Personal information | |
---|---|
Born: | Allen, Texas, U.S. | June 7, 1996
Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
Weight: | 240 lb (109 kg) |
Career information | |
High school: | Allen |
College: | Arizona State |
Position: | Linebacker |
NFL draft: | 2018 / Round: 6 / Pick: 178 |
Career history | |
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |
Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Christian C. Sam (born June 7, 1996) is an American football linebacker who is a free agent. He played college football at Arizona State, in 2017 leading the Pac-12 with 127 tackles, while also leading the Pac-12 with 87 solo tackles (4th-most in the NCAA). He has been a member of the New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins, San Francisco 49ers, Detroit Lions, Tampa Bay Bandits, New Orleans Breakers, and Arlington Renegades.
Sam is a native of Allen, Texas, a northern suburb of Dallas, and is of Nigerian descent. [1] His father is Prince Christian Sam and his mother is Veronica, and he is the youngest of four children. [2] [3] His brother Prince played cornerback for the Bulldogs football team at Louisiana Tech. [3] [4]
Sam attended Allen High School ('14) in Allen, Texas, where he played opposite quarterback Kyler Murray, and led the Allen Eagles football team to the Texas 5A Division I State Championships in 2012 and 2013. [5] [6] He was named the Defensive MVP of the 2013 Texas state championship game after tallying 5.5 tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble. [6] That season he was also named 10-5A First Team All-District. [7] Rivals.com rated him the No. 27 linebacker recruit in the nation, and almost every major recruiting service considered him a three-star recruit. [6] [8]
Sam committed to play football for the Arizona State Sun Devils in August 2013. He chose the Sun Devils over nearly 20 other schools, including Oklahoma, Baylor, and Texas Tech. [8] [9] The Sun Devils primarily used him as an inside linebacker, though he did also play snaps as an off-the-line outside linebacker and as an edge rusher. [10]
As a true freshman in 2014, Sam played in all 13 of Arizona State's games. He tallied 16 tackles, one interception, one sack, and one pass deflection. [11]
In 2015, as a sophomore, Sam became a full-time starter and once again appeared in all 13 of the team's games, posting 98 tackles (7th in the Pac-12 Conference; 6.5 for loss), including 68 solo tackles (5th in the Pac-12), one interception, three sacks, two pass deflections, and two forced fumbles (6th in the Pac-12). [12] [13] [6]
Sam suffered a season-ending high right ankle injury in Arizona State's first game of the 2016 season. [14] [15] [3] [16] He elected to take a medical redshirt.
As a redshirt junior in 2017, Sam played in 12 games. He led the Pac-12 with 127 tackles, while also leading the Pac-12 with 87 solo tackles (4th-most in the NCAA). [12] He also tallied one interception, 9.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, one pass deflection, and one forced fumble. [17] He was named First Team All-League by the Associated Press, and Honorable Mention All-Pac-12. [3] After the season, he declared for the 2018 NFL Draft. [18] [14]
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 1 in (1.85 m) | 244 lb (111 kg) | 31+1⁄2 in (0.80 m) | 10 in (0.25 m) | 4.75 s | 1.63 s | 2.74 s | 4.20 s | 7.03 s | 32 in (0.81 m) | 9 ft 6 in (2.90 m) | 28 reps | |
All values from NFL Combine [19] [20] |
At the NFL Scouting Combine, he had 28 reps in the 225-pound (102-kg) bench press, the most of anyone at the position. [3] [21] Sports analyst Lance Zierlein wrote: "he has enough talent to become a solid NFL backup who can step into starting reps if needed." [22] Scouts remarked on his "active athleticism." [23] Coach and ASU defensive coordinator Phil Benett said: "He's definitely an NFL guy ... he's playing with speed, he's playing with physicality. He does multiple skills; he stops the run, he tackles well, he blitzes, and he covers." [14]
The New England Patriots selected Sam in the sixth round (178th overall) of the 2018 NFL Draft on April 28, 2018. [24] He left ASU with a year of eligibility remaining, though he had graduated early and already earned his diploma. [3] [25]
On September 1, 2018, after playing three preseason games in which he had 12 tackles and an interception, Sam was placed on the team's injured reserve list at the end of preseason during the team's Super Bowl LIII season. [26] [27] [28] He was part of the team when they defeated the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII. [29] A year later he was released during final roster cuts on August 30, 2019. [30]
On September 2, 2019, Sam was signed to the practice squad of the Miami Dolphins. [31] He was released on September 11. [32] [33]
On November 5, 2019, Sam was signed to the San Francisco 49ers practice squad. [34] He was released on December 10, 2019. [35]
On December 17, 2019, Sam was signed to the Detroit Lions practice squad. [36] On December 30, 2019, Sam was signed to a reserve/future contract. [37] He was waived on August 9, 2020. [38]
Sam was selected by the Tampa Bay Bandits of the United States Football League (USFL) in the 21st round of the 2022 USFL draft. [39] He was released on June 7, 2022. [40]
Sam was claimed off waivers by the New Orleans Breakers on the same day, June 7, 2022. [41] He played in nine games for the Breakers, and had 54 total tackles, eight tackles for loss, and an interception. [1]
On July 8, 2022, Sam signed with the Dallas Cowboys. [42] He was waived/injured on August 23, 2022, and placed on injured reserve. [43] He was released on August 25.
On December 8, 2023, Sam signed with the Arlington Renegades of the XFL. [44] He was placed on the team's suspended list on March 19, 2024, [45] and waived two days later. [46]
On May 14, 2024, Sam was signed by the Houston Roughnecks of the United Football League (UFL). [47] He was released on July 23, 2024. [48]
Akeem Spence is an American football defensive tackle who is a free agent. He was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL draft. He played college football at Illinois.
Kyle Van Noy is an American football linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). Van Noy played college football at BYU. He was selected in the second round of the 2014 NFL draft by the Detroit Lions, with whom he spent his first three seasons. Van Noy played his next four seasons for the New England Patriots, where he won Super Bowl LI and Super Bowl LIII. Following a year as a member of the Miami Dolphins, he rejoined New England in 2021. Van Noy signed with the Los Angeles Chargers the following season.
Marquis Flowers is a former American football linebacker. He was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the sixth round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He played college football at Arizona. He also played for the New England Patriots, Detroit Lions, and Washington Redskins.
Reuben Foster is an American football linebacker for the Houston Roughnecks of the United Football League (UFL). A consensus All-American in high school, Foster was regarded as the best linebacker prospect of his class before committing to Alabama, where he played from 2013 to 2016. In his final season there he was awarded the Butkus Award, which is given to the nation's best linebacker.
Jamie Lee Collins Sr. is an American former football linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons, primarily with the New England Patriots. He played college football for the Southern Miss Golden Eagles and was selected by the Patriots in the second round of the 2013 NFL draft. As a member of the Patriots for seven non-consecutive seasons, Collins earned Pro Bowl honors in 2015 when he led the league in forced fumbles and also won Super Bowl XLIX. Outside of his New England tenure, he played three seasons with the Cleveland Browns and two with the Detroit Lions.
Carl Thomas Bradford is a former American football linebacker. He played college football at Arizona State, and was selected by the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL) in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL draft. He was also a member of the San Francisco 49ers, Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, and Cincinnati Bengals of the NFL; the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League (CFL); the Arizona Hotshots of the Alliance of American Football (AAF); and the Houston Roughnecks of the XFL.
Myles David Jack is an American football linebacker who is a free agent. He played college football for the UCLA Bruins and was named the top freshman player in the Pac-12, receiving honors both on defense as well as on offense for his work as a running back and was named an All-Pac-12 linebacker twice. In 2015, Jack dropped out of UCLA and declared for the draft after suffering a season-ending knee injury. Jack was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft. Along with his mother LaSonjia Jack, he is the current owner of the ECHL Allen Americans.
Philip Anthony "Scooby" Wright III is an American football linebacker for the Birmingham Stallions of the United Football League (UFL). He played college football at Arizona where he won several national awards including the Chuck Bednarik Award in 2014.
De'Vondre Campbell is an American football linebacker for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Hutchinson Community College before transferring to Minnesota, and was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL draft. Campbell has also played for the Arizona Cardinals and the Green Bay Packers.
Henry-William Obiajulu Melifonwu is an American football safety who is a free agent. He played college football at UConn. He was selected in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders.
Donald Payne is an American football linebacker for the Arlington Renegades of the United Football League (UFL). He played college football at Stetson and was signed by the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2017 as the first player from Stetson to play in the NFL. He has also played for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Washington Football Team, Miami Dolphins, and San Francisco 49ers.
Frank Ginda is an American football linebacker for the Michigan Panthers of the United Football League (UFL). He played college football at San Jose State.
Leighton Vander Esch is an American former professional football linebacker. He played college football for the Boise State Broncos, and was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the first round of the 2018 NFL draft, for whom he spent his entire six-year career.
Chase Lucas is an American football cornerback for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Arizona State.
Terrill Hanks is an American football linebacker for the Memphis Showboats of the United Football League (UFL). He played college football at New Mexico State. He played for the Birmingham Stallions of the United States Football League (USFL) and DC Defenders and San Antonio Brahmas of the XFL.
Brandon Aiyuk is an American football wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Sierra College and Arizona State and was selected by the 49ers in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft.
Christian Elliss is an American football linebacker for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Idaho and was originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the Minnesota Vikings. He is the son of former Detroit Lions defensive tackle Luther Elliss and has three brothers that also play football: Kaden, Noah, and Jonah.
Mitchell Fraboni is an American football long snapper for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Arizona State and went undrafted in the 2018 NFL Draft. He was signed and released from the Houston Texans of the NFL in the 2021 offseason.
Dohnovan West is an American football center for the St. Louis Battlehawks of the United Football League (UFL). He played college football at Arizona State.
Darien Butler is an American football linebacker for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Arizona State.