Every NFL training camp has that one obscure player fans had never heard of but quickly rally behind. For the 2025 New England Patriots, the name Efton Chism III instantly comes to mind.
Sixth-round rookie linebacker Namdi Obiazor has a chance to be New England’s 2026 version.
Inside linebacker was a need for the Patriots entering April’s draft, with veteran Robert Spillane entering his age-31 season and coming off a year in which he struggled with lower-body injuries down the stretch. The team waited until pick No. 212 overall to address the position, but it’s easy to see why Obiazor piqued the team’s interest.
He’s an older prospect at 24, as his post-high-school career started in community college. He ended up transferring to TCU, where over four years he transformed himself from an undersized safety into a 230-pound, sideline-to-sideline linebacker. The 2025 season was his best, as he racked up 88 total tackles, two sacks, four tackles for loss, and two interceptions in 13 games for the Horned Frogs.
Patriots reporter Phil Perry liked the selection back in April, noting Obiazor’s 4.53 speed in the 40-yard dash and his ability to affect the game on special teams.
"He's a sound tackler with a competitive edge and special-teams experience the Patriots would appreciate,” Perry wrote. “He has the look of a late-round pick who could be in uniform on game days providing depth behind Robert Spillane and Christian Elliss come the fall.”
Patriots fans could soon appreciate Obiazor’s play style, as he brings a physical edge that should pop on the field when the pads come on at Gillette Stadium later this month.
Namdi Obiazor has all the ingredients to become New England's next training camp darling
Sixth- and seventh-round draft picks are never locks to make an NFL roster, but Obiazor has a clear path to the initial 53. The Patriots signed veteran K.J. Britt in free agency and still have Chad Muma under contract as a depth option.
Neither are locks to make the roster, though, as Greg Bedard of Boston Sports Journal recently listed both Muma and Britt as cut/trade candidates in his initial projection.
Obiazor brings significant juice as a tackler, which was an area the Patriots’ linebackers struggled with in 2025. Both Spillane and Elliss improved as a tandem as the season went on, but Spillane missed 18 tackles in 19 games, per Pro Football Focus, and Elliss wasn’t much better, with 17 missed tackles in 20 games.
Over his final three seasons at TCU, after moving to linebacker full-time, Obiazor routinely ranked among the nation’s most efficient tacklers. His PFF grades from 2023 onward were 82.3, 85.9, and 82.3 in that department.
He was especially effective against the rush with 113 total run stuffs over his collegiate career.
His special teams experience — 322 total snaps at TCU — should make him a lock to be on the Patriots’ active roster for Week 1. But it could be Obiazor’s energy, speed, physicality, and story as an overlooked prospect out of high school fighting for his NFL dream that could resonate most with fans when camp kicks off later this month.
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