Marcell Ligon Ateman (born September 16, 1994) 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 ...
wide receiver for the
St. Louis Battlehawks of the
United Football League (UFL). 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 ...
at
Oklahoma State
Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...
.
Early years
Ateman attended
Wylie East High School
Wylie East High School (commonly Wylie East or WEHS) is a public high school located in Wylie, Texas ( USA). It is classified as a 6A school by the UIL and is part of the Wylie Independent School District located in south central Collin County ...
in
Wylie, Texas
Wylie is a city and northeastern suburb of Dallas, that was once solely located in Collin County, Texas, Collin County, but now extends into neighboring Dallas County, Texas, Dallas and Rockwall County, Texas, Rockwall counties in the U.S. state o ...
. As a senior, he had 84
receptions for 1,584 yards and 27
touchdowns
A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether Rush (gridiron football), running, Forward pass, passing, returning a Kickoff (gridiron football), kickoff or Punt (gridiron football), punt, or recovering a Turno ...
. He committed to
Oklahoma State University
Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...
to play
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 ...
.
College career
Ateman played at Oklahoma State from 2013 to 2017. As a
true freshman
Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the ...
, he played in all 13 games, recording 22 receptions for 276 yards. As a sophomore, he had 20 receptions for 268 yards. As a junior, he had 45 receptions for 766 yards and five touchdowns. Ateman missed the 2016 season due to a foot injury and took a medical
redshirt
Redshirt, Red Shirt, or Redshirts may refer to:
Entertainment
* ''Red Shirts'' (film), a 1952 film about Anita Garibaldi by Franco Rossi
* Redshirt (stock character), originally derived from ''Star Trek'', a stock character who dies soon after b ...
. He returned from the injury and played in all 13 games in 2017, recording 59 receptions for 1,156 yards and eight touchdowns.
Professional career
Oakland / Las Vegas Raiders
Ateman was drafted by the
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...
in the seventh round (228th overall) of the
2018 NFL Draft
The 2018 NFL Draft was the 83rd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2018 NFL season. The draft was held on April 26–28 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas; it was the first draft ...
. He was waived on September 1, 2018, and was signed to the
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, ...
the next day. He was promoted to the active roster on October 23, 2018. He made his NFL debut on November 18, 2018, in a Week 11 road game 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 t ...
, where he had 4 receptions for 50 yards and played a pivotal factor in the Raiders' game-winning drive, as they went on to win 23–21.
On August 31, 2019, Ateman was waived by the Raiders and re-signed to the practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on October 5, 2019. He was waived on October 8, but re-signed two days later.
On September 5, 2020, Ateman was waived by the Raiders and signed to the practice squad the next day. He was placed on the practice squad/injured list on September 19, and activated back to the practice squad on October 21. He was released on December 10, 2020, and re-signed to the practice squad five days later. On February 3, 2021, Ateman signed a reserve/futures contract with the Raiders.
On August 24, 2021, Ateman was waived by the Raiders. He was re-signed to the practice squad on November 3. He was released on November 18.
Arizona Cardinals
On August 4, 2022, Ateman signed with the Cardinals. On August 22, 2022, he was released.
St. Louis Battlehawks (first stint)
Atemwan was selected by the
St. Louis Battlehawks of the
XFL
XFL may refer to:
Sports
* XFL (2001), a defunct American football league that played its only season in 2001
* XFL (2020), a professional American football league
Vehicles
* Bell XFL Airabonita, a 1940 U.S. Navy experimental interceptor aircra ...
with the second pick in the
2023 XFL Skill Players Draft. He was placed on the reserve list by the team on March 8, 2023, and activated on March 27. He was released from his contract on June 1, 2023.
Buffalo Bills
On June 1, 2023, Ateman signed with the
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...
. He was waived on August 29, 2023, and re-signed to the practice squad. He was released on October 3, 2023.
St. Louis Battlehawks (second stint)
On January 19, 2024, Ateman re-signed with the Battlehawks.
References
External links
Oklahoma State Cowboys bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ateman, Marcell
1994 births
Living people
Players of American football from Dallas
American football wide receivers
Oklahoma State Cowboys football players
Oakland Raiders players
Las Vegas Raiders players
Arizona Cardinals players
St. Louis Battlehawks players
Buffalo Bills players