Chukwuma Okorafor

BIOGRAPHY

Chukwuma Okorafor was born on August 8th, 1997, in Nigeria. He plays offensive tackle in the NFL

Okorafor attended Southfield High School where he was rated as a three-star recruit by Rivals.com, ESPN/Scouts.com, and 247sports.com. In 2013, Okorafor was named All-American and was ranked as the 11th best recruit in the state of Michigan. After he finished high school, Okorafor committed to the University of Western Michigan to play college football. In his freshman season in 2014, Okorafor played a total of 12 games, while in is sophomore in 2016, he played and started all 13 games as a right tackle. Okorafor blocked for the MAC Freshman of the Year and Popeyes Bahamas Bowl MVP Jamauri Bogan who finished with 1,051 rushing yards and 16 TDs on the season, helping the team finished second in the MAC and 29th in the country with 204.6 yards per game on the ground. As a junior in 2017, Okorafor was a First-Team All-MAC. He played in all 14 games at left tackle, helping opening holes for the team to run for over 300 yards three times. The team finished 24th in the country this season in rushing offense and allowed just 16 sacks on the year, the 13th fewest total in the country and he was part of a Bronco offensive line that was ranked No. 4 in the country by Pro Football Focus. In his senior year in 2018, Okorafor was an FWAA First Team All-American, a Phil Steele First Team All-American, a Walter Camp Second Team All-American, a Sports Illustrated Second Team All-American, and an SB Nation Honorable Mention All-American. He also was a CollegeFootballNews.com Honorable Mention All-American, a First Team All-Mid-American Conference selection, a Phil Steele First Team All-MAC, and was 1 of 6 semifinalists for Outland Trophy. Okorafor started all 12 games at left tackle, registering a team-high 835 offensive plays and 67 special team plays. By the end of the season, Okorafor earned his fourth varsity letter and was invited to play in Reese's Senior Bowl and was named 2017 No. 4 Tackle to Watch headed into the season by Mel Kiper. 

After graduating from college, Okorafor entered the 2018 NFL Draft where he was selected in the third round by the Pittsburgh Steelers. On May 22nd, Okorafor was signed by the Steelers to a four-year contract. In his rookie season, Okorafor played a total of 13 games with three starts and dressing but not playing in the games where the visited the Baltimore Ravens on November 4th, received the New England Patriots on December 16th, and received the Cincinnati Bengals on December 30th. In March 2022, he signed a three-year extension.

Okorafor signed a one-year deal with the Patriots during the 2024 offseason.