Zamir Kehla

Zamir Kehla

Zamir with a teammate at a college game.
No. 31 – Portland Pythons
Position:	Cornerback
Personal information
Born:	(2014-21-01)September 1, 2014 (aged 46) Austin, Texas, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:	205 lb (93 kg)
Career information
College:	University of Texas at El Paso
Career history
Roster status:	Active

Zamir Kehla (born September 1, 2015) is an American football cornerback who plays for the Portland Pythons in the National Simulation Football League (NSFL). He is one of the most notorious members of the S22 NSFL draft class.

Early years

Zamir Kehla was born in Austin, Texas, and exposed to football at an early age. A standout athlete, Zamir was a multi-sport athlete and a star on his high school track team. He thought he found his true calling as a WR in high school, leading his school to back to back state championship appearances in his sophomore and junior year. His team was so close to getting that coveted state title, but their defense was terrible. Zamir switched to cornerback after recommendation from college scouts, and it worked beautifully. His playmaking ability and speed allowed him to be 1 on 1 with any WR, erasing half the field for a QB. His speed allowed him to get to the QB fast also, so his coach often dialed up corner blitzes, leaving Zamir with 4.5 sacks in his final season. After losing in the state championship back to back, Zamir made the game sealing INT in his 3rd title game, securing the victory and his legacy.

College career

Zamir was an instant starter his freshman year, playing behind a star studded defensive front 7. He made quick contributions his first year, recording 2 sacks and 2 INTs. Zamir quickly established himself as a shutdown corner, capable of keeping pace with the top players. He made a huge jump from his freshman to sophomore year, recording 4 INTs and 12 pass deflections. Opposing QBs stopped throwing to his side of the field. Unfortunately his offense didn't do much during his college years, leaving him empty handed when it came to playoff success. Zamir planned to finish his college degree, but no one could see what was coming his junior year. Zamir broke out, recording 9 INTs, 19 pass deflections, 4 sacks, 7 TFLs and 3 FF. He was everywhere on the field, shutting down top NFL prospects and also shutting down the run. He was one of the top CBs in his class, and he decided to take a shot and apply for the draft early. With his blazing speed and hands, he knew he would generate lots of interest.

College career statistics

Career statistics			Tackles			Sacks	Interceptions		Other
Season	Team	Games	Reg	TFL	Total	Sack	Int	IntTD	DefTD	FFum	FRec	PD	Safety
2016 (S1)	UTEP	13	42	7	49	4	9	1	0	2	2	19	0

DSFL career

Zamir Kehla was drafted in the second round of the S21 DSFL draft at 12th overall by the Portland Pythons. The Portland Pythons has gone 2-12 in their last season, and had 3 picks in the first 12 picks in the draft. They decided to focus on their secondary, and they drafted the top 3 corners of the draft, Tyler Oles Jr., Alexander Hamilton II and Zamir Kehla. These changes proved to be effective as the Pythons quadrupled their win total from last season, going 8-6 and clinching the second seed in their conference. Unfortunately, they lost in the conference championship. Zamir did enjoy an amazing year, stat wise. His production from college translated to the DSFL in a major way, but he wasn't as dominant in the DSFL as he was in college, most likely due to the increase in talent on the field. Zamir started out playing free safety in the beginning of the season for two games. After barely any production, Zamir became frustrated with his role on the team and threatened to switch positions to pressure his GMs to play him at cornerback, the position he was most familiar with. Zamir then started playing the CB2 role, with Alexander Hamilton II moved to nickelback. This change proved to be very effective, as Kehla went on to get 4 interceptions in his next 4 games. His production slowed after that, most likely due to opposing GMs scheming him out of the game by having their QB not throw his way.

DSFL career statistics

Career statistics			Tackles			Sacks	Interceptions		Other
Season	Team	Games	Reg	TFL	Total	Sack	Int	IntTD	DefTD	FFum	FRec	PD	Safety	BLK P/XP/FG
2036 (S21)	Pythons	14	37	0	37	0	5	0	0	0	0	10	0	1/0/0

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables

Ht	Wt	40‑yd dash	20‑ss	3‑cone	Vert jump	Broad	BP	Wonderlic
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	4.28 s	4.10 s	7.09 s	28.1 in (0.71 m)	10 ft 11.4 in (3.34 m)	5 reps	20

NSFL Career

Zamir Kehla fell to the fifth round of the S22 NSFL draft, much to his surprise. Many people predicted he would fall to the third or fourth round, due to his off the field antics. Despite being first round talent, teams didn't want to take a gamble on the loud mouth CB. Kehla later told reporters it was a 'humbling experience'. He also said he would 'make all those teams regret their decision'. The Arizona Outlaws selected Zamir with the 54th overall pick in the Season 22 NSFL draft. Zamir didn't expect to land in Arizona, but he was pretty excited to work with an up and coming team. He had high hopes for the team, and knew they were going to be competitive in a couple of seasons. Zamir's season started out slow, as a second year player playing in the NSFL, there were no expectations for him. He recorded no interceptions in his first 6 games, and then picked up the pace after that, getting 4 interceptions, 2 TDs and 8 PDs in his final 7 games of his NSFL rookie season. This amazing late season push got him a pro bowl berth and a nomination for DRoY and CBoY. He was the only S22 CB to make the pro bowl, yet he was the 10th CB chosen in the draft. He proved all of his critics wrong based off of his on field play. His off field antics also calmed down as he became a great fit in the Arizona LR. All the players in Arizona seemed to have no problem with Zamir in the locker room. It seemed like people were trying to tank his draft stock so he could fall to them. A smokescreen, if you will.

Just looking at Zamir's stats, and the difference between S22 and S23, some would say he took a step back, with less tackles, less TDs. This is actually the opposite. Zamir had established himself as a premier CB in the league, and moved to CB #2 after Tyler Oles Jr. left the Outlaws in free agency. Teams had started game planning around Zamir and throwing less to him. He got a lot more PDs this season, and established himself as a lockdown CB who was capable of shutting down top WRs. Zamir's production slowed rapidly in the last 5 games of the season, and some suspected he was playing through an injury. He only got 2 PDs in his final 5 games, and he was setting himself up as the top CB in the league entering week 12. Unfortunately his production slowed and he finished as the 2nd best CB in the league. He snagged another pro bowl berth. He became the only S22 CB with back to back pro bowl berths. His 4 int a season average is setting him up for success, and some media personnel think Zamir has a good shot to make the Hall of Fame. Being the best CB in the biggest CB class in league history is a huge achievement. After Zamir's monster performance these past two seasons, it was about time he got paid like a top CB. He recently signed a 3 year, 15 million contract, making 7m in s24! There is an additional 2m in bonuses that he can earn. He will be the highest paid cornerback in S24.

After Zamir's huge contract, he had truly established himself as the top corner in the game, with his competition being league vets. None of the rookies had developed like he had. One quick glace at Zamir's stats might warrant an overreaction that he played worse, but the exact opposite happened, if anything. Zamir and Scarlett were the top CB duo in the league this year, both got 3 interceptions and similar passes defensed. Zamir has been in the league for only 3 seasons, but is playing like a seasoned vet already. Zamir started off hot with 3 interceptions in the first 6 games, but then teams realized he was wrecking games. Zamir was essentially not thrown to for the entire year, but he managed to lock up top receivers and take them out of the game. His most notable performance came against Sarasota, where he played more of a nickelback role than corner. Zamir forced a fumble in overtime to set up Arizona's game winning touchdown. This was a key win for Arizona, as it came on the road against arguably the 2nd best team in the league. Zamir finished with 9 tackles too, flying all over the field with that top speed. Zamir got 2 forced fumbles this year and 3 interceptions, effectively getting 5 turnovers, 1 more than last year. Even if he didn't get the interceptions, he was still a force to be reckoned with and he had 4 more years in his prime before he would start regressing. Zamir earned all $7 million this season.

NSFL career statistics

Career statistics			Tackles			Sacks	Interceptions		Other
Season	Team	Games	Reg	TFL	Total	Sack	Int	IntTD	DefTD	FFum	FRec	PD	Safety	BLK P/XP/FG
2037 (S22)	Outlaws	13	83	2	85	0	4	2	0	0	0	12	0	0/0/0
2038 (S23)	Outlaws	16	65	0	65	0	4	0	0	0	0	21	0	0/0/0
2039 (S24)	Outlaws	16	65	0	65	0	3	0	0	2	0	18	0	0/0/0
Career		46	213	2	215	0	11	2	2	2	0	51	0

Achievements and records

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