Stephen Paea
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Paea with the Washington Redskins in 2015 | |||||||||||
| No. 55 Dallas Cowboys | |||||||||||
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| Position: | Defensive tackle | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Date of birth: | May 11, 1988 | ||||||||||
| Place of birth: | Auckland, New Zealand | ||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||
| Weight: | 300 lb (136 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school: | Provo (UT) Timpview | ||||||||||
| College: | Oregon State | ||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2011 / Round: 2 / Pick: 53 | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
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| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of 2016 | |||||||||||
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Stephen Paea (/ˈpaɪ.ə/ PY-ə; born May 11, 1988) is a New Zealand–born American football defensive tackle for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Oregon State University, and was recognized as a consensus All-American. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft, and has also played for the Washington Redskins and Cleveland Browns.
Early years
Born in Auckland, New Zealand, Paea grew up in Vavaʻu, Tonga, where he played high school rugby union and dreamt of playing at Number 8 for the All Blacks.[1] When he was 16, his family moved to the United States, originally to Lawrence, Kansas, where his cousin Chris Maumalanga was playing for the Kansas Jayhawks.[2] After a year, they moved to Provo, Utah, where Paea attended Timpview High School. Playing defensive line at only 240 pounds, he drew little attention by Division I schools, so he decided to enroll at nearby Snow College in Ephraim. Paea was also the state runner-up in the shot put, with a top-throw of 16.09 meters (52′08″) and a state qualifier in the discus with a best of 46.72 meters (153′03″).
After redshirting his initial year at Snow, he added more than 20 pounds to his frame and started the 2007 season as the No. 2 tackle on the depth chart. Finally drawing the attention of major schools, he transferred to Oregon State in mid-season after graduating from Snow with an associate degree in December 2007.[3]
College career
Paea attended Oregon State University, where he played for the Oregon State Beavers football team from 2008 to 2010. Making an immediate impact for the Beavers, Paea played in all 13 games, starting 12 of them, and recorded 41 tackles, 11 for a loss, and five quarterback sacks. He was selected to College Football News′ All-Sophomore Second Team and was an honorable mention All-Pac-10 selection.
As a junior, Paea registered a team-leading 8.5 tackles for loss and was co-leader for sacks with three. He was named All-Pacific-10 First Team and received the Morris Trophy for the best defensive lineman in the conference.
Paea was invited to the 2011 Senior Bowl, but tore the lateral meniscus in his right knee on the opening practice, causing him to miss the remainder of the event.[4]
Paea was a nominee for the Bill Hayward Athlete of the Year Award at the 2011 Oregon Sports Awards.
Professional career
At the NFL Combine, Paea recorded 49 repetitions in the 225-pound bench press, the highest since Justin Ernest's 51 reps in 1999.[5][6]
| Ht | Wt | Arm length | Hand size | 40‑yd dash | 10-yd split | 20-yd split | 20‑ss | 3‑cone | Vert jump | Broad | BP | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 1 1⁄4 in | 303 lb | 32 7⁄8 in | 10 in | 4.98 s | 1.83 s | 2.75 s | 2.18 s | 38.5" in | 10'6" ft 126 in | 49 reps | ||||
| All values from NFL Combine[7][8] | ||||||||||||||
Chicago Bears
Paea was selected with the 53rd overall pick in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears and on July 29, 2011, he signed a 4-year contract with the Chicago Bears.
In a Sunday Night Football game on October 16 against the Minnesota Vikings, as well as his NFL debut, Paea sacked Donovan McNabb in the end zone for a safety, being the first Bears player to record a safety in his debut since at least 1970.[9]
In 2012, Paea and Nick Roach were awarded the Brian Piccolo Award.[10]
After the 2012 NFL Draft, Paea was reunited with Oregon State teammate Brandon Hardin.
During the preseason, Paea injured his left ankle during a workout[11] but started in the season opener against the Indianapolis Colts.[12]
Washington Redskins
Paea signed a four-year contract with the Washington Redskins on March 10, 2015.[13][14] On December 11, the team placed him on injured reserve with a Grade 2 toe sprain.[15] He was released by the team on August 30, 2016.[16]
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns signed Paea on September 2, 2016.[17]
Dallas Cowboys
On March 10, 2017, Paea signed a one-year contract with the Dallas Cowboys.[18]
References
- ↑ "Fate switches dream of being All Black to NFL". The New Zealand Herald. October 29, 2014.
- ↑ Stephen Paea: From Tonga to Oregon State
- ↑ "Beavs land athletic tackle from Snow College". Footballrecruiting.rivals.com. 2007-12-18. Retrieved 2012-08-03.
- ↑ Mortensen, Chris (January 25, 2011). "Sources: DT Stephen Paea tears lateral meniscus in knee at Senior Bowl". ESPN.
- ↑ Saunders, Patrick (February 23, 2010). "Don't put too much stock in NFL combine". Denver Post.
- ↑ "Paea shatters combine bench-press mark". NFL.com. February 27, 2011.
- ↑ http://www.nfl.com/combine/profiles/stephen-paea?id=2495210
- ↑ http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/dsprofile.php?pyid=83921&draftyear=2011&genpos=DT
- ↑ Hester's injury not considered serious. Chicagobears.com (2011-10-17). Retrieved on 2012-02-28.
- ↑ Biggs, Brad (2012-04-24). "Bears LB Roach wins Piccolo Award". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2012-12-28.
- ↑ "DT Stephen Paea hurts left ankle, latest Chicago Bears player hobbled - ESPN Chicago". Espn.go.com. 2012-08-12. Retrieved 2012-09-09.
- ↑ "Bears-Colts Inactives: Podlesh, Conte Will Play « CBS Chicago". Chicago.cbslocal.com. Retrieved 2012-09-09.
- ↑ Sessler, Marc. "Stephen Paea says he's headed for Redskins". NFL.com. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
- ↑ Jones, Mike. "Redskins reach agreement with Bears defensive lineman Stephen Paea". Washington Post. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
- ↑ Jones, Mike (December 11, 2015). "Redskins place Stephen Paea on IR, pick up RB Pierre Thomas". WashingtonPost.com. Retrieved January 2, 2016.
- ↑ Jones, Mike. "Redskins cut Perry Riley Jr. and Stephen Paea". Washington Post. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
- ↑ "Stephen Paea signs with Browns days after release by Redskins". ESPN.com. September 2, 2016. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
- ↑ [www.dallascowboys.com/news/2017/03/10/dt-stephen-paea-agrees-terms-six-year-veteran-began-career-playing-marinelli "DT Paea Agrees To Terms; Six-Year Vet Began Career Playing For Marinelli"] Check
|url=value (help). DallasCowboys.com. March 10, 2017.
External links
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