Xavier Nwankpa
_(cropped).jpg) | |
| No. 29 – Kansas City Chiefs | |
|---|---|
| Position | Safety |
| Roster status | Undrafted free agent |
| Personal information | |
| Born | December 8, 2003 |
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Listed weight | 208 lb (94 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Southeast Polk (Pleasant Hill, Iowa) |
| College | Iowa (2022–2025) |
| NFL draft | 2026: undrafted |
| Career history | |
| |
| Awards and highlights | |
| |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
Xavier Nwankpa ⓘ (born December 8, 2003) is an American professional football safety for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Iowa Hawkeyes.
Early life
Nwankpa attended Southeast Polk High School in Pleasant Hill, Iowa.[1][2] During his high school career he had 16 interceptions. He was selected to play in the 2022 All-American Bowl.[3] A five-star recruit, Nwankpa committed to the University of Iowa to play college football.[4][5][6] He was the highest rated recruit to ever commit to Iowa.[7]
College career
Nwankpa played in 12 games his true freshman year at Iowa in 2022 and made his first career start in the 2022 Music City Bowl, where he had an interception returned for a touchdown.[8][9] He finished the season with 12 tackles. He returned to Iowa as a starter his sophomore year in 2023,[10][11] making 12 starts, recording 42 tackles, one sack, and one interception. Nwankpa started 10 games as a junior in 2024, recording 41 tackles. During his senior season in 2025, Nwankpa moved to free safety and established a career high in tackles (76). He was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week after the win over Penn State[12] and, after the regular season, named third-team All-Big Ten by conference coaches.[13]
College statistics
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Fumbles | Interceptions | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | FF | FR | Yds | TD | Int | Yds | TD | PD | ||
| 2022 | Iowa | 12 | 1 | 12 | 11 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 52 | 1 | 1 |
| 2023 | Iowa | 14 | 12 | 42 | 27 | 15 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2024 | Iowa | 13 | 10 | 41 | 29 | 12 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2025 | Iowa | 13 | 13 | 76 | 50 | 26 | 0.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 28 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 52 | 36 | 171 | 117 | 54 | 1.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 80 | 1 | 4 | |
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | Wingspan | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 2+1⁄2 in (1.89 m) | 208 lb (94 kg) | 30+3⁄4 in (0.78 m) | 8+1⁄4 in (0.21 m) | 6 ft 3+1⁄2 in (1.92 m) | 4.48 s | 1.62 s | 2.64 s | 4.39 s | 6.94 s | 37.5 in (0.95 m) | 14 reps | |
| All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[14][15] | ||||||||||||
Nwankpa signed with the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent on May 1, 2026.[16]
References
- ↑ Bain, Matthew (October 29, 2019). "Xavier Nwankpa, a sophomore with Iowa State and Iowa offers, is loaded with potential". Des Moines Register. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
- ↑ "High School Sports Awards: Iowa football phenom Xavier Nwankpa blends character, competitiveness and skill". USA Today. November 16, 2021.
- ↑ "Defensive Back Xavier Nwankpa Will be Honored as a 2022 All-American as Part of All-American Bowl's Road to the Dome Tour". NBC Sports. September 21, 2021.
- ↑ "Southeast Polk five-star safety Xavier Nwankpa announces commitment to Iowa football". Des Moines Register. December 8, 2021.
- ↑ "Xavier Nwankpa commits to Iowa: Southeast Polk 5-star staying in state". The Gazette.
- ↑ "Xavier Nwankpa, 2022 5-star safety, commits to Iowa over Notre Dame, Ohio State". The Athletic.
- ↑ "The significance of Xavier Nwankpa's commitment to Iowa football". Hawk Central. December 8, 2021.
- ↑ "Xavier Nwankpa does 'what he came here for' in first start at Iowa". The Gazette.
- ↑ "'Xavier Nwankpa has arrived': Iowa freshman's pick-6 in Music City bowl wows Hawkeye football fans". Hawk Central. December 31, 2022.
- ↑ "Xavier Nwankpa looks to take the next step for Iowa Hawkeyes football team". The Gazette.
- ↑ "Iowa defensive back Xavier Nwankpa could be headed for a breakout season". Hawk Central. August 23, 2023.
- ↑ "Iowa, Ohio State and UCLA Earn Weekly Football Honors". Big Ten Conference. October 20, 2025. Retrieved January 18, 2026.
- ↑ "Big Ten Announces Football All-Conference Teams and Individual Awards". Big Ten Conference. December 4, 2025. Retrieved January 18, 2026.
- ↑ "Xavier Nwankpa Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 14, 2026.
- ↑ "Xavier Nwankpa College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved March 14, 2026.
- ↑ McMullen, Matt (May 1, 2026). "Breaking Down the Chiefs 2026 Undrafted Free Agent Class". Chiefs.com.