Nick Niemann (born December 2, 1997) is an American 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 ...
for 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 ...
of the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
(NFL). He was selected in the sixth round of the
2021 NFL draft
The 2021 NFL draft was the 86th National Football League draft, the annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2021 NFL season. The draft was held in Cleveland, Ohio from April 29 to May ...
.
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 ...
for the
Iowa Hawkeyes
The Iowa Hawkeyes are the athletic teams that represent the University of Iowa, located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. The Hawkeyes have varsity teams in 20 sports, 7 for men and 13 for women; The teams participate in Division I of the Nati ...
.
College career
Niemann was ranked as a threestar recruit by
247Sports.com
247Sports is an American network of websites that focus mainly on athletic recruitment in college football and basketball. It is owned and operated by Paramount.
The website hosts a large network of team-specific subsites, with each subsite bei ...
coming out of high school. He committed to
Iowa
Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...
on June 19, 2015.
Professional career
Los Angeles Chargers
Niemann was selected by the
Los Angeles Chargers
The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC W ...
with the 185th pick in the sixth round of the
2021 NFL draft
The 2021 NFL draft was the 86th National Football League draft, the annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2021 NFL season. The draft was held in Cleveland, Ohio from April 29 to May ...
on May 1, 2021. On May 16, 2021, Niemann signed his four-year rookie contract with Los Angeles. He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team.
On August 27, 2024, Niemann was placed on injured reserve to begin the season. He was activated on October 12.
Houston Texans
On March 14, 2025, Niemann signed with 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 ...
.
Personal life
Niemann is the brother of former
Iowa
Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...
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 ...
(and current
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...
linebacker)
Ben Niemann
Ben Niemann (born July 27, 1995) is an American professional football linebacker. He played college football at Iowa was signed as an undrafted agent by the Kansas City Chiefs.
Early life
Niemann is the son of Jay and Lou Ann Niemann. He was b ...
.
His Father is
Jay Niemann an assistant coach at Iowa.
References
External Links
Houston Texans bioIowa Hawkeyes bio
1997 births
Living people
American football linebackers
Iowa Hawkeyes football players
Los Angeles Chargers players
People from Sycamore, Illinois
Sportspeople from DeKalb County, Illinois
Players of American football from Illinois
21st-century American sportsmen
Houston Texans players
American people of German descent
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