Osi Umenyiora -- A two-time Super Bowl champion with the New York Giants, Umenyiora (pictured during warm-ups in 2012) is among those leading the charge to find potential NFL-caliber talent across Africa. The former American football star, who is of Nigerian descent, recently traveled to Ghana for a series of clinics and camps. Look through the gallery to see more African stars already making their mark in the NFL.
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Mathias Kiwanuka -- The grandson of Uganda's first prime minister, Kiwanuka (pictured here making a tackle against the Detroit Lions in 2013) is another two-time Super Bowl champion with the New York Giants, and, along with Umenyiora, is one of the former players traveling to Africa for the NFL.
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Ogbonnia Okoronkwo -- The most common way to recognize NFL talent is through collegiate American football. Before starting his NFL career with the Los Angeles Rams, Okoronkwo starred as a defensive end with the University of Oklahoma (pictured here in a game against West Virginia University, November 2017). Earlier this year, he signed a contract with the Houston Texans.
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Ezekiel Ansah -- Born in Ghana, Ansah signed a multimillion contract with the Detroit Lions in 2013, before heading to the Seattle Seahawks (pictured, right, in the white jersey, 2020) and now on to the San Francisco 49ers.
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Ndamukong Suh -- Born to Cameroonian parents, Suh is one of the most recognizable -- and feared -- names in the NFL. The former Defensive Rookie of the Year and second overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft won a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021.
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Chukwuma Okorafor -- Nigerian-born Okorafor (pictured, #76, during a game in 2021) was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2018 NFL Draft. He recently signed a new three-year contract with the team, reportedly worth nearly $30 million.
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Uchenna Nwosu -- Nwosu, of Nigerian descent, celebrates his fourth-quarter interception (left, jersey #42) for the Los Angeles Chargers, during a game against the Kansas City Chiefs in December 2021.
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Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah -- Among relative newcomers to the NFL is Owusu-Koramoah, of Ghanaian descent on his father's side, pictured here (left, in the white jersey) making a tackle for his Cleveland Browns against the Green Bay Packers in 2021.
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Kwity Paye -- Born in Guinea after his parents fled Liberia during the country's civil war, Paye was selected in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts.
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Emmanuel Ogbah -- From Lagos, Nigeria, Ogbah now plays for the Miami Dolphins (pictured here in a game against the New Orleans Saints in 2021). Originally drafted in 2016 by the Cleveland Browns, he would go on to win a Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs.