Steelers Sign former Division III Defensive Lineman
The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed Merrimack defensive lineman James Nyamwaya as an undrafted free agent following the 2023 NFL Draft, the team announced on Sunday.
Nyamwaya is a 6-foot-5, 305 pound defensive tackle from Andover, Massachusetts, and he took a long and winding road to the NFL.
Following his high school career at Andover High, Nyamwaya played a prep season at Bridgton Academy in Maine. He then attended Division III Curry College in Milton, Massachusetts.
Nyamwaya played three seasons with Curry from 2018-21, with Division III football choosing to sit out the 2020 season due to COVID-19. Over his final two seasons at Curry, he had 121 tackles, eight tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks.
In 2022, Nyamwaya transferred to Merrimack College, which plays at the FCS level in the same conference as Duquesne. He had a breakout season despite moving up two levels, posting career highs in tackles for loss (6.5) and sacks (5.5).
With the Steelers, Nyamwaya will likely compete with incumbents like Renell Wren and Jonathan Marshall for a spot on the team’s practice squad.
The club also added second-round pick Keeanu Benton to the position group, drafting him out of Wisconsin on Friday.
Nyamwaya is from the same area of Massachusetts as current Steelers starting tight end Pat Freiermuth.
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