April 26, 2025
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Ex-Nazareth standout CJ West taken by San Francisco in fourth round of NFL Draft

Third Roadrunner in last decade to be drafted

By Steve Soucie
Nazareth alumnus and Indiana defensive tackle CJ West speaks with reporters at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis on Wednesday.

Nazareth alumnus and Indiana defensive tackle CJ West spoke with reporters at the NFL Combine earlier this year. West was a 4th round pick of the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday.

Former Nazareth standout defensive lineman CJ West was taken in the fourth round of the NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday.

West, a 2020 graduate of Nazareth, finished a productive collegiate career at Indiana last fall, finished with 40 tackles, eight for a loss, along with two sacks in his one year with the Hoosiers and proved to be a difficult player to try to block from his interior line position.

West established himself at the collegiate level before arriving at Indiana with a solid four-year stint at Kent State where he racked up 110 tackles which included 19 tackles for loss and 11 quarterback sacks.

The 6-foot-2, 317-pounder should have an excellent opportunity to make his way with San Francisco as the 49ers don’t have a lot of established experience at the defensive tackle position. West is already listed as a second-team defensive tackle on the San Francisco depth chart behind 5th-year veteran Kevin Givens.

On the NFL draft broadcast ESPN draft analyst described West as having “strong active hands and being agile and quick. He plays hard and is going to be disruptive. He can get after the quarterback.”

West becomes the third Nazareth alum drafted in the last decade along with Julian Love (4th round, New York Giants, 2019) and JJ McCarthy (1st round, Minnesota Vikings, 2024). West and McCarthy were teammates on Nazareth’s Class 7A State Championship team in 2018.

Nazareth coach Tim Racki commented on the value West brought to the Nazareth program and isn’t surprised a pro team came calling on Saturday.

“CJ was a dominant force on our defensive line for three years. His ability to make big plays in crucial moments was a cornerstone of our success on defense,” Racki said in a release. “CJ was a selfless player who demonstrated leadership through helping his teammates during practice and games on a daily basis.”