The Green Bay Packers added rookie defensive lineman Kenneth Odumegwu via the International Pathway Program. Hailing from the country Nigeria, Odumegwu was recruited by former NFL player Osi Umenyiora who is trying to build the sport in Africa. In a recent interview, he revealed that he has never actually played a down of organized football.
Green Bay Packers Kenneth Odumegwu Is New To The Sport
Odumegwu was playing basketball when Umenyiora’s camp spotted him and recruited him to come to the football event. He tested so well at the event that the Packers took a flyer on him. In a recent interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, he had this to say about his familiarity with the sport.
“I’m still yet to play an organized game of football, to be honest,” Odumegwu said, via the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “To be honest, football is a brand-new sport to me . . . I’ve seen it on the media. Like last year, I didn’t know like what was a line of scrimmage. I didn’t know none of that. So, to be honest, we don’t know about American football in Nigeria, so it’s a very new sport to me.”
He has learned a lot about the sport in the past year and is now attempting to make it on an NFL roster.
Low Risk, High Reward
This is low risk for the Packers. The International Pathway Program allows teams to sign international players without using up a roster spot. If Odumegwu ends up being a huge hit, they can add him to the final roster. If not, there is not much that they gave up. If he does become a star, the Packers will reap the benefits. The team is counting on his elite athleticism to translate into the NFL. Rashan Gary, Preston Smith, and rookie Lukas Van Ness are good people to study under. If he can learn quickly from them, the Packers could have another devastating force on their hands.
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It is crazy that Kenneth Odumegwu has never played a down of football and yet, he is on an NFL roster. He will be a story to watch. If he can make the roster, it will be one of the great stories of the NFL season.
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