Mike McNeill (born March 7, 1988) is a former

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 ...

tight end The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like ...

. Prior to the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. T ...

. McNeill played as tight end for his hometown team, the

St. Louis Rams The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis from 1995 to the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, where the team had played from 1946 to 1994. The arri ...

from 2011-2014. He was signed by the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

in 2011 after playing

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 ...

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

Early years

McNeill was born in St. Louis, Missouri and attended

Kirkwood High School Kirkwood High School is a public education, public secondary school in Kirkwood, Missouri, United States. The school is part of the Kirkwood R-7 School District. Dr. Mike Havener started as principal in July 2011. History Kirkwood High School ...

Kirkwood, Missouri Kirkwood is an inner-ring western suburb of St. Louis located in St. Louis County, Missouri. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 27,540. Founded in 1853, the city is named after James P. Kirkwood, builder of the Pacific Railroad th ...

from 2002 to 2006, where he was a

letterman Letterman may refer to: * Letterman (sports), a classification of high school or college athlete in the United States People * David Letterman (born 1947), American television talk show host ** ''Late Night with David Letterman'', talk show that ...

in football and basketball. He was a captain of the KHS football squad, playing defensive end and tight end alongsid
Jeremy Maclin
who currently plays wide receiver for the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...

. McNeill was a three-year starter for the football team and a significant contributor to the 2005 semi-finalist squad. That same year, he also led the basketball team to a third-place finish in the state championship. McNeill was a captain of the KHS football squad, playing defensive end and tight end. He has 1,833 career all-purpose yards with 97 career receptions totaling 1,816 yards with an 18.72 average. He was ranked among the top 40 prospects at tight end nationally and among the top dozen players in the state of Missouri. He was one of two signees from the state of Missouri in 2006 and chose Nebraska over several other offers.

College career

McNeill attended University of Nebraska-Lincoln from 2006-2010. As a sophomore, McNeill burst onto the scene, catching a Nebraska tight end record 32 passes for 442 yards and six touchdowns. His receptions total bettered the 31 catches by Johnny Mitchell in 1991, and his six touchdowns were just one shy of Mitchell's season tight end record. McNeill was one of seven Huskers who caught at least 20 passes, helping Nebraska finish 14th nationally in passing offense and 12th in total offense. After setting the single-season position reception record in 2008, McNeill claimed the career tight end reception record and closed his career with 82 career catches to rank in a tie for ninth in school history. He also became the 19th Husker to record 1,000 career receiving yards. Honors & Awards -Second-team All-Big 12 (2009, AP) -Honorable-Mention All-Big 12 (2009, Coaches) -Nebraska Career Record Holder for Receptions by a Tight End (82) -Nebraska Season Record Holder for Receptions by a Tight End (32 in 2008) -Big 12 Commissioner's Fall Academic Honor Roll (2006, 2010)

Professional career

Indianapolis Colts

After going undrafted in the

2011 NFL Draft The 2011 NFL Draft was the 76th installment of the annual NFL Draft, where the franchises of the National Football League select newly eligible football players. Like the 2010 draft, the 2011 draft was held at Radio City Music Hall in New York C ...

, McNeill signed as a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

with the

on July 29, 2011.

St. Louis Rams

On December 20, 2011, McNeill signed with the

Carolina Panthers

On March 14, 2014, McNeill signed with the

. On March 16, 2015, he was released by the Panthers.

External links

Carolina Panthers bio

Indianapolis Colts bio

Nebraska Cornhuskers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mcneill, Mike 1988 births Living people American football tight ends Nebraska Cornhuskers football players Indianapolis Colts players St. Louis Rams players Carolina Panthers players