Nathaniel Fakahafua Orchard (born Napa'a Lilo Fakahafua on January 5, 1993) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wit ...

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations over the years have substantially changed how the position is p ...

who is a free agent. He played college football at

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to its ...

and was drafted by the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...

in the second round of the

2015 NFL Draft The 2015 NFL Draft was the 80th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. It took place in Chicago at the Auditorium Theatre and in Grant Park, from April 30 to May 2. The previo ...

. He has also played for the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division ...

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The t ...

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 a ...

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pl ...

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. It is the th ...

Washington Redskins / Football Team The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) E ...

, Houston Texans, and

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 club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...

Early years

Orchard is of

Tonga Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...

n descent. He attended Highland High School in

Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...

. He played football, basketball and competed in track. In football, he played as a wide receiver and defensive end. As a senior, he had 58 receptions for 1,351 yards and 17

touchdowns A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Americ ...

on offense and 62 tackles, 17.5 sacks and two

interceptions In ball-playing 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 a player of the same team ...

on defense. In

track & field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

, Orchard competed as a sprinter and posted personal-bests of 11.9 seconds in the

100-meter dash The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contest ...

and 54.3 seconds in the 400-meter dash at the 2009 Region VI T&F Championships. Considered a three-star recruit by Rivals.com, Orchard was ranked as the No. 60 wide receiver in his class.

College career

As a true freshman at the

University of Utah The University of Utah (U of U, UofU, or simply The U) is a public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the flagship institution of the Utah System of Higher Education. The university was established in 1850 as the University of D ...

in 2011, Orchard played in all 13 games, recording four tackles. As a sophomore in 2012, he started 11 of the 12 games, recording 48 tackles, three sacks and a touchdown on a

fumble 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 h ...

recovery. As a junior in 2013, he started all 12 games, recording 49 tackles and 3.5 sacks. Orchard entered his senior season in 2014 as a starter. In his senior season, Orchard recorded 84 tackles, 21 tackles for loss, and 18.5 sacks. Orchard won the Ted Hendricks Award for his performance.

Professional career

Cleveland Browns

The Cleveland Browns picked Orchard in the second round of the

2015 NFL draft The 2015 NFL Draft was the 80th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. It took place in Chicago at the Auditorium Theatre and in Grant Park, from April 30 to May 2. The previo ...

. On May 6, he signed a four-year contract worth $4.466 million, which included a $1.058 million signing bonus. At least $2.581 million of Orchard's contract is guaranteed. On October 1, 2016, Orchard 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 th ...

. On September 1, 2018, Orchard was released by the Browns.

Buffalo Bills

On September 10, 2018 he was signed by the

. He was released by the Bills on October 2, 2018.

Kansas City Chiefs

On October 10, 2018, Orchard was signed by the

. He was released on November 6, 2018.

Seattle Seahawks

On April 4, 2019, Orchard was signed by the

. He was released on May 10, 2019.

Miami Dolphins

On May 15, 2019, Orchard was signed by the

. He was released on September 3, 2019.

Washington Redskins / Football Team

On November 27, 2019, Orchard was signed by the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) ...

. In Week 13 against the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...

, Orchard sacked quarterback

Kyle Allen Kyle Allen (born March 8, 1996) is an American football quarterback for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). A native of Scottsdale, Arizona, he played high school football at Desert Mountain and was among the top football ...

once and recovered a fumble forced on Allen by teammate

Chris Odom Chris Odom (born September 16, 1994) is an American football defensive end for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Arkansas State. Odom has also been a member of the Atlanta Falcons, Green Bay ...

late in the fourth quarter to seal a 29–21 win. Orchard re-signed with the team on March 25, 2020. He was released on September 5, 2020, and was signed to the practice squad the next day. He was promoted to the active roster on September 29, 2020. He was waived on November 7, 2020.

Houston Texans

Orchard was claimed off waivers by the Houston Texans on November 9, 2020. He was waived on December 12, 2020.

Tennessee Titans

Orchard was signed by the

to their practice squad on December 19, 2020. He was signed to a futures contract on January 11, 2021. On May 10, 2021, Orchard was released by Tennessee.

Minnesota Vikings

On November 4, 2021, Orchard was signed to the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansio ...

practice squad. He was released on November 19.

Green Bay Packers

On November 25, 2021, Orchard was signed to the

practice squad.

Washington Football Team (second stint)

The

Washington Football Team The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) E ...

signed Orchard off the Packers' practice squad on December 14, 2021.

Personal life

Orchard legally changed his name from Napa'a Lilo Fakahafua to Nathaniel Fakahafua Orchard in honor of his adopted family. He is married to Maegan Webber Orchard and has a daughter named Katherine Mae Orchard (named after his mother Katherine), a daughter named Charlotte Orchard and a son, Bo Webber Orchard.Ute football: New name, same game for Utah defensive end Nate Orchard
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References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Orchard, Nate 1993 births Living people American football defensive ends American people of Tongan descent Players of American football from Los Angeles Players of American football from Salt Lake City Utah Utes football players Cleveland Browns players Buffalo Bills players Kansas City Chiefs players Seattle Seahawks players Miami Dolphins players Washington Redskins players American football outside linebackers Washington Football Team players Houston Texans players Tennessee Titans players Minnesota Vikings players Green Bay Packers players