Joel Iyiegbuniwe
refer to caption
Iyiegbuniwe in 2017
Personal information
Born: (1995-10-12) October 12, 1995
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:235 lb (107 kg)
Career information
High school:South Warren
(Bowling Green, Kentucky)
College:Western Kentucky (2014–2017)
Position:Inside linebacker
NFL Draft:2018 / Round: 4 / Pick: 115
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
  • First-team All-CUSA (2017)
Career NFL statistics as of 2022
Total tackles:31
Forced fumbles:1
Pass deflections:1
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Joel Iyiegbuniwe (born October 12, 1995) is an American football linebacker who is a free agent. He played college football at Western Kentucky.

Early years

Iyiegbuniwe attended South Warren High School in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Although as a senior he only played in four games, he tallied 23 tackles and one interception along with six touchdowns. As a junior he made 64 tackles with three interceptions along with four touchdowns.[1] Iyiegbuniwe committed to play football for the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers in December 2013, choosing them over Indiana State and Southern Illinois.[2]

College career

As a true freshman in 2014, Iyiegbuniwe played in the first three games of Western Kentucky's season before a knee injury ended his season. He elected to take a medical redshirt.[3]

In 2015, as a redshirt freshman, Iyiegbuniwe played in all 14 of Western Kentucky's games, recording 19 tackles and one sack.[4]

In 2016, Iyiegbuniwe, now a redshirt sophomore, once again appeared in all 14 games. He made 64 tackles (10 for loss), 3.5 sacks, three pass deflections and one forced fumble.[5] He was awarded 2016 C-USA Honorable Mention.[6]

As a redshirt junior in 2017, Iyiegbuniwe played in all 13 games, recording 117 tackles (11.5 for loss), two sacks, one pass deflection and three forced fumbles.[7] He was named to the 2017 C-USA First-team.[8] After the season, he declared for the 2018 NFL Draft.[9]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span40-yard dash10-yard split20-yard split20-yard shuttleThree-cone drillVertical jumpBroad jumpBench press
6 ft 1+3⁄8 in
(1.86 m)		 229 lb
(104 kg)		 32+5⁄8 in
(0.83 m)		 10+1⁄4 in
(0.26 m)		4.60 s1.60 s2.70 s4.28 s7.06 s35.0 in
(0.89 m)		9 ft 9 in
(2.97 m)		19 reps
All values from NFL Combine[10][11][12]

Chicago Bears

Iyiegbuniwe in a game against the Washington Redskins

Iyiegbuniwe was selected by the Chicago Bears in the fourth round (115th overall) of the 2018 NFL Draft.[13]

Seattle Seahawks

On March 24, 2022, Iyiegbuniwe signed a one-year contract with the Seattle Seahawks.[14] He was released on August 20, 2022.[15]

Carolina Panthers

On October 20, 2022, Iyiegbuniwe was signed to the Carolina Panthers practice squad.[16] He was promoted to the active roster on November 19.[17]

Personal life

He is of Nigerian descent.[18]

References

  1. ↑ "Joel Iyiegbuniwe". Western Kentucky University Athletics. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  2. ↑ "South Warren LB/RB Joel Iyiegbuniwe verbally commits to WKU". Bowling Green Daily News. December 5, 2013. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  3. ↑ "TOPPER EXTRA: Iyiegbuniwe makes impact in breakout season". wkuherald.com. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  4. ↑ "Joel Iyiegbuniwe 2015 Player Statistics". cfbstats.com. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  5. ↑ "Joel Iyiegbuniwe 2016 Player Statistics". cfbstats.com. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  6. ↑ "FB: 2016 All-Conference Teams". Conference USA. December 6, 2016. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  7. ↑ "Joel Iyiegbuniwe 2017 Player Statistics". cfbstats.com. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  8. ↑ "FB: 2017 All-Conference Awards". Conference USA. December 5, 2017. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  9. ↑ "Western Kentucky's Joel Iyiegbuniwe declares early for draft". NBC Sports. January 16, 2018. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  10. ↑ "Joel Iyiegbuniwe Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
  11. ↑ "2018 Draft Scout Joel Iyiegbuniwe, Western Kentucky NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
  12. ↑ "NFL Combine 2018: Full list of results, measurements from all positions". ninersnation.com. March 6, 2018. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
  13. ↑ Mayer, Larry (April 28, 2018). "Bears select Iyiegbuniwe in Round 4". ChicagoBears.com. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
  14. ↑ Boyle, John (March 24, 2022). "Seahawks Sign LB Joel Iyiegbuniwe". Seahawks.com.
  15. ↑ Boyle, John (August 20, 2022). "Seahawks Release LB Joel Iyiegbuniwe, Waive Four Undrafted Rookies To Reduce Roster To 80". Seahawks.com.
  16. ↑ "Panthers add two players to practice squad on Tuesday". Panthers Wire. USA Today. November 1, 2022.
  17. ↑ Gantt, Darin (November 19, 2022). "Panthers activate Jeremy Chinn to 53-man roster". Panthers.com.
  18. ↑ Okupa, Francis (April 23, 2018). "Nigeria dominates Africa's 2018 NFL draftee list". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 7, 2018.
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