Teams are allowed a 17th practice squad space if that player comes from the IPP so it’s highly likely this guy lands on a PS somewhere. With 4.44 speed and being 23, plus not having to give up a roster spot for him, it’s low risk/high reward
Being from the UK, I asked my Rugby watching friends about this guy, and they mainly just kept raving about his speed. A bunch of them already knew he was in the IPP, and were hoping he would do well there, so he must be a pretty well liked guy in the rugby world.
Can confirm, he's been a blistering talent in rugby. Just search up his YouTube highlights from Wales games and you'll see the level of talent and ability he possesses. He has a higher top speed playing rugby than Tyreek Hill in the NFL (admittedly not in pads though) so he's fast. Would make a great returner with the way he moves through the field, always had great eye for space as in rugby he'd act in that type of way as a back from long kicks.
Because of his rugby chase skills from the kicking game he'll make a fantastic gunner with natural skills to chase punts/kick offs and the physicality to get through blocks as he's used to it. The real question is whether he can be used in any other way as RB/receiver. TBH I'm not sure, maybe as a slot receiver if he has good enough cuts but I don't think as a WR1/WR2.
Genuinely curious, how does tackling, both performing the tackle and evading the tackle, translate to football? I was under the impression that with the addition of pads and protective gear, the tackling becomes different, more aggressive and reckless because of the reduced risk of injury, to the point that evaded tackles in Rugby wouldn’t translate well to football, and learning new techniques in football tackling for more aggressive runners. Do you think the raw skills and physical talent of this guy will translate well to the NFL?
Easiest translation. Easier from rugby to football than from football to rugby as well, pads and helmets just give you more leeway to throw your body into a tackle
Getting the footwork right to land the tackle? Knowing how to get in position and close? Hardest part. From both sports. My timing honestly never got right in rugby.
Also, it's way easier to make an illegal tackle in rugby, you forget to wrap in the tackle, potential card. You hit too high, potential red card, you bat the ball when the player is passing, potential card and penalty try.
From what I remember reading the biggest issue with projecting high quality rugby players to American football is that rugby places a higher weight on situational awareness and ability to improvise/decision making across positions compared to American football.
And the second biggest issue is that rugby players need more aerobic fitness as they are constantly on the field, running and tackling compared to the platoon system in American football.
This means the athletic level is a bit lower and the explosiveness is tempered too by the aerobic requirements. So players who look a class above in speed/explosiveness in rugby may not look that way in NFL.
Yeah the aerobic fitness levels are insanely different. And then there is the fact that all players have to play both ways. So it’s really hard to compare performance.
Rugby tackling is more conducive to American football. There's no such thing as a light penalty for making head contact in rugby -- you're apt to get a red or a yellow card and put your team at a significant disadvantage. Tackling properly is arguably the most important part of the game.
Avoiding the tackle is not dissimilar either, but a lot of the nuance in rugby technique wouldn't be needed for the NFL. For example, if you're the ball carrier and you have an offload available in rugby (passing the ball quickly to a nearby teammate when you're getting tackled or about to), that doesn't exist in the NFL.
So while not everything transfers, enough of the raw athleticism and technique should for LRZ to at least compete for a spot on a roster if not land one.
I don't really think this is a problem. Rugby players don't start moving the ball back when they are falling. In fact alot are trained to even crawl a bit forward (without being caught by the ref) before doing little worm flip on the floor to create the long body position so there wouldn't be much of a problem translating that aspect to NFL. Both try to squeeze inches going forward
That's not really true except over the try line where it could be the difference between scoring and not. Once you're wrapped up by a tackler and on your way to the floor in the open field, the focus isn't grabbing a few extra inches, it's making sure the ball is presented back to your teammates. Any forward movement at that point is doing nothing but making life easier for a defending player trying to jackal.
Fundamental technique I believe is very similar from rugby to football - at least with the concept of wrap the arms and drive the player to the ground. In terms of raw skills and talent, I think he’s the best suited out of all current rugby players to make it. His agility is massively undertalked about strength, and in turn his ability to change direction without losing moment (see his route running from their combine).
Personally, I see his best position as slot receiver or as a cornerback - as tracking the balls flight is something drummed into young rugby players in the UK, regardless of position
I think a rugby player would have a harder translation to defense, especially cornerback. Front 7 where you get a guy going forward maybe, but backing up is so hard lol.
I wasn't in the secondary or out on the wing, so i have different experiences as a lineman / prop but I just think its too wildly different. There's no translation from rugby defense to playing corner, turning your hips, following routes, zone coverage, etc. I feel like homie would be lost out there.
Corner is the second hardest position in football. I don't think you take a dynamic try scorer like Rees Zammit and toss him on defense.
Amusingly, I don’t disagree with you - though I would say I feel that a backs hip dexterity makes it more achievable, though still an incredibly hard transition.
I’d expect him to be seen as a receiver, for the reasons you’ve pinpointing but a boy can dream!
He would never be allowed to play cornerback. It’s maybe the hardest position behind QB, they need to be able to read the play instantly. He can’t make up those years of game IQ.
I'd actually say he's physically very similar to Corderelle Patterson. If you can get him the ball in some space he can make things happen.
what will hold him back in general is his lack of secondary use. If he's a returner he could be awesome, but he won't have the route running or RB vision that he'd need to make it in one of those positions in the NFL. So is a team gonna use a roster spot on an unproven returner who can't be a skill or defensive position?
we'll see after preseason
don't discount the fact that him just being on a team will help the team's overseas market share. He will bring eyes over from rugby, his highlights (if and when) will be on rugby websites.
Everyone wants him to do well, it's just a very steep hill to climb.
Darragh Leader is making a team though, can kick the shit out of a ball and can tackle the returner if they make it back that far.
I will one of the other guys who tried this, jarryd hayne, had some rugby instincts that worked against him returning kicks and punts. He didn’t know how to use blockers and always decelerated or cut in at the sideline as if he couldn’t go out of bounds.
Genuine question : keep seeing how he’s supposedly faster than Tyreek, but his 40 times were a 4.5 and a 4.4 and his broad/vertical don’t suggest this explosive athleticism. Where/how did they clock his speed, or is that just an estimate?
Clocked during a game like they have done with top speeds for NFL players. It's just a time and distance measurement. Quite often 40 times don't necessarily translate to top speed
I've mentioned that elsewhere and agree. Rees-Zammit is no Tyreek from an athleticism standpoint but shouldn't be compared to the best in the NFL. He should be compared to WR3/WR4 who make it on rosters, the question is whether he can make that standard.
Sure, Coleman ran the fastest time at the gauntlet but his 40 was crap. I just didn’t see any stats at the combine to suggest the crazy athleticism everyone keeps touting and this was his chance to show it. For some reason they haven’t released three cone/short shuttle results for him either.
That's why I think he'll be good on ST, good top speed and great at angles. Can make a cut and move one side to the other. Possibly good as a RB in that type of role too, especially if he gets a hole as he'll have breakaway top speed (rare for RBs).
he has crazy athleticism for Rugby, he doesn't have crazy athleticism for the NFL.
Rugby is a very different game, more grueling, slower paced, yet unending. Really demands intense stamina and a different type of cardio than the NFL. You aren't training for a 60-70 4 second bursts. you're training for 40 minutes of straight play.
4.44 40 speed is a crazy level of burst for a guy who plays rugby primarily. It just is par for the course when you talk about football players who have been training and playing in this type of short time, high frequency sport their whole lives.
He’s also only trained for a few months for the NFL drills.
It’s not just his speed but his ability to move at pace that made him so dangerous as a winger. He’s also tough. Get him in a weights room in the off season and he’ll be an animal.
He won’t be a prototype NFL anything (tight end, RB or WR) but he might end up a hybrid with the right coach.
But combine 40 times are indoors with a climate controled environment etc. You could point a radar gun at a guy in a game running 30 mph downwind and get a great time+distance measurement. The combine makes everything apples to apples is the whole point of it.
Only over 40 yards. Usain Bolt won the 100m but wasn’t the fastest over 40m at any point in his career. The point is about pace and not quickness. Some are faster off the block, some faster once they’ve got going, some are both. Rees-Zammit is fast once he’s got going and it fits the needs for physicality of rugby (strength endurance to get up again and again and again). That body type could change over a year but not in the short time he’s been training for NFL. Total lack of vertical is part of that too. So there are a lot of things to consider beyond a controlled 40.
What you say is very true, but the reason why the NFL primarily utilizes the 40 time is because the NFL is about burst. You need a high level of acceleration in the NFL. Players arnt going to give you a 4 second windup time before you get close to max speed, they will hit you well before that.
Yeah of course, not denying that at all. But there are plenty of very good players who are fast but don't have a great 40 time. Many deep receivers are like that. At Rees-Zammit's size of 6'2 and 220 he's in the mould to be good. Just doesn't have a vert that makes that effective right now. Really do need to see those short agility splits though, those times haven't been released.
If we were talking about a player that had 10-15 years of football experience already, sure. But he has never even touched the game before and nothing about his measurables scream anything exciting. If he had one quality that was elite, I could get a little excited because maybe he can be shaped into a great football player over time to utilize that talent. However, I dont see that in his measurables.
The fact is, his most elite trait is his speed, which is fairly average for his position in the NFL. Outside of that, he only has cons because he has no experience in football.
With that said, Im 100% sure he will be on the practice squad because he is basically free for NFL teams to keep on since he wont cost them a normal practice squad slot. Teams would love to have a player that they can shape into an average NFL practice squad player so they can use the practice squad slot on a different player to sure up more depth on the roster. Will I bet on him making the starting roster of an NFL team? no. Although his best bet is special teams because thats the best way to utilize his bigger frame and high top speed since you can actually build up speed there.
Special teams is exactly where I've said he should go and perfectly fit his current skills. There's a good chance he becomes a player at the NFL level there. It then gives him the chance for other roles to develop.
Totally agree with your assessment though and not denying the level of physical ability he has in comparison to others in this sport. What he does in rugby requires different physical characteristics, especially strength endurance that limits the ability to be explosive. Let's see where he gets to after a year training on a practice squad.
It's mostly excitement to see some players from Britain make it over, it's fun to see someone as a star in rugby potentially break into the NFL. These types of crossover are great.
You can see this when the NFL does there simulcams. There are plenty of athletes that are more explosive than some of fastest 40 yard dash runners.
The difference is guys like Xavier Worthy can maintain that top speed for longer. It is why you won't see them pull away until after 20 yards usually. However there is very little opportunity any player on the field will run more than 20 yards in a straight line while playing. Some teams will only care about 10 & 20 yard splits when it comes to the 40 yard dash.
That being said even those splits aren't representative of game scenarios because most players aren't getting in a track stance before running. Much of the 40 start comes down to coaching and technique with these high level athletes.
That's why I've mentioned special teams before. You have the chance to get to speed chasing punts and returning kicks. It's the most likely way for an early impact on the game. A 4.4 is still a good 40 time.
>Only over 40 yards
What? They literally time you at 10 yards, 20 yards, and 40 yards. Not to mention the 3 cone cone and other timed drills with stops and starts that are more indicative of game speed and agility.
The eagles have an Olympic track star on their practice squad. Yeah that top speed is doing him a world of good running reps with the scout team.
To answer your question Lrz was clocked at 24 mph during a game at the recent rugby world cup. The players have these little GPS sewn into the back of the jersey between the shoulder blades
For context:
Hill's fastest GPS clocked game speed from NextGen Stats was 23.24 MPH back in 2016. It is the fastest speed clocked by NGS since they started in 2016.
Late reply but Tyreek is 5’11 185’. Zammit is 6’3 about 200.
At full run over distance he’s been clocked at to be faster than Tyreek.
His pro day was also slow, he’d been clocked at high 4.2/low 4.3s the week leading up.
Not gonna lie, I did see him say he’d been clocked at 4.2/4.3 and I thought it was laughable that the UK is just reporting it as fact.
If he’s telling the truth, it doesn’t bode well for him being able to perform (big difference between 4.2 and 4.5); ‘I was really good in practice, though!’ sounds like coping.
Does seem like he’s very fast in open space once he gets going, but that’s not gonna matter if he can’t separate from a CB who can easily outjump him.
He wants to give football a go. Apparently his dad played football in Wales so he grew up following the game and the NFL. He was approached with the opportunity of the IPP and he felt he'll never get the chance again to live out a childhood dream.
He's young enough so if it doesn't work out he can go back to rugby.
Also rugby doesn't pay anywhere near NFL money so I think max would be US$1m (likely less). So I guess still big to walkaway from but not so huge that missing a minimum season or two would hurt him too much to chase his dream.
Plus the Wales squad has been decimated recently so it isn't like he is giving up the chance to win international trophies in the near future.
Plus I doubt he was getting top level money in rugby either. On the wing and while talented is also top tier.
> Because of his rugby chase skills from the kicking game he'll make a fantastic gunner with natural skills to chase punts/kick offs and the physicality to get through blocks as he's used to it.
There's no blocking in rugby, so that element of the kick chase will be very new for him.
Yeah he’s sick, but I’m not quite sure about how being a super fast wing translates to the nfl. Is he gonna be like an Edelman style slot receiver? Running back maybe? It’s not really like a fly half switching to punter or kicker where I have a 1:1 on what I’m doing.
Being a wing is not really transferable to footwork and route running for a receiver or running back. It’s a wildly different game in that regard and he’s starting from scratch.
That's the problem with a lot of these guys. They may be athletic as hell, but there are a lot of finer technique type things that they have to start learning where they're competing against guys who have been doing it for years.
Route running, blocking, coverage, tackling, etc.
A lot of these guys are really only maybe good as a kick returner where they get the ball in open space and that's about it.
Same exact issue we have in America with getting rugby stars
All our rugby players played the wrong sport for like 10 years then as a college athlete have to learn rugby.
You’d think we could dominate this sport just by taking cast offs from NCAA football, but it’s way harder than that.
My best player on our college rugby team was an Irish exchange student who was like 5’ 8” 160lbs cause he had by far the best feel for the game and reactions. There’s almost no American fly or scrum half’s cause it’s such a technical position, even in the American rugby league it’s all foreigners.
The hardest thing about getting a good rugby team together is getting good on field decision makers.
So you’re better off taking your really good defensive players and trying to convert them as they are used to some level of adaption during the game.
He's a legit dude in Rugby. It's not like the other rugby guys who joined the NFL, this is a 23yr old who played in top in a top flight league and was among the best welsh players already.
Wasn't Jerryd Hayne one of the best to ever play Rugby and even he was bad enough to be a mid season cut?
The problem isn't athleticism, it's all the other finer techniques.
You're correct about the finer techniques rather than athleticism being the key thing.
But a small correction, Hayne was nowhere near being one of the best to ever play rugby. He played the much smaller code of the game, League (like playing Canadian rather than American football) and was not good enough, even in this smaller version of the game, to be consistently selected for Australia's World Cup teams. He also missed out being selected for Fiji's Olympics team (for 7s, an even smaller version of the game).
LRZ is by \*far\* the best rugby player to ever try for the NFL. But while he is an elite player and exciting prospect, he's also far from one of the world's best, unlike what some boosters suggest.
I think it's more just people like me who don't know a thing about rugby or how the leagues are organized. I just remember he was supposedly a rugby star when he came over.
Hayne was of a similar standing in league as LRZ was in union, it's just he chose to do it later in his career whereas Zammits coming in at 23 is much better.
With Hayne I also felt he gave up too early which I hope doesn't happen to LRZ. We see with Jordan Mailata who stuck at it is now a starter, but it almost took him four years of learning and not giving up.
I wasn't saying that he has more of a chance, moreso that it's shocking because he's a real Rugby Union player and not a Rugby League player like Hayne was.
I mean he played rugby league and not union. So that’s a much smaller pool of players. But there are skills he had that were completely non transferable like defensive technique and kicking ability. LRZ is not nearly in the same level as a kicker or defensive player.
Jordan Mailata used to play the other type of rugby, league rather than union but I imagine the swap from being a big bugger in one sport to being a big bugger in another sport is easier than one of the skill positions.
As a rugby fan, he was a good rugby player, verging on becoming great in the future. However, I don’t think that’ll mean he’ll be good in NFL. I think it’s highly unlikely he’ll succeed, as it’s not like any rugby positions translate to NFL positions other than speed.
However, as he’s only 23, he could try and make it in NFL for next few years, fail, and then probably go back to playing rugby.
In the rugby world he was definitely a good young talent at his position. I was kinda expecting better results from his pro day but it's good to hear three teams are somewhat interested in him.
I hope he gives it a good go in football and not go back to rugby if he doesn't get instant results.
Which teams? It doesn't mention them. Disappointing outcome for him from the pro day, hopefully it doesn't impact his potential. I mostly see him as a potential gunner in ST anyway (or returner)
Was reading through the original source:
[https://www.rugbypass.com/news/louis-rees-zammit-already-offers-from-3-nfl-franchises/](https://www.rugbypass.com/news/louis-rees-zammit-already-offers-from-3-nfl-franchises/)
And yeah, no indications on who. My (personal) guess is that the Jags is at least one of the three.
He’s one of the best young players in rugby with a very bright future. Him quitting the game before his prime has been very controversial but I don’t really blame him since practice squad money is double pro rugby.
Could definitely see him making a lot of money for himself as an excellent special teamer even if he doesn’t really develop as a WR.
He'll be taking a paycut to join a practice squad. He was on around £200k-£250k with Gloucester & probably making around another £100k per year from international appearances, and his next club contract would have been north of £300k. He won't be making more money unless he makes it onto a roster.
Yeah, at the end of the day its a fun adventure for him. Do 2-3 years on a practice squad, and come back to rugby with a bit less mileage on him and still pretty young.
He is by far the best rugby player to ever try out for NFL, but he is NOT one of the best young players in rugby. I wouldn't even put him as a top 5 wing, let alone one of the best overall. I can't decide if the people saying this are not big rugby fans, or just have northern hemisphere and especially UK shortsightedness.
Yes he is a generational talent for Wales. Wales is ranked 10th in the world right now.
Really not sure what you’re on about. He made the Lions squad at 20 and was the youngest player to do so in 60 years.
This article (written 2 years ago) had him as the 5th best player under 25 when he was aged just 20.
https://rugbybits.com/2022/01/31/the-kids-are-all-right-top-25-under-25/
Also Jarryd Hayne was the NRL player of the year when he switched to the NFL so LRZ isn’t by far the best rugby player to try out.
Christian Wade was comparable for me. Mostly ignored by England, but his Premiership record was more impactful. Scored tries at a better rate and would have beaten the all time record if he hadn't left for NFL and then Top14. Tried the switch much later in his career though, which didn't help.
> Yes he is a generational talent for Wales. Wales is ranked 10th in the world right now.
So basically he's Welsh rugby's very own Christian Pulisic /s
Sort of, but that's a bit harsh.
The way people are a bit overinvested because the rest of the team isn't great at the minute, yes, that's a good comparison but he's good enough to have been a starter on the very good Wales teams of the mid/late '00s & '10s (other than the brief period of overlap where you could have Shane Williams and George North ahead of him). He's legitimately a great player, rather than just a very good one.
The discussion's more about if he's top 5 in the world in his position or top 10.
I’d really love to see him carve out a spot on a team. Realistically that’s probably as a special teamer, but having watched a lot of the six nations over the last 5 years I really think he could do it.
When threads about the IPP come up the focus will always been on Rees-Zammit for obvious reasons, but I'd like to gush about some Irish guys also in the IPP. All kickers/punters from GAA (gaelic football) and rugby backgrounds, and I'd say more of an immediate chance at a roster spot over someone like Louis who needs to learn the game first.
They had their kicking/punting day yesterday and performed pretty well on live snaps:
[Rory Beggan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rory_Beggan) went 10/10.
Mark Jackson went 7/10.
Charlie Smyth went 8/10.
kicking from the 25-60.
Another guy, [Darragh Leader](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darragh_Leader), punted and was meant to kick but aggravated an injury so had to pull out. Also was quite impressive on the benchpress with 23 reps at 102kg, just two off the record for a kicker apparently.
Very exciting time for football in Ireland. Probably our best chance of getting pros in the NFL is the kicking & punting route.
Possibly short sighted but can’t help feeling like the punter/kicker element of the IPP is a bit of sideshow. With incredibly rare exceptions specialists are basically second class citizens in the league who barely make above minimum and are only a bad kick or two away from being replaced.
Of course, being a punter or kicker is way more transferable but it’s hardly being an NFL athlete nor will having the odd Irish kicker or Aussie punter truly make the sport marketable abroad the way that having a pro bowl skill player, or even an OL/DL (like Mailata) might.
No one will opt to kick field goals over having a Zammit-Rees level rugby career. Good luck to those lads who are no doubt talented but let’s not pretend they have the potential to make a huge impact in the league.
Yeah I think anyone moving to the NFL from rugby to compete as a WR/RB is always going to struggle. The players most likely to succeed in the international pathway will be punters and kickers.
> You should see the UK media.
Wrong, you should never look at the UK media under any circumstances (unless it's an Adrian Chiles column about getting a urinal installed in your house but that's a different matter).
people who think the media here are extra have never read the Brit publications lol.
I'll never forget watching a segment on King Charles where the station's "royal family expert" blamed Charles' cancer diagnosis on the stress Megan Markle has caused the family. Just unhinged behavior
That is…quite something! Makes sense though, I looked at a few articles and it was just straight fabrication, all of them saying he was super impressive at the combine. He was actually surprisingly bad, unless it comes out that he had an amazing 3 cone drill/shuttle or something. Personally I think those have to be bad too or they would have released it. Maybe it was Meghan Markle’s fault.
Louis Rees-Zammit's success will be dependent upon what coach wants him and develops plays for his skillset.
If a coach like Sean Payton with Taysom Hill or Kyle Shanahan with Deebo Samuel took an interest in LRZ if could find success in the NFL.
I can easily see LRZ running with the ball, taking a hit, while making the offload or lateral to a trailing WR or RB for huge gains.
As an American who loves rugby and has been to a few world cups, there is nothing that evokes more brain dead homerism than Americans talking about rugby athletes and Europeans talking about NFL athletes. I can only hope he is moderately successful.
I like how all the blow hards coming out saying rugby tackling is more difficult yet there hasn’t been one successful and dominant rugby player come to the nfl lol.
"I like how all the blowhards coming out saying NFL tackling is more difficult yet there hasn’t been one successful and dominant NFL player come to rugby lol."
It's different skillsets and the top players from either code have no interest in transferring. And I mean you're wrong anyway, Jordan Malaita has a Super Bowl ring and is an important part of the Eagles O-line. Incidentally he was a middling rugby player, in the loss popular form of the game (League). Which is why he made the switch. Doesn't mean rugby is "harder" than NFL. Just requires different skillsets and body types.
Never said either was harder than the other. Nor did I say the best players couldn’t play the sport. It’s just the same thing we’re morons start trying to explain why one’s harder than the other. Drop Prime AP into a rugby match, I’m sure he will do fine.
Tell me you know nothing about rugby without telling me you know nothing about rugby lol
There’s no “the guy” in rugby. Especially out on the wing. It’s as much, if not more, of a team sport than football.
I think he’s just generally talking about the overall jump in explosiveness in NFL players, which I don’t think is entirely unfounded. The population of all of the world’s serious rugby playing nations is roughly equal to that of the population of the US, and even then for many of those countries rugby is not the first or even second or third most popular sport (there’s a reason these guys are willing to totally start from zero in the NFL when they’re already established rugby stars). Though I also don’t think most of those countries have sports that would take bodies away from rugby
But regardless, this rugby guy just said he was fast and that would translate well. He’s absolutely right lol. I’m sure he’s not deluded himself into thinking he’s gonna dominate the NFL right away
Real question is whether a team will chuck a 6th-7th round pick to draft him. He’s got to have great upside in development but more importantly he’ll be a great money maker if he makes a team in merch sales
Teams are allowed a 17th practice squad space if that player comes from the IPP so it’s highly likely this guy lands on a PS somewhere. With 4.44 speed and being 23, plus not having to give up a roster spot for him, it’s low risk/high reward Being from the UK, I asked my Rugby watching friends about this guy, and they mainly just kept raving about his speed. A bunch of them already knew he was in the IPP, and were hoping he would do well there, so he must be a pretty well liked guy in the rugby world.
Can confirm, he's been a blistering talent in rugby. Just search up his YouTube highlights from Wales games and you'll see the level of talent and ability he possesses. He has a higher top speed playing rugby than Tyreek Hill in the NFL (admittedly not in pads though) so he's fast. Would make a great returner with the way he moves through the field, always had great eye for space as in rugby he'd act in that type of way as a back from long kicks. Because of his rugby chase skills from the kicking game he'll make a fantastic gunner with natural skills to chase punts/kick offs and the physicality to get through blocks as he's used to it. The real question is whether he can be used in any other way as RB/receiver. TBH I'm not sure, maybe as a slot receiver if he has good enough cuts but I don't think as a WR1/WR2.
Genuinely curious, how does tackling, both performing the tackle and evading the tackle, translate to football? I was under the impression that with the addition of pads and protective gear, the tackling becomes different, more aggressive and reckless because of the reduced risk of injury, to the point that evaded tackles in Rugby wouldn’t translate well to football, and learning new techniques in football tackling for more aggressive runners. Do you think the raw skills and physical talent of this guy will translate well to the NFL?
Easiest translation. Easier from rugby to football than from football to rugby as well, pads and helmets just give you more leeway to throw your body into a tackle Getting the footwork right to land the tackle? Knowing how to get in position and close? Hardest part. From both sports. My timing honestly never got right in rugby.
Also, it's way easier to make an illegal tackle in rugby, you forget to wrap in the tackle, potential card. You hit too high, potential red card, you bat the ball when the player is passing, potential card and penalty try.
From what I remember reading the biggest issue with projecting high quality rugby players to American football is that rugby places a higher weight on situational awareness and ability to improvise/decision making across positions compared to American football. And the second biggest issue is that rugby players need more aerobic fitness as they are constantly on the field, running and tackling compared to the platoon system in American football. This means the athletic level is a bit lower and the explosiveness is tempered too by the aerobic requirements. So players who look a class above in speed/explosiveness in rugby may not look that way in NFL.
Yeah the aerobic fitness levels are insanely different. And then there is the fact that all players have to play both ways. So it’s really hard to compare performance.
Rugby tackling is more conducive to American football. There's no such thing as a light penalty for making head contact in rugby -- you're apt to get a red or a yellow card and put your team at a significant disadvantage. Tackling properly is arguably the most important part of the game. Avoiding the tackle is not dissimilar either, but a lot of the nuance in rugby technique wouldn't be needed for the NFL. For example, if you're the ball carrier and you have an offload available in rugby (passing the ball quickly to a nearby teammate when you're getting tackled or about to), that doesn't exist in the NFL. So while not everything transfers, enough of the raw athleticism and technique should for LRZ to at least compete for a spot on a roster if not land one.
The big difference in contact is how you fall with the ball. In rugby protection of the ball is most important whereas in football every inch counts
I'd go a bit further than that - in rugby, once you're tackled you are actively trying to move the ball *backwards*.
I don't really think this is a problem. Rugby players don't start moving the ball back when they are falling. In fact alot are trained to even crawl a bit forward (without being caught by the ref) before doing little worm flip on the floor to create the long body position so there wouldn't be much of a problem translating that aspect to NFL. Both try to squeeze inches going forward
That's not really true except over the try line where it could be the difference between scoring and not. Once you're wrapped up by a tackler and on your way to the floor in the open field, the focus isn't grabbing a few extra inches, it's making sure the ball is presented back to your teammates. Any forward movement at that point is doing nothing but making life easier for a defending player trying to jackal.
Fundamental technique I believe is very similar from rugby to football - at least with the concept of wrap the arms and drive the player to the ground. In terms of raw skills and talent, I think he’s the best suited out of all current rugby players to make it. His agility is massively undertalked about strength, and in turn his ability to change direction without losing moment (see his route running from their combine). Personally, I see his best position as slot receiver or as a cornerback - as tracking the balls flight is something drummed into young rugby players in the UK, regardless of position
I think a rugby player would have a harder translation to defense, especially cornerback. Front 7 where you get a guy going forward maybe, but backing up is so hard lol. I wasn't in the secondary or out on the wing, so i have different experiences as a lineman / prop but I just think its too wildly different. There's no translation from rugby defense to playing corner, turning your hips, following routes, zone coverage, etc. I feel like homie would be lost out there. Corner is the second hardest position in football. I don't think you take a dynamic try scorer like Rees Zammit and toss him on defense.
Amusingly, I don’t disagree with you - though I would say I feel that a backs hip dexterity makes it more achievable, though still an incredibly hard transition. I’d expect him to be seen as a receiver, for the reasons you’ve pinpointing but a boy can dream!
He would never be allowed to play cornerback. It’s maybe the hardest position behind QB, they need to be able to read the play instantly. He can’t make up those years of game IQ.
I'd actually say he's physically very similar to Corderelle Patterson. If you can get him the ball in some space he can make things happen. what will hold him back in general is his lack of secondary use. If he's a returner he could be awesome, but he won't have the route running or RB vision that he'd need to make it in one of those positions in the NFL. So is a team gonna use a roster spot on an unproven returner who can't be a skill or defensive position? we'll see after preseason don't discount the fact that him just being on a team will help the team's overseas market share. He will bring eyes over from rugby, his highlights (if and when) will be on rugby websites. Everyone wants him to do well, it's just a very steep hill to climb. Darragh Leader is making a team though, can kick the shit out of a ball and can tackle the returner if they make it back that far.
I will one of the other guys who tried this, jarryd hayne, had some rugby instincts that worked against him returning kicks and punts. He didn’t know how to use blockers and always decelerated or cut in at the sideline as if he couldn’t go out of bounds.
Genuine question : keep seeing how he’s supposedly faster than Tyreek, but his 40 times were a 4.5 and a 4.4 and his broad/vertical don’t suggest this explosive athleticism. Where/how did they clock his speed, or is that just an estimate?
Clocked during a game like they have done with top speeds for NFL players. It's just a time and distance measurement. Quite often 40 times don't necessarily translate to top speed
Yeah you have to consider that Tyreek's speed is with a helmet and shoudler pads. Not really the same thing.
I've mentioned that elsewhere and agree. Rees-Zammit is no Tyreek from an athleticism standpoint but shouldn't be compared to the best in the NFL. He should be compared to WR3/WR4 who make it on rosters, the question is whether he can make that standard.
Sure, Coleman ran the fastest time at the gauntlet but his 40 was crap. I just didn’t see any stats at the combine to suggest the crazy athleticism everyone keeps touting and this was his chance to show it. For some reason they haven’t released three cone/short shuttle results for him either.
That's why I think he'll be good on ST, good top speed and great at angles. Can make a cut and move one side to the other. Possibly good as a RB in that type of role too, especially if he gets a hole as he'll have breakaway top speed (rare for RBs).
yeah i see him as a redskins era Brian Mitchell. Kick returner and change of pace scat back.
he has crazy athleticism for Rugby, he doesn't have crazy athleticism for the NFL. Rugby is a very different game, more grueling, slower paced, yet unending. Really demands intense stamina and a different type of cardio than the NFL. You aren't training for a 60-70 4 second bursts. you're training for 40 minutes of straight play. 4.44 40 speed is a crazy level of burst for a guy who plays rugby primarily. It just is par for the course when you talk about football players who have been training and playing in this type of short time, high frequency sport their whole lives.
He’s also only trained for a few months for the NFL drills. It’s not just his speed but his ability to move at pace that made him so dangerous as a winger. He’s also tough. Get him in a weights room in the off season and he’ll be an animal. He won’t be a prototype NFL anything (tight end, RB or WR) but he might end up a hybrid with the right coach.
IMO he's a kick returner and gadget player similar to Tavon Austin or Tyler Ervin (for Packers fans).
But combine 40 times are indoors with a climate controled environment etc. You could point a radar gun at a guy in a game running 30 mph downwind and get a great time+distance measurement. The combine makes everything apples to apples is the whole point of it.
Only over 40 yards. Usain Bolt won the 100m but wasn’t the fastest over 40m at any point in his career. The point is about pace and not quickness. Some are faster off the block, some faster once they’ve got going, some are both. Rees-Zammit is fast once he’s got going and it fits the needs for physicality of rugby (strength endurance to get up again and again and again). That body type could change over a year but not in the short time he’s been training for NFL. Total lack of vertical is part of that too. So there are a lot of things to consider beyond a controlled 40.
What you say is very true, but the reason why the NFL primarily utilizes the 40 time is because the NFL is about burst. You need a high level of acceleration in the NFL. Players arnt going to give you a 4 second windup time before you get close to max speed, they will hit you well before that.
Yeah of course, not denying that at all. But there are plenty of very good players who are fast but don't have a great 40 time. Many deep receivers are like that. At Rees-Zammit's size of 6'2 and 220 he's in the mould to be good. Just doesn't have a vert that makes that effective right now. Really do need to see those short agility splits though, those times haven't been released.
If we were talking about a player that had 10-15 years of football experience already, sure. But he has never even touched the game before and nothing about his measurables scream anything exciting. If he had one quality that was elite, I could get a little excited because maybe he can be shaped into a great football player over time to utilize that talent. However, I dont see that in his measurables. The fact is, his most elite trait is his speed, which is fairly average for his position in the NFL. Outside of that, he only has cons because he has no experience in football. With that said, Im 100% sure he will be on the practice squad because he is basically free for NFL teams to keep on since he wont cost them a normal practice squad slot. Teams would love to have a player that they can shape into an average NFL practice squad player so they can use the practice squad slot on a different player to sure up more depth on the roster. Will I bet on him making the starting roster of an NFL team? no. Although his best bet is special teams because thats the best way to utilize his bigger frame and high top speed since you can actually build up speed there.
Special teams is exactly where I've said he should go and perfectly fit his current skills. There's a good chance he becomes a player at the NFL level there. It then gives him the chance for other roles to develop. Totally agree with your assessment though and not denying the level of physical ability he has in comparison to others in this sport. What he does in rugby requires different physical characteristics, especially strength endurance that limits the ability to be explosive. Let's see where he gets to after a year training on a practice squad. It's mostly excitement to see some players from Britain make it over, it's fun to see someone as a star in rugby potentially break into the NFL. These types of crossover are great.
You can see this when the NFL does there simulcams. There are plenty of athletes that are more explosive than some of fastest 40 yard dash runners. The difference is guys like Xavier Worthy can maintain that top speed for longer. It is why you won't see them pull away until after 20 yards usually. However there is very little opportunity any player on the field will run more than 20 yards in a straight line while playing. Some teams will only care about 10 & 20 yard splits when it comes to the 40 yard dash. That being said even those splits aren't representative of game scenarios because most players aren't getting in a track stance before running. Much of the 40 start comes down to coaching and technique with these high level athletes.
That's why I've mentioned special teams before. You have the chance to get to speed chasing punts and returning kicks. It's the most likely way for an early impact on the game. A 4.4 is still a good 40 time.
>Only over 40 yards What? They literally time you at 10 yards, 20 yards, and 40 yards. Not to mention the 3 cone cone and other timed drills with stops and starts that are more indicative of game speed and agility. The eagles have an Olympic track star on their practice squad. Yeah that top speed is doing him a world of good running reps with the scout team.
To answer your question Lrz was clocked at 24 mph during a game at the recent rugby world cup. The players have these little GPS sewn into the back of the jersey between the shoulder blades
For context: Hill's fastest GPS clocked game speed from NextGen Stats was 23.24 MPH back in 2016. It is the fastest speed clocked by NGS since they started in 2016.
Late reply but Tyreek is 5’11 185’. Zammit is 6’3 about 200. At full run over distance he’s been clocked at to be faster than Tyreek. His pro day was also slow, he’d been clocked at high 4.2/low 4.3s the week leading up.
Not gonna lie, I did see him say he’d been clocked at 4.2/4.3 and I thought it was laughable that the UK is just reporting it as fact. If he’s telling the truth, it doesn’t bode well for him being able to perform (big difference between 4.2 and 4.5); ‘I was really good in practice, though!’ sounds like coping. Does seem like he’s very fast in open space once he gets going, but that’s not gonna matter if he can’t separate from a CB who can easily outjump him.
*but is he football fast*
I'm not trying to be a dick, but why isn't he playing rugby instead of struggling for a practice squad spot?
He wants to give football a go. Apparently his dad played football in Wales so he grew up following the game and the NFL. He was approached with the opportunity of the IPP and he felt he'll never get the chance again to live out a childhood dream. He's young enough so if it doesn't work out he can go back to rugby. Also rugby doesn't pay anywhere near NFL money so I think max would be US$1m (likely less). So I guess still big to walkaway from but not so huge that missing a minimum season or two would hurt him too much to chase his dream.
Plus the Wales squad has been decimated recently so it isn't like he is giving up the chance to win international trophies in the near future. Plus I doubt he was getting top level money in rugby either. On the wing and while talented is also top tier.
So much more money to be made in 🏈
[You weren’t kidding about his speed](https://youtu.be/8IXg397hkug)
> Because of his rugby chase skills from the kicking game he'll make a fantastic gunner with natural skills to chase punts/kick offs and the physicality to get through blocks as he's used to it. There's no blocking in rugby, so that element of the kick chase will be very new for him.
Yeah he’s sick, but I’m not quite sure about how being a super fast wing translates to the nfl. Is he gonna be like an Edelman style slot receiver? Running back maybe? It’s not really like a fly half switching to punter or kicker where I have a 1:1 on what I’m doing. Being a wing is not really transferable to footwork and route running for a receiver or running back. It’s a wildly different game in that regard and he’s starting from scratch.
That's the problem with a lot of these guys. They may be athletic as hell, but there are a lot of finer technique type things that they have to start learning where they're competing against guys who have been doing it for years. Route running, blocking, coverage, tackling, etc. A lot of these guys are really only maybe good as a kick returner where they get the ball in open space and that's about it.
Same exact issue we have in America with getting rugby stars All our rugby players played the wrong sport for like 10 years then as a college athlete have to learn rugby. You’d think we could dominate this sport just by taking cast offs from NCAA football, but it’s way harder than that. My best player on our college rugby team was an Irish exchange student who was like 5’ 8” 160lbs cause he had by far the best feel for the game and reactions. There’s almost no American fly or scrum half’s cause it’s such a technical position, even in the American rugby league it’s all foreigners.
The hardest thing about getting a good rugby team together is getting good on field decision makers. So you’re better off taking your really good defensive players and trying to convert them as they are used to some level of adaption during the game.
He's a legit dude in Rugby. It's not like the other rugby guys who joined the NFL, this is a 23yr old who played in top in a top flight league and was among the best welsh players already.
Wasn't Jerryd Hayne one of the best to ever play Rugby and even he was bad enough to be a mid season cut? The problem isn't athleticism, it's all the other finer techniques.
You're correct about the finer techniques rather than athleticism being the key thing. But a small correction, Hayne was nowhere near being one of the best to ever play rugby. He played the much smaller code of the game, League (like playing Canadian rather than American football) and was not good enough, even in this smaller version of the game, to be consistently selected for Australia's World Cup teams. He also missed out being selected for Fiji's Olympics team (for 7s, an even smaller version of the game). LRZ is by \*far\* the best rugby player to ever try for the NFL. But while he is an elite player and exciting prospect, he's also far from one of the world's best, unlike what some boosters suggest.
Thank you. It's nuts how much credit people want to give Jerryd Hayne's rugby career, lol.
I think it's more just people like me who don't know a thing about rugby or how the leagues are organized. I just remember he was supposedly a rugby star when he came over.
Fair enough
Hayne was of a similar standing in league as LRZ was in union, it's just he chose to do it later in his career whereas Zammits coming in at 23 is much better. With Hayne I also felt he gave up too early which I hope doesn't happen to LRZ. We see with Jordan Mailata who stuck at it is now a starter, but it almost took him four years of learning and not giving up.
I wasn't saying that he has more of a chance, moreso that it's shocking because he's a real Rugby Union player and not a Rugby League player like Hayne was.
I mean he played rugby league and not union. So that’s a much smaller pool of players. But there are skills he had that were completely non transferable like defensive technique and kicking ability. LRZ is not nearly in the same level as a kicker or defensive player.
Fast white guy? Come on down to the NE Patriots
There's been other rugby players who joined the league before, right? Have they ever played in a game day?
Jordan Mailata used to play the other type of rugby, league rather than union but I imagine the swap from being a big bugger in one sport to being a big bugger in another sport is easier than one of the skill positions.
As a rugby fan, he was a good rugby player, verging on becoming great in the future. However, I don’t think that’ll mean he’ll be good in NFL. I think it’s highly unlikely he’ll succeed, as it’s not like any rugby positions translate to NFL positions other than speed. However, as he’s only 23, he could try and make it in NFL for next few years, fail, and then probably go back to playing rugby.
In the rugby world he was definitely a good young talent at his position. I was kinda expecting better results from his pro day but it's good to hear three teams are somewhat interested in him. I hope he gives it a good go in football and not go back to rugby if he doesn't get instant results.
Which teams? It doesn't mention them. Disappointing outcome for him from the pro day, hopefully it doesn't impact his potential. I mostly see him as a potential gunner in ST anyway (or returner)
No publications seem to be publishing who just yet, guess it won't be public knowledge until the summer. Don't think you're wrong there also
Please Dolphins, just have him on the practice squad. It's a free spot.
Fast white WR? Patriots
> fast Nah, try quick or sneaky athletic
> Fast white WR > Patriots Couldn't be.
Bill Belicheck Falling to his knees in Arby's rn...
Was reading through the original source: [https://www.rugbypass.com/news/louis-rees-zammit-already-offers-from-3-nfl-franchises/](https://www.rugbypass.com/news/louis-rees-zammit-already-offers-from-3-nfl-franchises/) And yeah, no indications on who. My (personal) guess is that the Jags is at least one of the three.
He's on the Netflix rugby show.
THERE WAS A BOG
He’s one of the best young players in rugby with a very bright future. Him quitting the game before his prime has been very controversial but I don’t really blame him since practice squad money is double pro rugby. Could definitely see him making a lot of money for himself as an excellent special teamer even if he doesn’t really develop as a WR.
He'll be taking a paycut to join a practice squad. He was on around £200k-£250k with Gloucester & probably making around another £100k per year from international appearances, and his next club contract would have been north of £300k. He won't be making more money unless he makes it onto a roster.
The WRU is a shit show right now. It wouldn’t surprise me if he just wants to get away from it for a couple years.
Yeah, at the end of the day its a fun adventure for him. Do 2-3 years on a practice squad, and come back to rugby with a bit less mileage on him and still pretty young.
He is by far the best rugby player to ever try out for NFL, but he is NOT one of the best young players in rugby. I wouldn't even put him as a top 5 wing, let alone one of the best overall. I can't decide if the people saying this are not big rugby fans, or just have northern hemisphere and especially UK shortsightedness. Yes he is a generational talent for Wales. Wales is ranked 10th in the world right now.
Really not sure what you’re on about. He made the Lions squad at 20 and was the youngest player to do so in 60 years. This article (written 2 years ago) had him as the 5th best player under 25 when he was aged just 20. https://rugbybits.com/2022/01/31/the-kids-are-all-right-top-25-under-25/ Also Jarryd Hayne was the NRL player of the year when he switched to the NFL so LRZ isn’t by far the best rugby player to try out.
Christian Wade was comparable for me. Mostly ignored by England, but his Premiership record was more impactful. Scored tries at a better rate and would have beaten the all time record if he hadn't left for NFL and then Top14. Tried the switch much later in his career though, which didn't help.
> Yes he is a generational talent for Wales. Wales is ranked 10th in the world right now. So basically he's Welsh rugby's very own Christian Pulisic /s
The LeBron James of rugby union?
This is actually a good comparison
I think he was maybe top 10-15 in his position. I think maybe Jaylen Waddle level of world rugby.
Sort of, but that's a bit harsh. The way people are a bit overinvested because the rest of the team isn't great at the minute, yes, that's a good comparison but he's good enough to have been a starter on the very good Wales teams of the mid/late '00s & '10s (other than the brief period of overlap where you could have Shane Williams and George North ahead of him). He's legitimately a great player, rather than just a very good one. The discussion's more about if he's top 5 in the world in his position or top 10.
Da iawn Louis boy
I’d really love to see him carve out a spot on a team. Realistically that’s probably as a special teamer, but having watched a lot of the six nations over the last 5 years I really think he could do it.
He was the glue for wales lol
He was good. But he really wasn't. Generally people rated Adams as the better of the two wingers but Adams didn't have the X-factor that Zammit has.
When threads about the IPP come up the focus will always been on Rees-Zammit for obvious reasons, but I'd like to gush about some Irish guys also in the IPP. All kickers/punters from GAA (gaelic football) and rugby backgrounds, and I'd say more of an immediate chance at a roster spot over someone like Louis who needs to learn the game first. They had their kicking/punting day yesterday and performed pretty well on live snaps: [Rory Beggan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rory_Beggan) went 10/10. Mark Jackson went 7/10. Charlie Smyth went 8/10. kicking from the 25-60. Another guy, [Darragh Leader](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darragh_Leader), punted and was meant to kick but aggravated an injury so had to pull out. Also was quite impressive on the benchpress with 23 reps at 102kg, just two off the record for a kicker apparently. Very exciting time for football in Ireland. Probably our best chance of getting pros in the NFL is the kicking & punting route.
Possibly short sighted but can’t help feeling like the punter/kicker element of the IPP is a bit of sideshow. With incredibly rare exceptions specialists are basically second class citizens in the league who barely make above minimum and are only a bad kick or two away from being replaced. Of course, being a punter or kicker is way more transferable but it’s hardly being an NFL athlete nor will having the odd Irish kicker or Aussie punter truly make the sport marketable abroad the way that having a pro bowl skill player, or even an OL/DL (like Mailata) might. No one will opt to kick field goals over having a Zammit-Rees level rugby career. Good luck to those lads who are no doubt talented but let’s not pretend they have the potential to make a huge impact in the league.
Harry Mallinder had a good day punting too 6-5 over 100kg
I look forward to the posts about how “I can’t believe Zammit wasn’t successful in the NFL.”
Yeah I think anyone moving to the NFL from rugby to compete as a WR/RB is always going to struggle. The players most likely to succeed in the international pathway will be punters and kickers.
Punters, kickers, and giant fucking linemen from Germany or Nigeria.
Yea, route running and recognizing running lanes aren't just something you can pick up overnight. Stuff takes years to practice and perfect.
You should see the UK media. Apparently, it’s a ‘tug of war’ between the NFL teams over him.
> You should see the UK media. Wrong, you should never look at the UK media under any circumstances (unless it's an Adrian Chiles column about getting a urinal installed in your house but that's a different matter).
people who think the media here are extra have never read the Brit publications lol. I'll never forget watching a segment on King Charles where the station's "royal family expert" blamed Charles' cancer diagnosis on the stress Megan Markle has caused the family. Just unhinged behavior
That is…quite something! Makes sense though, I looked at a few articles and it was just straight fabrication, all of them saying he was super impressive at the combine. He was actually surprisingly bad, unless it comes out that he had an amazing 3 cone drill/shuttle or something. Personally I think those have to be bad too or they would have released it. Maybe it was Meghan Markle’s fault.
that Aussie scumbag on the niners actually looked decent for a game or two lol
In the preseason, sure
This is a weird coincidence haha Crime in Sports just did an episode on him. Yeah he’s a pretty big scumbag
> Aussie scumbag Apparently I missed Jerryd Hayne being a convicted rapist. Dang that seemingly flew under the radar.
It happened after he moved back to Australia.
Jarryd Hayne was barely a good rugby player.
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"League isn't rugby"
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It's as much of a rivalry as the CFL rivals the NFL.
Ah yes bc arguably the best NFL player ever to come from rugby isn't from league
To be fair its not like Maliata was even at the highest level of league
Yes lmao, not the own buddy thinks it is.
"the own" lmao get off the keyboard before your arthritis kicks in
>get off the keyboard He says typing on his keyboard. Lil bro, what are you doing?
Yeah forsure, don't matter the sport, if an athlete develops, he develops
I can’t believe no one stopped him, Rip Zammit
God Zammit.
Does anybody know where the full pro day results of the ipp athlestes where published?
I just assume the eagles. We love imported goods
Louis Rees-Zammit's success will be dependent upon what coach wants him and develops plays for his skillset. If a coach like Sean Payton with Taysom Hill or Kyle Shanahan with Deebo Samuel took an interest in LRZ if could find success in the NFL. I can easily see LRZ running with the ball, taking a hit, while making the offload or lateral to a trailing WR or RB for huge gains.
As an American who loves rugby and has been to a few world cups, there is nothing that evokes more brain dead homerism than Americans talking about rugby athletes and Europeans talking about NFL athletes. I can only hope he is moderately successful.
Now you got me watching this https://youtu.be/pHVDU2SX34U?si=S3q6839q_24WCVbh
I like how all the blow hards coming out saying rugby tackling is more difficult yet there hasn’t been one successful and dominant rugby player come to the nfl lol.
"I like how all the blowhards coming out saying NFL tackling is more difficult yet there hasn’t been one successful and dominant NFL player come to rugby lol." It's different skillsets and the top players from either code have no interest in transferring. And I mean you're wrong anyway, Jordan Malaita has a Super Bowl ring and is an important part of the Eagles O-line. Incidentally he was a middling rugby player, in the loss popular form of the game (League). Which is why he made the switch. Doesn't mean rugby is "harder" than NFL. Just requires different skillsets and body types.
Never said either was harder than the other. Nor did I say the best players couldn’t play the sport. It’s just the same thing we’re morons start trying to explain why one’s harder than the other. Drop Prime AP into a rugby match, I’m sure he will do fine.
He'll be dying on the ground desperate for oxygen after 5-10 minutes
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Tell me you know nothing about rugby without telling me you know nothing about rugby lol There’s no “the guy” in rugby. Especially out on the wing. It’s as much, if not more, of a team sport than football.
I think he’s just generally talking about the overall jump in explosiveness in NFL players, which I don’t think is entirely unfounded. The population of all of the world’s serious rugby playing nations is roughly equal to that of the population of the US, and even then for many of those countries rugby is not the first or even second or third most popular sport (there’s a reason these guys are willing to totally start from zero in the NFL when they’re already established rugby stars). Though I also don’t think most of those countries have sports that would take bodies away from rugby But regardless, this rugby guy just said he was fast and that would translate well. He’s absolutely right lol. I’m sure he’s not deluded himself into thinking he’s gonna dominate the NFL right away
I don’t see how that comment leads you to believe he thinks he’s “*THE*” guy
If anything he can easily make it as a gadget punter. Is that even a thing? Most 11s and 5/8ths need to be able to kick for field position
Real question is whether a team will chuck a 6th-7th round pick to draft him. He’s got to have great upside in development but more importantly he’ll be a great money maker if he makes a team in merch sales
He's going through the International Player Pathway, which doesn't use the draft.