interception off a pass thrown byTom Brady during the 38–3 win.[12]
On March 3, 2021, Onyemata agreed to convert part of his $7 million base salary into a signing bonus to free up cap space for New Orleans. On July 16, Onyemata was suspended six games by the NFL after testing positive for a banned substance.[13]
On March 16, 2023, Onyemata signed a three-year, $35 million contract with theAtlanta Falcons, reuniting him with his former Saints position coach,Ryan Nielsen, who was named the Falconsdefensive coordinator.[14]