Jeffrey C. Otah (born June 17, 1986) is a

Nigerian American Nigerian Americans ( ig, Ṇ́dị́ Naìjíríyà n'Emerịkà; ha, Yan Najeriyar asalin Amurka; yo, Àwọn ọmọ Nàìjíríà Amẹ́ríkà) are an ethnic group of Americans who are of Nigerian ancestry. The number of Nigerian immigran ...

former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

offensive tackle. He was drafted by the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...

in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft.

Early years

Otah moved to

The Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

at the age of seven, then moved to

New Castle, Delaware New Castle is a city in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. The city is located six miles (10 km) south of Wilmington and is situated on the Delaware River. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 5,285. History New Castl ...

at the age of thirteen. He played

high school football High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...

at William Penn High School in New Castle, Delaware.

Professional career

2008 NFL Draft

Coming in the 2008 NFL Draft Otah was considered by many scouts to be a top tackle prospect. The

were reportedly very interested in him, evident by them sending head coach John Fox and General Manager Marty Hurney to his pro-day.

Carolina Panthers

Reports of the Panthers being interested in Otah proved to be well founded after the team made a trade with the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...

to trade up and to select him. He was selected with the 19th pick in the first round. Jeff became an immediate starter at right tackle early in training camp. He started in 12 of the possible 16 games his first season missing 4 due to injury. Otah started the 2010 season recovering from what was then thought to be relatively minor knee surgery performed in mid-August. But on 9 November, the Panthers placed Otah on injured reserve, ending his season without him ever taking the field. Otah's knee problems persisted into the 2011 season, and he was placed on injured reserve again on 19 October 2011, after missing two of six games. Otah was traded to the New York Jets for an undisclosed draft pick on July 23, 2012 contingent on his passing a physical for the team. After failing the initial test, the Jets placed Otah on the PUP/Active list on July 25. He had seven days to pass the test again or the trade would be nullified. On July 31, Otah failed his second physical thus voiding the trade and returning him to the Panthers. Otah was released by the Panthers two days later.

References

External links

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Carolina Panthers Bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Otah, Jeff 1986 births Living people American football offensive tackles American sportspeople of Nigerian descent Carolina Panthers players Nigerian players of American football People from New Castle, Delaware Pittsburgh Panthers football players Players of American football from Delaware Sportspeople from the Delaware Valley