NFL looking at more young rugby players

Louis Rees-Zammit’s sudden departure to the NFL sent shock waves through rugby. A player at the top of his game walking away to take up a sport he had never played before.

Rees-Zammit was not the first to go, and the process of finding talent in rugby to be part of the NFL’s International Player Pathway (IPP) next January is in full swing once more.

Telegraph Sport can reveal that players from the Gallagher Premiership and United Rugby Championship are currently under consideration after actively reaching out to the NFL, along with the criteria which prospective players are required to meet.
Recruitment

Ahead of the latest edition of the IPP next January, an email was sent out earlier this year to representatives of athletes in rugby and other sports inviting them to nominate any potential candidates who would be interested in following in the footsteps of Rees-Zammit and making the switch to the NFL.

The requirements set out by the NFL, seen by Telegraph Sport, ask for any interested athletes to meet specific criteria; aged between 20 and 24 years old, possessing “outlier” size at over 6ft 3in (1.93m) along with athleticism or kicking ability. Any film of the athletes should be sent in for evaluation, while the email adds that any potential “current contractual obligations” can also be discussed, a part of the process which one source described as a “major hurdle”.

That age range is important. Rees-Zammit’s decision to quit rugby with Gloucester and Wales to try to make it in the NFL has led to a spike in interest from a number of high-profile players in England, who contacted the IPP but fall outside of that 20-24 age bracket.

“Unfortunately, there are some guys who did come to us who are a little bit older and well-known in the rugby world, but that is just not what NFL teams are looking for,” explains Mark Dulgerian, the NFL IPP’s lead scout. “They have accomplished a lot in rugby and maybe just want to try out football as their last hurrah in their athletic career, but the bottom line is we’re not in this to showcase a guy for marketing. We are looking for guys who are going to play and who we can develop.”

Christian Wade, who replaced Rees-Zammit at Gloucester, was given an opportunity in the NFL due to his explosive acceleration, spending three years as a running back with the Buffalo Bills without appearing in a regular season game. Despite his superb physical traits, his age ultimately played a role in him not going all the way.

“If he was 22 instead of being a bit older, I think his future would have looked different,” believes Dulgerian. “He was such a premium athlete and checked all those boxes, but the developmental curve at that age is tougher.” Hence the younger age limit for new IPP prospects.

Past experience of playing American football is not necessary. Twelve of the 15 athletes who went to Florida in January this year, including Rees-Zammit, had never played the sport before and had backgrounds in rugby, basketball, football, athletics, Gaelic football, handball, Australian football, boxing and cricket.

Traits wanted
One player who was previously approached to join the program was the Bath and England wing Joe Cokanasiga, Telegraph Sport has learned. While talks never went far enough to identify which position Cokanasiga would play, he visited the NFL’s offices in London to discuss the contractual aspects of a potential move. Ultimately, the drop in salary – with Cokanasiga moving from a contract of around £300,000 to a potentially much lower salary on a practice (reserve) squad – combined with leaving his family behind in the UK proved to be decisive factors in his decision to stay in rugby. His combination of size – 6ft 4in, 17-and-a-half stone – and speed made him an obvious NFL crossover target.

As for the current group of prospects, Telegraph Sport understands that rugby players from the Gallagher Premiership and South Africans playing in the United Rugby Championship have expressed interest and are potential candidates, along with a player from the France sevens side. A try-out event (or Combine) was held two weeks ago at Loughborough University, the home of the NFL Academy for 16-18 year-olds, for 15 athletes selected by IPP scouts.

Other athletes who have shown an interest in the IPP but were unable to make the Combine are set for private workouts in the coming weeks, including players in South Africa who were unable to obtain visas in time to travel to the UK. The final group are then selected to travel to Florida next January. Jordan Petaia, the Australia international who made his debut as a teenager at the 2019 Rugby World Cup, is a strong candidate to be selected.

Scouts are looking for exceptional size and athleticism, but not necessarily rugby prowess. Travis Clayton – who played rugby for Basingstoke RFC in English rugby’s seventh tier, but is also 6ft 7in and weighs 21-and-a-half stone – tried out for the NFL IPP twice and was drafted earlier this year in the final round as a tackle by the Buffalo Bills.

The gold standard for international players in the NFL remains Jordan Mailata, the Philadelphia Eagles left tackle – 6ft 8in, 26 stone – who played rugby league for South Sydney Rabbitohs Under-20s before trying out for the IPP in 2018, with no experience. Six years later, Mailata has played in a Super Bowl, while his career earnings currently sit at $57 million (£43 million), according to Spotrac.

“When we talk to coaches and general managers they suggest there are not many Mailata’s out there, but physically there are. Quite a few of them. It is just the age, landing with the right team like Jordan did, a team which is willing to develop them. All the stars aligned for him,” Dulgerian explains. By comparison, Aston Vaiotu, an Australian 6ft 8in lock who previously played for Racing 92 in France, tried out for the IPP in the past but was not selected.

Intotouch wrote:I don’t get it. The USA has a massive population and a huge pool of players to draw from who actually grew up playing the sport. Why bother seeking elsewhere? Are rugby players cheaper for some reason.?

Intotouch wrote:I don’t get it. The USA has a massive population and a huge pool of players to draw from who actually grew up playing the sport. Why bother seeking elsewhere? Are rugby players cheaper for some reason.?