Alex Okafor

Alex Okafor (born February 8, 1991) is an American football defensive end for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He played college football at Texas, where he earned All-American honors as a junior.

Early years
Okafor was born in Dallas, Texas. He attended Pflugerville High School in Pflugerville, Texas, and played for the Pflugerville Panthers high school football team. He also played soccer and basketball and was a stand out in both. Following his senior season, USA Today recognized him as a high school All-American in 2008.

College career
Okafor attended the University of Texas at Austin, where he played for coach Mack Brown's Texas Longhorns football team from 2009 to 2012. He finished his 2011 junior season with 46 tackles and seven quarterback sacks, and was named a first-team All-American as a defensive end by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA). He was also a first-team All-Big 12 selection in 2011 and again in 2012.

Okafor was named to the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Bednarik Award, Lombardi Award, and CFPA Defensive Lineman Trophy watch lists to start the 2012 season.

Professional career
Okafor was ranked as one of the middle tier pass rushers in the 2013 NFL Draft. He was projected as either a defensive end or linebacker in the NFL.

Arizona Cardinals
Okafor was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the fourth round, with the 103rd overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft.

Okafor recorded his first two career sacks in Week 6 of 2014 against the Washington Redskins on quarterback Kirk Cousins. He had his first interception in Week 14 on Kansas City Chiefs' quarterback Alex Smith. He ended the season playing in 13 games with 12 starts, recording 30 tackles, 8 sacks, three passes defensed and one interception.

New Orleans Saints
On March 14, 2017, Okafor signed with the New Orleans Saints. He started the first 10 games of the season, recording a career-high 43 tackles, 4.5 sacks and four passes defended. He suffered a torn Achilles in the team's Week 11 win over the Redskins and was ruled out for the rest of the season.

On March 16, 2018, Okafor re-signed with the Saints on a two-year contract. He started all 16 games in 2018, recording 36 tackles and four sacks.

On February 14, 2019, the Saints voided the final year of Okafor's contract, making him a free agent at the start of the new league year.

Kansas City Chiefs
On March 14, 2019, Okafor signed a three-year, $18 million contract with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Personal life
Okafor traveled to Kenya during the 2016 offseason with former Texas and Saints teammate Kenny Vaccaro and is involved in community and fundraising efforts to construct a school in the region.

Legal issues
On March 9, 2015, Okafor was arrested for evading arrest on foot and for a misdemeanor warrant for jaywalking in Austin, Texas. The Austin Police Department responded to a disturbance at 1:51AM in Austin's downtown entertainment district after he was running through an intersection and knocked over a pedestrian on the way to a bar. Police responded and after discovering the warrant, Okafor then ran on foot and was finally caught, taken down by three officers, and arrested.