Forgotten Patriots rookie is already making a name for himself on special teams

The New England Patriots made nine selections back in April's draft, adding a new group of young talent to the roster after rostering 14 rookies the previous season.

The team made moves up the board for Caleb Lomu and Gabe Jacas, adding even more hype than a first- and second-round pick. Lomu didn't see action in Week 1, but Jacas had a strong night despite a poor preseason, recording his first NFL sack.

In other rookie news, Eli Raridon scored the first touchdown of the NFL season on a pop pass from Maye at the goal line. While two of the team's draft picks made their presence felt on Sunday, a third rookie had a more under-the-radar impact on special teams.

Namdi Obiazor looks to be the Patriots' next great special teamer

The Patriots selected TCU linebacker Namdi Obiazor in the sixth round of the draft this past spring. After Eliot Wolf commented on the depth of the linebacker class, it wasn't a major surprise that the team added to the room on Day 3.

Obiazor didn't play any defensive snaps on Wednesday; Robert Spillane and Christian Elliss were the only linebackers to see any defensive action. Instead, he made his presence felt on Jeremy Springer's special teams unit, playing 20 snaps and making 3 tackles.

In total, he played 8 kick and punt coverage snaps, while Seattle returned only four total kicks. In other words, Obiazor made three tackles on four special teams snaps.

The Patriots lost over 1,600 special teams snaps from their 2025 unit, with five of their top ten players on the unit (in terms of snaps) no longer with the team. Obiazor will need to help make up that difference, as will rookies Quintayvious Hutchins and Erick Hunter.

For a special teams unit in need of a boost, Obiazor is providing just that.

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