Dorian O'Daniel (born September 4, 1994) is an American professional football linebacker. He played college football for the Clemson Tigers.[1]
.jpg) O'Daniel with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2021 | |||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born: | September 4, 1994 Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, U.S. | ||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||
| Weight: | 220 lb (100 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school: | Our Lady of Good Counsel (Olney, Maryland) | ||||||||||
| College: | Clemson | ||||||||||
| Position: | Linebacker | ||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2018 / round: 3 / pick: 100 | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
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Early life
editO'Daniel played as a running back for Our Lady of Good Counsel High School where as a senior, he aided the team in finishing the season with an 11–1 record. His senior accolades included making Montgomery Sentinel Offensive Player-of-the-Year and Gazette Montgomery County Player-of-the-Year. As a senior, O'Daniel also scored 18 touchdowns in 10 games. As an outside linebacker, O'Daniel was ranked 6th in the nation by Rivals.com, 8th by ESPN, 11th by Scout.com, 13th by 247Sports.com and 16th by MaxPreps. O'Daniel was a three-year letterman prior to committing to Clemson University. His commitment to Clemson made him the first athlete from the state of Maryland since Jeff Fortner joined Clemson in 1991.[2]
College career
editAfter his redshirt season in 2013, O'Daniel started 1 of 12 total games. During the 2014 season, O'Daniel's 12 games included 31 tackles, one tackle for loss, one sack and one caused fumble in 87 snaps. On November 15, 2014, O'Daniel's performance against Georgia Tech earned him a team co-defensive player-of-the-game accolade. On December 29, 2014, O'Daniel's performance against Oklahoma earned him the accolade of special teams player-of-the-game.[2] In the 2015, O'Daniel was once more part of Clemson's special teams, recording 32 tackles, 19 made with special teams in 15 total games. By his junior season in 2016, O'Daniel rose to a starting linebacker role. He also started 10 of the total 15 games, recording 116 tackles, making 60 of his tackles in 479 snaps over the course of the season.[2] O'Daniel finished his senior season in 2017 with 104 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss and five sacks.[3] At 6 ft 1 in and 220 lbs, O'Daniel was considered undersized by NFL recruiting experts. He was recognized however for his "instincts, athletic ability and a nonstop motor."[3]
Professional career
editPre-draft
editO'Daniel attended the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis and completed all of the combine and positional drills. On March 15, 2018, he attended Clemson's pro day, but opted to stand on his combine numbers and only performed positional drills. O'Daniel also attended meetings and private workouts with multiple teams, including the Pittsburgh Steelers, Houston Texans, and Buffalo Bills.[4][5][6] At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, O'Daniel was projected to be a third or fourth round pick by NFL draft experts and scouts. He was ranked as the sixth best outside linebacker prospect in the draft by DraftScout.com and was ranked the 11th best outside linebacker by Scouts Inc.[7][8]
| 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 0+5⁄8 in (1.84 m) |
223 lb (101 kg) |
31+1⁄8 in (0.79 m) |
9 in (0.23 m) |
4.61 s | 1.64 s | 2.71 s | 4.07 s | 6.64 s | 32 in (0.81 m) |
9 ft 11 in (3.02 m) |
21 reps | |
| All values from NFL Combine[9] | ||||||||||||
Kansas City Chiefs
editThe Kansas City Chiefs selected O'Daniel in the third round (100th overall) of the 2018 NFL draft.[10] O'Daniel was the 13th linebacker drafted in 2018.[11]
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 Chiefs draft Dorian O'Daniel 100th overall | |
| 2018 NFL Draft Profile: Dorian O'Daniel |
On May 30, 2018, the Chiefs signed O'Daniel to a four-year, $3.34 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $761,516.[12] O'Daniel won his first Super Bowl championship when the Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers 31–20 in Super Bowl LIV.[13]
On December 5, 2020, O'Daniel was placed on injured reserve with an ankle injury.[14] On January 16, 2021, O'Daniel was activated off of the injured reserve ahead of the Chiefs' Divisional Round playoff game against the Cleveland Browns.[15]
Pittsburgh Maulers
editOn October 5, 2023, O'Daniel signed with the Pittsburgh Maulers of the United States Football League (USFL).[16] The Maulers folded when the XFL and USFL merged to create the United Football League (UFL).[17]
References
edit- ^ "Canonsburg product Dorian O'Daniel will face Alabama in the College Football Playoff". Post-gazette.com. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
- ^ a b c "Dorian O'Daniel" Profile at Clemson Tigers.com. Retrieved December 9, 2023
- ^ a b "Dorian O'Daniel" NFL Draft Profile at Draftwire USA Today.com. Retrieved December 9, 2023
- ^ Hartman, Jeff (April 7, 2018). "Steelers host Clemson LB Dorian O'Daniel for official pre-draft visit". behindthesteelcurtain.com. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
- ^ Wilson, Aaron (April 4, 2018). "Clemson LB Dorian O'Daniel visiting Texans". Chron.com. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
- ^ Silagyi, Kyle (April 5, 2018). "Report: Bills to meet with special teams star Dorian O'Daniel". Bills Wire. Archived from the original on October 4, 2020. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
- ^ "Dorian O'Daniel, DS #6 OLB, Clemson". draftscout.com. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
- ^ "NFL Dorian O'Daniel- ESPN". insider.espn.com. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
- ^ "NFL Draft Profile: Dorian O'Daniel". National Football League. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
- ^ "2018 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
- ^ Swanson, Kent (April 27, 2018). "Chiefs pick OLB Dorian O'Daniel out of Clemson in third round". ArrowheadPride.com. Retrieved June 17, 2018.
- ^ "Spotrac.com: Dorian O'Daniel contract". Spotrac.com. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
- ^ "Super Bowl LIV - San Francisco 49ers vs. Kansas City Chiefs - February 2nd, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
- ^ Conner, Matt (December 5, 2020). "Chiefs place Dorian O'Daniel on injured reserve, activate Stefen Wisniewski". ArrowheadAddict.com. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
- ^ Goldman, Charles (January 16, 2021). "Chiefs announce flurry of roster moves on Saturday". USAToday.com. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
- ^ Larsen, James (October 6, 2023). "Pittsburgh Maulers Sign Free Agent Linebacker Dorian O'Daniel". USFL Newsroom. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
- ^ Seifert, Kevin (January 1, 2024). "Newly formed United Football League sets 8 markets, tabs coaches". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 14, 2024.