One participant of the Green Bay Packers rookie minicamp is taking in as much information as they possibly can this weekend. The Packers drafted three defensive linemen in the 2023 NFL Draft and added another via the International Pathway Program. Joe Barry’s coaching staff will work with primarily raw players coming out of college, but one case is particularly noteworthy.
The Packers made pass catching and pass rushing the emphasis of their draft. Lukas Van Ness, their first-round pick, never started a game at Iowa, a school that values seniority at starting certain positions over talent. (Van Ness would log the most Edge snaps for Iowa last season.)
Green Bay Packers rookie DL have a lot to learn
Van Ness and fellow rookie defensive linemen Karl Brooks and Colby Wooden are considered good athletes that need to learn better techniques. But they’ve had at least one advantage new defensive lineman Kenneth Odumegwu hasn’t. They’ve played college football.
According to Matt Schneidman with The Athletic, Odumegwu talked about his lack of experience playing football. He’s never played an organized football game. Odumegwu played basketball in his native country of Nigeria. He said he was unfamiliar with many of the rules last year:
“To be honest, football is a brand new sport to me … Last year, I didn’t know what was a line of scrimmage.”
Odumegwu has never played in an organized American football game. He was too tall for soccer so played basketball in Nigeria. Packers don’t have his height and weight listed, but he looks like a tank. https://t.co/K2x58Mu42J
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) May 6, 2023
Odumegwu will learn that and much more this weekend. The Packers rookie will most likely be a practice squad participant this season. He seems like a physical athlete, and hopefully, with some training, Odumegwu could progress his talents in football. It would be incredible if Odumegwu earns a promotion to the active roster during his time with the Packers.
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