EARLY CAREER
Nick Gates started out at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, Nevada. He was a well rounded athlete that played both baseball and football. Nick was ranked as a four-star recruit by the time he graduated high school. He ended up committing to the Nebraska Cornhuskers in 2014. Gates ended up spending three years at Nebraska before declaring for the 2018 NFL Draft.
NFL BEGINNINGS
Nick Gates ended up going undrafted and was signed by the New York Giants in May. Gates ended up getting injured during his rookie season and landed on injured reserve. The Giants would end up giving him a two year contract worth $6.8 million in 2020. Nick would continue to get better and better once he transitioned full time to Center. He followed his contract up by having an amazing 2020 season where he was a stalwart protector for Giants quarterback Daniel Jones. The following year he was named as a team captain.
INJURIES AND THE ED BLOCK COURAGE AWARD
Following his promising 2020 campaign, Nick Gates fractured his fibula and his tibia in his left leg. Gates would immediately have surgery to repair the damage and would undergo seven separate surgeries. Many wondered if he would be capable of returning to the field. About six months after major operations his tibia became infected and he had to have a seventh surgery. Nick would start to fully recover after this last surgery and slowly pushed through his rehab to regain the use of his left leg. After his potentially career ending injury, Gates became eligible to return to the Giants active roster 410 days after suffering his gruesome left leg injury.
Nick was voted as the New York Giants 2022 Ed Block Courage Award Recipient and it’s easy to see why. After all seven surgeries he made it back to the active roster and was later rewarded with a three-year contract with the Washington Commanders.