Eli Ankou facts for kids
Ankou with the UCLA Bruins in 2016
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| No. 51 – Buffalo Bills | |||||
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| Position: | Defensive tackle | ||||
| Personal information | |||||
| Born: | June 8, 1994 Ottawa, Ontario, Canada |
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| 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.) |
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| College: | UCLA (2012–2016) | ||||
| CFL draft: | 2017 / Round: 3 / Pick: 26 | ||||
| Undrafted: | 2017 | ||||
| Career history | |||||
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| Roster status: | Practice squad | ||||
| Career NFL statistics as of 2023 | |||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||
Eli Ankou (born June 8, 1994) is a Canadian professional football player. He plays as a defensive tackle for the Buffalo Bills in the National Football League (NFL). Eli played college football for the UCLA Bruins.
Ankou grew up in Canada. He played high school football for the St. Peter Catholic High School Knights in Orleans, Ontario. For his final year of high school, he moved to Red Lion Christian Academy in Bear, Delaware.
Contents
- Early Life and College Football
- Professional Football Career
- Houston Texans (First Time)
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Cleveland Browns
- Indianapolis Colts
- Houston Texans (Second Time)
- Dallas Cowboys
- Atlanta Falcons (First Time)
- Buffalo Bills (First Time)
- Atlanta Falcons (Second Time)
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Tennessee Titans
- Buffalo Bills (Second and Third Times)
- Atlanta Falcons (Third Time)
- Buffalo Bills (Fourth Time)
- Personal Life
Early Life and College Football
Eli Ankou attended St. Peter Catholic High School and Red Lion Christian Academy. He played as a strong side defensive end in high school. He earned a football scholarship to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
During his first year at UCLA, he did not play in any games. In his second year, he was injured for most of the season. He played in 3 games as a backup player, making one tackle.
As a junior, he played in all 13 games as a backup. He recorded 5 tackles, with one tackle for a loss.
In his senior year, Eli became a starter. This happened after another player, Eddie Vanderdoes, got injured. Eli played in 13 games and started 11 of them. He made 47 tackles, which was the ninth-highest on his team. He also had 5 tackles for a loss. By the end of his college career, he had played in 38 games, starting 19. He made 91 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and recovered one fumble.
Professional Football Career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand size | 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 | ||||||||||||
Eli Ankou began his professional journey in 2017. He has played for several teams in the NFL.
Houston Texans (First Time)
After the 2017 NFL draft, the Houston Texans signed Ankou. He was an undrafted free agent, meaning no team picked him in the draft. The Texans later released him on September 2, 2017.
Jacksonville Jaguars
The very next day, on September 3, 2017, the Jacksonville Jaguars picked up Ankou. He played in nine games for them in 2017. He made 15 tackles and 1.5 sacks. In 2018, he played in two games. He was released by the Jaguars in 2019 but later joined their practice squad.
Cleveland Browns
On October 22, 2019, the Cleveland Browns signed Ankou from the Jaguars' practice squad. He played in 9 games for the Browns, starting 2 of them. He recorded 7 tackles. The Browns released him in September 2020.
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts claimed Ankou on September 7, 2020. He was inactive for the first five weeks of the season. He was released by the Colts on October 17.
Houston Texans (Second Time)
Just two days later, on October 19, 2020, the Texans claimed Ankou again. He was activated from a special list on October 26.
Dallas Cowboys
On November 2, 2020, Ankou was traded to the Dallas Cowboys. He was brought in to help the team's defensive line. He played in 7 games as a backup. He made 5 tackles for the Cowboys. He did not re-sign with the team after the season.
Atlanta Falcons (First Time)
Ankou signed with the Atlanta Falcons on May 17, 2021. However, he was released about a month later on June 17, 2021.
Buffalo Bills (First Time)
On June 22, 2021, Ankou signed with the Buffalo Bills. He was released by the Bills on August 15.
Atlanta Falcons (Second Time)
Ankou signed with the Falcons again on August 18, 2021. He was released on August 31, 2021.
Pittsburgh Steelers
On October 5, 2021, Ankou joined the Pittsburgh Steelers practice squad. He was released a week later on October 12.
Tennessee Titans
On October 26, 2021, Ankou signed with the Tennessee Titans practice squad. He was released from their practice squad on November 1, 2021.
Buffalo Bills (Second and Third Times)
On November 16, 2021, Ankou signed with the Bills' practice squad for a second time. He played in six games, making 10 tackles and one sack. He signed a full contract with the Bills in February 2022. He was released in August 2022 but re-signed to the practice squad in October. He signed a new contract in January 2023.
In August 2023, Ankou was released by the Bills again. He then re-signed to their practice squad.
Atlanta Falcons (Third Time)
On October 4, 2023, the Falcons signed Ankou from the Bills' practice squad. He was released by the Falcons on October 24, 2023.
Buffalo Bills (Fourth Time)
On October 25, 2023, Ankou signed with the Bills' practice squad for the fourth time. He signed a new contract with the team in January 2024. He was released by the Bills in August 2024 but later added back to the practice squad. He was released again in December 2024 and re-signed to the practice squad.
Personal Life
Eli Ankou has a diverse background. His mother, Nicole Bellefeuille, is Ojibwe from the Dokis First Nation. His father, Adolphe, is from Togo in West Africa.
Eli has been in a relationship with American racing cyclist Shayna Powless since 2013. They met while attending UCLA. As of 2021, they were engaged to be married.
