Philadelphia Eagles rookie Tega Wanogho draws an awesome comparison
One Philadelphia Eagles massive rookie got a pretty cool compliment recently.
If you’re a Philadelphia Eagles fan, by now, you’ve probably been treated to Prince Tega Wanogho‘s story more times than you can count, but it’s so awesome it draws you in every time. With that being said, here it is again. If you’ve somehow missed it, buckle up.
Once upon a time, this Nigerian-born Prince came to the United States with about “a dub” in his pocket (that’s equivalent to about $20 for those who aren’t up on inner-city slang). The hope was he could realize his dream of being the next LeBron James. He landed in the great state of Alabama. Yes, you’re correct. ‘Bama isn’t really known for its football, but hold on. That’s where this thing really takes off.
While attending Edgewood Academy in Elmore, one of the high school’s football coaches saw Tega Wanogho’s size and recommended he try his hand at football. Come on. It’s Alabama. Who didn’t see that coming?
The prince’s one year on the gridiron was a hit, and after playing just one year of football, the NCAA came calling and Tega Waogho was off to play his college ball for the Auburn Tigers. A leg injury he had suffered during his final season at the prep level forced him to redshirt his inaugural season as a highly-touted college standout. The converted offensive lineman played in ten contests as a backup in 2016 before taking over starting duties in 2017.
Once there, no one was going to be able to supplant him, nor did they. He started his final 32 games at Auburn University and took home Second-Team All-SEC honors in 2019. That’s when Philly came calling. They must have watched a lot of Auburn football in 2019 because on the third day of the most recent NFL Draft, they elected both of their starting tackles from 2019. Tega Wanogho and Jack Driscoll.
Oh yeah. We forgot about this Philadelphia Eagles rookie’s comparison.
Apologies for getting lost there, but every opportunity to tell that story must be taken. Now, on to the compliment.
Every “Birds” fan, at some point in their week, will make The Philly Voice a part of their diet a few times a week, and if they did so on June’s third Monday morning, they got something nice to chew on from Jimmy Kempski. His comparison of Tega Wanogho to D.J. Humphries is brilliant work. Here’s are a few excerpts from that one.
Both had injury concerns coming into the league.
"Wanogho and Humphries were both medical risks coming out of college. Wanogho was flagged for a knee injury at the Senior Bowl, while Humphries missed seven games his final two seasons at Florida with knee and ankle injuries."
Here’s where both are in terms of experience and athleticism.
"Both lacked experience heading into the draft. Wanogho is relatively new to the sport, as he had limited exposure to football in high school (where he played DE), though he did start 32 games at OT at Auburn. Humphries only started 19 games at Florida. Though limited in experience, both players played against high-level competition in the SEC… Both have ideal athleticism and were considered upside players when they entered the NFL. Both players are considered to be better pass protectors than run blockers."
Humphries has also made a name for himself as the Arizona Cardinals’ starting left tackle as he’s appeared in 43 career games and started all of them. Call it a crazy theory, but one might imagine that, if the Eagles get a starting-level player out of someone they added in the sixth round of the draft, everyone’s going to be pretty pleased in the locker room and in the fan base. This guy might be one to bank on folks.