Chiefs first-round pick explains viral Arrowhead photo from past: ‘I was so excited’
Kansas City Chiefs first-round draft pick Felix Anudike-Uzomah only needs two snapshots — ones that have gone viral in the last week — to show how far he’s come over the previous 10 years.
The Chiefs’ social media account shared side-by-side photos of Anudike-Uzomah standing at the team’s stadium last week. One was from last week after he was drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft.
And the other was from a decade ago ... when the Kansas City native Anudike-Uzomah was only a fifth-grader.
Anudike-Uzomah explained the circumstances of the earlier photo Saturday before the Chiefs’ first day of rookie minicamp.
“Somebody gave my mom like a tour thing — ticket to have a tour for the Kansas City Chiefs, and me and my brother took it,” Anudike-Uzomah said. “So me and my brother just went around, literally everywhere, got a tour guide with everybody. And it was very eventful, and I was so excited.”
Anudike-Uzomah said he enjoyed that walk-through so much that he “wanted to do it again.” However, his mom only received that gift once, so it remained a lasting childhood memory.
“It was breathtaking really. I’m not gonna lie to you on that,” Anudike-Uzomah said. “And then coming here, just to see that I’m actually playing as a Kansas City Chief is a dream come true.”
Anudike-Uzomah, who graduated from Lee’s Summit High and played at Kansas State, said he’s ready to officially move to his life’s next stage with the start of rookie minicamp this week.
The edge rusher says it’s time to put in the work and prove himself on the field — though some of that might be delayed a bit after Anudike-Uzomah did not participate in team drills during Saturday’s rookie minicamp with a wrap around his right wrist. The Chiefs’ team podcast recently mentioned that Anudike-Uzomah broke his hand on the last play of the Sugar Bowl with K-State, though it’s unclear if that’s related.
Coach Andy Reid is slated to speak with reporters Monday.
Anudike-Uzomah said one of his top priorities early would be to gather information.
“I just want to learn the playbook and I just want to be basically present and learn from the guys that have already won a Super Bowl,” Anudike-Uzomah said. “And if I have the opportunity to play or start, anything like that, that’ll be gladly appreciated. But as of right now I want to work on learning the playbook and work on getting tips from the older guys.”
Anudike-Uzomah said he also hoped to keep the same underdog-type psyche he had while playing with K-State.
“I heard that there’s a lot of rookies that played last year in the Super Bowl and basically they’re (going) against vets and everything like that. And same with K-State. There’s a lot of guys that are underrated that were walk-ons and they were playing,” Anudike-Uzomah said. “So I feel like the same mentality is still gonna be there, so basically just transferring from K-State to here.”
Anudike-Uzomah finished his college career tied for sixth in K-State history with 20.5 sacks. He went to the Chiefs with the 31st overall pick, completing the full-circle moment of getting drafted by his hometown team.
He has other previous memories following the Chiefs. One was as a high school senior in 2020, when he attended the team’s Super Bowl parade in downtown KC.
“It was crazy. I remember, it was (running back) Damien Williams, he was going over and I was in the front row. And I was trying to get a high-five with him, and I tried to get a picture of him,” Anudike-Uzomah said. “I remember just being a fan. A couple of friends and family ... we came there. We were camping out, like, 5:30 in the morning. So it was a crazy experience being a part of that parade.”
Anudike-Uzomah said he wore the No. 25 growing up because of his admiration for Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles; at that time, he was a running back, too.
It’s all led up to this past week, when Anudike-Uzomah officially got to put on a Chiefs jersey for the first time as a member of the team’s 2023 draft class.
“Sometimes I was just like thinking to myself, like, ‘Am I dreaming?’ I have to pinch myself to make sure I’m not,” Anudike-Uzomah said. “But now, like I said, I gotta go to work. ... I still haven’t made the team until I put in the work and impress the coaches.”
