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T
he New York Giants have made a very large signing.
Roy Mbaeteka may not be a big-name free agent, but he’s certainly a big-frame free agent. The 6-foot-9, 320-pound athlete has lived his entire life in Nigeria and was discovered by former Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora, according to the team’s official website.
Although Mbaeteka did not play football in high school or college, he has found his way to the NFL through the help of Umenyiora and the NFL’s International Player Pathway program.
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“It’s like a mentorship,” Mbaeteka said of his relationship with Umenyiora, per Giants.com. “I really respect him. He gave me a shot. He took a shot at a stranger, someone he’s never met before, and here I am. It’s all because of him.”
Umenyiora, who was born in London and lived in Nigeria as a youth, described Mbaeteka as “extremely intelligent” and compared him to former Giants offensive tackle Kareem McKenzie during his conversation with the team website. McKenzie was New York’s starting right tackle from 2005-2011 and was a member of the teams that won Super Bowls XLII and XLVI.
“Once you see him, you know he’s physically imposing and in a year or two if you immerse him in football culture, he’s going to be fantastic,” Umenyiora told Giants.com.
Mbaeteka recently worked out at Arizona State’s Pro Day. In the video above, you can see him working through a blocking drill in the background.
Umenyiora Finding NFL Hidden Gems Overseas
Since retiring from the NFL, Umenyiora has remained involved with the league as a special ambassador in the United Kingdom. He has made “numerous visits” to Nigeria in search of NFL talent, according to Giants.com, and was also one of the founders of NFL Africa in 2021.
“I realized there are so many incredible athletes over there — I’m talking a hundred times better than I was as an athlete,” Umenyiora told the team’s official website. “And they have no chance of bettering their lives, no chance to actually do something constructive with their lives because of the situation over there.”
Mbaeteka could go down as Umenyiora’s first big find. A few years ago, the Philadelphia Eagles signed a similar prospect in Jordan Mailata. An Australian native, Mailata had never played football before signing with the Eagles. Now, the 6-foot-8, 346-pound former rugby player is Philly’s starting left tackle.
Giants Focused on Rebuilding Offensive Line
Since taking over as the Giants’ general manager earlier this offseason, Joe Schoen has made a clear and concerted effort to improve the offensive line. This is something his predecessor, Dave Gettleman, promised to do but ultimately fell short of delivering.
Building around a quality cornerstone in left tackle Andrew Thomas, the Giants have added three interior linemen — Mark Glowinski, Max Garcia and Jon Feliciano — via free agency. The biggest question mark now is whether former third-round draft pick Matt Peart can develop into a reliable starter at right tackle.
Mbaeteka may be too raw to compete for that job right away, but as we’ve seen in the case of Mailata, it’s possible to groom a raw prospect like that into a starting-caliber offensive lineman.
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