opening night Kansas City edition of NFL Draft It ended with a story for the ages.
With the final selection of the first round, the referee power The Champion Chiefs selected 21-year-old Lee’s Summit High School and Kansas State Graduation: Defensive end Felix Anodic-Ozuma.
Chiefs fandom is so ingrained in Anudike-Uzomah that – as in Chiefs’ most avid fan – he used the pronouns “we” and “we” to describe his childhood memories at the club.
“I remember going to my first Chiefs game when I was seven,” Anudike-Uzomah said on his first conference call with members of the local media in Kansas City. “From that, I fell in love with that – back in the Matt Cassel days, when we were like 1-12 and we beat green bay packers, And we’re all excited because we beat the best, the Packers at the time. It’s a dream come true.
“I remember my friends and I just went to training camp to watch [Travis] Kelsey and the Chiefs are literally playing. I’ve come full circle, it’s insane, and it’s unbelievable that I’m even in this position right now. I’m the president of Kansas City. I will definitely celebrate with my family and everything else. I’m grateful to the Kansas City Chiefs fan because I was a Kansas City Chiefs fan, so I know how strong we are for the Chiefs.”
The 6-foot-3, 255-pounder explained that earlier Thursday, he and fellow K-State (expected Day 3 running back) Deuce Vaughn, stopped downtown to see the crowds gather in front of Union Station while They were waiting for the draft to begin. Anudike-Uzomah laughed as he remembered that no one knew who he was – something that had now suddenly changed.
Citing that he prefers a quieter draft night, Anodic watched Uzumah at home among family and friends, who he said were more excited than he was when general manager Brett Veitch called to share the good news. By the time trainer Andy Reid grabbed the phone, it was too loud for an audible conversation.
“Brett called him at first and talked to him,” Reed said. “By the time I got to him, he couldn’t hear me, [and] I couldn’t hear him. So you just pass the phone. He was obviously at a party.”
Veach had already shared the good news with Anudike-Uzomah, and made his way to the rest of the party. With the 31st overall pick, the Chiefs were bringing home the Manhattan kid.
“He’s done nothing but grow and develop over the past couple of years,” Fitch said. “We’re excited for (defensive coordinator) Steve [Spagnuolo] And for (defensive line coach) Joe Cullen to get their hands on him now and continue that growth and trajectory upwards. Anytime you can add an outstanding center, one of the youngest players in the draft and working with him for a long time is something we’re really excited about.”
Getting Anudike-Uzomah in the first round means an option for a fifth year down the road, something the Chiefs may be interested in should the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year develop as planned. Growth really began during his tenure at Kansas State.
After a mediocre freshman season in 2020, Anudike-Uzomah broke out in 2021, recording 50 tackles, including 14.5 for loss and 11 sacks. Added 46 tackles, including 11.0 for loss and another 8.5 sacks in 2022.
“The drive, the tireless effort — and the guy who had a ton of production in Kansas,” Fitch added. “Most of his production has been coming in senior conference at 19 and 20. I think every year there has been, you can see the growth and development in being so young. I still think there is a huge opportunity for him to continue to grow and develop. We are excited that we got him in This stage of his career and his young age, I have so many years to work with him and continue to grow and develop.
Anudike-Uzomah believes he can thrive on Spagnuolo’s scheme, which he describes as “simple”.
He said, “I like simplicity.” “If you can just attack the ball and use your ability — there are obviously some stunts like that. And if you can attack the ball, [Spagnuolo] wants you. He loved how I had a great drive. He likes high-moving players, and he likes everything about my style of play.”
Bosses suddenly two Highly mobile players on the defensive end, considering those were the words most used to describe George Karlaftis, a first-round pick last year. Fitch smiled as he called Anodic-Uzuma and Carlaftis a good tandem.
Anudike-Uzomah fills the void left by the off-season release of veteran Frank Clarke.
“Frank Clarke was one of my favorite pass catchers, keep an eye on him,” Anodic-Uzuma said. And I was like, ‘Listen. If he leaves, I can definitely get input into the team, especially because I’m such a fast paced youngster, and I can learn from the people who came before me.”
Anudike-Uzomah will have adept mentors in All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones, defensive tackles Derek Nadi and Charles Omeniho, Carlaftis, defensive end Mike Dana and returner Turk Wharton. Veterans must respect the work ethic built into Anudike-Uzoma, which is a key component to the success of the defensive line.
When the world shut down during the coronavirus pandemic, Anudike-Uzomah looked back at the situations New York Giants Midfielder Kayvon Thibodeau and the Washington leaders created defensive lineman Chase Young for themselves. He sought to repeat their operations.
“Entirely quarantined, I haven’t played any video games or actually watched any shows,” he said. “The only thing I’ve done is just watch highlights over and over every day and then practice downstairs and eat a lot, so I can work on my body. Just get any tactics and stuff like that. Look at the swiping motions…that’s what.” I did it all along. It’s just a dream come true, and all the hard work pays off. And I’m glad I did what I did in quarantine instead of just sitting around watching TV.”
These efforts led to a larger collegiate production and a local final endorsement invitation by the Chiefs, who did not officially meet Anudike-Uzomah at the NFL Scouting Combine but had a Zoom call with him. The now former Wildcat said he reached out to Reid at the local pro day, which could have made the difference.
“When you make a selection there at 31, you try to take the best player available to you on the board — and that guy was,” Reed said. “So we feel very comfortable having him in our programme. [He’s a] great kid. [We] Had a chance to hang out with him here – during our local pro day – and I enjoyed talking to him and visiting with him there.”
It all led to the perfect ending to the first day of the NFL draft in Kansas City.
“It was just a wild experience…especially having the draft at KC, and coming out this year,” Anudike-Uzomah says. “I’ve had a dream like this four times in my life. It’s crazy how I’m living in this moment…”
Well, as he could.
“[Friday]I’ll most likely get up and check my phone to make sure I’m still on top of the Kansas City Chiefs,” she said. “It’s honestly surreal. I am happy to be a part of The Chiefs. I am happy to be part of a winning culture. I’m thrilled to be a part of Andy Reid and everything else. And I thank Fitch so much for having me up to the Kansas City Chiefs.”