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Eli Ankou

Eli Ankou (born June 8, 1994) is a Canadian professional football defensive tackle for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the UCLA Bruins. Ankou grew up in Canada and played high school football for the St. Peter Catholic High School Knights in Orleans, Ontario, but played his senior season at Red Lion Christian Academy in Bear, Delaware.[1]

Eli Ankou
refer to caption
Ankou with the UCLA Bruins in 2016
No. 51 – Buffalo Bills
Position:Defensive tackle
Personal information
Born: (1994-06-08) June 8, 1994 (age 30)
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:325 lb (147 kg)
Career information
High school:St. Peter Catholic
(Orleans, Ontario, Canada)
Red Lion Christian Academy
(Bear, Delaware, U.S.)
College:UCLA (2012–2016)
CFL draft:2017 / round: 3 / pick: 26
Undrafted:2017
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status:Practice squad
Career NFL statistics as of 2023
Total tackles:44
Sacks:2.5
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

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Ankou attended St. Peter Catholic High School and Red Lion Christian Academy, where he played as a strong side defensive end. He accepted a football scholarship from the University of California, Los Angeles.[2]

As a true freshman, he didn't appear in any games. As a sophomore, he missed most of the season with an injury. He appeared in 3 games as a backup, making one tackle.[2]

As a junior, he appeared in all 13 games as backup, posting 5 tackles (1 for loss).[2]

As a senior, he became a starter after Eddie Vanderdoes was lost for the season with a right knee injury. He appeared in 13 games with 11 starts, registering 47 tackles (ninth on the team), 5 tackles for loss (tied for fourth on the team). He had 7 tackles against the University of Colorado. He made 6 tackles against Stanford University. He finished his career with 38 games (19 starts), 91 tackles (8 for loss), 1.5 sacks, three passes defensed and one fumble recovery.[3]

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 3+1⁄8 in
(1.91 m) 		331 lb
(150 kg) 		32+1⁄4 in
(0.82 m) 		10+1⁄8 in
(0.26 m)		 5.21 s 1.76 s 3.00 s 4.84 s 8.15 s 30.0 in
(0.76 m)		 9 ft 7 in
(2.92 m)		 31 reps
All values from Pro Day[4][5]

Houston Texans

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Ankou was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Houston Texans after the 2017 NFL draft on May 12.[6] He was waived by the Texans on September 2, 2017.[7]

Jacksonville Jaguars

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On September 3, 2017, Ankou was claimed off waivers by the Jacksonville Jaguars.[8]

In 2017, he appeared in nine games as a backup, posting 15 tackles (one for loss), 1.5 sacks and two quarterback pressures. In 2018, he appeared in two games as a backup and had four tackles. On September 1, 2019, Ankou was waived by the Jaguars and re-signed to the practice squad on September 3.[9]

Cleveland Browns

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Ankou was signed by the Cleveland Browns off the Jaguars' practice squad on October 22, 2019.[10] Ankou appeared in 9 games with 2 starts, tallying 7 tackles (one for loss). He was waived by the Browns on September 6, 2020.[11]

Indianapolis Colts

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On September 7, 2020, Ankou was claimed off waivers by the Indianapolis Colts.[12] He was declared inactive during the first 5 weeks of the season. He was waived on October 17.[13]

Houston Texans (second stint)

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On October 19, 2020, Ankou was claimed off waivers by the Texans and placed on the exempt/commissioner permission list.[14] On October 26, he was activated from the exempt/commissioner permission list.

Dallas Cowboys

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On November 2, 2020, Ankou was traded to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for a 7th round draft pick (#245-Andrew Stueber) in the 2022 NFL draft.[15] He was acquired to provide depth after the release of defensive tackle Dontari Poe and to help improve a defensive line that was struggling to stop the run. He appeared in 7 games as a backup, tallying 5 tackles and one quarterback pressure. He wasn't re-signed after the season.

Atlanta Falcons

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On May 17, 2021, Ankou signed with the Atlanta Falcons.[16] He was waived on June 17, 2021.[17]

Buffalo Bills

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On June 22, 2021, Ankou signed with the Buffalo Bills.[18] He was waived on August 15.[19]

Atlanta Falcons (second stint)

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On August 18, 2021, Ankou signed with the Falcons.[20] He was waived on August 31, 2021.[21]

Pittsburgh Steelers

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On October 5, 2021, Ankou was signed to the Pittsburgh Steelers practice squad.[22] He was released on October 12.[23]

Tennessee Titans

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On October 26, 2021, Ankou was signed to the Tennessee Titans practice squad.[24] On November 1, 2021, Ankou was released from the practice squad.[25]

Buffalo Bills (second stint)

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On November 16, 2021, Ankou was signed to the Bills' practice squad. He played in six games, recording 10 tackles and one sack.[26] He signed with the Bills on February 7, 2022.[27] He was released on August 30, 2022.[28] He was re-signed to the practice squad on October 3, 2022. He signed a reserve/future contract on January 23, 2023.[29]

On August 29, 2023, Ankou was waived by the Bills and re-signed to the practice squad.[30][31]

Atlanta Falcons (third stint)

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On October 4, 2023, Ankou was signed by the Falcons off the Bills practice squad.[32] He was released by the Falcons on October 24, 2023.

Buffalo Bills (third stint)

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On October 25, 2023, Ankou was signed to the Bills practice squad.[33] He signed a reserve/future contract on January 23, 2024.

Ankou was released by the Bills as part of final roster cuts on August 27, 2024,[34] then later added back to the practice squad.[35]

Personal life

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Ankou is an Ojibwe of the Dokis First Nation through his mother Nicole Bellefeuille, while his father Adolphe is originally from the West African nation of Togo.[36][37] He has been in a relationship with American racing cyclist Shayna Powless since 2013, after the couple met at UCLA:[38] as of 2021 the couple were engaged.[39]

References

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  1. ^ "Football recruiting: 3-star DE commits to UCLA". Orange County Register. July 11, 2011.
  2. ^ a b c "Returning Player Bios". 2016 UCLA Football Information Guide. UCLA. 2016. Archived from the original on June 5, 2021. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
  3. ^ "2016 in Review". 2017 UCLA Football Information Guide. UCLA. 2017.
  4. ^ "2017 NFL Draft Scout Eli Ankou College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  5. ^ "Eli Ankou 2017 NFL Draft Profile". insider.espn.com. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  6. ^ "OFFICIAL: Texans sign 20 college free agents". HoustonTexans.com. May 12, 2017. Archived from the original on October 18, 2017. Retrieved August 26, 2017.
  7. ^ "Transactions: Texans down to 53-man roster". HoustonTexans.com. September 2, 2017. Archived from the original on January 8, 2018.
  8. ^ "Jaguars claim five players off waivers". Jaguars.com. September 3, 2017. Archived from the original on November 5, 2017.
  9. ^ Oehser, John (September 1, 2019). "Roster moves: Jaguars make four waiver claims". Jaguars.com. Archived from the original on September 3, 2019. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  10. ^ "Browns sign DT Eli Ankou". ClevelandBrowns.com. October 22, 2019.
  11. ^ "Browns Claim Two Players; Announce 14 Practice Squad Members". ClevelandBrowns.com. September 6, 2020. Archived from the original on September 6, 2020. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
  12. ^ "Colts Claim DT Eli Ankou Off Waivers; Place TE Trey Burton On Injured Reserve". Colts.com. September 7, 2020. Archived from the original on September 24, 2020. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  13. ^ "Colts Activate DT Sheldon Day From IR; Sign WR Marcus Johnson To Active Roster; Elevate G Jake Eldrenkamp, WR DeMichael Harris For Bengals Game". Colts.com. October 17, 2020.
  14. ^ "Houston Texans Transactions (10-19-20)". HoustonTexans.com. October 19, 2020. Archived from the original on October 24, 2020. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  15. ^ Wilson, Aaron (October 30, 2020). "Texans trade DT Eli Ankou to Cowboys". HoustonChronicle.com. Archived from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  16. ^ "Falcons sign defensive linemen Eli Ankou and Olive Sagapolu". AtlantaFalcons.com. May 17, 2021. Archived from the original on May 17, 2021. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
  17. ^ "Falcons sign four free agents". AtlantaFalcons.com. June 17, 2021. Archived from the original on June 17, 2021. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  18. ^ Glab, Maddy (June 22, 2021). "Bills sign two defensive tackles". BuffaloBills.com. Archived from the original on June 25, 2021. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
  19. ^ "The Bills release five players". BuffaloBills.com. August 15, 2021. Archived from the original on August 16, 2021. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
  20. ^ "Falcons sign DL Eli Ankou". AtlantaFalcons.com. August 18, 2021. Archived from the original on August 18, 2021. Retrieved August 18, 2021.
  21. ^ "Falcons announce 53-man roster". AtlantaFalcons.com. August 31, 2021. Archived from the original on September 1, 2021. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
  22. ^ "Steelers add NT Eli Ankou to practice squad". Steelers Wire. USA Today. October 5, 2021.
  23. ^ "Report: Steelers Sign WR Anthony Miller, DL Isaiah Mack To Practice Squad". Steelers Depot. October 12, 2021.
  24. ^ Wyatt, Jim (October 26, 2021). "Titans Add Two to Practice Squad, Release Three Others". TennesseeTitans.com. Archived from the original on October 28, 2021. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
  25. ^ "Titans Sign Veteran RBs Adrian Peterson and D'Onta Foreman to Practice Squad in a Flurry of Moves". TennesseeTitans.com. November 2, 2021. Archived from the original on November 2, 2021. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
  26. ^ "Bills sign Eli Ankou to the practice squad". BuffaloBills.com. November 16, 2021. Archived from the original on November 17, 2021. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
  27. ^ "Buffalo Bills sign Eli Ankou to reserve/future contract". Bills Wire. USA Today. February 7, 2022. Archived from the original on February 7, 2022. Retrieved February 7, 2022.
  28. ^ "Roster moves: Bills set initial 53-man roster". BuffaloBills.com. August 30, 2022.
  29. ^ Jenkins, Chris (January 23, 2023). "Bills signed these players to reserve/future contracts for 2023". BuffaloBills.com. Archived from the original on January 29, 2023. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  30. ^ White, Alec (August 29, 2023). "Bills announce moves to get to 53-man roster". BuffaloBills.com.
  31. ^ White, Alec (August 30, 2023). "Bills sign 14 players to 2023 practice squad". BuffaloBills.com.
  32. ^ McElhaney, Tori (October 4, 2023). "Falcons sign defensive lineman, place receiver on injured reserve". AtlantaFalcons.com. Archived from the original on October 20, 2023. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  33. ^ Byham, Matt (October 24, 2023). "DT Eli Ankou returning to the Buffalo Bills". Buffalo Rumblings. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
  34. ^ White, Alec. "Buffalo Bills made these moves to get to initial 53-man roster". buffalobills.com. Archived from the original on August 28, 2024. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
  35. ^ "Bills announce full practice squad following roster cuts". Bills Wire. August 28, 2024. Archived from the original on September 2, 2024. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
  36. ^ "Founders". Dream Catcher Foundation. Archived from the original on July 13, 2021. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
  37. ^ Baines, Tim (June 5, 2021). "A SOCIAL CONSCIENCE: Disturbing residential school discovery on mind of Ottawa NFLer Eli Ankou". Ottawa Sun. Retrieved July 24, 2021.
  38. ^ Vaisvilas, Frank (October 9, 2020). "Native American pro athletes Shayna Powless, Eli Ankou planning summer camps in Wisconsin". Green Bay Press-Gazette. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
  39. ^ Talbot, Ryan (June 22, 2021). "Bills sign NT Eli Ankou: 4 things to know". syracuse.com. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
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