Duke Ejiofor (born April 24, 1995) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

at Wake Forest, and was selected by the

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...

in the sixth round of the

2018 NFL draft The 2018 NFL draft was the 83rd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2018 NFL season. The draft was held on April 26–28 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington southwest of Dallas; it was ...

College career

As a junior at Wake Forest, Ejiofor had 50

tackles Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position) A tackle is a playing position in American football. Historically, in the one-platoon system prevalent ...

, 17 for losses, 10.5 sacks, one

interception In Ball game, ball-playing Competitive sport, competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for ...

and two forced

fumbles A fumble in gridiron football occurs when a player who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed (tackled), scoring, or going out of bounds. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking, punting, or successful ...

. He recorded 47 tackles including 15 for losses, eight sacks and six pass breakups as a senior.

Professional career

Houston Texans

Ejiofor was selected by the

in the sixth round, 177th overall, of the

. In Week 2, against the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...

, he recorded his first career sack in his NFL debut. On May 10, 2019, Ejiofor was placed on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...

after suffering a season-ending torn Achilles. On August 21, 2020, Ejiofor was placed on injured reserve for a second consecutive season after suffering a

torn ACL An anterior cruciate ligament injury occurs when the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is either stretched, partially torn, or completely torn. The most common injury is a complete tear. Symptoms include pain, an audible cracking sound during in ...

. On June 9, 2021, Ejiofor was waived with a failed physical designation.

Atlanta Falcons

On January 13, 2022, Ejiofor signed a reserve/future contract with the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

. He was released on March 9, 2022.

Houston Roughnecks

On November 17, 2022, Ejiofor was drafted by the Houston Roughnecks of the XFL. He was placed on the reserve list by the team on February 20, 2023. He was released on June 21, 2023.

Personal life

Ejiofor is descended from Nigerian royalty.

References

External links

Wake Forest Deamon Deacons bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ejiofor, Duke 1995 births Living people American players of American football of Nigerian descent Players of American football from Houston American football defensive ends American football linebackers Wake Forest Demon Deacons football players Houston Texans players 21st-century American sportsmen Atlanta Falcons players Houston Roughnecks players