Zachary Lee Diles (born June 11, 1985) 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 ...
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 ...
. He was drafted by 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) AFC South, South division, and play their home ga ...
in the seventh round of the
2007 NFL Draft. 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
Kansas State
Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public instit ...
.
He was also a member of 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 arr ...
,
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...
,
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 ...
,
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 tea ...
, and 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) AFC South, South division, and play their home ga ...
.
Early years
Diles attended
Tulare Union High School
Tulare Union High School () is a public school for secondary education in Tulare, Tulare County, California, United States. This high school is part of the Tulare Joint Union High School District, along with Tulare Western High School and Missi ...
, but did not gain any post-season recognition in football.
College career
Diles was a two-year starter at Fresno City College in 2003 and 2004. He totaled 70 tackles in 2004 and 60 in 2003. In his two seasons the team had a 16-5 record and in 2004 Diles was named All.CVC
He finished his college career at Kansas State. He did not start in 2005 at Kansas State but still finished fourth on the team with 50 tackles (27 solos), adding two sacks, a pair of quarterback pressures, 5.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage and three forced fumbles. Diles earned honorable mention All-Big 12 in 2006. He ranked second on the team and eighth in the conference with 99 tackles (38 solos) while starting all 13 games at middle linebacker. He added 3.5 sacks with two pressures and was credited with 7.5 stops for losses. He recovered one fumble, deflected two passes and intercepted another.
In 24 games at Kansas State, Diles started 13 contests. He produced 149 tackles (65 solos) with 5.5 sacks, 13 stops for losses and four pressures. He caused three fumbles, recovered another, knocked down two passes and had one interception.
Professional career
Pre-draft measurables
Houston Texans
Diles was selected in the 7th round of the
2007 NFL Draft. As a rookie in 2007 Diles played mostly on special teams. In 2008, he started 8 games as the Texans strong-side linebacker and made 66 tackles. In 2009, he moved to weakside linebacker and made 64 tackles and forced two fumbles. In 2010, he was again the starting weakside linebacker and totaled 81 tackles.
St. Louis Rams
He was signed to a free agent contract on July 29, 2011. He was released in the final cutdown after the fourth preseason game.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Diles signed with the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...
on September 4, 2011. He was cut on December 3, 2011.
Indianapolis Colts
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 ...
claimed Diles off waivers on December 6. After playing in four games for the Colts in 2011, and recording two tackles, Diles was waived on February 7, 2012.
Tennessee Titans
Diles signed with the
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...
on May 1, 2012.
Kansas City Chiefs
On April 12, 2013, Diles signed with 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 tea ...
. He was released before the season.
Second stint with Tennessee Titans
Diles signed with the
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...
on October 17, 2013. Diles was released by the Titans on December 3, 2013.
Cleveland Browns
Diles signed a contract with the
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...
after he worked out for them during their voluntary minicamp.
Second stint with the Houston Texans
Diles signed with 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) AFC South, South division, and play their home ga ...
on October 28, 2014.
References
External links
Indianapolis Colts bioKansas State Wildcats bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Diles, Zac
1985 births
Living people
Sportspeople from Abilene, Texas
Sportspeople from Tulare County, California
People from Tulare, California
American football linebackers
Cleveland Browns players
St. Louis Rams players
Fresno City Rams football players
Kansas State Wildcats football players
Houston Texans players
Tampa Bay Buccaneers players
Indianapolis Colts players
Tennessee Titans players
Kansas City Chiefs players
Players of American football from California
Ed Block Courage Award recipients