Gloucestershire-based NFL analyst Liam Horsley, son of the late former Forest Green Rovers owner Trevor Horsley, believes that former Gloucester Rugby star Louis Rees-Zammit has a “really good chance” of making an NFL roster.
Rees-Zammit was recently lured into switching sports from rugby to American football by the NFL and their International Player Pathway Program, which has seen the likes of Jordan Mailata, Efe Obada, and Jakob Johnson become established NFL players.
The former Wales international is not the first rugby player to attempt a switch between the two sports, Mailata was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles despite never playing a down of American football, and was such as success on the offensive line that he signed a four-year, $64 million contract extension in 2021.
Horsley believes that Rees-Zammit has a “really good chance” of following in the footsteps of Mailata, Obada, and Johnson onto an NFL roster.
“It’s a difficult one. If you take kickers and punters out of it, some rugby players have found it really hard to transition,” said Horsley.
“We’ve seen other British rugby players try it and they’ve been running backs or full backs, but they have never really made a big stamp. I think Louis is going to be more of a wide receiver type.”
Christian Wade is the most successful Brit to make the transition, he left Wasps to join the program in 2018, and scored a rushing touchdown in the first of his three pre-season games in 2019, but never made the Bills active roster, and was released in 2022.
“He’s the most talented and the youngest player that’s tried this move, because a lot of them do it in their late 20s, early 30s when they’ve been a star in rugby.
“Louis is already a young star, known from tracking data as one of the fastest players in the world.
“And the thing with the NFL is they’re historically more athletic than rugby, so I think he’s got a really good chance.”
Rees-Zammit is among 16 international players competing for at least a practice spot on an NFL roster next season.
Introducing the International Player Pathway Class of 2024!
— NFL (@NFL) January 18, 2024
Established in 2017, the league’s IPP program aims to provide elite international athletes with the opportunity to compete at the NFL level, improve their skills and ultimately work to earn a spot on an NFL roster. pic.twitter.com/rHM998TOlJ
The program has expanded for 2024, meaning that any of the 32 franchises is eligible to fill an extra spot on their practice squad that is reserved for an international player.
If successful on a practice squad, he can be elevated to an active roster, and eligible on gameday.
That spot can be filled by a player from the program, or an international player that a team has independently scouted.
It is widely believed that Rees-Zammit will be trained as a ‘gadget’ hybrid of a wide receiver and running back, similar to the mold of San Francisco 49ers superstar Deebo Samuel.
If the Hartpury product struggles to pick up an NFL offense right away, Horsley believes there is another way that Rees-Zammit can make an impact in the league.
“I think the other way he could get on a roster is on special teams as a return man, it seems he has spent a lot of time learning the return game.
“That could allow him to be wide receiver number seven or eight on an active roster, but take kick-off and punt returns. I think that’s probably the way for him to get in,” said Horsley.
The 2024 group is the first class that has seen kickers and punters included in the program, and they are about to embark on a groundbreaking opportunity.
February 29 sees the start of the NFL’s Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, a four-day event that signals the start of the new league season.
One of the most important events of the NFL season, 321 draft prospects have been invited to test their athletic skills, be physically measured, meet higher-ups from the 32 franchises, and be questioned by the media ahead of potentially turning pro in May.
On Sunday, March 3, five members of the program, four from Ireland, and Brit Harry Malinder, formerly of the Northampton Saints, will join those prospects and audition in front of scouts from every team. This is the first time this has happened.
Horsley believes that “at least two” of the five history-making specialists have a good chance at being one of the 53 members of an NFL roster.
“I think for the kickers and punters, it’s going to be an important weekend,” he said.
In 2019, Charlie Smyth wrote a letter to the NFL enquiring about becoming a kicker in the league.
— NFL UK (@NFLUK) February 24, 2024
Now he’s part of the IPP Program preparing for the NFL Combine 🙌 pic.twitter.com/KREtDZTokl
“There have been a lot of Irish and Scottish heritage players that have played in the NFL before, and they are all either kickers or punters.
“But they are people that have moved to America as a child, so they are Irish or Scottish, but they’ve been through the school system.
“This would be the first time that people have tried out in this number from the UK and Ireland, and I think at least two of them have got quite a good chance of making a 53-man roster.”
Three of the four Irish specialists originate from Gaelic football, while Malinder and Darragh Leader are transitioning from professional rugby.
All four days of the NFL combine are available to stream on DAZN, one of the UK rights-holders. The five specialists will take the field with the offensive linemen on Sunday.
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