New England Patriots sixth-round draft pick Namdi Obiazor is a lead-by-example kind of guy.
The best example he set, according to TCU linebackers coach Ken Wilson, came before the Horned Frogs played in the 2025 Valero Alamo Bowl against the University of Southern California.
TCU's quarterback had just left for the transfer portal, and the 2026 NFL Draft loomed large for Obiazor, fellow linebacker Kaleb Elarms-Orr, and safety Jadarius "Bud" Clark. Still, that trio stood before their teammates with a declaration. They would see their season through. They would play in the bowl game.
For Wilson, there was never a doubt that Obiazor would be playing, even though many players with professional aspirations wouldn't risk potential injury. Ultimately, with seven tackles, Obiazor was instrumental in helping TCU defeat the Trojans – despite trailing by 10 points in the fourth quarter.
The Frogs were backed up to their own 2-yard line in overtime. Obiazor and Elarms-Orr were all over the field, making back-to-back-to-back stops to hold the line of scrimmage.
USC had to settle for a field goal. TCU scored on a three-play drive to win, 30-27.
"[Obiazor] was still battling, even though it had been a long season and they were at the end of their college careers," Wilson said.
"They're still trying to win the football game, and that's a credit to his ability and Sonny's program and everything else about him being at TCU. It's just the kind of kid he is. He's very loyal. If he trusts you, he's going to really buy into everything you do and that gives you, as a coach, a lot of trust to put in him."
Trust was the foundation of Obiazor's and Wilson's player-coach relationship, which began in Obiazor's final two years at TCU.
Despite playing cornerback for Eden Prairie High School, one of Minnesota's premier programs that produced several NFL players, Obiazor graduated with no Division I interest as an undersized corner.
He bet on himself and enrolled at Iowa Western Community College in 2020.
A fortunate growth spurt saw Obiazor sprout up to 6-foot-3 from 5-foot-11. He made the switch from corner to safety and earned JUCO All-American honors his sophomore year.
Obiazor also caught the eye of TCU head coach Sonny Dykes and earned a scholarship playing nickel.
Two years into Obiazor's time with the Frogs, after a run to the national championship game, Dykes hired Andy Avalos to take over as defensive coordinator and Wilson to coach linebackers.
One of their first orders of business was asking Obiazor to make yet another position change to better fit TCU's new defensive scheme.
"In this defense that Andy Avalos has, the Will (weakside) linebacker position has been the most productive," Wilson said.
"It was a position where we needed a guy who was really athletic and physical. He was continuing to get bigger from the time he had been in college. Even before I got to TCU, I evaluated him and thought with his speed, physicality, and the body he was growing into, he could be the guy at that position who could function in our defense and be really productive."
It took a little bit of convincing at first. Obiazor had never played linebacker or in the interior box at any level of football.
Wilson and Avalos shared stories of other players they had coached in that position – retired Dallas Cowboys linebacker Leighton Vander Esch, Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Troy Dye, and Washington Commanders linebacker Frankie Luvu – all of whom served as primary defensive playmakers who operated in space to pursue the ball.
"It's not always easy," Wilson said.
"It takes a special guy to do it just with the physicality and taking on blocks and the strength, reading your keys in there. For guys who haven't done that, and especially guys who have been in the secondary, they're always looking at receivers or the quarterback. Obviously in the interior, you're looking at offensive linemen and reading plays so that was a little bit of a learning curve."
Importantly, Avalos and Wilson knew Obiazor had the football I.Q. to make such a switch.
Obiazor came in with an open mind and didn't shy away from the physicality of linebacker play. His junior season saw him make 81 stops with 6.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks while starting in all 13 games. He was very productive, despite still learning the position.
That would have been Obiazor's final season, but at the end of 2024, a lawsuit was filed by Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia against the NCAA challenging rules that count JUCO seasons against Division I eligibility.
The antitrust lawsuit resulted in a preliminary injunction allowing Pavia, and other former JUCO athletes, to play in 2025.
Obiazor returned for a senior year at TCU.
"It was a very proud moment for the program, because he could have gone and been a free agent in the NFL," Wilson said of Obiazor.
"He could have gone somewhere else and made more money, but he really bought into what we were doing and trusted us to develop him and put him in the right place so people could see him. He went to class, he got his degree, did everything he was supposed to do, and he did it well."
Obiazor started in every game at linebacker his final year, recording 88 tackles, four TFLs, two sacks, two interceptions, and a forced fumble.
"He really blossomed this past season," Wilson said.
"He always had all the skills, but just being in the box, doing those things, and his special teams ability really opened a lot of NFL teams' eyes to what he could do in their programs."
Beyond the physicality, athleticism, and versatility Obiazor brings to the Patriots at linebacker, there are some intangible traits that made him appealing as well.
In Wilson's two years coaching him, Obiazor never missed a practice – impressive for someone who played as many snaps as he did at TCU.
"There's a lot of guys feeling beat up on Sundays when we practice the day after a game," said Wilson.
"He never missed any reps on Sunday practices. He'd be mad if he didn't get his reps. You cherish those kinds of players. Whether they make it to the NFL or not, those are the guys you remember."
Wilson describes Obiazor as a player you have to drag off the field. That also applied to playing special teams.
The coach has always explained to his players that special teams is one of the first opportunities a rookie gets when they make it to the NFL, and professional teams appreciate the guys willing to do so.
Obiazor was all in playing in the third unit for TCU, trying to block kicks, running down punts, and taking pride in protecting the punter.
Obiazor's mentality comes from his competitive spirit and pure love of football, which has been nurtured by his family's support.
One of four siblings, his younger brother Chiddi is a defensive end for Indiana via Kansas State. Obiazor's twin sister, Nneka, plays Division I basketball.
"I feel like that's played a huge role in my life," Obiazor said of growing up in an athletic family in a press conference with local media.
"I'd really just say it was my dad, always making us just compete against each other, if it was sports or just other simple things in life. I'd say it definitely helped and translated over to our sports that we played."
Wilson notes that Obiazor has a lot of athletic intelligence in terms of his biomechanics and body control – things that really help a linebacker in bouts against big offensive linemen.
All of this helped him get on New England's radar.
"With Namdi, he's got an interesting story," Patriots vice president of player personnel Ryan Cowden said.
"He started out at Iowa Western and has really worked his way into a good player at TCU and was at the Senior Bowl and (had) really good testing numbers. I think as we look at it and we evaluate these guys from a couple of different angles, from defensive perspective, special teams, especially on the third day, our special teams coaches took a look and had a lot of positives to say about Namdi's projections as a special teams player. And that's important at the linebacker position, as you know. So, we thought he fit the profile of that and I'm excited to work with him."
Wilson is also excited for Obiazor to be in New England.
The coach says the way Obiazor shows up early every day and goes about his business makes him a great fit for the way the Patriots play under Mike Vrabel.
"When I saw where he got drafted, I thought: if there's a better place then New England with Coach Vrabel for Namdi Obiazor then I don't know where it is." Wilson said.
"Hopefully that all translates to him helping the team."
DISCLAIMER: The views and thoughts expressed in this article are those of the writer and don't necessarily reflect those of the organization. Read Full Disclaimer
