Alex Balducci
Introduction
Alex Balducci (born March 1, 1994) is an American football center for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Oregon.
College career
Balducci played nose tackle for Oregon from 2012 to 2015. As a redshirt freshman in 2012, he sat out the first ten games but played the last four games after many injuries to the defensive line. As a freshman, he played under his future 49ers head coach Chip Kelly. On November 10, 2012, he made his collegiate debut in a 19–17 victory over California. He got his first collegiate start the following week against Stanford. On November 24, 2012, he made his first career tackle during a 48–24 victory over number 16 Oregon State. He finished his freshman season with one tackle in four games.
The following year, he played in 10 games during his sophomore season and made 18 combined tackles. As a junior, he played in ten games, made 18 total tackles, three tackles for a loss, and a sack. In 2015, Balducci played in all 13 games and had a career-high 40 combined tackles, 7.5 tackles for a loss, and 3.5 sacks.
Professional career
| Ht | Wt | 40‑yd dash | 10-yd split | 20-yd split | 20‑ss | 3‑cone | Vert jump | Broad | BP | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 4 3⁄4 in (1.95 m) |
310 lb (141 kg) |
5.01 s | 1.70 s | 2.90 s | 4.63 s | 7.55 s | 33 in (0.84 m) |
9 ft 5 in (2.87 m) |
25 reps | |||
| All values from Oregon's Pro Day | ||||||||||||
San Francisco 49ers
On May 6, 2016, the San Francisco 49ers signed Balducci to a three-year, $1.35 million undrafted free agent contract with $57,500 guaranteed and a signing bonus of $12,500. This reunited him with his former head coach at Oregon and former 49ers' head coach Chip Kelly. Throughout mini-camps, Kelly and the 49ers' coaching staff worked with Balducci in an attempt to convert him into an offensive lineman. On September 3, 2016, he was waived by the 49ers as a part of their final roster cuts. The next day, he was signed to their practice squad. On December 12, 2016, the 49ers promoted Balducci to the active roster after a season-ending injury to Daniel Kilgore and an injury to Fahn Cooper.
On December 24, 2016, he made his professional regular season debut in the 49ers' 22–21 victory over the Los Angeles Rams. The following week, he played in the 49ers' 25–23 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. He finished his rookie season appearing in two games.
On May 2, 2017, Balducci was waived by the 49ers.
New York Jets
On May 3, 2017, Balducci was claimed off waivers by the New York Jets. He was waived on September 2, 2017.
Washington Redskins
On September 11, 2017, Balducci was signed to the Washington Redskins' practice squad.
Personal life
Balducci was raised by his parents, Ralph and Kathy Balducci, and has one sister.