Showing He’s a Well-Rounded Player
Apr 05, 2023 | Football, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
Former Kansas State All-American defensive end Felix Anudike-Uzomah has visited Union Station in Kansas City, Missouri, too many times to count. He grew up 10 minutes from the historic train station.
Opened in 1914, Union Station was a bustling 850,000-square foot hub for hundreds of thousands of train passengers. The 2023 NFL Draft will take place in the downtown area surrounding Union Station on April 27.
Anudike-Uzomah, who is projected to be selected in the first two rounds of the draft, is excited for a spot on the NFL Express.
"Oh my gosh, it's a dream, honestly," Anudike-Uzomah says. "I remember finding out the draft was going to be in Kansas City. I was like, 'I need to show what I can do this season and make it a dream.' I want to make people in my city happy and get drafted in Kansas City."
Anudike-Uzomah was a Second Team All-American, the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, and either a finalist or semifinalist for a majority of the major college defensive awards his junior season.
The 6-foot-3, 255-pounder ranked sixth in the FBS and tops in the Big 12 in averaging 0.64 sacks per game over his three-year K-State career. He had 20.5 sacks in 32 games and ranked fourth among active FBS players with 0.25 forced fumbles per game.
"I'm pretty excited," he said, "but I don't want to be overexcited because being overexcited, you lose focus. I'm still locked into the goal and to get better every day. Yes, the time is going to come when I get drafted, but once I get drafted, it's back to work, and it's back to being the best player I can be."
Anudike-Uzomah has received solid reviews from NFL experts.
"Overall, Anudike-Uzomah is an edge rusher who flashes high-level pass-rush ability but his consistency as a player will be based on his positional alignment, and he profiles best as an outside edge rusher," wrote Keith Sanchez of TheDraftNetwork.com.
"There is more polish needed, but Anudike-Uzomah's NFL rush potential should eventually make him an NFL starter," wrote NFL.com's Lance Zierlein, who added that Anudike-Uzomah is a "hard-charging" edge prospect who plays with a high level of intensity and urgency, creates pre-snap rush plan and executes it, and possesses a buffet of rush approaches that he can choose from.
"If you watch Anudike-Uzomah's game film, you might think he was closer to 290 pounds. He regularly drives offensive linemen back into the pocket disrupting the play or focusing the QB to move out of the pocket," wrote NFLMockDraftBase.com.
Anudike-Uzomah underwent measurements at the NFL Combine and says that he has "spoken to every team in this process."
"I just want to communicate with them and see their defense," he added. "It's just a joy to communicate with all of them."
The 21-year-old ran a 4.73 40 at the K-State Pro Day late last week according to NFLDraftBuzz.com. He showed burst and explosiveness in drill work as well.
"I wanted to (prove) that I could move in space," he said. "The defense we run (at K-State), I didn't go out in space and drop, so the point of today was to show that I'm the type of edge rusher who can play in space and I can play down on the line and rush the passer and be able to drop.
"Honestly, I like learning (any defensive system). It doesn't matter the system. I like to be a part of a system that allows me to help win games. That's the type of player I am. I'm a guy that likes to win. I like to put myself in the best position to help my team out and win games."
He seems destined to get his NFL start when his name is called at the NFL Draft in his hometown and at a place he knows very well.
"I remember I had a field trip (to Union Station) in the fourth grade," Anudike-Uzomah said. "It was a fun field trip. Then we went down there in the fifth grade just to see Union Station and see the history about it. It's crazy. I could never see me as a young kid going there and thinking 'I'm going to be here for the NFL Draft in 2023.'
"I thank God every day for the ability he gave me and for putting me into this position."
Former Kansas State All-American defensive end Felix Anudike-Uzomah has visited Union Station in Kansas City, Missouri, too many times to count. He grew up 10 minutes from the historic train station.
Opened in 1914, Union Station was a bustling 850,000-square foot hub for hundreds of thousands of train passengers. The 2023 NFL Draft will take place in the downtown area surrounding Union Station on April 27.
Anudike-Uzomah, who is projected to be selected in the first two rounds of the draft, is excited for a spot on the NFL Express.
"Oh my gosh, it's a dream, honestly," Anudike-Uzomah says. "I remember finding out the draft was going to be in Kansas City. I was like, 'I need to show what I can do this season and make it a dream.' I want to make people in my city happy and get drafted in Kansas City."
Anudike-Uzomah was a Second Team All-American, the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, and either a finalist or semifinalist for a majority of the major college defensive awards his junior season.
The 6-foot-3, 255-pounder ranked sixth in the FBS and tops in the Big 12 in averaging 0.64 sacks per game over his three-year K-State career. He had 20.5 sacks in 32 games and ranked fourth among active FBS players with 0.25 forced fumbles per game.
"I'm pretty excited," he said, "but I don't want to be overexcited because being overexcited, you lose focus. I'm still locked into the goal and to get better every day. Yes, the time is going to come when I get drafted, but once I get drafted, it's back to work, and it's back to being the best player I can be."
Anudike-Uzomah has received solid reviews from NFL experts.
"Overall, Anudike-Uzomah is an edge rusher who flashes high-level pass-rush ability but his consistency as a player will be based on his positional alignment, and he profiles best as an outside edge rusher," wrote Keith Sanchez of TheDraftNetwork.com.
"There is more polish needed, but Anudike-Uzomah's NFL rush potential should eventually make him an NFL starter," wrote NFL.com's Lance Zierlein, who added that Anudike-Uzomah is a "hard-charging" edge prospect who plays with a high level of intensity and urgency, creates pre-snap rush plan and executes it, and possesses a buffet of rush approaches that he can choose from.
"If you watch Anudike-Uzomah's game film, you might think he was closer to 290 pounds. He regularly drives offensive linemen back into the pocket disrupting the play or focusing the QB to move out of the pocket," wrote NFLMockDraftBase.com.
Anudike-Uzomah underwent measurements at the NFL Combine and says that he has "spoken to every team in this process."
"I just want to communicate with them and see their defense," he added. "It's just a joy to communicate with all of them."
The 21-year-old ran a 4.73 40 at the K-State Pro Day late last week according to NFLDraftBuzz.com. He showed burst and explosiveness in drill work as well.
"I wanted to (prove) that I could move in space," he said. "The defense we run (at K-State), I didn't go out in space and drop, so the point of today was to show that I'm the type of edge rusher who can play in space and I can play down on the line and rush the passer and be able to drop.
"Honestly, I like learning (any defensive system). It doesn't matter the system. I like to be a part of a system that allows me to help win games. That's the type of player I am. I'm a guy that likes to win. I like to put myself in the best position to help my team out and win games."
He seems destined to get his NFL start when his name is called at the NFL Draft in his hometown and at a place he knows very well.
"I remember I had a field trip (to Union Station) in the fourth grade," Anudike-Uzomah said. "It was a fun field trip. Then we went down there in the fifth grade just to see Union Station and see the history about it. It's crazy. I could never see me as a young kid going there and thinking 'I'm going to be here for the NFL Draft in 2023.'
"I thank God every day for the ability he gave me and for putting me into this position."
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DE
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