The newest Carolina Panthers pass rusher has taken a less than conventional path to the NFL.
As announced on Monday, linebacker Mapalo “Maz” Mwansa has signed with the Panthers through the league’s International Player Pathway program.
Mwansa is an English native of Zambian descent. He grew up in Peterborough, England—where he played a number of sports including rugby, soccer, basketball, track and field and cricket.
In an interview with The Associated Press, the 20-year-old Mwansa stated that he learned football through watching the Netflix series Last Chance U and Quarterback.
“I would never have thought I would be doing this four or five years ago,” Mwansa told the AP. “Even two years ago, football was not in the picture for me. The journey’s been a complete whistle-stop tour, and I’m trying to soak in as much as I can and just enjoy every bit of the process.”
The 6-foot-2, 230-pounder has been a member of the Nottingham Caesars, a British American football club, and England’s national team for the 2024 European championships.
Mwansa turned some heads at the Canadian Football League’s combine in the United Kingdom. He would then land an invite from the NFL to the IPP program.
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