Esteban "Steve" Avila (/ɑːvilɑː/ AH-vee-lah; born October 16, 1999) is an American professional football center for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the TCU Horned Frogs.
 Avila with the Rams in 2023 | |||||||
| No. 73 – Los Angeles Rams | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Center | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born: | October 16, 1999 Dallas, Texas, U.S. | ||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 338 lb (153 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school: | South Grand Prairie (Grand Prairie, Texas) | ||||||
| College: | TCU (2018–2022) | ||||||
| NFL draft: | 2023 / round: 2 / pick: 36 | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
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| Roster status: | Active | ||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of Week 11, 2024 | |||||||
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Early life
editAvila was born on October 16, 1999, in Arlington, Texas, and attended South Grand Prairie High School.[1] Avila was rated a four-star recruit and committed to play college football at Texas Christian University.[2] His father is Mexican-American, and his mother is African-American.[3]
College career
editAvila redshirted for the TCU Horned Frogs as a freshman.[4] He played in 11 games as a redshirt freshman.[5] Avila started nine games during his redshirt sophomore season with six at center, two at right tackle, and one at guard.[6] He was named first team All-Big 12 Conference by the Associated Press and to the second team by the league's coaches.[7]
Professional career
edit| 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+1⁄2 in (1.92 m) |
332 lb (151 kg) |
33 in (0.84 m) |
9+1⁄4 in (0.23 m) |
5.21 s | 1.86 s | 2.97 s | 4.74 s | 7.85 s | 29.5 in (0.75 m) |
8 ft 2 in (2.49 m) |
28 reps | |
| All values from NFL Combine[8][9] | ||||||||||||
Avila was selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the second round (36th overall) of the 2023 NFL draft.[10] In his rookie year, Avila started all 17 games at left guard, and was the only Rams player to have played every snap on offense.[11] He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team.[12]
With the addition of guard Jonah Jackson in 2024, Avila moved from left guard to center, which was his natural position in college.[13] Avila suffered a knee injury in the week 1 loss against the Detroit Lions and was placed on injured reserve on September 11, 2024, after it was determined he would require MCL surgery.[14] He was activated on November 11.
References
edit- ^ Brugler, Dane. "The Beast: 2023 NFL Draft Guide" (PDF). The Athletic. p. 132. Retrieved April 10, 2022.
- ^ Holland, EJ (March 7, 2017). "South Grand Prairie OL Esteban Avila commits to TCU". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
- ^ "El Huddle: Steve Avila Interview!". Omny.fm. April 27, 2023. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
- ^ Straka, Dean (February 18, 2019). "TCU offensive line outlook for 2019: Are the growing pains over after bumpy 2018?". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
- ^ Davison, Drew (November 11, 2020). "TCU's Steve Avila brings humility as team's starting center". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
- ^ Craven, Mike (July 15, 2022). "The Lone Star 50: No. 43 Steve Avila anchors new-look TCU offensive line". Dave Campbell's Texas Football. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
- ^ Davison, Drew (April 29, 2022). "TCU football has more accountability these days, senior center Steve Avila says". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
- ^ "Steve Avila Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
- ^ "2023 NFL Draft Scout Steve Avila College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
- ^ Jackson, Stu (April 28, 2023). "READ: Rams select TCU G Steve Avila with 36th pick in 2023 NFL Draft". TheRams.com. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
- ^ DaSilva, Cameron (January 8, 2024). "Steve Avila was the only Rams player to play every snap this season". Rams Wire. USA TODAY. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
- ^ "2023 NFL All-Rookie Team". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
- ^ Patra, Kevin (March 28, 2024). "Sean McVay confirms Steve Avila will move from left guard to center on Rams' upgraded O-line". NFL.com. Retrieved April 4, 2024.
- ^ Jackson, Stu (September 11, 2024). "Rams place WR Puka Nacua, OL Steve Avila and OL Joe Noteboom on Injured Reserve; sign OL Dylan McMahon and OL Geron Christian to active roster and CB Ahkello Witherspoon to practice squad". TheRams.com.