Former England prospect Harry Mallinder joins Wales winger Louis Rees-Zammit in becoming a member of NFL by means of the Worldwide Participant Pathway program.
Mallinder is the most recent rugby star chasing his NFL goals after 22-year-old Wales worldwide Rees-Zammit, who performed his membership rugby at Gloucester, introduced on Tuesday he’s becoming a member of the NFL’s Worldwide Participant Pathway (IPP) this month.
Mallinder performed for Northampton from 2013 by means of to 2021 and earlier than transferring to Japan the place he was on the Black Rams Tokyo and has registered as a kicker/punter, whereas Rees-Zammit has registered as a working again/huge receiver.
On social media Mallinder stated: “Excited and honoured to be chosen for the 2024 NFL IPP as a kicker/punter. Cannot wait to get to work!”
On the conclusion of the coaching camp, the IPP athletes will likely be eligible to fill a seventeenth follow squad roster spot on any of the 32 groups – a further spot reserved for a global participant.
This 12 months’s IPP class consists of athletes from eight nations and numerous sporting backgrounds together with rugby, basketball, athletics, Gaelic soccer and Australian guidelines soccer.
Nigeria (with one participant listed as joint Scottish) and Eire will every have 4 gamers on the camp, with three from England, two from Australia and one every from Wales, Austria and the Dominican Republic.
Rees-Zammit: Can rugby star with ‘cheetah’ pace blaze path in NFL?
Rees-Zammit is just not the primary rugby participant strive his hand at making it within the NFL, however can he succeed the place others have faltered and what units him aside from his friends?
He follows within the footsteps of one-time England worldwide Christian Wade, amongst others, however, given Wade didn’t make a regular-season look throughout his three years with the Buffalo Payments earlier than returning to membership rugby and French aspect Racing 92 in 2022, has Rees-Zammit presumably bitten off greater than he can chew?
Wade is the obvious instance that Rees-Zammit can study from, having each plied their commerce on the wing in rugby union, and the Welshman already has the advantage of a five-year head begin on the previous Wasps star who was 27 when he made the change in 2019.
Wade efficiently got here by means of the IPPP to land as a working again with the Payments, sensationally scoring a 65-yard landing along with his very first contact for the workforce in a preseason sport towards the Indianapolis Colts. Nevertheless, he would by no means see the sector in an everyday season contest and Wade beforehand hinted at how his best second – that TD towards the Colts – was symptomatic of his wrestle to make the change.
“The best way I did my hand off, I form of obtained in hassle for that,” Wade stated. “Initially I had it in the precise pocket, however once I realised I used to be going to chop again, I went again to taking the ball like I used to be catching a rugby ball.”
Wade is just not the one homegrown rugby participant to take their skills to America. Christian Scotland-Williamson and Alex Grey had too made the transfer from the Gallagher Premiership to the IPPP, touchdown with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Atlanta Falcons, respectively.
Once more, neither noticed the sector in a aggressive sport earlier than making an attempt to return to rugby. Grey can now be seen on the rebooted Gladiator TV sequence, taking down contenders as ‘Apollo’.
Rees-Zammit’s best energy is his pace. Like with Wade, it might make him a pure match on the working again place, or, alternatively, might there be a match at huge receiver? Or each.
Sky Sports activities’ Neil Reynolds likened him to San Francisco 49ers twin menace Deebo Samuel, saying on the most recent Inside The Huddle podcast: “You play him a bit at huge receiver, you stick him within the backfield, let him return some kicks. There’s a number of issues he might do and will probably be attention-grabbing to see how they use him on the upcoming camp.”
Rees-Zammit’s NFL journey begins on Friday with a flight to Florida forward of a 10-week intensive coaching camp as a part of the IPPP, on the finish of which he’ll discover out if a workforce needs to signal him.
That is simply the beginning. Like with Wade and others who’ve traversed the identical path earlier than him, then making a workforce’s beginning roster is one other battle in itself.
It’s undoubted the Welshman has monumental potential. Not simply when it comes to his apparent athletic potential. Because the NFL appears to be like to proceed its enlargement into Europe and different territories, most notably with the Worldwide Collection fixtures that happen every year, Rees-Zammit can deliver the sport to an entire new viewers.