New Orleans Saints

Saints trade up, take defensive tackle Onyemata in 4th round

Published Apr. 30, 2016 4:41 p.m. ET

foxsports

METAIRIE, La. (AP) -- Because he followed in the footsteps of his older sister, Nigeria native David Onyemata went to college in western Canada, where he studied environmental science and learned to play the North American brand of football.

Soon, he'll be moving south to Louisiana, where he'll get a chance to prove he can stuff running plays and sack quarterbacks in the NFL with the New Orleans Saints.

"I just fell in love with the game, that is what happened," the 6-foot-4, 300-pound Onyemata said after he was selected by New Orleans during the fourth round of the NFL draft on Saturday. He added that he also loved "hitting guys and just being out there with my guys. I'd love to do this for a long time."

New Orleans traded for Washington's fourth-round choice to select Onyemata, who played soccer during his youth in Nigeria and knew virtually nothing about the type of football he'll soon play professionally until he showed up on the campus of the University of Manitoba in 2011.

Within a couple years, he was receiving national recognition as the best lineman in Canadian college football. Last season, he was credited with 50 tackles, five sacks and 7 tackles for losses.

"The Canadian game is a little bit different than the NFL game, but once I put my mind into something, I get everything out of it," Onyemata said. "I have a good understanding of the American game, so it will be really easy."

Perhaps because Onyemata didn't spend his entire young life dreaming of playing in the NFL, he didn't sweat out the draft in front of a television. He was golfing with friends when the call came in from the Saints.

"It was my first time golfing," Onyemata said. "But once I got that phone call, I started hitting the ball really good."

New Orleans sent Washington fifth round picks this year and in 2017 in order to take Onyemata.

Manitoba coach Brian Dobie said he was far more nervous about the draft than Onyemata was because of the affection he'd developed for his star player while watching him develop from a football neophyte into a highly respected team leader. Dobie was overseeing spring practice when he found out Onyemata had been drafted. The coach said he teared up as he announced the news to Onyemata's former teammates, and described their reaction as an "explosion."

Dobie said the Saints were one of only two teams, along with Philadelphia, to send a defensive line coach to campus for Onyemata's official workout, while about a dozen other teams sent scouts. Dobie said Saints defensive line coach Bill Johnson exhibited the keenest interest in Onyemata.

The Saints entered the day without a fourth round pick because they had used it, along with their third round pick, to acquire Ohio State safety Von Bell in Friday night's second round.

New Orleans also does not have a sixth-round pick because of a trade last year, leaving the Saints only one more draft choice in Saturday's seventh and final round.

Saints coach Sean Payton had made it clear leading up to the draft that finding help for a defense that has ranked 31st in the NFL in each of the past two seasons was a priority.

The Saints have now drafted defensive players with three of their first four picks. New Orleans' first-round choice was Louisville defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins.

The one offensive player the Saints have drafted this year is Ohio State receiver Michael Thomas.

Onyemata, whose draft stock rose with his showing at the East-West Shrine game, is the second players since 2012 to be drafted by New Orleans after playing college football in Canada. The earlier pick also was a defensive tackle. That was Akiem Hicks, who played at Regina, although Hicks, a Californian, only went to Canada after leaving LSU because he was at the center of recruiting violations.