Louis Rees-Zammit: Welsh rugby player aims for the NFL, but will he be able to succeed in…
Although Louis Rees-Zammit is not the first rugby player to attempt a career in the NFL, what makes him different from his contemporaries and can he succeed where others have failed?
In an effort to “make my dreams a reality,” the 22-year-old Wales international, who played club rugby at Gloucester, said on Tuesday that he would be enrolling in the NFL’s International Player Pathway (IPPP) this month.
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He follows in the footsteps of former England international Christian Wade, among others, but has Rees-Zammit perhaps bitten off more than he can chew, considering Wade did not play in the regular season during his three years with the Buffalo Bills before returning to club rugby and French side Racing 92 in 2022?
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Louis Rees-Zammit discusses why he decided to give up rugby union in order to follow his “dream” of playing in the NFL.
Louis Rees-Zammit abandons rugby to focus on his NFL career
Before selecting the team, Warren Gatland learned about Rees-Zammit one hour in advance.
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Wade demonstrates the difficult road from rugby to the NFL.
Since they both worked as wing players in rugby union, Wade is the most apparent role model from whom Rees-Zammit might take inspiration. Additionally, the Welshman has a five-year advantage over the 27-year-old Wade, who switched to the Wasps in 2019.
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Watch Christian Wade lead the Buffalo Bills to a 65-yard touchdown on his first play with the ball in an NFL preseason game!
Wade made it through the IPPP and signed a contract with the Bills as a running back. In a preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts, Wade made history by scoring a 65-yard touchdown on his first play as a member of the club. Wade had previously made reference to how his finest play, the touchdown against the Colts, was indicative of his difficulty adjusting to the new position, but he would never see the field during a regular season game.
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“The way I did my hand off, I kind of got in trouble for that,” Wade said. “Initially I had it in the right pocket, but when I realised I was going to cut back, I went back to taking the ball like I was catching a rugby ball.”
Regarding his first week in Buffalo, Wade said, “It was definitely a shock to my system the first week or so.”
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Christian Wade, a former Wasps winger, talks about the challenges of making the switch from rugby to the NFL.
“I was unaccustomed to exercising for so many days straight at that level of intensity. It’s basically always just go, go, go. I’ve discovered that this game requires you to know how to recuperate since there isn’t much time for relaxation. That’s what I’ve learnt about taking care of your health so far.”
Wade is not the only native rugby player that has brought his skills to the United States. Moving from the Gallagher Premiership to the IPPP, Christian Scotland-Williamson and Alex Grey ended up with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Atlanta Falcons, respectively.
Once again, neither player experienced the pitch in a match before making an effort to play rugby again. Currently, viewers may watch Grey as ‘Apollo’, eliminating competitors in the revived Gladiator television series.
Rees-Zammit: where does speed to match the “Cheetah” fit in?
Rees-Zammit’s speed is his strongest asset. Just as with Wade, it may make him a natural at running back; conversely, would he fit at wide receiver? or both.
In the most recent episode of Inside The Huddle, Neil Reynolds of Sky Sports compared him to San Francisco 49ers dual threat Deebo Samuel, stating, “You play him a bit at wide receiver, you stick him in the backfield, let him return some kicks.” He is capable of many things, therefore it will be fascinating to watch how they use him at the next camp.”
What is the expected role of Rees-Zammit Samuel in the NFL? | “I believe he is Deebo Samuel.”
Neil Reynolds and Jeff Reinebold discuss the potential role Louis Rees-Zammit may play in the NFL on the Inside the Huddle podcast.
There’s yet another clear parallel. Tyreek Hill, who is perhaps the finest receiver in the NFL right now, reportedly had a maximum speed of 23.2 mph, but Rees-Zammit once reached 24.2 mph during a rugby match.
In high school, Hill was a world-class sprinter who placed sixth in the US overall in 2012 after winning the 200 metres in 20.14 seconds at the age of 18. Since then, he has applied his devastating speed to the NFL, where he has earned the moniker “Cheetah.”
Hill, who was deemed small at 5 feet 10 inches and 191 pounds, was not the standard NFL receiver at the time and was not selected until the fifth round of the 2016 NFL Draft.
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In the 2023 NFL season, Tyreek Hill had an incredible 1,717 receiving yards for the Miami Dolphins!
However, Hill has transformed the perception of the position and every team is now searching for their own explosive, home-run threat at the position after being named to the Pro Bowl in each of his eight seasons in the league, winning the Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2019, and nearly becoming the first receiver to ever top 2,000 yards in a season this year for the Miami Dolphins.
Is Rees-Zammit in the bag?
Who are the successful players on the International Player Pathway, and what is it?
Aden Durde, the British coach of the Dallas Cowboys, came up with the idea for the NFL’s 2017 IPPP, which gave international players a chance to compete for a roster position.
37 foreign players have signed with NFL clubs since the program’s inception, whether it be via allocation, the draft, or free agency.
On Saturday, January 21, 2023, in Philadelphia, during an NFL divisional round playoff football game, Jordan Mailata of the Philadelphia Eagles walks on the field. (Matt Slocum/AP Photo)
Image: Jordan Mailata, a vital member of the Philadelphia Eagles offensive line, joined the team via the NFL’s International Player Pathway Programme.
Australia The program’s best success story is Jordan Mailata, a starting left tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles who also switched from rugby, where he was a prop rising through the ranks of the South Sydney Rabbitohs’ U20s club.
Wade, Grey, and Scotland-Williamson all participated in the programme, but the biggest British success story is defensive end Efe Obada, who played six seasons in the NFL before breaking his leg in the Washington Commanders’ Week 11 loss at home against the New York Giants.
Obada has had an amazing trip to the NFL. He was smuggled to England via Holland at the age of ten, leaving him and his sister destitute after being born in Nigeria. They slept in an office building at first, then in a few different foster homes.
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In his first career start for the Carolina Panthers, British NFL player Efe Obada got an interception.
From there, he would eventually make his way to the NFL as an IPPP graduate, making history as the first player to gain a seat on a team’s active roster via it. In 2018, he made his competitive debut with the Carolina Panthers and earned the game ball with a one-sack, one-interception performance.
After completing the training in 2022, Ayo Oyelola of the Jacksonville Jaguars and Adedayo Odeleye of the Houston Texans are now representing the UK. Six athletes from Osi Umenyiora’s Uprise programme in Nigeria were among the eight athletes allocated to teams during the 2023 cycle.
Will Harry Kane go to America with Rees-Zammit?
Even with Rees-Zammit’s departure, the most well-known athlete to join the NFL may still be a while off.
Harry Kane, the striker for Bayern Munich and captain of England, has said in the past that after his football career ends, he wants to play sports at the highest level, maybe as an NFL kicker.
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Harry Kane equals Robert Lewandowski’s record for most goals scored in the first half of a Bundesliga season with his 22nd goal for Bayern Munich.
That’s genuine, something that in 10 or 12 years I absolutely want to do, the 30-year-old said back in 2019.” He is a passionate sports enthusiast, especially of the New England Patriots.
“It all stems back to the desire to excel… Would you be regarded as one of the best athletes of all time if you played in the NFL, the Premier League, and the World Cup before moving on to the NFL?”
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Harry Kane, the captain of England, tells former NFL player JJ Watt that he still hopes to play kicker in the NFL.
According to Kane’s timeline, he would contemplate making the conversion between the ages of 35 and 37. Since kickers often have the longest careers in the NFL—many go into their 40s—Kane’s goal is realistic.
Surprisingly, he’s not even the first former striker from Tottenham Hotspur to toy with the idea of moving. Despite never making it to the NFL, Clive Allen is most known for being a kicker for the London Monarchs in the now-defunct NFL Europe league in 1997.
Kicker with the London Monarchs Clive Allen
Pictured: Former Tottenham striker Clive Allen made an NFL Europe appearance as a kicker for the London Monarchs.
While most people wrote off the rumours as nothing more than a PR gimmick, there was also speculation in 2013 about a certain David Beckham allegedly receiving an NFL contract after impressing during a 2007 adidas commercial.
Returning to rugby, this tale is similar to Allen’s: in 1996, England World Cup champion Jonny Wilkinson and former Scotland international full-back Gavin Hastings both experimented with becoming kickers with the Scottish Claymores in NFL Europe.
“I have given the NFL some thought,” he said in 2013. “I’d really want to see America. I must see the change as one door shutting and a very appealing one opening.”
What will happen to Rees-Zammit next?
Rees-Zammit’s journey to the NFL officially starts on Friday when he takes a plane to Florida to undergo a rigorous 10-week training camp as part of the IPPP. Following the camp, he will learn whether a club wants to sign him.
That’s just the beginning. Establishing a starting lineup for a team is a separate struggle, just as it was for Wade and other players who have gone through the same experience before him.
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The Sky Sports News After his unexpected choice to give up rugby, James Cole evaluates Louis Rees-Zammit’s prospects of succeeding in the NFL.
Every club has training camps and summer exercises in May in preparation for the preseason in August, which sees rosters whittled down to 53 players in time for the September start of the season.
Of the 53 players on the roster, only 46 can suit up to play in every game from week to week, making spots very scarce. Each NFL club starts 11 players on offence and 11 on defence, giving them space for depth at each position.
Rees-Zammit may still be signed to a team’s practice squad, which has room for 17 players overall. These spots are often held by developing prospects like the one he represents, should Rees-Zammit not make the team’s final roster.
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The Welshman undoubtedly has a lot of promise. Not just in his evident athletic prowess. Rees-Zammit may introduce the game to a whole new audience as the NFL wants to continue expanding into Europe and other regions, most notably with the annual International Series matchups that occur.
That’s not to suggest the young player doesn’t face danger in making the switch; after all, he is leaving a sport where he is already a star for one where a practice squad cheque worth around £160,000 a year is only fixed week to week.
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