Robert Nkemdiche

Dubbed the “Southeast’s top high school football prospect since the early 1980s” by ESPN, Robert Nkemdiche is a defensive tackle in the National Football League. He played three years at the University of Mississippi before declaring for the 2016 NFL Draft early and being selected 29th overall by the Arizona Cardinals. Nkemdiche was the highest-touted prospect to commit to the Ole Miss Rebels since Eli Manning in 1999.

Nkemdiche arrived at Ole Miss as one of the most highly anticipated recruits in team history, having been voted the SEC’s Top Impact Freshman by Sporting News before the season. During the 2013 season, he appeared in 11 games. Nkemdiche was awarded Freshman All-SEC by the league’s coaches after the season, as well as a First Team Freshman All-American by Athlon and College Football News. As a sophomore, Nkemdiche started every game as defensive tackle for an Ole Miss defensive line that led the SEC in tackles for loss (7.6) and led the country in scoring defence (16.0 ppg). He was chosen All-SEC first team by the Associated Press (AP), as well as All-America second team by the AP, Sporting News, USA Today, and CBS Sports. He was also a semifinalist for the Lombardi Award.

Nkemdiche was drafted in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals signed Nkemdiche to a four-year, $8.6 million contract in May 2016, with $8.15 million guaranteed and a $4.45 million signing bonus. Nkemdiche had his first career sack in Week 1 of the 2018 season, but suffered a knee injury in Week 14 that necessitated season-ending surgery. The Miami Dolphins signed Nkemdiche to a one-year, $1.16 million contract in August 2019. Nkemdiche signed with the Seattle Seahawks in April 2021.