Lucas Niang was a star athlete at New Canaan High School.
“Lucas was a really big player for us,” New Canaan defensive coordinator Chris Silvestri said.
"He was a monster of a human being, he was as 6-foot-5, 300 pounds in high school," outside linebacker coach Jason Miska said.
Lucas won three state championships with the Rams and is one of only two New Canaan players to go pro.
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“He had to go up against Zach Allen in practice, and Zach plays for the Broncos and in those match-ups, the coaches used to bet on them,” Silvestri said.
Silvestri still remembers when dozens of college coaches came knocking on their doors looking to recruit Lucas.
“He made great choices about where he wanted to go, what he wanted to do,” Silvestri said.
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Alex Niang said his big brother always had a passion for the game.
“In third grade, he was like I want to play, and he was like no, and he kept saying I want to play, I want to play and then I’m going to go to the NFL, I’m going to go to the NFL,” Alex Niang said.
That dream became a reality in 2020 when the Kansas City Chiefs selected Lucas in the NFL Draft.
“I’m just super happy and proud to see it manifest into reality,” Alex Niang said.
Last year was Lucas’ first Super Bowl appearance with the Chiefs. This year, his family and former coaches are hoping he gets a second ring with the team.
“You’re always like, where is he, 'Oh there he is, let’s go,'” Silvestri said.
