Chris Ellis (born February 11, 1985) is a former

gridiron football Gridiron football,"Gridiron football"
''Encyclopædia Britannica''. Ret ...

defensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numbe ...

. He was drafted by the

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in the third round of the

2008 NFL Draft The 2008 NFL Draft was the 73rd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 26 and April 27, ...

. He played

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for the

Virginia Tech Hokies The Virginia Tech Hokies are the athletic teams representing the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) in intercollegiate athletics. The Hokies participate in the NCAA's Division I Atlantic Coast Conference in 22 va ...

, where he was a First-team All-

ACC ACC most often refers to: * Atlantic Coast Conference, an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic conference located in the US *American College of Cardiology, A US-based nonprofit medical association that bestows credentials upon cardiovascular spec ...

selection. He has also been a member of the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

and

Saskatchewan Roughriders The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division. The Roughriders were founded in 1 ...

Early years

Ellis was ranked 66th on SuperPrep's Elite 100 list following his senior season when he led Led Bethel with 50 tackles - seven for loss - and 10 sacks. He was named an All-American by both SuperPrep and PrepStar as a defensive lineman. He was named to the VHSCA All-Eastern Region honorable mention squad as a defensive end He Posted 75 tackles and 15 sacks as a junior.

College career

The most experienced of Tech's defensive linemen when he totaled 53 tackles, 9 for a loss, and 8.5 sacks and ranked second in QB hurries (15) and caused a fumble that was returned for a touchdown against Kent State. In 2006, he closed out the season with 38 tackles (8.5 for losses) and 4.5 sacks. In 2005, he had a total of 41 tackles, 10.5 TFL, 6.0 sacks and 14 hurries. In 2004, he earned third-team Freshman All-America honors from

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after playing in all 13 games, recording 33 tackles were 7.5 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks. He also had a fumble recovery, a forced fumble, three pass break ups and 14 quarterback hurries. 2003: Worked at defensive end while redshirting. He had the best vertical jump (31½") among the incoming freshmen linemen. He upped his vertical to 35 inches by spring practice, the fifth-best leap on the entire defense and turned in the top 40 time among the ends at 4.56 and bench pressed 350 pounds.

Professional career

Buffalo Bills

Ellis was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the third round of the

. He was moved to the OLB position under George Edwards in Buffalo's new 3-4 defense prior to the

2010 NFL season The 2010 NFL season was the 91st regular season of the National Football League and the 45th of the Super Bowl era. The regular season began with the NFL Kickoff game on NBC on Thursday, September 9, at the Louisiana Superdome as the New Orle ...

. He was waived on October 11, 2010.

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers signed Ellis to their

practice squad In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...

on November 2, 2010. However, he was waived on August 30, 2011.

Saskatchewan Roughriders

Ellis was signed by the Saskatchewan Roughriders as a

on March 22, 2012.

Coach

After retiring as a player in 2013, Ellis has taken on several coaching positions, mostly as defensive line coach.

References

External links

*
Just Sport Stats

Chris Ellis 2008 NFL Draft Scouting Report
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ellis, Chris 1985 births Living people Players of American football from Hampton, Virginia American football defensive ends Virginia Tech Hokies football players Buffalo Bills players Pittsburgh Steelers players Saskatchewan Roughriders players