The NFL’s International Pathway Program gives foreign players an opportunity to learn and play for an NFL team with the possibility of earning an NFL contract. Unfortunately, it appears that one of the rookies that the program brought on is a little farther behind than most.
In a recent interview, Green Bay Packers rookie defensive lineman Kenneth Odumegwu admitted that he’s still learning and has yet to play an organized game of football. He pointed out that he didn’t even know what a line of scrimmage was until last year.
“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.”
But Odumegwu is determined to make the most of his opportunity. He made it clear that he’s proud to be a member of the team and looks forward to learning the game quickly.
“The moment I got allocated to this team, the Green Bay Packers,” Odumegwu said, “I started learning more about the team and I’m proud to be part of the team who has the most championships in the history of NFL.”
Kenneth Odumegwu, the Packers’ rookie defensive lineman from Nigeria who is part of the NFL’s International Pathway Program, says he’s at work learning the basics of the sport, like what a line of scrimmage is. https://t.co/KW1JAjjIeP
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) May 8, 2023
Kenneth Odumegwu was one of six Nigerian players who were signed to contracts through the International Pathway Program. Odumegwu was initially scouted while playing basketball, but Pathway Program leader and former Pro Bowl defensive end Osi Umenyiora suggested that he would fit right in as a defensive lineman.
Clearly Odumegwu has a ways to go before he’s a viable NFL player. But by the looks of things, he has the physical traits to be a star.
Will Odumegwu make the Packers’ final 53-man roster?