Biography

BIOGRAPHY

Alejandro Villanueva was born September 22, 1988, in Meridian, Mississippi. He is an offensive tackle in the NFL. Villanueva played college football for the Army Black Knights at several positions, including left tackle, defensive lineman, and wide receiver. Though originally recruited as a tight end, he played defensive end during his freshman season, mostly on special teams. In his sophomore season, offensive line coach John Tice lobbied to have Villanueva converted to an offensive tackle which occurred near the end of his sophomore year. By his junior season, he started every game at left tackle. Voted a team captain before his senior year, he reluctantly converted once more to become a 290 pounds (130 kg) wide receiver; a feature story in the Army football program read, "Already touted as the tallest football player in the country, Villanueva completed the transformation from being an offensive lineman for the past two years to running routes on the field with the starting offense last Saturday night." His height, while reported by Army Football in 2009 to be 6 feet 10 inches (2.08 m), was given by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2014 as 6 feet 9 inches (2.06 m). Villanueva played college football for the Army Black Knights at several positions, including left tackle, defensive lineman, and wide receiver. Though originally recruited as a tight end, he played defensive end during his freshman season, mostly on special teams. In his sophomore season, offensive line coach John Tice lobbied to have Villanueva converted to an offensive tackle which occurred near the end of his sophomore year. By his junior season, he started every game at left tackle. Voted a team captain before his senior year, he reluctantly converted once more to become a 290 pounds (130 kg) wide receiver; a feature story in the Army football program read, "Already touted as the tallest football player in the country, Villanueva completed the transformation from being an offensive lineman for the past two years to running routes on the field with the starting offense last Saturday night." His height, while reported by Army Football in 2009 to be 6 feet 10 inches (2.08 m), was given by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2014 as 6 feet 9 inches (2.06 m). On August 21, 2014, during a pre-season game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Villanueva was spotted by Steelers' head coach Mike Tomlin, who was impressed with his size and athleticism. Eight days after he was waived by the Philadelphia Eagles, the Pittsburgh Steelers signed him to their practice squad on August 31, 2014. Upon joining his new team, he was immediately changed from a defensive end to an offensive tackle, as it was thought to better suit him. As a defensive end for the Eagles, Villanueva weighed 250 lb. Within a year of becoming an offensive tackle, he rose up to 340 lb.

Throughout the 2014 season, Villanueva was kept on the practice squad to learn the position, put on more weight, and develop his abilities. On January 6, 2015, the Pittsburgh Steelers signed him to a two-year, $960,000 reserve/futures contract. The following year, he was able to get reps in training camp and preseason as the second-team swing tackle, after Mike Adams suffered an injury. With Adams unable to recover before the regular season, Villanueva was slated as the Steelers' swing tackle to begin the 2015 season. He made his debut during the 2015 season opener against the New England Patriots, playing five snaps as an extra tackle on goal-line plays. He also appeared on special teams and played a few plays at tight end during this period.

On October 18, 2015, Villanueva received his first opportunity at left tackle against the Arizona Cardinals after starting left tackle Kelvin Beachum left the game with a torn ACL. The following week, Villanueva received his first career start at offensive tackle since his sophomore year at Army in 2008 and was tasked with blocking Kansas City Chiefs Pro-Bowl defensive end, Tamba Hali. He allowed a strip-sack in the fourth quarter, which aided the Chiefs in defeating the Steelers. With Beachum out for the remainder of the season, Villanueva continued to play left tackle and started the last 12 games of the Steelers' season, including two playoff games. In his first season as a starter, he was ranked the 48th best offensive tackle by Pro Football Focus with an overall grade of 47.5. He surrendered 39 pressures on 459 pass-blocking snaps and ranked as the 11th-worst offensive tackle in pass-blocking efficiency with a grade of 93.2 by PFF. Villanueva was named the starting left tackle position to begin the 2016 season after Kelvin Beachum left via free agency and after outperforming Ryan Harris in training camp. Villanueva struggled early on in the season and surrendered five sacks in the first six games of the season. His run blocking and pass protection greatly improved after Week 7 and he only allowed one sack in the last ten games, helping the Pittsburgh Steelers reach the playoffs. He finished the season ranking as the 23rd best offensive tackle in the league after receiving an 82.4 overall grade from Pro Football Focus. Including the three playoff games, Villanueva allowed 46 pressures and was penalized eight times in 19 starts with 26 of those pressures and five penalties coming in the first six regular-season games. From Week 11 to the AFC Championship, he performed well enough to rank as the best offensive tackle in that span. 

On July 27, 2017, Villanueva signed a four-year, $24 million contract extension with the Steelers. Villanueva was credited with creating an audible that included the phrase "Dilly Dilly" from a Bud Light television commercial, that quarterback Ben Roethlisberger later used in a live game. On December 19, 2017, Villanueva was named to his first Pro Bowl along with fellow Steeler offensive linemen David DeCastro and Maurkice Pouncey. He became the first service academy graduate to play in the Pro Bowl since Roger Staubach in 1979. Villanueva started all 16 games in 2017 received an overall grade of 74.3 from Pro Football Focus. His grade ranked him 24th among all offensive tackles in the NFL. On November 25, 2018, Villanueva caught his first career touchdown pass on a fake field goal from Chris Boswell at the end of the first half in a game against the Denver Broncos. He received an overall grade of 78.1 from Pro Football Focus in 2018, which ranked as the 12th highest grade among all qualifying offensive tackles. On September 28, 2020, Villanueva taped Sergeant First Class Alwynn Cashe's name on the back of his helmet, covering the name of Antwon Rose Jr, who was killed by an East Pittsburgh police officer in June 2018 after being involved in a drive-by shooting. Cashe was a US Army non-commissioned officer posthumously awarded the Silver Star in 2005 for actions he took in Operation Iraqi Freedom to rescue soldiers from a burning vehicle, during which time he sustained burns over 75% of his body and ultimately succumbed to his injuries. The Steelers team had previously decided to honor Rose. Villanueva stated his actions were intended to support the campaign to upgrade Cashe's award for valor from the Silver Star to the Congressional Medal of Honor.

In 2021, he signed a two-year deal with the Baltimore Ravens.

Villanueva began a partnership with USAA in 2016 and appeared in one of the company's member's voices commercials. His wife and son also appear in it.