Dallas Cowboys Nzeocha was selected by the
Dallas Cowboys in the seventh round (236th overall) of the
2015 NFL draft. The
San Diego Chargers previously traded this pick to Dallas in exchange for
Sean Lissemore. Due to his limited football experience, Nzeocha was targeted primarily because of his athletic ability. Entering the league as a 25-year-old rookie, he missed the entire preseason while recovering from a knee injury he suffered in college. Nzeocha began the regular season on the reserve/
non-football injury list and was activated until November 18. He only played in two games and was declared inactive for five. In 2016, Nzeocha was used at middle linebacker during the preseason, posting an
interception against the
Los Angeles Rams. He suffered a strained Achilles tendon in the second game against the
Miami Dolphins, which not only forced him to miss the rest of the preseason but also the first four games of the regular season. Nzeocha played in five games mainly on special teams and was declared inactive in seven contests. In 2017, Nzeocha was the backup of middle linebacker
Anthony Hitchens during
organized team activities. On June 6, Nzeocha had his knee scoped, which delayed the start of his
training camp. On September 3, he was released after the team acquired linebacker
Jayrone Elliott in a trade and was re-signed to the
practice squad.
San Francisco 49ers On September 25, 2017, Nzeocha was signed by the
San Francisco 49ers off the Cowboys' practice squad. He appeared in 10 games with no starts and had four special teams tackles. On January 26, 2018, Nzeocha signed a one-year extension with the 49ers. In December 2018, he received the most number of fan votes (183,150) among all special teams players eligible for the
Pro Bowl, with 80% of his votes (146,520) coming from his native country Germany, but he ultimately was not selected for the All-star game after the player and coach voting were calculated. He appeared in 16 games with 3 starts, while making 17 defensive tackles, one sack, one pass defensed, one forced fumble and seven special teams tackles. On March 15, 2019, Nzeocha signed a three-year contract extension with the 49ers. During the season-opener against the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Nzeocha intercepted
Jameis Winston once in the 31–17 victory. The 49ers reached
Super Bowl LIV but they lost to the
Kansas City Chiefs by a score of 31–20. He appeared in 16 games with no starts, registering two defensive tackles, one interception, one pass defensed and seven special teams tackles. On September 30, 2020, Nzeocha was placed on the short-term
injured reserve with a strained quadriceps. On December 19, 2020, Nzeocha was activated off of injured reserve. He appeared in five games with no starts and made two special teams tackles. The 49ers declined to exercise the 2021 contract year on Nzeocha's contract on March 5, 2021, making him an unrestricted free agent at the start of the new league year. On December 29, 2021, Nzeocha was signed to the 49ers practice squad. On January 1, 2022, he was elevated to the active roster and reverted to the team's practice squad on January 3. On January 8, 2022, he was elevated to the active roster and reverted to the team's practice squad on January 10. On January 15, 2022, he was elevated to the active roster and reverted to the team's practice squad on January 17. On January 21, 2022, he was elevated to the active roster and reverted to the team's practice squad on January 24. On January 29, 2022, he was elevated to the active roster and reverted to the team's practice squad on December 31. He was not re-signed after the season. ==Personal life==