GREEN BAY, WI (WSAU) – The Packers are searching abroad for fresh, unconventional talent to help this new, young team retool.
The NFL’s International Player Pathway program, which was launched in 2017, offers non-Americans a chance to play high-level professional football. The initiative allows teams to roster an overseas athlete without ever having to take a chance of losing a spot on the summer roster.
Two divisions (one from the NFC and one from the AFC) are chosen annually to qualify for this exemption. The NFC North and the AFC West were this year’s selections.
Tom Pelissero reports that Nigerian defensive lineman Kenneth Odumegwu, who is reported as being 22 years old, would represent the Green Bay Packers in the IPP in 2023. For what it’s worth, six of the eight players chosen for the IPP team this season are linemen from Nigeria.
Odumegwu, a former basketball player who now plays defense, was given the defensive MVP award at NFL Africa Touchdown, which was moderated by former All-Pro pass-rusher Osi Umenyiora, a Nigerian-born former NFL player. At Umenyiora’s camp, Odumegwu reportedly ran the 40-yard dash in 4.8 seconds and jumped the vertical jump 33.5″.
Up until the final cuts in early September, Green Bay’s roster will have 91 players, including Odumegwu. The remaining 31 clubs will have the option to grab Odumegwu off waivers if he doesn’t make the final Packers roster.
