Yannick Ngakoue

Yannick Ngakoue was born on March 31, 1995, in Washington, D.C., to a Cameroonian father and Martiniquais mother. He attended Friendship Collegiate Academy Public Charter School in Washington, D.C., where he demonstrated his athletic talent, recording 17 sacks as a senior and earning the Gatorade Football Player of the Year award for Washington D.C. Rivals.com rated him as a four-star recruit and ranked him as the fourth-best outside linebacker in his class. Ngakoue then committed to the University of Maryland, College Park, to play college football, where his collegiate career provided a strong foundation for his professional journey.

Ngakoue played in all 13 games as a true freshman in 2013, registering nine tackles, two sacks, and an interception. In 2014, he started all 12 games and accumulated 37 tackles and six sacks. His junior year in 2015 was a breakout season, setting a school record with 13.5 sacks. Following this impressive performance, he decided to forgo his senior season and enter the 2016 NFL Draft.

His professional career began when the Jacksonville Jaguars selected him in the third round (69th overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft. He quickly made an impact, earning his first NFL start in Week 2 of his rookie season, recording three combined tackles, forcing his first career fumble, and making his first NFL sack. Over his career, Ngakoue has demonstrated consistent performance as a pass rusher, accumulating 70.5 sacks, 21 forced fumbles, and 238 total tackles across multiple teams including the Jacksonville Jaguars, Minnesota Vikings, Baltimore Ravens, Las Vegas Raiders, Indianapolis Colts, Chicago Bears, and New England Patriots. He was named to the Pro Bowl in 2017.