Chris Ellis (American football)
Encyclopedia
Chris Ellis is an American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

 linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...

 who is currently a free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....

. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...

 in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft
2008 NFL Draft
The 2008 NFL Draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 26 and April 27, 2008. For the 29th consecutive year, ESPN televised the draft; the NFL Network also broadcast the event, its third year doing so...

. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...

 for the Virginia Tech Hokies
Virginia Tech Hokies football
The Virginia Tech Hokies football team is a college football program that competes in NCAA Division I-FBS, in the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference. They have more wins in team history than any other program in the ACC. Their home games are played at Lane Stadium which seats over...

, where he was a First-team All-ACC
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...

 selection.

He has also been a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...

.

Early years

Ellis was ranked 66th on SuperPrep's Elite 100 list following his senior season when he led Led Bethel with 50 tackles - seven for loss - and 10 sacks. He was named an All-American by both SuperPrep and PrepStar as a defensive lineman. He was named to the VHSCA All-Eastern Region honorable mention squad as a defensive end He Posted 75 tackles and 15 sacks as a junior.

College career

The most experienced of Tech's defensive linemen when he totaled 53 tackles, 9 for a loss, and 8.5 sacks and ranked second in QB hurries (15) and caused a fumble that was returned for a touchdown against Kent State. In 2006 he closed out the season with 38 tackles (8.5 for losses) and 4.5 sacks. In 2005 he had a total of 41 tackles, 10.5 TFL, 6.0 sacks and 14 hurries. In 2004 he earned third-team Freshman All-America honors from The Sporting News
The Sporting News
Sporting News is an American-based sports magazine. It was established in 1886, and it became the dominant American publication covering baseball — so much so that it acquired the nickname "The Bible of Baseball"...

 after playing in all 13 games, recording 33 tackles were 7.5 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks. He also had a fumble recovery, a forced fumble, three pass break ups and 14 quarterback hurries. 2003: Worked at defensive end while redshirting. He had the best vertical jump (31½") among the incoming freshmen linemen. He upped his vertical to 35 inches by spring practice, the fifth-best leap on the entire defense and turned in the top 40 time among the ends at 4.56 and bench pressed 350 pounds.

Buffalo Bills

Ellis was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft
2008 NFL Draft
The 2008 NFL Draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 26 and April 27, 2008. For the 29th consecutive year, ESPN televised the draft; the NFL Network also broadcast the event, its third year doing so...

.

He was moved to the OLB position under George Edwards
George Edwards (American football)
George Edwards is an American football coach, the latest hiring by the Buffalo Bills, now serving as their defensive coordinator...

 in Buffalo's new 3-4 defense
3-4 defense
In American football, the 3–4 defense is a defensive alignment consisting of three down linemen and four linebackers.The 3–4 defense declined in popularity over the years, but has found renewed use by modern professional and college football teams. The 3–4 defense is so named because it involves 3...

 prior to the 2010 NFL season
2010 NFL season
The 2010 NFL season was the 91st regular season of the National Football League.The regular season began with the NFL Kickoff game on NBC on Thursday, September 9, at the Louisiana Superdome as the New Orleans Saints, Super Bowl XLIV champions, defeated the Minnesota Vikings 14–9.Tom Brady,...

. He was waived on October 11, 2010.

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers signed Ellis to their practice squad on November 2, 2010. He was waived on August 30, 2011.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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