Nate Landman On Life As An African Nfl Player: ‘people Don’t Believe Me At First’

For Nate Landman, astonishment has go routine. The Los Angeles Rams linebacker has mislaid count of nan raised eyebrows, smirks, and awkward pauses erstwhile group study wherever his communicative begins.

“They don’t judge maine astatine first,” Landman said. “I’ll show them I’m covered successful African tattoos, and immoderate will opportunity I’m still lying until they look it up aliases personification will vouch for me.”

Landman isn’t exaggerating – a achromatic feline pinch a Californian accent isn’t astir people’s image of what 1 of nan NFL’s fewer African players would look like. But calved successful Harare, Zimbabwe’s capital, successful 1998, Landman’s roots are intertwined pinch nan country’s sporting tradition. His South African father, Shaun, was successful Zimbabwe astatine nan clip playing world rugby. When an engineering consulting patient offered Shaun a position successful California, nan family seized nan opportunity. When Nate was three, nan Landmans had moved to Danville, California, bringing pinch them not conscionable their belongings, but besides a rich | taste identity.

Landman is nan only progressive NFL subordinate pinch Zimbabwe roots. Stansly Maponga, besides calved successful Zimbabwe, played from 2013 until 2015. The NFL doesn’t person nan influx of world players for illustration nan NBA. Foreign-born players comprise only 3% to 4% of nan league’s numbers – Canada, Germany and Nigeria that person produced nan most. The NFL is trying to alteration that, and created nan International Player Pathway programme arsenic a measurement to summation nan number of players calved extracurricular of nan United States

As for Landman, arsenic nan years passed Harare became much of a puerility blur than a lived memory. But his family kept Zimbabwe live successful their home, peculiarly erstwhile it came to food.

“We brought a batch of nan Zimbabwean civilization into our home,” Landman said. “Our location is still dressed up arsenic if we were still successful Zimbabwe.”

As his 3 siblings and parents took pridefulness successful their South African and Zimbabwean ties, Landman grew up betwixt worlds: California suburbia connected nan outside, African traditions connected nan inside.

Athleticism was ne'er acold from nan speech successful nan Landman household. Shaun had played astatine nan University of Cape Town earlier representing Zimbabwe successful rugby. Nate’s mother, too, was a competitory athlete.

Inspired by that legacy, Landman threw himself into sports. In precocious school, he excelled successful rugby and baseball. But it was shot that became his calling.

At nan University of Colorado, Landman’s relentless power quickly made him a protect cornerstone. Across 5 seasons, he developed a estimation arsenic 1 of nan amended linebackers successful nan Pac-12 Conference. He earned first-team All-Pac-12 honors successful 2019 and 2020 and added a second-team action successful 2021. His style of play – fast, physical, fearless – mirrored nan competitory occurrence passed down from his father.

But nan NFL is seldom a consecutive line.

Despite his accumulation astatine Colorado, Landman’s sanction wasn’t called during nan 2022 NFL draft. Instead, he signed pinch nan Atlanta Falcons arsenic an undrafted free agent. He worked his measurement onto nan roster, appearing successful 7 games arsenic a special-teamer earlier being trim and placed connected nan believe squad later that season.

“It’s reliable being undrafted,” Landman said. “It’s not an easy road. It’s a roadworthy I’m proud of because it’s made maine nan subordinate I americium today. I took advantage of nan opportunities … It’s a immense portion of my story.”

Perseverance paid disconnected nan pursuing season. Landman not only made nan Falcons’ roster but started 14 of 16 games. He collected 110 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, and owned nan second-best run-stop complaint successful nan NFL among qualified linebackers (12.6%).

For Landman, nan accomplishment was astir much than numbers. It was astir validation.

“It was astir mounting a goal, reaching it, and past mounting different goal,” he said. “Becoming a starter successful this convention is thing I’m ace proud of. It’s thing everyone’s striving to do. It’s particularly not easy for undrafted guys.”

It was easy for Landman to motion a one-year statement this offseason pinch nan Rams. The squad was successful request of his activity astatine wrong linebacker, and it helped that Landman had a beardown narration pinch Rams adjunct protect coach Jimmy Lake, pinch whom he’d antecedently worked pinch successful Atlanta nether nan aforesaid system.

“These guys astir maine person allowed maine to return a measurement up successful my game,” Landman said. “Everyone [on defense] elevates each other, and that’s nan biggest point that I’ve noticed here.”

Rams wrong linebacker’s coach Greg Williams has noticed a fewer different intangibles that Landman has brought to nan team.

“He brings america thing we haven’t had successful a while, which is his connection and energy,” said Williams, pursuing nan Rams’ preseason triumph complete nan Cleveland Browns past Saturday. “He understands nan full crippled from a run-game and a pass-game perspective. So, nan truth that he communicates pinch nan full defense, he’s nan glue that brings it each together, which gives guys nan state to play, and everybody loves it.”

Whether it’s nan civilization woven into his location life, nan continent of Africa tattooed connected nan correct broadside of his chest, aliases nan determination that has carried him from an overlooked rookie to a starter successful nan NFL, Landman, who past visited his location state 2 years ago, continues to transportation Zimbabwe pinch him onto nan field.

Hard activity whitethorn person built his career, but personality grounds it.

“Having nan support of my relatives who still unrecorded complete there,” he said, “wearing tattoos, and having nan Zimbabwe emblem connected nan backmost of my helmet are each very important to me.”