Chapelle
Russell.
Chapelle
Russell.
Temple· 6'2"· 236 lb· 4.69s 40
"Tampa Bay drafted Temple's tough linebacker at No. 241 after he beat two ACL tears, and he spent five NFL seasons fighting for a spot as a special teams depth player."Pre-draft read
Russell was an inside and outside linebacker in Temple's four-man front, a 6-1, roughly 230-pounder who started his final two seasons after recovering from back-to-back ACL tears. His primary trait was physical run defense: he filled downhill with force, took on blockers in the hole and finished tackles, making 72 stops and nine tackles for loss as a senior.
His secondary trait was a nose for the football, leading the country with five fumble recoveries in 2018. His athletic testing was solid for the position, with a 4.69 40 and a 35-inch vertical. His coverage range was adequate rather than special, and his signature was the toughness of a player who returned from two knee surgeries to lead the defense.
Four-man front with two linebackers that lets a physical inside backer fill downhill against the run.
Year 1: special teams player and depth linebacker. Ceiling: backup linebacker and core special teamer.
Scheme that asks its linebackers to carry backs and tight ends in man coverage on most passing downs.
His physicality fit best in run-heavy packages and on special teams.
Chapelle Russell || Temple Owls Linebacker || 2019 Highlights
His senior season at Temple.
Special Film Sessions: Chapelle Russell-LB #3-Temple VS SMU (2019)
Every snap against SMU in 2019.
Temple LB Chapelle Russell says the Owls treat every AAC game like a championship game
Interview as a Temple team leader.
Russell projected as a tough, instinctive linebacker whose injury history and average coverage skills made him a late-round depth and special teams option. Evaluators liked his physicality, athleticism and leadership, but questioned how his knees would hold up and whether he could cover NFL backs and tight ends.
He tore his ACL in 2016 and again in 2017, then returned in 2018 to win Temple's Male Comeback Player of the Year award and lead the nation with five fumble recoveries. As a senior he made 72 tackles, nine for loss, and three pass breakups as a co-leader of the defense, finishing his career with 237 tackles, 19.5 tackles for loss and six fumble recoveries in 45 games. The flags were his medical history, limited coverage range and inconsistent play recognition.
Most boards viewed him as a late-round or priority free agent linebacker. Tampa Bay took him at No. 241 for special teams and depth behind its starters. The Buccaneers valued his toughness and testing, betting that a healthy Russell could win a coverage-unit role and grow into a backup linebacker behind an established starting pair.
- 01
Physical run defender
Filled downhill with force and took on blockers in the hole, making 72 tackles and nine for loss in 2019.
- 02
Ball production
Led the country with five fumble recoveries in 2018 and finished his Temple career with six recoveries and three forced fumbles.
- 03
Toughness
Returned from back-to-back ACL tears to win Temple's Male Comeback Player of the Year award in 2018.
- 04
Solid athlete
Ran a 4.69 40 with a 35-inch vertical and 21 bench reps at the Combine, good testing for his size.
- 05
Leadership
Earned Temple's single-digit jersey for its toughest players and served as the defense's second leader as a senior.
- 01
Medical history
Tore his ACL in both 2016 and 2017, raising long-term questions about the durability of his knees.
- 02
Limited coverage range
Lacked the fluidity to carry backs and tight ends in man coverage, limiting his value on passing downs.
- 03
Play recognition
Could be slow to diagnose misdirection and play-action, leaving him out of position on some run fits.
- 04
Modest pass rush
Recorded only three sacks in his career, giving little value as a blitzer or edge rusher in sub packages.
Relative Athletic Score (Kent Lee Platte) benchmarks combine/pro-day numbers against every measured prospect at the position since 1987. 10.00 is elite; 5.00 is average.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- 4.69sp50
- Vertical
- 35inp50
- Broad jump
- 121inp50
- Three-cone
- 7.38sp50
- Shuttle
- 4.41sp50
- Bench
- 21repp50
| Yr | Team | G | Tkl | Sk | Int | PD | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Temple | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | Temple | — | 72 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Career | — | 45 | 237 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 3 |
Career totals (45 games, 237 tackles, 19.5 TFL, three sacks, nine pass breakups, three forced fumbles, six fumble recoveries) and the 2018 and 2019 figures come from Temple and the Buccaneers. Temple did not publish full season-by-season splits, so earlier seasons are left blank rather than guessed.
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
The realized outcome: a depth linebacker who moved between rosters.
Athletic late-round linebacker who stuck as a special teams and depth player.
His Temple teammate, a late-round linebacker whose career was cut short.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Russell began his pro career with Tampa Bay in 2020 and played for Jacksonville in 2021, then spent 2022 and 2023 with Pittsburgh, mostly on the practice squad. He had an offseason stint with Washington in 2024 and played for the UFL's Birmingham Stallions in 2025. Through 2023 he had 18 NFL tackles, mostly on special teams.
In hindsight the pick returned about what a No. 241 selection usually does. The toughness and athleticism evaluators praised kept him on NFL rosters and practice squads for four seasons with three teams, but the coverage limits flagged before the draft kept him from a defensive role. Considering he came back from two ACL tears just to reach the draft, carving out several years in professional football was an accomplishment. He was a depth linebacker whose value lived on special teams, and whose perseverance was the defining trait of his career from Temple to the UFL.