Nicholas Allan Mangold (born January 13, 1984) is an American former professional football player who was a center for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes, and was selected by New York in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft. Mangold was a seven-time Pro Bowl selection with the Jets, and was considered to be among the best at his position.
High school years
Nick Mangold attended Archbishop Alter High School in Kettering, Ohio, where he was a letterman in football, wrestling, and track & field. In football, he was a three-year starter on both offense and defense and as a senior, he garnered All-Ohio honors. He also earned three letters in wrestling and two in track and field, competing in the shot put.
Mangold went completely unregarded by recruiting services like Rivals.com and Scout.com. Regardless, he played in the 2002 U.S. Army All-American Bowl.
College career
Mangold attended Ohio State University, and was a three-year starter at center for the Ohio State Buckeyes football team. He was rated on a par with former Buckeye All-American and 2001 Rimington Trophy winner LeCharles Bentley by offensive line coach Jim Bollman. "Most guys you get out of high school have to be taught to play center. He already knew the mechanics of the position. That was a big, big advantage," said Bollman. Ohio State's most durable lineman, Mangold logged over 300 minutes of action in each of his last three seasons.
In his true freshman year, Mangold appeared in eight games as backup for Alex Stepanovich. In 2003, Stepanovich suffered a knee injury in the second game of the season vs. San Diego State. Nick Mangold moved in and started the final 11 games of the season. When Stepanovich returned, he shifted to guard while Nick Mangold continued to man the center position.
He earned All-Big Ten Conference Honorable Mention honors in 2004, when the coaching staff named Nick Mangold Offensive Lineman of the Week seven times and Offensive Player of the Week vs. Northwestern. Nick Mangold was again chosen second-team All-Big Ten in 2005. He finished his career with 33 starts in 45 games
Professional career
After a "tremendous performance" at the 2006 Senior Bowl, Mangold was widely regarded as the top center available in the 2006 NFL Draft, ahead of 2005 Outland and Rimington Trophy winner Greg Eslinger.
Nick Mangold was selected in the first round (29th overall) by the New York Jets, who had just prior used their No. 1 pick on offensive tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson in an effort to rebuild their offensive line. The Jets originally acquired the pick from the Atlanta Falcons in a trade for John Abraham. It marked the first instance of a team drafting two offensive linemen in the first round following the 1975 NFL Draft, when the Los Angeles Rams took Dennis Harrah and Doug France. Mangold was the only center selected in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft, and the highest pick among Ohio State Buckeye centers since Gordon Appleby went 26th overall in 1945.
Replacing Kevin Mawae at center, Mangold had a good rookie season, allowing only 0.5 sacks, committing only three penalties and making all the line calls. Mangold was considered to be the best prospect at center in the last 15 years according to NFL draft expert Mike Mayock. He was so impressive he garnered some Rookie of the Year talks, an honor that is not usually mentioned about centers. As a rookie in 2006, Mangold started all 16 games at the center position. From 2007 through 2010, Mangold started all 16 games in 4 of those seasons. The Jets made the playoffs twice during the span in the 2009 and 2010 seasons, but lost to the Indianapolis Colts and Pittsburgh Steelers in two AFC Championship games respectively.
Mangold was a Pro Bowl selection in 2008 and 2009, and was part of an offensive line that started the same players for 32 games—the longest active streak among NFL offensive lines at the time—it was regarded as one of the league's best in run blocking. In 2010, Mangold wanted to restructure his contract with the team, however was admittedly disappointed with the pace of the contract talks. On August 24, 2010, Mangold signed a seven-year $55 million contract with $22.5 million guaranteed. By signing this contract, Mangold became the highest paid center in the NFL, but has since been surpassed by Ryan Kalil and Alex Mack.