Jeremiah Ojimaojo Attaochu (born January 17, 1993) is a Nigerian born

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 wi ...

outside linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...

for the

Los Angeles Chargers The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division, and ...

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 majo ...

(NFL). He was drafted by the

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in the second round of the

2014 NFL Draft The 2014 NFL draft was the 79th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players to the league. The draft, officially the "Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in New ...

. 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 in the United States, American football rules first gained populari ...

Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...

. He has also been a member of the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's Nationa ...

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

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The t ...

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine ...

, and

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...

High school career

Attaochu moved with his family to the United States at the age of eight in 2001, where he attended Archbishop Carroll High School in Washington, D.C. He had intended to continue playing

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

but instead decided to try

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...

for Archbishop Carroll as recommended by the school's freshman football coach. He had 118 tackles and 14 sacks as a senior, while recording four touchdowns by blocking kicks or returning fumbles. He played three seasons of varsity football as a linebacker and defensive end, and served two years as team captain. Considered a three-star recruit by '' Rivals.com'', he accepted a scholarship from

over offers from

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rock ...

, Kansas State and

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College career

As a freshman, Attaochu played in all 12 games and started in the Independence Bowl. He finished the year with 23 tackles (18 solo tackles), 4.0 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks, and one quarterback hurry. In 2011, he played in 11 games and started 10 times, missing two games due to an injury. He led the team in tackles for loss (11.5), sacks (6.0) and finished third in total tackles with 59, intercepted one pass, while breaking up two others and recovering a fumble, earning a conference honorable mention selection. In 2012, he played and started in 13 games. He registered 69 tackles, including 44 solo tackles, had 12 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. He had two sacks in the

ACC Championship Game The ACC Championship Game is an annual American college football game held in early December by the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) each year to determine its football champion. From its inception in 2005 to 2022, the game pit the champion of t ...

vs.

Florida State Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the sta ...

. In 2013, as a senior, he played and started in all 13 games, recording 45 tackles, including 16 for loss, while adding 12.5 sacks, two pass break ups and one forced fumble, while earning himself All- ACC and

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

n honors. He finished his career as Georgia Tech's all-time leader in sacks with 31.5, surpassing Greg Gathers' 31 that he set between 1999 and 2002.

Professional career

Pre-draft

Attaochu sat out drills at the 2014

NFL Combine The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Foo ...

due to a finger injury (medical exclusion). However, he was able to participate fully on his pro day. He ran the

40-yard dash The 40-yard dash is a sprint covering . It is primarily run to evaluate the speed and acceleration of American football players by scouts, particularly for the NFL Draft but also for collegiate recruiting. A player's recorded time can have a h ...

in 4.58 and a 4.63, had a vertical jump of 37.5 inches, a 3-cone of 7.28, and a short shuttle of 4.64. His 10-yard split was 1.55.

San Diego / Los Angeles Chargers

Attaochu was selected by the

in the second round of the

. In the

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wa ...

season opener against the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play th ...

, Attaochu made an impressive debut, recording one strip sack that forced a fumble and one

blocked punt In gridiron football, a punt is a kick performed by dropping the ball from the hands and then kicking the ball before it hits the ground. The most common use of this tactic is to punt the ball downfield to the opposing team, usually on the final d ...

. The two plays helped set up 10 points for San Diego in an 18–17 loss. In 2016, Attaochu missed three games with a sprained ankle suffered in Week 6 and then suffering a broken foot in Week 10. He was placed on injured reserve on December 3, 2016. He finished 2016 with eight tackles, two sacks, nine pressures and seven quarterback hits over eight games.

San Francisco 49ers

On March 15, 2018, Attaochu signed with the

. He was released on September 1, 2018.

New York Jets

On September 3, 2018, Attaochu signed with the

. He played in 11 games before being placed on injured reserve on December 19, 2018.

Kansas City Chiefs

On April 8, 2019, Attaochu signed with the

. He was released by the team on September 1, 2019.

Denver Broncos

On October 1, 2019, Attaochu was signed by the

. In week 14 against the

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their home games at NR ...

, Attaochu sacked

Deshaun Watson Derrick Deshaun Watson (born September 14, 1995) is an American football quarterback for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Clemson, where he led the team to a national championship in 2 ...

twice and recovered a fumble lost by wide receiver

Keke Coutee Key’vantanie "Keke" Coutee (born January 14, 1997) is an American football wide receiver who is a free agent. He played college football at Texas Tech. Early years Coutee attended Lufkin High School in Lufkin, Texas. As a senior at Lufkin, ...

and gave the ball to teammate

Kareem Jackson Kareem Jackson (born April 10, 1988) is an American football strong safety for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Alabama. He was drafted by the Houston Texans in the first round of the 2010 N ...

who returned the fumble for a 70 yard touchdown during the 38–24 win. On March 30, 2020, the Broncos re-signed Attaochu to a one-year, $1.5 million contract.

Chicago Bears

Attaochu signed a two-year contract with the

on March 23, 2021. He suffered a torn pec in Week 5 and was placed on injured reserve on October 13, 2021. He was released on June 13, 2022.

Baltimore Ravens

On September 27, 2022, Attaochu was signed to the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...

practice squad. He was released on October 18, 2022.

Los Angeles Chargers (second stint)

On October 26, 2022, the

signed Attaochu to their active roster. He was released on November 26 and re-signed to the practice squad.

References

External links

*
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets bioSan Diego Chargers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Attaochu, Jeremiah Living people 1993 births Nigerian players of American football Players of American football from Washington, D.C. Archbishop Carroll High School (Washington, D.C.) alumni American football defensive ends Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football players San Diego Chargers players Los Angeles Chargers players San Francisco 49ers players New York Jets players Kansas City Chiefs players Denver Broncos players Chicago Bears players Baltimore Ravens players