Kansas City Chiefs offensive lineman Jason “Chu” Godrick’s “welcome to the NFL” moment this past Sunday was even bigger than just a welcome to professional football — it was a full-on “welcome to football” moment.
Godrick, who came to Kansas City as part of the NFL’s International Pathway Program from Lagos, Nigeria, played in his first-ever football game against the New Orleans Saints in Week 1 of the preseason.
And, oddly enough, he did a pretty solid job in his professional debut. The 6-foot-5, 295-pounder earned 20 snaps at right tackle and didn’t allow a single pressure. After the game, Godrick talked to Charles Goldman of A to Z Sports (former editor of Chiefs Wire) about his amazing first-time football experience.
“Words can barely express it, to be honest,” Godrick said. “The atmosphere was definitely something I had never experienced, but I did my best to keep my head on a swivel and just play ball.”
It’s almost unprecedented to see a player come straight into the NFL without playing a single snap of organized football — it speaks to the true talent that Godrick has, not to mention the work ethic of getting to that level.
It’ll be another giant leap for Godrick to one day make a practice squad, let alone a 53-man roster, but his impressive debut showed that it could be a possibility for him. That would be a story to behold.
