Felix Anudike-Uzomah Has Full Circle Moment at Chiefs Rookie Camp
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One of the best stories of the 2023 NFL Draft, regardless of round or specific draft slot, was the Kansas City Chiefs selecting local prospect Felix Anudike-Uzomah to be a part of their rookie class. Not only was the Kansas State product familiar with being just around 125 miles away from GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, but that familiarity somehow managed to hit much closer to home because he also grew up in Lee's Summit, MO.
At Chiefs rookie minicamp over the weekend, an event that wraps up on Monday, Anudike-Uzomah got his first taste of what being a professional is like. Joining six of his fellow Kansas City-drafted rookies, as well as seemingly countless undrafted free agents who were invited to minicamp, Anudike-Uzomah is getting firsthand experience on the job.
It wasn't long ago that he was watching the Chiefs' players work on the field, though, attending things like training camp and even regular-season games over the course of his childhood. That passion for Chiefs football continued with him into his teen and college years, and now he's living out his dream. When asked whether touring GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in fifth grade made him want to become a Chief in the future, Anudike-Uzomah was emphatic.
“Oh yeah," Anudike-Uzomah said. "Obviously if you’re a Chiefs fan, especially a Chiefs fan growing up, you always have the dream of playing for the Kansas City Chiefs. That’s every young boy’s dream is to play for the Kansas City Chiefs. So, other than that, I’m happy to be and I’m honored to be able to fulfill the dream that a lot of people around Kansas City, Missouri, have a dream of.”
Family is a major part of Anudike-Uzomah's life, and that was glaringly obvious when cameras provided a live look-in to his home draft party at the end of the first round less than a couple of weeks ago. Surrounded by those who have served as his support system to this point, Anudike-Uzomah was able to celebrate being drafted by his hometown team and the franchise he wanted to be a part of the most. Anudike-Uzomah was asked whether he's talked to his mother about his life coming full circle, and this joy dates all the way back to childhood athletics.
“Yeah, at the same time, she always talks about how blessed she is and she manifested that, too, when I was younger," Anudike-Uzomah said. "I think there’s a post from 2011 at my Little League game, she missed it, but she always had high hopes for me and said, ‘Hey, if you want to go to the NFL, you just got to work hard. And you got to have no mindset of ‘I’m tired’ or ‘Oh, I can do it at a later date,’ you’ve got to work now.”
Rookie minicamp takes place months away from the start of the NFL season, but things won't be slowing down at all for players entering their first years in the league. Organized team activities (OTAs), team minicamp, training camp and preseason play will be here before they know it, and it's imperative that rookies lay out a proper foundation now so they can continue to build on it in the coming days, weeks and months. For Anudike-Uzomah, the 31st overall pick, a lot is expected of him right off the bat. As far as goals are concerned, though, he's focused on being a student first and letting the rest of his dream unfold after that.
“Obviously, to start off now, I just want to learn the playbook and I just want to be present and learn from the guys that already won a Super Bowl," Anudike-Uzomah said. "And if I have the opportunity to play or (to) start, anything like that, I’ll be gladly appreciative. But as of right now, I want to work on learning the playbook and work on getting tips from the older guys.”
