Sport: Football
Born: July 10, 1996
Town: Cedar Grove, New Jersey
David Njoku was born July 10, 1996 in Cedar Grove, NJ. His parents were recent immigrants from Nigeria. David was the sixth of 10 children. His father was in the energy business and his mother owned a clothing store. In youth sports, David demonstrated exceptional speed and jumping ability, and initially gravitated toward track and field. He also began playing football in seventh grade. By the time he graduated from Cedar Grove High School, David stood 6’4″ and was the 2014 state high jump champion, clearing 7’1”. He then went on to win the national prep title with a jump of 6’11”.
David earned a scholarship to the University Miami, where it was understood he could continue as a two-sport star. He saw limited action for the Hurricanes football squad as a freshman, focusing more on bulking up his long frame.
In 2015, David raised his weight to 240 pounds and showed great improvement in his blocking skills. He worked with former Miami tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. on the finer points of the game. David played in 13 games for the ’Canes and caught 21 passes. As a junior in 2016, he took his game up a notch, combining his athleticism with his toughness and talent to reel in 43 passes. Miami went 8–5 and 9–4 in those two seasons, earning bowl berths both times.
David decided to declare for the draft in 2017. His final game was a 31–14 win over Top 15-ranked West Virginia in the Russell Athletic Bowl. With Miami holding a 21–7 lead in the third quarter, David caught a 23-yard touchdown pass. Quarterback Brad Kaaya was the game’s MVP.
David was one of three tight ends taken in the opening round of the draft, including O.J. Howard and Evan Engram. He landed with the Cleveland Browns, who acquired their pick from Green Bay. The Browns had a trio of first-round picks, including Jabrill Peppers, a former Bergen County standout who played defensive back at Michigan
David caught a pair of passes in his NFL debut against Pittsburgh, and snagged his first TD pass a week later against the Ravens. Unfortunately, Cleveland suffered through a humiliating 0–16 season. David split starts with Princeton star Seth Devalve and finished the year third on the team with 32 receptions and led all Browns receivers with 4 touchdowns. Even so, David’s 30+ catches and 300+ yards as a 21-year-old rookie tight end put him in fast company: Only Tony Gonzalez, Jason Witten and Rob Gronkowski had done that before him.
Brimming with young talent, the Browns looked to make 2018 the year they turned things around. They were 2–6–1 heading into Week 10 but had played well in all but one of their losses. Gregg Williams replaced coach Hue Jackson and led Cleveland to a 5–2 record over its final seven games. Rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield found his stride and ended up with 3,725 passing yards and 27 touchdowns. David caught 56 passes, finishing second behind Jarvis Landry, and scored 4 times. Two of those scores came in their victories over the division-rival Bengals.
A potential breakout season for David in 2019 went off the rails in Week 2 against the Jets when he landed awkwardly on a pass from Mayfield. David left the game with a suspected concussion, but it turned out he also broke his wrist on the play. He returned to the field in December but finished the year with only 5 catches in 4 games.
David reclaimed his starting tight end job in 2020, but did a lot more run-blocking than route-running. Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt combined for nearly 2,000 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns to power Cleveland to am 11–5 record and a first-round playoff victory over the Steelers. They nearly upended the Chiefs a week later, losing 22–17. David played well in the Pittsburgh game, pulling in 4 passes for 59 yards.
The Browns took a step backwards in 2021, finishing 8–9. David continued to see the bulk of the snaps at his position, but between 2020 and ’21 he only caught 55 passes and scored 6 times. The Browns put a franchise tag on David in 2022 and he caught 58 passes. His best game came in a win over the Steelers in September, with 9 receptions and a touchdown. In a November game against Tom Brady and the Bucs, David played despite a sore knee and reeled in the game-tying TD pass from Jacoby Brissett in the final minute. The play set up 23–17 overtime victory on a scoring run by Chubb.
David enjoyed the finest season of his pro career in 2023, and was a big reason the Browns returned to the postseason for the first time since 2020. Despite working with five different starting quarterbacks—and suffering burns during a September firepit mishap—he reeled in 81 passes for 882 yards and six touchdowns. Cleveland got smoked in Wild Card game against the Texans, but David played well, catching seven passes, including a 45-yarder.