Dontari Poe Dontari Poe ( born August 18 , 1990 ) is an American football nose tackle for the Kansas City Chiefs . He played college football at Memphis ( 2009 – 2011 ) , where he was a Second Team All - Conference USA selection in 2011 . Originally projected a second - round draft pick , Poe amazed NFL scouts with exceptionally strong workouts at the 2012 NFL Combine . He was eventually selected eleventh overall in the 2012 NFL Draft . High school career . Poe entered Wooddale High School in Memphis , Tennessee without any prior football experience . His coach , Cedric Miller , had spotted Poe practicing with the band the summer before Poe ' s freshman year at Wooddale , and told him to report to football practice the next day . By his junior season , he was an All - State honorable mention defensive lineman and credited with 63 tackles and eight sacks . Besides his hometown school Memphis , he was recruited by Auburn , Colorado , and Mississippi . Ole Miss invited him to their annual Junior Day . Particularly keen on early playing time , Poe also liked Auburn , because " they have two defensive tackles [ < nowiki > < / nowiki > Quentin Groves and Pat Sims ] that are leaving early , so there is a good chance I will play early if I go there . " Poe was regarded only as a two - star prospect by both " Rivals . com " and " Scout . com " . He was ranked No . 92 by Scout , in a crop of defensive tackles that was highlighted by Marcus Forston and DeAngelo Tyson , while Rivals not listed him among their top 75 defensive tackles , but as the No . 19 overall prospect out of Tennessee . Also a talented shot put ter , Poe earned the Class 3 - A title at the state meet with a throw of as a junior . In his senior year , he defended his title with a throw of , and also won the discus throw in the state meet with a personal best throw of . Poe claimed city , district and region track titles as a senior . College career . As a redshirt freshman in 2009 , Poe played in 11 of 12 games — he did not play against Houston ( November 21 ) due to a death in his family — for the Tigers , including six starts at nose tackle , and finished the year with 27 tackles , including 18 solo stops . He led the team in tackles for losses with seven , and tied for the team lead in forced fumbles ( 3 ) . He also added two quarterback sack s , which tied for third - most . His performance earned him a Conference USA All - Freshman Team selection . In his sophomore year , Poe became a consistent starter on the defensive line . He was one of six Tigers to start all 12 games in 2010 , and ended the year ranked fifth on the team in tackles with 41 , and fourth in TFL with 6 . 5 ( for a total loss of 27 yards ) . In the season opener against Mississippi State , he registered three tackles ( all solo stops ) , all of which limited the Bulldogs to three or fewer yards , and one was for a loss of four yards . In a game versus UTEP , Poe had a season - high seven tackles , four of which limited the Miners to fewer than three yards . He also managed to sack UTEP quarterback Trevor Vittatoe on a 3rd - and - 8 in the first quarter for a loss of five yards . In October at Louisville , Poe registered six tackles ( four solo ) . For the year , Poe earned an All - Conf - USA honorable mention . Prior to his junior season , he drew attention for his weight room performance and was named one of the " 10 strongest men in college football " by " ESPN " ′ s Bruce Feldman . During the season , Poe started all 12 games on the defensive line and recorded at least one tackle in each game , tallying 33 tackles , 18 of which were solo stops . He also ranked third on the team with eight TFLs ( for a loss of 26 yards ) . In November , in a game against Marshall , Poe tied his career high in tackles with eight . He was selected second - team All - Conference USA , and was listed as an honorable mention All - America pick by " Pro Football Weekly " , which evaluates players on NFL prospects and draft value rather just college production . On December 23 , 2011 , Poe announced that he would forgo his senior season and enter the 2012 NFL Draft . Soon thereafter , he announced that he signed with agent Jimmy Sexton of Creative Artists Agency . He concluded his college career having played in 35 contests ( 30 starts ) , recording 101 tackles ( 57 unassisted ) , 21 . 5 TFL , five sacks , four pass break - ups and four forced fumbles . Professional career . 2012 NFL Draft . Entering the NFL Combine as a potential second rounder , Poe impressed with an " epic workout performance " according to ESPN ' s Todd McShay , who afterwards projected him to go as high as No . 11 to the Kansas City Chiefs . NFL . com ' s Mike Mayock upgraded Poe from No . 3 to No . 1 in his defensive tackle positional ranking . Poe particularly impressed with a 4 . 98 sec 40 - yard dash , despite at being the fifth - heaviest defensive linemen to weigh in at the Combine since 2000 — behind only Terrence Cody , Ahmad Childress , Frank Okam , and Alameda Ta ' amu . Additionally , he recorded 44 repetitions in the bench press , which tied Brodrick Bunkley for fourth - most since 2000 . Due to his raw athleticism , some in the media afterwards compared him to All - Pro defensive lineman Haloti Ngata . Barack Obama referred to Poe while making a guest appearance on " The B . S . Report " stating ; “ They just had the Combine and they were talking about some guy who ’ s like 340 and runs a 4 . 8 and has a three - foot vertical , ” Obama said . “ I don ’ t know what you do if a guy like that hits you . ” Poe was originally perceived as " the ideal two - gap 3 – 4 nose tackle " due to his massive frame , but former NFL defensive lineman John Thornton described Poe as " more of a move guy than a big space eater , " able to play in a 4 – 3 defense , too . However , Thornton also uttered concerns over Poe ' s mediocre college career . According to Jonathan Bales of the " New York Times " , Poe was " the ultimate boom - or - bust prospect — loaded with potential , but failing to capitalize on it in college . " The " Sporting News " compared Poe to Ryan Sims and Jimmy Kennedy , two highly selected lineman who " were immensely talented yet struggled because of inconsistent effort and competitiveness . " In March 2012 , Poe ' s draft stock peaked when he was listed at No . 9 by ESPN ′ s Mel Kiper , Jr . , and No . 6 by " Sports Illustrated " ′ s Don Banks . " He ’ ll be overdrafted , " an unnamed NFL scout told the " Times of Trenton " , while nevertheless acknowledging that " he ’ s the most athletic over 300 - pound man in this draft , or a lot of other drafts . " After analysing game tape , Mike Mayock downgraded Poe from No . 1 to No . 4 among defensive tackles , describing him as " a freaky athlete with a good motor " who , however , " needs to get into a good locker room with a mentor in that defensive line group " to develop into a high - quality NFL player . While acknowledging his lack of production in college , Bucky Brooks pointed out " Poe ' s blue - chip qualities ( size , athleticism and strength ) and the immense importance of the [ nose tackle ] position " . According to " The Sporting News " s Russ Lande , Poe ' s draft stock plummeted in the weeks before the draft , amid concerns over his poor production at Memphis . " Sports Illustrated " graded Poe as the No . 2 defensive tackle in the draft , behind only Fletcher Cox . Eventually , he was the first defensive lineman off the board , selected eleventh overall by the Kansas City Chiefs . Poe was the highest drafted player from Memphis since Keith Simpson ( No . 9 in 1978 ) , and the highest drafted player from Conference USA ever . He was also the third defensive lineman Kansas City selected in the first round within five years , following Glenn Dorsey and Tyson Jackson . Chiefs head coach , Romeo Crennel , said he was not worried about Poe ' s mediocre college statistics , " because he played every down at 350 pounds and he played every position on the line in every game . " Kansas City Chiefs . Poe was expected to succeed veteran Kelly Gregg at nose tackle in Kansas City ' s 3 – 4 defense , although head coach Crennel acknowledged that " it ' s going to take a while for [ Poe ] to get adjusted . " On the eve of training camp , July 26 , 2012 , Poe agreed to terms with the Chiefs , signing a four - year deal with a fifth - year team option . Per team policy , financial terms of the deal were not disclosed , but it was reported to be worth about $ 11 million . Competing with Anthony Toribio and Jerrell Powe for the starting nose tackle spot left void by Gregg , Poe disappointed in training camp . " He needs to work on technique , he needs to work on understanding the system , he needs to get the calls correct all the time . He ' s got a ways to go , " said Crennel . After spending the first three preseason games on the bench , Poe was moved into the starting lineup after Toribio injured his ankle . He established himself as a starter , and remained in the starting lineup for his entire rookie season , starting all 16 regular season games at nose tackle and being a three - down player for most of the season . He recorded 38 tackles , including 28 unassisted . Even though he did not record a quarterback sack , he was credited for his contributions as an inside rusher in obvious passing situations . Particularly , his efforts against the Pittsburgh Steelers ( week 10 ) and Cincinnati Bengals ( week 11 ) were praised . In week 15 , he registered a season - best five tackles in a loss against Oakland . According to " The Sporting News " , Poe as a rookie appeared to be more advanced in grasping the Chiefs ’ two - gap system than either Dorsey or Jackson as a rookie . “ I ’ m a much better player than when I first got here , ” Poe told the publication . “ I came here a little afraid , but now I kind of know what ’ s going on . ” The " Kansas City Star " named Poe the Chiefs ' Rookie of the Year . Personal . The youngest of three brothers ( Pierre and Robert , Jr . ) , Poe grew up in the Whitehaven neighborhood of Memphis , Tennessee . Peter Schrager of " Fox Sports " compared Poe ' s background to Michael Oher ' s , which has been the subject of the 2006 book " " . With a loan from his agent , Jimmy Sexton , Poe bought his mother a 2012 Cadillac Escalade for her birthday in January 2012 .