2020 NFL Draft: Eagles draft a Nigerian Prince in the 6th round

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The Eagles quite literally drafted a Nigerian Prince in the sixth round of the 2020 NFL draft. 

With the No. 210 overall pick, the Eagles took Auburn offensive tackle Prince Tega Wanogho (6-5, 308), who grew up in Nigeria and didn’t begin playing football until he arrived in the United States on a basketball scholarship. 

Tega Wanogho is from the city of Warri in Nigeria and came to the United States for his junior year of high school when he was given a basketball scholarship to Edgewood Academy in Montgomery, Alabama. That’s when the 6-5 teenager found football. 

His story really is incredible. 

Initially a defensive lineman, Tega Wanogho became an offensive tackle at Auburn in 2016. He became a starter in 2017 and was a three-year starter (32 games) in the SEC at left tackle. 

While he’s still a relative newcomer to the game of football in general, Tega Wanogho has all the physical tools to be an NFL tackle. And now he has a highly regarded coach to help get him there with the Eagles in Jeff Stoutland. 

But Tega Wanogho didn’t begin playing football until 2014 and he didn’t start playing offensive line until 2016, so he’s a work in progress. Expectations might need to be tempered. That gives Stoutland two significant projects. You can add Tega Wanogho to Jordan Maialata, the mammoth rugby-player-turned-OT the Eagles drafted in the seventh round back in 2018. 

The Eagles drafted OL Jack Driscoll in the fourth round on Saturday. With more experience, he might be more game ready, but he might also be a better fit along the interior of the line. The Eagles needed more tackle depth after letting Jason Peters leave in free agency (he’s still unsigned) and after Halapoulivaati Vaitai signed with the Lions. 

During the 2020 pre-draft process, Tega Wanogho was invited to the Senior Bowl, where according to NFL.com, he received a medical red flag for a knee injury. 

Another great tidbit from NFL.com: Tega Wanogho’s grandfather was a real king of a Nigerian village. So Prince is a real prince. 

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