5 days ago
Ravens' 370-pound prospect from Nigeria has 'come light years'
Ravens' 370-pound prospect from Nigeria has 'come light years' originally appeared on The Sporting News
It's hard to miss C.J. Okoye. That's how it works when someone is 6-foot-6 and 370 pounds.
But he's also making his presence felt on the football field with his play now, too.
Okoye had a sweet rush of the QB in Baltimore's preseason opener before knocking Daniel Jones to the ground.
Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Okoye is "making good use of all that size he has" and that "he's come light years."
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Okoye grew up playing basketball in Nigeria, but he eventually was invited to a football camp hosted by former Giants star Osi Umenyiora that tries to identify football talent from African countries.
That earned him an invite to the 2022 NFL Africa camp in Ghana, and he played offensive line there.
It was then on to the NFL International Combine in London, where he was one of 13 players chosen for the NFL's International Pathway Program. And from there, he trained at IMG Academy in Florida and was one of eight guys who made the final cut that year.
Okoye was allocated to the Los Angeles Chargers, now as a defensive lineman. He recorded a sack in his first preseason game, the first organized football game he had ever played in.
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The Chargers kept him on their practice squad each of the past two seasons.
This offseason, the Ravens signed Okoye to a reserve/future contract in January.
Now, he's trying to prove he deserves his NFL regular season debut, and he's certainly making an impression.
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