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Yannick Ngakoue

Yannick Ngakoue (/jɑːˈniːk nˈɡɑːkweɪ/ yah-NEEK n-GAH-kway;[1] born March 31, 1995) is an American professional football linebacker for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Maryland Terrapins and was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the third round of the 2016 NFL draft. He spent two stints with the Baltimore Ravens and has also played one season each for the Minnesota Vikings, Las Vegas Raiders, Indianapolis Colts, and Chicago Bears.

Yannick Ngakoue
refer to caption
Ngakoue with the Raiders in 2021
No. 55 – New England Patriots
Position:Linebacker
Personal information
Born: (1995-03-31) March 31, 1995 (age 29)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:246 lb (112 kg)
Career information
High school:Friendship Collegiate Academy (Washington, D.C.)
College:Maryland (2013–2015)
NFL draft:2016 / round: 3 / pick: 69
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 9, 2024
Total tackles:229
Sacks:70.5
Forced fumbles:21
Fumble recoveries:3
Pass deflections:13
Interceptions:2
Defensive touchdowns:2
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

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Ngakoue was born in Washington, D.C. to a Cameroonian father and Martiniquais mother.[2][3] He attended Friendship Collegiate Academy Public Charter School in Washington, D.C., where he was teammates with Eddie Goldman. As a senior, he was the Gatorade Football Player of the Year for Washington D.C. after recording 17 sacks.[4] Ngakoue was rated by Rivals.com as a four-star recruit and was ranked as the fourth best outside linebacker in his class.[5] He committed to the University of Maryland, College Park to play college football.[6]

College career

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As a true freshman at Maryland in 2013, Ngakoue played in all 13 games and had nine tackles, two sacks and an interception. As a sophomore in 2014, he started all 12 games and recorded 37 tackles and six sacks.[7][8] As a junior in 2015, Ngakoue set a school record with 13.5 sacks.[9] After the season, he announced that he would forgo his senior season and enter the 2016 NFL draft.[10]

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 2 in
(1.88 m) 		252 lb
(114 kg) 		32+1⁄2 in
(0.83 m) 		9+1⁄2 in
(0.24 m)		 4.75 s 1.64 s 2.77 s 4.50 s 7.35 s 34+1⁄2 in
(0.88 m)		 9 ft 10 in
(3.00 m)		 26 reps
All values from NFL Combine[11]

Jacksonville Jaguars

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2016 season

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The Jacksonville Jaguars selected Ngakoue in the third round (69th overall) in the 2016 NFL Draft.[12] He was the seventh defensive end selected.[13] On June 22, 2016, the Jaguars signed Ngakoue to a four-year, $3.48 million contract that included a signing bonus of $856,176.[14] Throughout training camp, he competed for the starting defensive end position against Dante Fowler, Chris Smith, and Jared Odrick. Head coach Gus Bradley named him the backup defensive end behind starters Fowler and Odrick to begin his rookie season.[15]

Ngakoue made his NFL debut in the Jaguars' season-opener against the Green Bay Packers and made two combined tackles during their 27–23 loss. The following week, he earned his first NFL start, as the Jaguars opted to start him at right defensive end over Dante Fowler, and recorded three combined tackles, forced the first fumble of his career, and made his first NFL sack on Philip Rivers in the Jaguars' 38–14 loss at the San Diego Chargers. His first NFL forced fumble came in the second quarter, as he had a strip sack on Rivers. The ball was recovered by Jaguars' safety Johnathan Cyprien.[16][17] On October 2, Ngakoue made a season-high four solo tackles and recorded his first NFL interception on quarterback Andrew Luck after the pass was deflected by defensive end Dante Fowler during a 30–27 victory over the Indianapolis Colts. In the season finale on January 1, 2017, he collected two solo tackles and made his eighth career sack on Luck in a 24–20 loss to the Colts.

Ngakoue finished his rookie year with 22 combined tackles (19 solo), eight sacks, two pass deflections, an interception, and a forced fumble in 16 games and 15 starts.[18] His eight sacks broke a Jaguars rookie record, previously held by Tony Brackens, but Ngakoue's record was broken by Josh Allen three years later in 2019.[19] Following his rookie season, Ngakoue was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team.[20] The Jaguars finished the 2016 season 3-13 and head coach Gus Bradley was fired after Week 15 and offensive line coach Doug Marrone served as the interim head coach for Weeks 16–17.

2017 season

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Ngakoue entered training camp competing to maintain his starting defensive end role against newly acquired free agent Calais Campbell and Dante Fowler. Marrone opted to maintain the Gus Bradley's staff and keep defensive coordinator Todd Wash and his base 4–3 defense. Ngakoue was named the starting left defensive end, opposite Calais Campbell, to start the 2017 season.[21]

Ngakoue started in the season-opener against the Houston Texans and recorded four combined tackles, two sacks, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery during a 29–7 road victory. His first forced fumble came in the second quarter and was on quarterback Tom Savage and was recovered by teammate Abry Jones, which set the Jaguars up for a touchdown scoring drive. Toward the end of the second quarter, he had another strip-sack on Savage that was recovered and returned by Dante Fowler Jr. for a 53-yard touchdown. Toward the end of the third quarter, he recovered a fumble by quarterback Deshaun Watson that was caused by Fowler.[22] During Week 7, Ngakoue made four combined tackles and a season-high 2.5 sacks during the Jaguars' 27–0 road routing of the Colts. During a Week 11 matchup at the Cleveland Browns, he made three combined tackles and 2.5 sacks in a 23–7 victory. During Week 16 against San Francisco 49ers, Ngakoue collected two solo tackles and made his 12th sack of the season on quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo in the 44–33 road loss. In the next game against the Tennessee Titans, he scored his first NFL touchdown on a 67-yard fumble recovery as the Jaguars lost on the road by a score of 15–10.

Ngakoue finished the season with 30 combined tackles (24 solo) and 12 sacks in 16 games and starts as the Jaguars finished atop the AFC South with a 10–6 record. The Jaguars' defensive line became dominant throughout the season with the key additions of Calais Campbell (during free agency) and Marcell Dareus (a midseason trade acquisition). They adopted the nickname "Sacksonville" throughout the season.[23] His 12 sacks tied for eighth in the league and was second on the team behind Campbell's 14.5 sacks.[24] He also had a league-leading six forced fumbles.

In the playoffs, Ngakoue recorded four tackles, a pass deflection, and a sack before the Jaguars lost to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game by a score of 24–20. On January 22, 2018, he was named to his first Pro Bowl as an injury replacement for teammate Campbell.[25] Ngakoue was ranked 88th by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2018.[26]

2018 season

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In week 4 against the New York Jets, Ngakoue recorded his first sack of the season on rookie quarterback Sam Darnold during the 31–12 win.[27] In week 6 against the Dallas Cowboys, Ngakoue sacked Dak Prescott twice during the 40–7 loss.[28] In week 8 against the Philadelphia Eagles in London, Ngakoue sacked Carson Wentz once during the 24–18 loss.[29] In week 17 against the Texans, Ngakoue recorded a season high 5 tackles and sacked Deshaun Watson 1.5 times during the 20–3 loss.[30]

Ngakoue finished the season with 9.5 sacks, 28 total tackles, 33 quarterback hits, and a pass defended.[31] The Jaguars did not retain their overall success from the previous season, this time finishing with a 5–11 record.[32]

2019 season

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In week 5 against the Carolina Panthers, Ngakoue recorded his first two sacks of the season on Kyle Allen during the 34–27 loss.[33] In week 7 against the Cincinnati Bengals, Ngakoue intercepted a pass thrown by Andy Dalton and returned it 23 yards for a touchdown during the 27–17 win. This was Ngakoue's first career interception and touchdown in the NFL.[34] In the following week's game against the Jets, Ngakoue sacked Sam Darnold twice during the 29–15 win.[35] In week 11 against the Titans, Ngakoue recorded a strip sack on Ryan Tannehill and recovered the football during the 42–20 loss.[36] In week 15 against the Oakland Raiders, Ngakoue sacked Derek Carr twice during the 20–16 win.[37]

Ngakoue finished the season with 8 sacks, 41 total tackles, 15 quarterback hits, four forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, six passes defensed, and an interception returned for a touchdown.[38] The Jaguars slightly improved from the previous season, this time finishing with a 6–10 record.[39]

2020 season

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On March 2, 2020, Ngakoue went on Twitter to state that he wished to be traded and would not play for the Jaguars in the future.[40]

Despite Ngakoue's request, the Jaguars placed the franchise tag on Ngakoue on March 13, 2020.[41] On April 20, 2020, Ngakoue got in a lengthy Twitter argument with Tony Khan, the team owner's son, because the Jaguars would not trade him. During their argument, Ngakoue most notably told Khan "just trade me."[42]

Minnesota Vikings

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On August 31, 2020, Ngakoue was traded to the Minnesota Vikings for a 2021 second-round selection (Walker Little was later selected) and a conditional fifth-round selection (that would have become a 4th round selection if Ngakoue made the 2021 Pro Bowl or a third if the aforementioned condition was met and the Vikings won Super Bowl LV, but neither condition was met).[43]

In Week 2 against the Colts, Ngakoue recorded his first sack as a Viking on Philip Rivers during the 28–11 loss.[44] In Week 4 against the Texans, Ngakoue sacked Deshaun Watson twice during the 31–23 win.[45]

Baltimore Ravens (first stint)

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On October 22, 2020, Ngakoue was traded to the Baltimore Ravens for a 2021 third-round pick and a 2022 conditional fifth-round pick (which would have become a fourth-round selection if Ngakoue was named first-ballot selection to the 2021 Pro Bowl but it was not met).[46] The move reunited Ngakoue with former Jaguars teammate Calais Campbell. In Week 11 against the Titans, Ngakoue recorded his first sack as a Raven on Ryan Tannehill during the 30–24 overtime loss.[47]

In Week 15 against his former team the Jaguars, Ngakoue recorded two sacks on former teammate Gardner Minshew, including a strip sack that was recovered by the Ravens, during the 40–14 win.[48]

Las Vegas Raiders

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On March 19, 2021, Ngakoue signed a two-year, $26 million contract with the Las Vegas Raiders.[49][50]

In Week 7, Ngakoue had four tackles, two sacks, and two passes defensed in a 33–22 win over the Philadelphia Eagles, earning AFC Defensive Player of the Week.[51]

Ngakoue led the Raiders in sacks in 2021, and had his first double-digit sack season since 2017.[52]

Indianapolis Colts

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Ngakoue playing for the Colts in 2022.

On March 16, 2022, Ngakoue was traded to the Colts in exchange for cornerback Rock Ya-Sin after the Raiders signed Chandler Jones.[53] He started 15 games in 2022, recording 29 tackles, a forced fumble, and a team-leading 9.5 sacks. He was placed on injured reserve with a throat injury on December 31, 2022.[54]

Chicago Bears

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On August 3, 2023, Ngakoue signed with the Chicago Bears on a one-year, $10.5 million deal.[55] He started 13 games before suffering a broken ankle in Week 14, ending his season.[56]

Baltimore Ravens (second stint)

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On September 24, 2024, Ngakoue signed with the Baltimore Ravens practice squad.[57] He was elevated to the active roster for the Week 6 matchup against the Washington Commanders. He recorded a sack of Jayden Daniels in the 30–23 win.[58] He was signed to the active roster on October 15.[59] Ngakoue was waived on November 7.[60]

New England Patriots

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On November 8, 2024, Ngakoue was claimed off waivers by the New England Patriots.[61]

NFL career statistics

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Legend
Led the league
Bold Career high

Regular season

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Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck PD Int Yds Avg Lng TD FF FR Yds TD
2016 JAX 16 15 23 20 3 8.0 2 1 9 9.0 9 0 4 0 0 0
2017 JAX 16 16 30 24 6 12.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 6 2 67 1
2018 JAX 16 16 28 25 3 9.5 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2019 JAX 15 15 41 36 5 8.0 6 1 23 23.0 23T 1 4 1 –2 0
2020 MIN 6 5 12 12 0 5.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 2 0 0 0
BAL 9 3 11 11 0 3.0 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 2 0 0 0
2021 LV 17 17 28 17 11 10.0 3 0 0 0.0 0 0 2 0 0 0
2022 IND 15 15 29 18 11 9.5 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 0 0 0
2023 CHI 13 13 22 13 9 4.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2024 BAL 5 0 5 1 4 1.5 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Career 128 115 229 177 52 70.5 13 2 32 16.0 23T 1 21 3 65 1

Postseason

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Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck PD Int Yds Avg Lng TD FF FR Yds TD
2017 JAX 3 3 4 3 1 1.0 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 0 0 0
2020 BAL 2 1 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2021 LV 1 1 1 0 1 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 6 5 5 3 12 1.0 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 0 0 0

References

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  1. ^ Young, Lindsey (August 31, 2020). "5 Things to Know About Vikings New DE Yannick Ngakoue". Vikings.com. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  2. ^ DeRocco, Michael (January 9, 2018). "Jaguars DE Yannick Ngakoue stands by Richie Incognito slur accusation". ABC News. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  3. ^ Maury, Morgan (October 23, 2022). "NFL: une mère martiniquaise, une jeunesse difficile… Yannick Ngakoue, joueur des Colts, raconte son parcours". RMC Sport (in French). Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  4. ^ "Terps' Ngakoue developing into all-around linebacker". Orlando Sentinel. October 23, 2014. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  5. ^ "Yannick Ngakoue - Yahoo! Sports". sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
  6. ^ Bracken, Matt (February 6, 2013). "Maryland lands Taivon Jacobs, Yannick Ngakoue, Jacquille Veii". Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on November 14, 2017. Retrieved November 14, 2017.
  7. ^ Stubbs, Roman (August 14, 2015). "Terps' Yannick Ngakoue puts his hand in dirt and his nose to grindstone". Washington Post. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
  8. ^ Stubbs, Roman (November 6, 2015). "Yannick Ngakoue stands out amid Maryland football's lost season". Washington Post. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
  9. ^ "Yannick Ngakoue breaks Maryland's single-season sacks record - The Diamondback : Sports". diamondbackonline.com. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
  10. ^ "Maryland's Yannick Ngakoue headed for NFL draft". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
  11. ^ "NFL Draft Profile: Yannick Ngakoue". NFL.com. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
  12. ^ "2016 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
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  18. ^ "Yannick Ngakoue 2016 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
  19. ^ DiRocco, Michael (September 9, 2017). "Jaguars DE Yannick Ngakoue poised to have breakout season". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 15, 2017.
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  22. ^ "Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Texans - September 10th, 2017". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 6, 2017.
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  24. ^ "NFL.com: 2017 Sack stats". NFL.com. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
  25. ^ "Ngakoue and Smith added to Pro Bowl roster". Jaguars.com. January 22, 2018.
  26. ^ "#88: Yannick Ngakoue (DE, Jaguars) | Top 100 Players of 2018 | NFL" – via www.youtube.com.
  27. ^ "Bortles tosses 2 TD passes Jags handle Darnold, Jets 31-12". ESPN. Associated Press. September 30, 2018. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
  28. ^ "Prescott sparks punchless pass game, Cowboys rout Jags 40-7". ESPN. Associated Press. October 14, 2018. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
  29. ^ "Wentz's 3 TD passes give Eagles win vs. Jags in London". ESPN. Associated Press. October 28, 2018. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
  30. ^ "Texans clinch AFC South title with 20-3 win over Jaguars". ESPN. Associated Press. December 30, 2018. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
  31. ^ "Yannick Ngakoue 2018 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  32. ^ "2018 Jacksonville Jaguars Statistics & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  33. ^ "McCaffrey scores 3 TDs, Panthers hold off Jaguars 34-27". ESPN. Associated Press. October 6, 2019. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
  34. ^ "Minshew, defense lead Jaguars over winless Bengals 27-17". ESPN. Associated Press. October 20, 2019. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
  35. ^ "Jets' Darnold throws 3 more picks in 29-15 loss at Jaguars". ESPN. Associated Press. October 27, 2019. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
  36. ^ "Titans explode for 4 TDs in 6 plays, rout Jaguars 42-20". ESPN. Associated Press. November 24, 2019. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
  37. ^ "Jaguars spoil final Oakland game with 20-16 win over Raiders". ESPN. Associated Press. December 15, 2019. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
  38. ^ "Yannick Ngakoue 2019 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  39. ^ "2019 Jacksonville Jaguars Statistics & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  40. ^ Patra, Kevin (March 2, 2020). "Jags plan to use franchise tag on Yannick Ngakoue". NFL.com. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
  41. ^ Oehser, John (March 13, 2020). "Official: Jaguars place franchise tag on Ngakoue". Jaguars.com. Archived from the original on March 14, 2020. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
  42. ^ Day, Ryan (April 20, 2020). "Yannick Ngakoue and Tony Khan get into heated Twitter exchange". www.bigcatcountry.com. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
  43. ^ Baca, Michael (August 30, 2020). "Vikings acquire Yannick Ngakoue in trade with Jaguars". NFL.com.
  44. ^ "Minnesota Vikings at Indianapolis Colts - September 20th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
  45. ^ "Minnesota Vikings at Houston Texans - October 4th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  46. ^ Ben Goessling (October 22, 2020). "Vikings trading Yannick Ngakoue to Baltimore". StarTribune.com. Star Tribune. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  47. ^ "Tennessee Titans at Baltimore Ravens - November 22nd, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  48. ^ "Jacksonville Jaguars at Baltimore Ravens - December 20th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  49. ^ Shapiromar, Michael (March 15, 2021). "Report: Raiders Sign Yannick Ngakoue to Two-Year, $26 Million Deal". SI.com. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  50. ^ Raiders Public Relations (March 19, 2021). "Raiders sign DE Yannick Ngakoue". Raiders.com. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  51. ^ Gordon, Grant (October 27, 2021). "Saints RB Alvin Kamara, Bengals WR Ja'Marr Chase lead Players of the Week". NFL.com.
  52. ^ "2021 Las Vegas Raiders Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees, Injury Reports". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  53. ^ Stankevitz, JJ (March 16, 2022). "Colts Acquire DE Yannick Ngakoue From Las Vegas Raiders In Exchange For CB Rock Ya-Sin". Colts.com.
  54. ^ @RapSheet (December 31, 2022). "The #Colts have placed DE Yannick Ngakoue on IR, ending his season with two games to go. He suffered a throat injury" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  55. ^ Barbieri, Alyssa (August 4, 2023). "Bears signing DE Yannick Ngakoue to one-year deal". Bears Wire. USA Today. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
  56. ^ Mayer, Larry (December 13, 2023). "Roster Move: Bears put Ngakoue on season-ending injured reserve". ChicagoBears.com. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  57. ^ Brown, Clifton (September 24, 2024). "Ravens Bring Back Yannick Ngakoue". BaltimoreRavens.com. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  58. ^ "Washington Commanders at Baltimore Ravens - October 13th, 2024". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  59. ^ Brown, Clifton (October 15, 2024). "Ravens Sign Yannick Ngakoue to 53-Man Roster, Release Offensive Lineman". Baltimore Ravens. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
  60. ^ Erby, Glenn. "Ravens waive Yannick Ngakoue ahead of Week 10 game vs. Bengals". Ravens Wire. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
  61. ^ "Patriots Claim DE Yannick Ngakoue Off Waivers From the Baltimore Ravens". Patriots.com. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
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