Rufus Alexander
2007 · Round 6 · Pick 176 · LB · Minnesota Vikings
Rufus Alexander was born in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana. As a teenager he moved in with the family of coach David Barham, who took him to Christian Life Academy in Baton Rouge. There he led the team to two district titles, and Barham contacted OU defensive coordinator Brent Venables on his behalf. At Oklahoma (2003–2006) he was first-team All-Big 12 twice, and in 2006 he was a first-team All-American and the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. Minnesota drafted him in the sixth round, 176th overall, in 2007, but he tore his ACL in his first preseason game. He bounced between the practice squads and active rosters of the Vikings and the Colts and spent time with Detroit in 2009. Note: Wikipedia lists no NFL regular-season statistics for him, so this bio is short. Pro Football Reference has a player page for him (linked below), but its stats weren't pulled for this bio. The Oklahoman wrote on October 26, 2009: "With his father in prison and his brothers having occasional legal issues, Alexander went to live with David and Melinda Barham."
Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rufus_Alexander | https://soonersports.com/sports/2019/8/13/208798496 | https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/A/AlexRu20.htm | The Oklahoman, 2009-10-26, "CATCHING UP WITH... - Rufus Alexander - FORMER OU LINEBACKER NOW LIVES IN NORMAN AND WORKS IN THE HEALTH CARE FIELD" (via NewsBank The Oklahoman)