While they made no changes to the top of the depth chart, the New England Patriots overhauled their linebacker depth during this year’s offseason. One piece of that process was inserting some much-needed youth, although no major investments were made in that regard.
The most prominent move was selecting TCU’s Namdi Obiazor in the fifth round of the draft.
Hard facts
Name: Namdi Obiazor
Position: Off-ball linebacker
Jersey number: 48
Opening day age: 24 (4/19/2002)
Measurements: 6’2 3/4”, 229 lbs, 10 1/2” hand size,
30 3/4” arm length, 75 3/4” wingspan, 4.53s 40-yard dash, 7.24s 3-cone drill, 4.36s short shuttle, 37” vertical jump, 9’11” broad jump, 21 bench press reps, 9.14 Relative Athletic Score
Experience
NFL: New England Patriots (2026-) | College: Iowa Western (2020-21), TCU (2022-25)
Despite being a versatile defensive back, Obiazor was rated a no-star prospect and received zero Division I scholarship offers coming out of Eden Prairie, MN, High School. He therefore decided to try his luck at the JUCO level, joining Iowa Western for a two-year stint. It proved to be a fruitful endeavor: not only did he register 31 tackles, an interception, and a blocked kick in his 16 games, he also finally put himself on the recruiting map.
TCU won a lively competition for his services, and it did not take him long to make an impact. In all, Obiazor went on to spend four years in Fort Worth, playing in 53 games with 40 starts. Along the way, he made the switch from the nickel safety position to off-the-ball linebacker in 2023 — promptly leading the team with 84 tackles and being named an honorable All-Big 12 mention.
Overall, Obiazor finished his career at TCU with 302 tackles, 8.5 sacks, a pair of forced fumbles and four takeaways (3 INTs, 1 FR). He was ultimately selected 212th overall by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Scouting report
Strengths: Obiazor is a tall and decently-sized defender very much in the mold of modern-day linebackers. He is a good form tackler who is not easily displaced and has the strength and lower-body foundation to get ball carriers to the ground. He also is a capable downfield player who has shown an ability to get past blockers as well as some good timing and acceleration on blitzes. As a coverage player, he has proven himself a competitive player with active hands and adequate movement skills. He also has a good feel for the game, both on defense and special teams. In general, he is a versatile player who can transition between positions easily.
Weaknesses: Despite measuring almost 6-foot-3, Obiazor does not have particularly noteworthy length (his 30 3/4-inch arms rank in the 9th percentile among linebackers). He also lacks the sideline-to-sideline speed as well as the quickness to be a consistent impact player in coverage. As a run defender and blitzer, he oftentimes appears to play the blocker rather than the ball, which in turn can lead to him moving himself out of plays.
2025 review
Stats: 13 games (13 starts) | 728 defensive snaps, 57 special teams snaps | 88 tackles, 7 missed tackles (7.4%), 4 TFLs, 1 FF | 9 QB pressures (2 sacks, 7 hurries) | 31 targets, 23 catches surrendered (74.2%), 261 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs, 3 PBUs | 1 penalty (incl. 0 declined/offsetting)
Season recap: Obiazor had a quality campaign in 2024 but nonetheless decided to return to TCU for his senior season. The decision gave him an opportunity to add more tape, and he made the most of it: playing 728 defensive snaps — fourth most on the team — he was one of the Horned Frogs most active defenders both from a volume and from a playmaking perpective.
The numbers speak for themselves. Besides starting all 13 of his team’s games, he also totaled 88 tackles, four tackles for loss, two sacks and two interceptions, as well as a forced fumble. He was a steady presence at the second level of the defense, and one of its surest tacklers as well as a key communicator.
Obiazor’s consistency was one of his best traits, but he nonetheless had some standout performances. Tops among them might have been a Week 6 game against Colorado that saw him notch 10 tackles, a sack and an interception — a stat line that eventually earned him Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week honors for the first time in his career.
He also played a quite active role in his 69th and final college game. Helping TCU win the Alamo Bowl over USC, he registered seven tackles with no missed takedowns (for a seventh time in 2025). All in all, he therefore ended his college career on a high note and in a definitive position to make the jump to the NFL.
2026 preview
Position: Middle linebacker | Ability: Depth player/Role player | Contract: Signed through 2029 (2030 UFA)
What will be his role? Obiazor lined up as a Mike linebacker at TCU, and will fill a similar role in New England. With Robert Spillane and Christian Elliss firmly entrenched atop the depth chart, however, he will mostly serve in a rotational and package-specific capacity whenever called upon on defense. His most consistent playing time as a rookie therefore might come on special teams.
What is his growth potential? Obiazor is a solid athlete and coachable player, a good combination for some growth. How much he will actually develop remains to be seen, obviously, but given that he is slightly on the older side for a rookie after having turned 24 before the draft, one has to wonder just how high his ceiling truly is.
Does he have positional versatility? Despite being listed as a linebacker, Obiazor has a versatile skillset and is capable of lining up in multiple spots. At TCU, he played in the box as a classic off-ball linebacker and strong safety, moved into the slot, saw some time on the edge, and even aligned split out wide or as a free safety on a handful of reps. In the kicking game, meanwhile, he has seen action on five units; in 2025 he played on kickoff return, punt return and field goal/extra point block.
What is his salary cap situation? As part of the four-year rookie deal he signed with the Patriots shortly after the draft, Obiazor is carrying a $944,718 salary cap hit into 2026. That number consists of a $885,000 base salary and $59,718 signing bonus proration. With the latter fully guaranteed and the costs as a whole currently not high enough to qualify for Top 51 status it is the only impact Obiazor currently has on New England’s cap.
How safe is his roster spot? Despite being a draft pick, Obiazor is not guaranteed to make the roster as a rookie. To do so, he will have to prove himself against the rest of the Patriots’ backup linebacker group both on defense and special teams. His rivals at the moment are K.J. Britt, Chad Muma, Otis Reese, Amari Gainer and fellow rookie Khalil Jacobs, and most of them lined up ahead of him during offseason workouts: Obiazor spent the open practices in the spring working with the third-team defense.
Summary: Obiazor is spearheading the Patriots’ youth movement at linebacker, and he does have some skill to work with. However, at the end of the day, making the roster is a number’s game particularly for players selected in the latter rounds of the draft. He will therefore need an uptick in quality reps to put himself in a position to make the team or even just the practice squad.
What do you think about Namdi Obiazor heading into the 2026 season? Will he make the roster? And if so, will he play any meaningful snaps? Please head down to the comment section to share your thoughts.
