Khalil Mack

Previously, the highest selected player from Buffalo was defensive tackle Gerry Philbin, who was selected with the 33rd overall pick by the New York Jets in 1964.

Mack chose to switch from his college uniform number, 46, to 52 in order to comply with the NFL's numbering rules.

After signing a four-year contract worth $18.67 million guaranteed, Mack made his NFL debut in the season-opener against the Jets, recording six tackles in the 19–14 loss.

Khalil Delshon Mack (born February 22, 1991) is an American football linebacker for the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL).

After redshirting as a freshman in 2009, Mack broke into the starting lineup and was one of the most productive defenders in the Mid-American Conference (MAC).

He totaled 68 tackles, including 14 1⁄2 for loss, 4 1⁄2 sacks, 10 pass breakups, eight quarterback hurries, and two forced fumbles.

Mack earned third-team all-conference honors.

He chose to wear the uniform number 46 as a motivational reminder that his true potential was not being recognized – 46 was the overall rating assigned to him (out of a maximum of 99) in EA Sports' college football video game, NCAA Football 11.

Mack continued where he left off in 2010, with a dominant sophomore season.

Mack led the team in sacks, tackles for loss, and forced fumbles, on the way to being named first-team All-MAC.

He recorded 64 total tackles, including 20 1⁄2 for loss (third best in the nation), 5 1⁄2 sacks, one interception, two pass breakups, thirteen quarterback hurries, and five forced fumbles.

Despite being suspended for the first game of the season following an altercation with teammate wide receiver Fred Lee, Mack set career highs in tackles (94), tackles for loss (21 – fourth in the nation), and sacks (8).

He also recorded two pass breakups, four quarterback hurries, and four forced fumbles.

He earned first-team all-conference honors for the second consecutive season.

Starting all 13 games, Mack recorded 100 tackles including 19 tackles for loss, 10.5 sacks, three interceptions, one which he returned for a touchdown, and forced five fumbles.

He won the CFPA Linebacker Trophy for the 2013 season, and he was named the 2013 MAC Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the first Bull to win the award in Buffalo's history within the MAC (1999–present).

He was also named a second-team All-American by the Associated Press (AP).

Mack finished tied for first for the NCAA in career tackles for loss with 75 and set a new record for forced fumbles with 16.

Buffalo's independent student newspaper, The Spectrum, also ranked Mack as the best Buffalo football player in the Division I history of the program.

Mack was elected to the University at Buffalo Athletics Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2024.

He played college football at Buffalo and was selected by the Oakland Raiders with the fifth overall pick in the 2014 NFL draft.

Mack holds the all-time NCAA record for forced fumbles and is also tied for career tackles for loss in the NCAA.

Leading up to the 2014 NFL draft, Mack was projected as a high first-round pick in many mock drafts.

Mack was selected with the fifth overall pick by the Oakland Raiders, making him the highest selected Buffalo player ever, and the only one selected in the first round.

In 2015, he became the first player in NFL history to be selected first-team All-Pro at two different positions, defensive end and outside linebacker, in the same season.

In 2018, Mack was traded to the Chicago Bears for two first-round draft picks and signed a six-year, $141 million extension, becoming the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history at the time.

He was traded to the Chargers in 2022.

Mack was raised by his parents: high school sweethearts Yolanda, a teacher, and Sandy Mack Sr., a program specialist, in Fort Pierce, Florida.

He has two brothers: Sandy Jr. and LeDarius.

His father introduced him to sports at the age of five.

Mack took an early liking to baseball and basketball although he played Pop Warner football.

Mack attended Fort Pierce Westwood High School in Fort Pierce.

He had played quarterback and was nicknamed "Bombshell Man."

However, throwing the ball short was a major struggle for Mack, so he became a linebacker.

For the rest of his athletic career, Mack had been relying on basketball to get him a college scholarship, but his plans were dashed by a tear in his patella tendon before his sophomore season.

After this injury, his high school football coach, Waides Ashmon, recruited him to the sport, promising Mack and his parents that it would earn him a scholarship.

In his only year of high school football, Mack had 140 tackles, including eight for a loss, and nine sacks.

He was named third-team All-State in Florida, as well as first-team All-Area, and helped lead the Panthers to a district championship.

Being a newcomer to the sport, Mack was rated as only a two-star recruit by Rivals.com.

He received a scholarship from the State University of New York at Buffalo to play Division I football.