The 2008 NFL Draft Added Several Africans to Its Roster

The 2008 NFL Draft had people watching with bated breath. I am not sure why, but for me the draft was more exciting than it has ever been before. I think part of that may be attributed to the fact that my understanding of football has grown as I have delved deeper into the intricacies of the game, thanks to Nintendo's Wii (the Madden game). I am also paying more attention because I have developed a stronger love affair with my Dallas Cowboys.

I had been watching several African players in the SuperBowl (Osi Umenyiora, Gibril Wilson, Akin Ayodele, and my favorite, Joseph Addai) and analyzing their plays. I learned a lot about defensive and offensive lines and rushing yards. I am also impressed by how good looking they are...definitely makes the game more interesting (but I digress). It was gratifying to see that they were doing well and had been high achievers since their high school and college days. At last count, there were about 27 African players in the NFL. That's a large number and only counts those that are blatantly African by name (Wilson is not an African name, unless you are from Liberia or are of mixed heritage). They have been very significant in the game and have helped their teams take great strides forward.

The 2008 NFL draft recruited about 5 new Africans who have been phenomenal in their games at their schools. Those drafted were Jeff Otah to the North Carolina Panthers, Xavier Adibi and Frank Okam to the Houston Texans, Jeremy Zuttah to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Kenny Iwebama to the Arizona Cardinals. It will be interesting to see how they do this next year.

In case you are interested, some other African players are Vishante Shiancoe, Victor Abiamiri, Mathias Kiwanuka, Adewale Ogunleye, and Adimchinobi Echemandu. They have been really good in the game and have helped bring the NFL to a new audience. I can almost hear traditional African drums being beaten in the stadium when the team with an African scores. That would be interesting.