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Tuesday, Mar 31, 2020 09:53 AM
Dan Salomone
STAFF WRITER
Five things to know about safety and
special teams ace Nate Ebner:
1. Originally drafted by New England in
the sixth round (197th overall) of the 2012 NFL Draft, Ebner played for the
Patriots from 2012-19, the same eight years Giants coach Joe Judge was either a
Patriots special teams assistant or coordinator.
2. The 6-foot, 215-pounder has played in 111 regular-season
games and 16 postseason contests (including three Super Bowls). He made his
impact on special teams, where he totaled 98 tackles. Ebner had more than 10
special teams tackles in six of his eight seasons, with a high of 19 stops in
2016. That year, he was named to the Associated Press All-Pro Second Team as a
special teamer. His Patriots teammate Matthew Slater was on the First
Team.
3. The Patriots won all three Super Bowls in which Ebner
played. He was sidelined for New England's loss to Philadelphia in Super
Bowl LII after tearing his ACL while running for 14 yards and a first down on a
fake punt vs. Miami.
4. Ebner did not play football in high school, but was a very talented rugby player
growing up. He was a standout on the United States U19 and U20 national teams
from 2006-08 and was MVP of the Rugby World Cup in 2008 as a member of the U20
team. One year later, he walked on to the football team at Ohio State and
finished his collegiate career as a scholarship player. Ebner was selected to
the 2016 U.S. Olympic rugby squad, becoming the seventh player in NFL history
and first since James Trapp to participate in the Olympics and also win a pro
football championship. Ebner is the only player to participate in the Olympics
and win an NFL championship in the same year.
5. At Ohio State, Ebner was voted as the team's most
inspirational player and presented with the Bo-Rein Award at the end of the
2011 season. He was also voted the best special teams player for the 2011
season. He is a native of Dublin, Ohio.
