Nick Needham
Born 1996 · Age 29
American professional football defensive back. Played college football at UTEP (2014–2018). Undrafted in 2019, signed with the Miami Dolphins and played there through 2024; signed with the Cleveland Browns in 2025.
Compare Your Trajectory
See how your career milestones stack up against Nick Needham and other industry leaders.
Life & Career Timeline
Named player of the game in high school 47–15 win
Named player of the game after catching four passes for 85 yards and scoring, also ran for a 55-yard TD in a 47–15 victory over Westminster HS.
High school defensive stats (2013)
Recorded 38 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 2 interceptions and 0.5 sack.
Named 2013 Scholar Athlete (high school)
Recognized as the 2013 Scholar Athlete at Buena Park HS.
Recruiting ranking — two-star recruit
Rated a two-star recruit on Scout.com and listed as the No. 74 cornerback in the nation on 247Sports.
Notable high school 180-yard game
Recorded a season-high 180 receiving yards on six catches versus La Habra HS in 2013.
2013 high school season — First-team All-Freeway League
Played at Buena Park High School; named 2013 first-team All-Freeway League.
High school offensive production (2013)
Caught 39 passes for 877 yards (22.5 avg.) and 5 TDs; averaged 87.7 yards per game.
UTEP program presence (roster listing)
Appeared on UTEP Miners roster (2014–2018), culminating in senior season in 2018.
Enrolled at UTEP — redshirted freshman year
Joined UTEP Miners football program and redshirted the 2014 season.
Freshman season at UTEP — on-field debut
Played 11 games (7 starts), registered 38 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 INT, 6 pass breakups, a blocked kick and a shared sack.
First collegiate interception (2015)
Recorded his first career collegiate interception against Florida Atlantic University.
Blocked kick and shared sack (2015)
As a freshman contributed a blocked kick and a shared sack in the 2015 season.
UTEP single-game pass breakup performance (2016)
Broke up three passes in a game vs New Mexico State early in 2016 season (tied for a top single-game mark in school history).
Sophomore season — full-time starter
Started all 12 games, led the team with 11 pass breakups and had 54 tackles (28 solo).
Notable 2016 game — 9 tackles in 5OT win at UTSA
Established a career-high nine tackles in the 5-overtime victory at UTSA.
Junior season — All-Conference USA honorable mention
Started 11 of 12 games and earned All-Conference USA honorable mention; totaled a career-high 59 tackles.
Led team in 2017 with passes defended
Led UTEP with nine passes defended in 2017 (tied for team lead).
2017 season — passes defended and tackles for loss
Led team with nine passes defended, tied for second with 4.5 tackles for loss, had 1.0 sack and a fumble recovery.
Tied UTEP single-game record — five pass breakups vs WKU
Recorded five pass breakups in one game (tied a school record) against Western Kentucky on Oct 7, 2017.
Degree / major at UTEP
Listed as a communication major while at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP).
Senior season — finished collegiate career
Completed collegiate career with 213 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, 3 interceptions and a school-record 33 passes broken up in 41 games.
Listed on Pro Football Reference and ESPN player profiles
Official league and statistics pages documenting NFL career and game logs (Pro-Football-Reference, ESPN, NFL.com).
Pro Day / pre-draft measurables (Pro Day values)
Pro Day measured: 5'11.25" (height), 194 lb, 40-yard dash 4.67s, 3-cone 6.90s, vertical 30.5 in, broad jump 9'7"; values from his pro day.
Declared for NFL Draft — went undrafted
Entered the 2019 NFL Draft and was not selected.
Official name and family details recorded
Public bios list his full name as Nikolas James Needham; son of Steve Calhoun and Shannon Needham; only child.
Practice-squad promotion path to starter
Promoted from practice squad to starter in the same season — notable career development for an undrafted player.
First multi-interception NFL season (2019)
In rookie year 2019 recorded 2 interceptions, the first multi-interception season of his career.
Undrafted free-agent signing as career inflection
Signing as UDFA allowed transition from college to an active NFL career despite not being drafted.
Earned first NFL starting opportunities
Became a starter for the Dolphins in multiple 2019 games after being promoted from the practice squad.
Signed with Miami Dolphins as undrafted free agent
Agreed to terms with the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent on April 28, 2019.
Waived by Miami Dolphins (final roster cuts)
Waived on August 31, 2019, during final roster reductions.
Signed to Dolphins practice squad
Re-signed to the Miami Dolphins practice squad on September 1, 2019.
Promoted to Dolphins active roster
Promoted from practice squad to Miami Dolphins active roster on October 12, 2019.
NFL debut vs Washington Redskins
Made NFL debut on October 13, 2019; started at cornerback and recorded one tackle and a pass defended.
Breakout game — 9 tackles and a sack vs Jets
Recorded team-high 9 tackles and a sack in Week 9 win over the New York Jets.
First career NFL interception
Intercepted Brian Hoyer and recorded his first NFL interception in the Dolphins' 16–12 win over the Indianapolis Colts.
Interception vs Eli Manning and the Giants
Recorded an interception against Eli Manning during Week 15 matchup (Dec 15, 2019).
Completed rookie season statistics (2019)
Finished 2019 with 54 tackles, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble, team-high 11 passes defended and 2 interceptions in 12 games.
Recorded sack on Justin Herbert (2020)
In Week 10 of 2020, recorded a sack on Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert in a 29–21 win.
2021 season — interception return for TD and season stats
Appeared in 17 games (5 starts); recorded 59 combined tackles and had a 28-yard interception returned for a touchdown (first career INT TD).
First career interception return touchdown
Returned an interception for 28 yards and a touchdown in 2021 (first career INT TD).
Given exclusive-rights free agent tender
Dolphins tendered Needham as an exclusive-rights free agent on March 8, 2021.
Signed one-year contract with Dolphins
Signed the one-year contract tender on April 19, 2021.
Limited 2022 season (injury-shortened)
Played 6 games in 2022 before the season-ending Achilles injury.
Sustained major injury — torn Achilles
Torn Achilles in Oct 2022 ended regular season and required extended recovery.
Dolphins placed second-round restricted free agent tender
Miami placed a second-round restricted free agent tender on Needham on March 11, 2022.
Placed on injured reserve — torn Achilles
Dolphins placed Needham on injured reserve with a torn Achilles tendon on October 19, 2022.
Returned to active NFL roster after Achilles recovery
Activated Oct 24, 2023 after beginning the season on PUP, marking return from major injury.
2023 season summary
Appeared in 10 games in 2023 after activation; recorded limited statistics while returning from Achilles injury.
Re-signed with Miami Dolphins
Re-signed with the Dolphins on March 17, 2023 after recovering from injury.
Placed on reserve/Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list to start 2023 season
Placed on the reserve/PUP list to start the 2023 season due to recovery from torn Achilles.
Activated from PUP list (2023)
Activated by the Dolphins on October 24, 2023 and returned to active roster.
Career totals through 2024
Through the 2024 season compiled 200 total tackles, 3.0 sacks, 6 interceptions, 25 passes defended and 1 defensive touchdown (career totals listed as of 2024).
Profiled on major sports and stats sites
Maintained profiles and season-by-season statistics on ESPN, Pro-Football-Reference and NFL.com through 2024.
Career length noted (6 NFL seasons by 2024)
Listed as having six seasons of NFL experience (2019–2024) in ESPN/Pro listings.
Re-signed with Dolphins (March 10, 2024)
Re-signed with the Miami Dolphins on March 10, 2024.
Released by Miami Dolphins (August 27, 2024)
Released during roster cuts on August 27, 2024.
Re-signed to Dolphins practice squad (Aug 28, 2024)
Signed to the Miami Dolphins practice squad the day after release.
Roster status with Cleveland Browns (signed)
Listed on Cleveland Browns roster (signed Apr 22, 2025) — next stage of professional career.
Signed with the Cleveland Browns
Signed with the Cleveland Browns on April 22, 2025.
Key Achievement Ages
Explore what Nick Needham and others achieved at these notable ages:
Similar Trajectories
Seneca
Born 2001 · Age 24
Roman Stoic philosopher, statesman, dramatist and imperial advisor (c. 4 BC–AD 65); tutor and advisor to Nero; author of essays, letters and tragedies.
Seneca the Younger
Born 2001 · Age 24
Roman Stoic philosopher, statesman, dramatist and tutor/advisor to Emperor Nero; born in Corduba (Hispania), exiled under Claudius (AD 41–49), influential in Nero's early reign (AD 54–62), forced to commit suicide in AD 65. Author of philosophical essays, 124 Moral Letters, tragedies and Naturales Quaestiones.
Emma Chamberlain
Born 2001 · Age 24
American social media personality, YouTuber, podcaster, model, entrepreneur and founder of Chamberlain Coffee. Rose to prominence for a distinctive vlogging/editing style and has expanded into fashion, publishing and product lines.
Leon Tang
Born 2001 · Age 24
Co-founder and CEO of Haize Labs, focused on AI safety, reliability, adversarial testing and automated evaluation tools. Former Harvard CS & Math student with multiple industry research and internship experiences.
Yitao Li
Born 2001 · Age 24
Aggregated biographical timeline for persons named Yitao Li found in supplied sources (researcher in communications/WSN/UAVs; master's student at Dalian University of Technology; fashion designer/founder of Taottao; an NYU Tandon M.S. in Environmental Engineering profile). Events are drawn from multiple sources and may refer to different individuals with the same name; confidence varies per event.
Kyle Denis
Born 2001 · Age 24
Music and cultural journalist; Duke University graduate (double major English & Political Science); founder of The Bulletin; staff writer at Billboard covering reggae/dancehall, R&B/hip-hop, pop and country.