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Welsh rugby star Louis Rees-Zammit was dripping sweat and still catching his breath after finishing up receiving drills when several NFL scouts approached him at the University of South Florida’s pro day.
“Do you have an agent?”
“Have you ever been injured?”
“Did you take the Wonderlick?”
“Are you doing this for yourself or your family?”
Rees-Zammit politely answered every question before heading off to take a few more from reporters.
Rees-Zammit stunned rugby fans when he announced in January that he was leaving his Wales team to pursue a dream of playing in the NFL. The talented 23-year-old, one of the best wingers in rugby, was now the center of attention on a football field instead of a pitch.
“It’s always been on my mind,” Rees-Zammit said Wednesday. “My dad has been a massive role model to me because he brought me up loving the sport. He played the sport when he was younger, so it’s quite easy to love the game because I’ve been watching it from such a young age. So, it’s always been in the back of my head, but it’s just amazing to finally do it now.”
Rees-Zammit, whose favorite NFL player growing up was three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver DeSean Jackson, is one of 16 athletes from eight countries participating in the NFL International Player Pathway program. It was established in 2017 to provide elite athletes from around the world the opportunity to earn a spot on an NFL roster and increase the number of international players in the league.
The prospects spend 10 weeks training at IMG Academy in Bradenton, getting a crash course in practicing the fundamentals of football and learning the intricacies of a game most have never played.
They got a chance to showcase their skills at USF’s pro day in front of 51 scouts representing 31 teams — only the Los Angeles Rams weren’t represented.
All eyes were on Rees-Zammit when he lined up to run the 40-yard dash. Everyone wanted to see how fast “Rees-Lightning” could run under the pressure of stopwatches,…
Source link : https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/welsh-rugby-star-louis-rees-zammit-shines-at-nfls-international-pro-day
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Publish date : 2024-03-22 17:06:18
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