a feature story in the Army football program read, "Already touted as the tallest football player in the country, Villanueva completed the transformation from being an offensive lineman for the past two years, to running routes on the field with the starting offense last Saturday night." His height, while reported by Army Football in 2009 to be , was given by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2014 as . Professional career Tryouts Although he went undrafted in the 2010 NFL Draft, he received a tryout with the Cincinnati Bengals as a tight end, but did not make the team and went back into military service. Two years later, he made a second attempt to play in the NFL as a tight end. He was given a tryout and practiced with the Chicago Bears, but was not signed. After finishing his last tour with the Army Rangers, Villanueva decided to pursue his NFL career again and began working out at Savannah State University. In March 2014, he paid $245 to attend a regional NFL combine in Flowery Branch, Georgia. During this time, the NFL held 10 regional combines nationwide and had over 3,000 prospects attend. In April 2014, he was one of 240 prospects invited to the NFL super regional combine in Detroit and met with representatives from the Philadelphia Eagles. Philadelphia Eagles On May 5, 2014, he was signed to the Philadelphia Eagles for an undisclosed contract to play as a defensive end. His signing marked the second time the Eagles had signed a military veteran in recent years, having previously had Chad Hall, a wide receiver from the Air Force, as a member of the team. Villanueva said that if he did not make an NFL roster, he planned to serve a fourth tour of duty in Afghanistan. He commented, "I see this as a win-win situation. Obviously, I’m trying to get to a team and contribute. But if I can’t, then I can't wait to get back to the Army and serve in the same manner that I have." During training camp, Villanueva gained , noting that he is eating a consistent diet, which contrasted with his military career insofar as while in the military, he often did not have time or inclination to eat, whereas with the Eagles, he was getting "plenty to eat". It was announced on August 23 that he was one of 14 players cut