NFL must 'seriously' look at European athletes after Efe Obada success, says Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera

London homecoming: Efe Obada is back in his native United Kingdom with the Carolina Panthers
AP
Malik Ouzia @MalikOuzia_11 October 2019

Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera says his experience of working with British star Efe Obada has convinced him that the NFL needs to look more seriously at international talent.

The Panthers will meet the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday in the second of this year’s London Series games.

Obada, who was born in Nigeria but grew up in the UK, became the first player to successfully graduate from the NFL’s International Player Pathway programme when he made the Panthers’ regular season roster last year, and will be playing in front of a home crowd in London for the first time.

The defensive end only took up the sport at the age of 22 after attending a London Warriors practice session.

However, rather than set him at a disadvantage against American players who have grown up with the game, Rivera says Obada’s lack of experience has actually contributed towards his success.

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“When you look at a young man like Efe and the success he’s had playing American football, a lot of it is because he doesn’t have any bad habits,” Rivera said.

“Everything that he’s learning and growing and becoming, a lot of those things are first time. If you watch his practice, when he makes a mistake, it’s for the first time.

“He doesn’t make a lot of repetitive mistakes because he doesn’t have the bad habits. When you see him have success, it’s because he’s learning to do things the right way.”

Already more British athletes are targeting careers in American football, with hundreds of youngsters trialling for the NFL’s first UK-based academy earlier this year.

Former rugby union star Christian Wade impressed during pre-season with the Buffalo Bills before failing to make their final roster, but Rivera believes that franchises would be foolish to overlook the growing pool of talent.

“As far as European athletes are concerned, there’s a whole new pool of athletes that are out there that we seriously have to take a look at,” he said.

“Whether they play soccer, they play rugby, these guys are tremendous athletes and the league most certainly is looking at them.”

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