Efe Obada Making a Case to be Included in Panthers' Promising Future

Carolina Panthers' defensive lineman Efe Obada's 2020 season began like many people's year has gone—badly. On Sep 6, Obada was waived by the Panthers just hours after he tweeted about how excited he was to make the 53-man roster. He was officially re-signed a day later after Carolina reshuffled its' injured reserve list. Still, it seemed as if he had a long way to go to prove to the new coaching staff that he had what it takes to play in the league.

Fast forward to December and Obada has turned into a very important player on the Panthers' defensive line. Over the last three games, he has contributed with 2.5 sacks including one against future Hall of Famer, Tom Brady. He is also only one of two Carolina defensive linemen that have a Pro Football Focus (PFF) grade of over 60. The other is, of course, Pro Bowl hopeful Brian Burns. If you are unfamiliar with PFF, it is a database driven by analytics that establishes grades for players based on their performance on the field.

The Panthers have an extremely young defense that has shown great promise throughout recent weeks. Obada is making a strong case to be at the center of the defensive line as the unit continues to grow together. Burns, Jeremy Chinn, Derrick Brown, Rasul Douglas and Donte Jackson are all under 26-years-old and look to have solidified roles in Carolina's rebuild. Obada is a bit older at 28 but he does not have a ton of NFL mileage on him.

If Obada continues to wreak havoc on opposing quarterbacks as he has recently, then the Panthers will have no choice but to keep him in the interior of the line. The 6-foot-6, 265-pounder is the ideal size for the position. His raw talent has finally shown some signs of progressing towards making him a consistent playmaker. The future looks bright for both the Panthers' defense and for Obada personally. Matt Rhule and Phil Snow were smart to hold on to the unproven player, who is now proving himself.

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