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Khyiris Tonga (born July 7, 1996)[1] is an American professional football nose tackle for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at BYU and was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the seventh round of the 2021 NFL draft.[2]
| No. 95 – Arizona Cardinals | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Nose tackle | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born: | July 7, 1996 West Valley City, Utah, U.S. | ||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||||
| Weight: | 338 lb (153 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school: | Granger (UT) | ||||||||||
| College: | BYU (2017–2020) | ||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2021 / round: 7 / pick: 250 | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||
| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of 2023 | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Initially committed to Utah after high school, Tonga flipped to BYU after former Oregon State defensive coordinator Kalani Sitake was named the Cougars' head coach while Tonga was serving his two-year mission.[3]
After a strong junior season where he made 45 tackles, Tonga was expected to be an NFL draft prospect, but announced he would return for his senior season.[4][5]
Pre-draft
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 2+1⁄8 in (1.88 m) |
325 lb (147 kg) |
31 in (0.79 m) |
9+5⁄8 in (0.24 m) | 5.07 s | 1.74 s | 2.89 s | 4.73 s | 7.83 s | 28.0 in (0.71 m) | 8 ft 9 in (2.67 m) | 35 reps | |
| All values from Pro Day[6][7][8] | ||||||||||||
Tonga was praised by draft analysts for his ability to eat up space as a nose tackle, but was expected to be a day three prospect due to his age, short arms, and below-average hand size.[9][10]
Chicago Bears
Tonga was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the seventh round, 250th overall, of the 2021 NFL draft.[11] On June 2, 2021, Tonga signed his four-year rookie contract with Chicago.[12] He was waived by the Bears on August 31, 2022.[13]
Atlanta Falcons
On September 5, 2022, Tonga was signed to the practice squad of the Atlanta Falcons.[14]
Minnesota Vikings
On October 5, 2022, Tonga was signed by the Minnesota Vikings off the Falcons practice squad.[15]
Arizona Cardinals
On March 15, 2024, Tonga signed with the Arizona Cardinals.[16]
Before enrolling at BYU, Tonga served a two-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Wichita, Kansas.[17]
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