| PHOTO: | Rees Odhiambo(71) after winning the Mountain West Conference Championship. Photo:Courtesy |
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By:
John Lawrence
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| Posted:
Aug,08-2016 12:23:33
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A son of Kenya is taking the American Football by storm, and this time it's not in the person of the heavily Daniel Adongo.
Little known Rees Odhiambo who plays for the Seattle Seahawks is the new revelation.
Odhiambo who was born in Kenya appeared for Seattle Seahawks towards the end of the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft as offensive guard. The former Boise State payer is already competing for playing time, and a roster spot at guard against new teammate Mark Glowinski who switched from right guard to left guard.
The 6--foot--4, 314 pounds man played tackle in college, but had trouble staying healthy. In 2015, he suffered a season--ending ankle injury in October. He missed 14 games in the past three seasons. In May, 2016, Seahawks shocked the Kenyan when they called him with the news that they wanted him in their team.
Reacting to his call up Odhiambo told espn.go.com:"I was just sitting at home making dinner, not even paying attention anymore to the draft which was being aired live on TV. When my phone was ringing, I was like, 'There's no way.' I just picked it up, and then once I knew who it was, I was so excited. I was just making some pot roast and some vegetables. I did not expect that at all, it was really awesome," Odhiambo said.
But his has been a challenging journey having moved to the U.S. from Kenya in 2000. His father passed away before the family made the move, and his mother died when he was just 17.The 2016 NFL Draft isn't a particularly strong one for guards.
However, given that the Kenya born guard only began playing football in high school, he's viewed as exactly the kind of high upside prospect who gets NFL scouts excited. Perhaps not surprising given his relative lack of experience, Odhiambo redshirted in 2011, and saw limited action a year later, playing in just six games. He won the starting right tackle job in 2013, and remained there until sliding over to left tackle as a senior. Unfortunately, while he emerged as an All-Mountain West honoree over his final two seasons, Odhiambo struggled with various injuries, raising concerns about his ability to hold up in the NFL--especially if he's asked to slide inside to the closer quarters at guard.
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