The New England Patriots used a sixth-round pick on a linebacker with a winding path to the NFL.
Shortly into his rookie season, Namdi Obiazor has given them a return in a place that rarely gets top billing.
Obiazor has five special teams tackles, ESPN’s Mike Reiss reported Tuesday, Sept. 22. That puts him in a tie for second in the league.
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NOTES: Coaches prep for Jaguars (beat Browns at home, lost to Broncos on road)…WR Jakobi Meyers (3-68-1) and LB Jahlani Tavai (4 tackles) former Pats with Jags…Rookie NE LB Namdi Obiazor (6th round, TCU) tied for 2nd in NFL with 5 special-teams tackles.
He made three in the season opener against the Seattle Seahawks and followed with two more in the Patriots’ 20-3 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, making him the first New England player since at least 2000 to make three special teams tackles in his NFL debut, per the Patriots’ game notes.
Now the Patriots head to Jacksonville for their Week 3 meeting with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Another three tackles would give Obiazor eight through his first three games, matching the highest total for an NFL rookie over that span since at least 2000, via New England’s Week 3 preview.
Obiazor Is Delivering on Patriots’ Draft-Day Projection
The Patriots had this role in mind when they selected Obiazor 212th overall out of TCU.
Subsequent to the draft, vice president of player personnel Ryan Cowden told reporters that the team considered his defensive potential and special teams value. New England’s special teams coaches, Cowden said, had much positive feedback about how he projected in the kicking game.
That viewpoint of success rose swiftly. Obiazor’s five tackles lead the Patriots, per the team’s account of the Steelers game. The club’s Week 3 notes also credit him with matching the most special teams tackles by a New England player through his first two NFL appearances.
Before the regular season, coach Mike Vrabel pointed to Obiazor, Gabe Jacas and Quintayvious Hutchins when asked which young players were developing on the core special teams units.
Vrabel said the preseason and joint practices gave the rookies needed work while they adjusted to the demands of NFL coverage.
Obiazor entered that transition with experience at different levels of a defense.
In his draft-day media availability, he explained that he began as a high school cornerback, moved to safety at Iowa Western and then shifted to linebacker at TCU. He also played special teams in college.
Patriots Have a New Contributor While Brenden Schooler Is Out
The early production is good news because New England stared iff the season without special teams captain Brenden Schooler.
The Patriots placed Schooler on the non-football injury list before Week 1, requiring him to miss at least four games. He led the club with 15 special teams tackles in 2025.
Obiazor is crafting his own place on those units during that absence. His tackling has turned heads, and the speed of his emergence also gives the coaches a cause to keep finding room for him when Schooler returns.
There’s still a longer road ahead.
Opponents will get more tape on the rookie, and tackle totals can swing with the number of return opportunities.
But Obiazor has followed a historic debut with more eye-catching play.
Against Jacksonville on Sunday, Sept. 27, he gets an occasion to turn a fast start into one of the best three-game special teams openings for a rookie in the last quarter-century.
Patriots 6th-Round Rookie Makes Team History, Climbs Among NFL’s Top Dogs