BRONX, N.Y. – Former Fordham football Rams Chase Edmonds (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and Nick Zakelj (San Francisco 49ers) are members of teams that will appear in the 2024 NFL playoffs starting this weekend.
 
Edmonds' Buccaneers will take on the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL Wild Card round on Monday night in Tampa while Zakelj's 49ers are the top seed on the NFC and have a first round bye.
 
Edmonds, the Patriot League's all-time leading rusher, has rushed 49 times for 176 yards and caught 14 passes for 81 yards out of the backfield. He set numerous school and Patriot League football records during his four-year career, amassing 5,826  rushing yards, and holds the school and Patriot League records for career touchdowns (74), and rushing touchdowns (67). His 67 rushing touchdowns ranks fourth best all-time in NCAA FCS history. Edmonds was named the 2015 Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year, was named a consensus first team All-American in 2016. Edmonds earned a 2017 Second Team All-Patriot League selection despite missing part of the season due to injury. During his junior season in 2016, Edmonds set the school and Patriot League single game rushing record with 359 yards against Lafayette.
 
Edmonds was selected in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals, playing four seasons in Arizona. Last year he split time between the Miami Dolphins and Denver Broncos before signing as a free agent with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before this season. 
 
Zakelj, a four-year starter on the offensive line for the Rams, was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the sixth round (187th overall pick) in the 2022 NFL Draft. He is on his second year with the 49ers but will miss the playoffs this year due to a season ending injury in November.
 
A 2021 consensus All-American, Zakelj was a three-time First Team All-Patriot League selection becoming one of just 24 players in League history to earn All-League honors all four years.
He helped 2021 Rams lead the Patriot League and rank eleventh in the NCAA FCS in passing offense (296.7 yards/game) and lead the League and rank 12th in the NCAA FCS in total offense (447.5 yards/game).
 
Academically, Zakelj was a 2020-2021 and 2021 CoSIDA Academic All-District® selection and was named Academic All-Patriot League all four years.