Nigeria and the NFL have a long-standing relationship, where Nigerian-born players fight to make their way not only into the world’s most popular American football league, but also to make their names and presences known off. For example, there’s WR Nelson Agholor, whose performance with Philadelphia against New England, helped the Eagles defeat the Super Bowl odds favorites, Patriots, in 2017. And while Agholor is still tearing it up on the field, this time for the Patriots as one of the most reliable veteran wide receivers in the league, let’s focus on some of the new, up and coming Nigerian talents that have already started making their presence felt in the league in the 2021 season.
A total of seven Nigerian-born players were picked in the first three rounds of this season’s draft and here we bring you how three of the top prospects are faring thus far.
Odafe Oweh, Baltimore Ravens
While everyone around the NFL has been speaking volumes of another former Penn State defensive rookie, Micah Parsons, it’s Baltimore Ravens’ outside linebacker Odafe Oweh who’s putting the league on notice because of his tremendous defensive playing and efforts for his team in his first season at the pros. Ever since joining the Ravens, Oweh has become one of the most, if not the most important and impactful players in Baltimore’s defense with numbers that put him up as one of the team’s best players. And while many analysts did see the potential in Oweh and his style of playing, he has been making sure to make everyone’s first impressions of himself soar through the roof, all while showing that his best football might still be coming.
In his first-ever pro game, he had a forced fumble play against Chiefs all-star QB Patrick Mahomes that helped Baltimore secure their first win of the season. He already has three sacks to his name, two forced fumbles, and a staggering 18 quarterback pressures, which puts him above all other defensive rookies throughout the season. If Baltimore’s defense can step up their pace and become the usual dominant unit that they’re known for being, Oweh can definitely become a pivotal piece for Baltimore moving forward.
Azeez Ojulari, New York Giants
If you were to take the New York Giants and how they’ve played throughout the 2021 season, you wouldn’t think much of the team. Sadly, they’ve been on the wrong end of football success, but that hasn’t stopped rookie outside linebacker Azeez Ojulari from becoming one of the best players in the Giants’ squad. Ojulari, a former Georgia Bulldogs defensive standout, has had one of the toughest tasks in the league, trying to help and improve a Giants defense that has been flanking between underwhelming and just plain awful throughout the first games of the season. That still hasn’t stopped Azeez from putting up some excellent numbers and stats, giving light to the idea that the Giants might have a very solid defensive player for years to come.
With a total of 3 sacks and one forced fumble, Ojulari has already managed to get into Giants history, becoming the first defensive player in the history of the team to record 3 sacks in the first three games of his career. The promise is there and the possibility to continue growing into becoming a leader of a defense who is in dire need of a turnaround is there as well, it should only be a matter of time before Ojulari becomes a leader for his team.
Osa Odighizuwa, Dallas Cowboys
Last but certainly not least, another defensive rookie who is starting to give off all the right impressions is Dallas’ defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa. His style of playing and the fact that he’s playing alongside rookie defensive sensation Micah Parsons, all while being coached by defensive coordinator Dan Quinn has helped Odighizuwa become one of the better players in a Cowboys defense that’s coming into the mindset of being just as important to the team as their highlight reel offense.
His physical style of playing, something that most if not all Nigerian NFL players are known for has helped him greatly in becoming a very positive addition to a Cowboys line that has gone through some major injury and trading scenarios, thus opening the door for Odighizuwa to start cementing his status as an important piece of Dallas’ defense moving forward. With a total of 2 sacks already in his short career and with his ability to switch from defensive tackle to defensive end, a position where Quinn sees bigger potential for Odighizuwa, all the lines point towards the former UCLA defender becoming a mainstay in the Cowboys’ defense for the rest of his rookie season as well as in the future.