Anton Palepoi

Anton Palepoi
No. 91, 95, 70
Position:Defensive end
Personal information
Born: (1978-01-19) January 19, 1978 (age 46)
American Samoa
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:297 lb (135 kg)
Career information
High school:Hunter (West Valley City, Utah)
College:UNLV
NFL draft:2002 / round: 2 / pick: 60
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
  • First-team All-MW (2000)
  • Second-team All-MW (2001)
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:45
Sacks:4.0
Passes defended:2
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Anton Charles Palepoi (born January 19, 1978) is an American-Samoan former professional player of American football who was a defensive end for five seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the UNLV Rebels. Selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the second round of the 2002 NFL draft, he played them from 2002 to 2004.

Early years

Palepoi attended high school at Hunter High School in West Valley City, Utah, where he played basketball and football for the Wolverines. Taking the junior college route, he went on to attend Dixie College, where he was named Western States Football League Most Valuable Player in 1999 after leading the Red Storm to an appearance in the junior college national championship game.

Recruited by Ken Niumatalolo, he chose Nevada–Las Vegas over Utah. Palepoi was an All-Mountain West Conference selection in both of his years at UNLV, despite having his senior season cut short to only six games.

Professional career

Despite being projected as an undrafted free agent, Palepoi was selected in the second round, 60th overall, by the Seattle Seahawks.[1][2] He was the highest selected player from UNLV since Ickey Woods in 1988.

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 3+1⁄4 in
(1.91 m) 		279 lb
(127 kg) 		4.81 s 1.73 s 2.78 s 4.27 s 7.46 s 33+1⁄2 in
(0.85 m)		 9 ft 6 in
(2.90 m)		 24 reps
All values from NFL Combine[3]

He played for the Seattle Seahawks, Denver Broncos, and Arizona Cardinals, before signing with the New Orleans Saints in May 2007.

Personal

Palepoi was born to Tony and Tutaga Palepoi, both Brigham Young University graduates. His father played for the Samoa national rugby union team. His younger brother Tenny Palepoi was a defensive lineman for the San Diego Chargers.

Also had a small appearance in the movie Wish Upon a Star starring Katherine Heigl which was filmed at Hunter High School.

References

  1. ^ "Anton Palepoi". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on October 2, 2002.
  2. ^ "2002 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  3. ^ "2019 Draft Scout: QB Rankings". Draft Scout. Retrieved August 17, 2022.


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