Joshua Ezeudu (born September 19, 1999) 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 with ...

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison ...

for the

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

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

Early years

Ezeudu was born to a Nigerian family, and grew up in

Lawrenceville, Georgia Lawrenceville is a city in and the county seat of Gwinnett County, Georgia, United States. It is a suburb of Atlanta, located approximately northeast of downtown. As of the 2020 census, the population of Lawrenceville was 30,629. In 2019, the ...

and attended

Archer High School Archer High School is a public high school near Lawrenceville, Georgia, United States. It is operated by Gwinnett County Public Schools. It is named after Gwinnett County teacher and coach Benjamin Vernon Archer. The school officially opened on ...

. Ezeudu was rated a three-star recruit and committed to play

at North Carolina over offers from Colorado State, Connecticut, and Missouri.

College career

Ezeudu played in one game during his true freshman season before redshirting the rest of the year. He became the Tar Heels' starting left guard midway through his redshirt freshman season. Ezeudu started ten games during his redshirt sophomore year and was named third-team All-

Atlantic Coast Conference The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate athletic conference located in the eastern United States. Headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC's fifteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Associa ...

(ACC). He played in all 12 of UNC's games with 11 starts as a redshirt junior and was named honorable mention All-ACC. After the season, Ezeudu announced that he would forgo his remaining collegiate eligibility and enter the

2022 NFL Draft The 2022 NFL Draft was the 87th edition of the National Football League's annual draft and was held from April 28–30, 2022, at the Caesars Forum on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The first round was held on Thursday, April 28, and w ...

Professional career

Ezeudu was drafted by the

with the 67th pick in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He played in 10 games as a rookie, starting two at left guard. Ezeudu entered the 2023 season as a backup. He named the starting left tackle in Week 2 due to injuries, and started the next five games. He suffered a toe injury in Week 6 and 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 October 17, 2023.

References

External links

New York Giants bioNorth Carolina Tar Heels bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ezeudu, Joshua Living people American football offensive guards North Carolina Tar Heels football players Nigerian American players of American football Sportspeople from Lawrenceville, Georgia Players of American football from Gwinnett County, Georgia New York Giants players 1999 births