2018: Appeared in all 16 games with three starts at OLB…Registered 28 tackles (16 solo), 2.5 sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss…Broke up a pass…Posted 11 tackles on special teams…Appeared in both postseason games…Recorded five tackles (four solo), a tackle for loss, an 18-yard strip-sack to seal the AFC Wild Card win and three special teams tackles…Passed LB Shaun Phillips (0.5 sacks in 2004 postseason) for the most postseason sacks by a rookie in team history…vs. Kansas City (Sept. 9): Made his NFL debut…Appeared on two plays on defense…Tied with S Rayshawn Jenkins for a team-high 26 snaps on special teams…Recorded a special teams tackle…at Buffalo (Sept. 16): Posted the first sack of his career, a three-yard takedown on third down to force a three-and-out on Buffalo’s opening series…Finished with three tackles (two solo), the sack and a tackle for loss…at Los Angeles Rams (Sept. 23): Led the two with two tackles on special teams…vs. San Francisco (Sept. 30): Posted a team-high two special teams tackles for the second-straight week…vs. Oakland (Oct. 7): Saw time on defense on six snaps and contributed on 18 special teams plays…Posted a special teams tackle…at Cleveland (Oct. 14): Finished with two special teams tackles and a solo stop on defense…vs. Tennessee (Wembley Stadium, Oct. 21): Recorded a solo tackle for a loss…at Seattle (Nov. 4): Assisted on three tackles and registered a tackle on special teams…In the third quarter, utilized a bull rush on T Duane Brown to force QB Russell Wilson to step up into the pocket into a sack by DE Isaac Rochell…at Oakland (Nov. 11): Finished with two tackles (one solo) and a half-sack…Split the sack with DT Justin Jones in the fourth quarter…On the play, ran a stunt with DT Darius Philon to meet Jones in the backfield and bring down QB Derek Carr for a seven-yard loss…vs. Denver (Nov. 18): Made the first start of his career at OLB, finishing with a career-high five tackles (four solo)…Forced a throwaway by QB Case Keenum, nearly getting the sack after beating the block of FB Andy Janovich…vs. Arizona (Nov. 25): Started at OLB and played 21 defensive snaps…Posted two tackles (one solo) and a pass defensed…Broke up the pass in the first quarter, knocking away a would-be TD in the front left corner of the end zone while in coverage of FB Derrick Coleman…Recorded a special teams tackle while playing five snaps on special teams…at Pittsburgh (Dec. 2): Opened the game at OLB, registering three tackles (one solo)…vs. Cincinnati (Dec. 9): Posted two tackles (one solo) and a sack…Registered the sack on the game’s final drive, speeding past T Bobby Hart to bring down QB Jeff Driskel for a nine-yard loss…at Kansas City (Dec. 13): Recorded a tackle on special teams…vs. Baltimore (Dec. 22): Registered four tackles (two solo) and a sack…On the sack, shed the block of T Orlando Brown Jr., bringing down QB Lamar Jackson…at Denver (Dec. 30): Recorded two solo tackles…at Baltimore (AFC Wild Card, Jan. 6): Part of a defense that set team postseason records for the fewest single-game net yards allowed (229), including a record 69 in the first half, which was the fewest allowed in a postseason game since the 2006 AFC Wild Card…Contributed on a pass rush that tied a team postseason record with seven sacks on the day…Sealed the game with an 18-yard strip-sack of Lamar Jackson, speeding past T Orlando Brown Jr., before reaching out and knocking the ball free with less than 30 seconds remaining…Totaled two solo tackles and added two tackles on special teams…Played 16 snaps on defense and 20 on special teams in the first postseason action of his career…at New England (AFC Divisional, Jan. 13): Appeared on 28 plays on defense and a team-high 27 special teams snaps…Recorded three tackles (two solo), a tackle for loss and a special teams tackle.
COLLEGE: Played four seasons (2014-17) at Southern California, playing 52 career games with 28 starts…Recorded 168 tackles, 20.5 tackles for loss, 12.5 sacks, 20 passes defensed, an INT, a forced fumble and a recovery…Named first-team All-Pacific-12 by The Associated Press and the Pac-12 coaches before being invited to the Reese’s Senior Bowl after his senior campaign…In 2017 as a senior, started all 14 games while posting career highs with 75 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks…Added 14 passes defensed, an INT and a fumble recovery… With 13 deflections, set the most in a single season by a Trojan since 2003…Earned Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week honors from CollegeSportsMadness.com as a senior with eight tackles, three sacks and a pass defensed at Arizona State…Named Southern California’s Co-Most Valuable player and Co-Lifter of the Year as a senior…As a junior, named the team’s John McKay Award winner, which is given annually to the Trojan underclassman with the most competitive spirit.
PERSONAL: Given name Uchenna Nwosu Jr. …Name is pronounced oo-CHEN-uh noo-WOE-sue…Born in Los Angeles, Calif. …Family friends with former All-Pro CB Nnamdi Asomugha…Of Nigerian descent…Was high school teammates with Broncos LB Keishawn Bierria…Earned a degree in political science from Southern California…High School: Played at Narbonne High in Harbor City, Calif., earning PrepStar All-West and first-team All-L.A. City Division I honors…Named first-team All-South Bay by the South Bay Daily Breeze and first-team All-Marine League as a senior in 2013…Closed out his senior campaign with 121 tackles, three INTs, 12 passes defensed, a forced fumble and a recovery…Lettered two years in football and four in basketball.
2018 Selected by Los Angeles Chargers in the second round (48th overall) of NFL Draft, April 27…Signed rookie contract, May 11.
