Uche Nwaneri
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Career Summary
Uche Nwaneri was an NFL offensive guard who spent seven seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Jacksonville selected Nwaneri in the fifth round of the 2007 NFL Draft from Purdue. He played 104 regular-season games and started 92 for the Jaguars from 2007 through 2013.
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College Career
Nwaneri played offensive guard at Purdue before entering the NFL.
Purdue lists Nwaneri as an offensive guard letterwinner in 2004 and 2006. The school’s draft history records him as a fifth-round selection of Jacksonville in 2007.
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Path to the NFL
Jacksonville selected Nwaneri 149th overall in the fifth round of the 2007 NFL Draft.
The Purdue product joined the Jaguars as a fifth-round choice and moved into their starting offensive line after his rookie season.
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NFL Career
Nwaneri played all 104 of his NFL regular-season games for Jacksonville.
NFL statistics list him in nine games as a rookie, followed by five consecutive 15- or 16-game seasons and 16 games in 2013. The Jaguars credited him with 92 starts across his seven seasons.
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Career Accomplishments
Nwaneri was a key Jaguars lineman during Maurice Jones-Drew’s 2011 rushing-title season.
The Jaguars identified Nwaneri as a key member of the offensive line when Jones-Drew won the 2011 NFL rushing title with a franchise-record 1,606 yards. At the time, Jaguars materials also noted Nwaneri’s ability to play both guard and center.
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Playing Style
Nwaneri offered interior offensive-line versatility at guard and center.
A Jaguars offensive-line preview described Nwaneri as a player who could work at both guard and center. It also noted that he had made starts at both left and right guard early in his career.
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Sources for this section
Legacy
Nwaneri is remembered for a durable seven-year career with the Jaguars.
Jacksonville confirmed Nwaneri’s death in 2023 at age 38 and recalled his 104 games and 92 starts with the franchise. His central role on the 2011 line remains part of the club’s remembrance.
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Sources for this section
21699, 00-0025536, 1984-03-20, Uche Nwaneri, Uche, Nwaneri
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