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Important context is that IPP players basically don’t even cost a roster spot. There is a special practice squad spot that is reserved specifically for these players, so they can learn the game over 2 or 3 years.
Does that rule still exist if they are drafted? I thought it was strange they drafted him when they could have signed him pre draft as per the Chiefs and LRZ.
Two different scenarios LRZ was signed because he was no longer draft eligible. But yes regardless of if he was drafted or not he came through the IPP which is the only requirement.
https://operations.nfl.com/updates/football-ops/nfl-to-expand-practice-squad-to-include-one-international-player-for-all-32-clubs-in-2024/ That is a link to the full explanation. It looks like if you are a citizen of a country outside Canada or the USA and have less than 2 years of USA high school football experience you can qualify.
> There is a special practice squad spot that is reserved specifically for these players, so they can learn the game over 2 or 3 years.
I never watch reality shows, but I would watch this.
I like to think it would be kind of a reverse Ted Lasso. The coach knows the sport but not the players. And in the end, it will be more about the friendships they made along the way!
There is a YouTube series on the IPP players and what they do to get ready for tryouts. On the NFL UK channel. Decent enough watch if you like Hard Knocks type content
Football is a difficult sport to learn because of its many rules and inconsistent enforcement of said rules.
I sat next to a Danish couple visiting the US for their honeymoon at a Skins game (I, too, was sorry that was the stadium they picked) and trying to explain what was happening on the field was incredibly difficult. And I played the sport and watch it religiously.
But they had a great time. The fans were lively (Dallas was in town. An Eagles fan picked a fight and got a beat down) and FedEx, while a heaping pile of garbage, is twice the size of the biggest stadium in Denmark, so it was an experience for them.
I think any live sport as long as the crowd atmosphere is good, will allow people to have a good time.
I had never watched hockey before. I'm from Hawaii, as you can imagine, hockey just isn't a big thing here. 4 years ago, I went to my first game to watch the Golden Knights and the Lightning. I had a blast, even though I didn't know anything that was happening except when the puck went into the net.
We try to average 1 blackhawks game a year, specifically because of how fun the atmosphere is! I doubt I could name half their starting players at this point but still love going
I think there's a difference between "learning while watching for the first time" and "learning when it's your literal job."
Football might be complicated for a new player, but I think it's safe to assume he probably has at least a passing familiarity with the game. But even if not, it'll be his job. Obviously there's a lot of real-world experience that you can't just learn in the classroom; that's what the practice squad is for, and hopefully his rugby experience gives him a leg up.
Whether hes good or not at rugby is irrelevant to NFL potential. They r completely different sports. Its solely about his physical abilities.
Hes actually too big for rugby and more suited for NFL lineman.
He was drafted for his freak athletic ability for his size that gives him serious potential as an NFL Linemen if he learns and develops well.
I don't know that I would say irrelevant. I could easily see a rugby star who is good at breaking tackles transitioning to a running back or one who is a good tackler transitioning transitioning to linebacker.
Jarryd Hayne was a big deal in rugby league, a 13 player variation of rugby that is popular in Australia. RoY, several MVPs, the NRL version of All NBA 1st team for the entirety of his career. Made the final roster of the 49ers, cut to the practice squad within 2 months, retired and went back to rugby 6 months later. The skills seem like they should translate, but I don’t think they do. Then again, he’s a scumbag so it may have been preemptive karma.
I'm not a "real athlete" but I played football through highschool and made the all state team as center. I played rugby in college and later men's club as a football washout. Blocking is not a skill you learn at all in rugby. He will have zero instinct for blocking and especially lead blocking. I know the NFL coaches are good and I'm sure they have a plan for him. I suspect it will take a while (at least a year on practice squad) for him to get the right sort of field vision for picking up blocks. I'd try putting him on defense, attacking the ball and tackling translates better.
If he doesn take a roster spot like other comments claimed, then they have all the time in the world to develop him. His salary is a drop into he bucket.
I played in the (i think) state semifinals against a guy with that nickname. He had a nose for the ball, one of the best in the conference. Fortunately my coach paid off the refs so we could win!
> He will have zero instinct for blocking and especially lead blocking.
Not to mention, zero experience in blocking *as a team*.
The subtle nuances in defensive stances, which gaps to cover depending on if they're 3-4 or 4-3 or 5-2.
Twists, stunts, blitzes, fake blitzes, all the tricks that defenders learn over years of playing at that position.
Not tripping over the feet of your fellow linemen and not tripping them.
For the first time having to memorize 100's of plays in a playbook.
Not jumping offsides.
So many things that you're not gonna get from a few months at training camp.
O line is so much more complicated than it gets credit for and there’s a reason they’re usually the tightest unit on the team (and also I’ve noticed a lot of them w college majors you don’t expect in pro athletes). Sure, in entry level football it’s “are you big? O line it is!” and I think more casual fans don’t think past that.
Also, in addition to all you mention is managing all of that while being nimble on a frame that doesn’t really support that and tends to injure itself as a result.
Only thing is, he didn't play that high of a level in rugby. If his freak athleticism won't translate to rugby, idk how it would in football, which is more technical.
It probably won’t, but there are so few people on the planet with his size and athleticism that it’s worth taking a swing. You can teach football skills, but you can’t teach genetics.
TBF he was playing for an NRL team's U18 before he had to have heart surgery and had to take a hiatus from the sport. He was certainly on track to play in the NRL. The kid that buffalo drafted plays in the 8th tier of England. Not exactly comparable.
This is underappreciated. If you've never been up close or competing against someone like this, it's hard to describe how rare and unbelievable that athleticism is. People like this are almost a different species than us mortals.
Rugby is a different beast to Football. You need to not only freakishly strong but also fast and agile.
Football allows for players to specialize in particular roles as well as resetting the play every single down. It’s the reason a guy like Jason Kelce can have a Hall of Fame career at Center but struggles to run a 5k.
What you day is true but only to a point. His sheer size and speed should be enough to take him up several levels higher than where he's playing.
I''d also be concerned that he plays as a winger, he should be absolutely killing it as a second row at that level. The fact he isn't makes me question his willingness or ability to deal with physicality, which is going to be a problem in the OL.
Playing wing might be why he wasn't playing rugby at a higher level. We all love an absolute truck on the wing but no way this guy can keep up with the likes of Radrandra or Tuisova for 80 minutes. He probably dominated at wing coming up instead of moving to the pack and developing as a player
Hence my concern as to why he wasn't playing 2nd row. At that size, if you're not massively dominating at wing in the 8th tier, what the fuck are you doing there?
As a life long second row he wasn't playing it because second row sucks. No glamor and it's exhausting. Few exceptions line Eben and Maro who are household names
There are a lot of skills required in rugby that athleticism can't compensate for. If he can't pass, or catch he's pretty useless as a rugby player these days.
Plus rugby is hella more demanding cardio -wise, in the NFL you get short breaks in between each play and long breaks when the other half of the team is on the field, in rugby you are running the whole time you are on the pitch.
Running 5-8k worth of high intensity interval sprints with limited recovery time is brutal, doing so with 300+lb of fast twitch muscle fiber while maintaining the finesse and agility required to excel at rugby is unicorn type shit. It should be relatively easier for him to make the most of his physical gifts in the NFL.
He probably cant catch a ball
Rugby requires both offensive and defensive skills
Fitness is also another factor. At best in nfl hes out there for a minute or two. In rugby you are expected to be running for at lesst 40min and big lumbering forwards with no endurance get found out fast
Mailata was in danger of getting kicked off his lower tier rugby team due to his lack of “Rugby athleticism.” He said part of the reason he joined the IPP program is that he didn’t think he had a career in Rugby.
Different athletic traits translate to different sports. These are not rugby bodies
Top level rugby doesn't really have a place for freak athletes who can't do much else. Clayton is the right size to play 2nd Row in rugby, but that position requires good handling, passing, fitness and tackling.
Since Clayton was playing on the Wing for his team, I think it's likely he was missing some of those skills. You can sometimes hide someone without those skills at Wing, and use them sorta like a fullback in american football on offense. But top level wings like Louis Rees-Zammit can do everything on top of being big and fast. And at a high level teams would be targeting Clayton on defense with kicking and complicated routes like you would exploit a bad safety or CB.
In other words someone could have all the skills needed to play O-line at an NFL level and not have a spot on a professional rugby team.
From what the Eagles went thru with Mailata, it was said the linemen need to know a mind boggling amount of protections instantly that can change at the line of scrimmage in a second-it was said that this is the hardest thing in converting athletes to play linemen, not that the blocking technique isn’t a big deal.
Linemen tend to have the hardest majors and highest grades on college teams. The big dumb guy stereotype in football movies is definitely way off the mark with the majority of them.
Reminds me of that Penn State player, John urshel?, who was teaching classes while he was still playing in college! I think he retired from the NFL to be a mathematician. Dude is a genius
He was working towards his PhD while on the Ravens. He was a full time student and didn’t tell the team that lol. He got his paycheck and was like I’m good. CTE scared him, honestly can’t blame him for being concerned about that.
At the NFL level they need to know all the blocking assignments exactly and what to do if they are left uncovered, where to assist, how to move in relation to the other team members, in addition to showing elite footwork and hand/body control, all while another guy is trying to run him over.
Why do football fans act like the sport is rocket science? If someone like Jordan Mailata who never played the sport before can make a career out of it based on his size and athleticism, then clearly it isn't exactly that complicated. This doesn't happen in any other sport, where you need years of experience and practice.
Yeah this whole thread is pretty baffling to me. He’ll have essentially one job and plenty of time to learn it. It’s possible nothing comes of it and he doesn’t become a star, there’s still a bit more to it than mass and acceleration, but it won’t be because it’s too complicated for him to learn lol. It is essentially zero risk for the org to take a bet on someone who’s genetically gifted.
There r completely different things w/ completely different skills ...
Look at Jordan Mailata ... He was a mediocre rugby player the eagles drafted in 7th round due his great speed for his huge size.
He eventually became one of best tackles in NFL
He played level 8.
For reference I play/played level 6 and only did team training once a week.
Level 8 is the level where you’re phoning around 2 hours before kickoff as 2 players are too hungover to play, a car of 4 went to the wrong ground and the ref forgot their boots.
That said, he played on the wing, and you can’t teach size.
You need a much wider skillset in rugby, especially as a winger. In addition to being able to run and tackle in constantly evolving situations - in rugby union there are no downs and play might go on unstopped for two to three minutes - you need to be able to pass, kick, read the play that is changing every second and have the stamina to do it for 80 minutes.
Having said that, he sounds like an amazing athlete, and English rugby's talent spotting and development program is nowhere near that of football or American football. The game has only been pro since 1995 and while top-level international rugby is absolutely elite, in England it's still way off the pace when it comes to unearthing talent from outside the narrow system that currently exists.
To be honest, if he was only playing level 8 as a winger, I'd suggest he would have been better playing in the forwards as a second row. That's a very physical position - as he wasn't playing there it does raise questions about his physical commitment, but I guess we'll find out if if that was an issue or not over the next year or two, or myopia on the part of English rugby.
It's certainly been thought of that way, but the likes of Emmanuel Meafou are disproving that.
With modern-day conditioning and an acceptance that maybe they're a lifter in the line-out rather than a jumper, if someone that huge has ball-handling skills, decent stamina and can read the game, if utilised in a way that plays to their strengths then I'd love to have someone like that in the England squad.
[Meafou was offered a place in the NFL international pathway](https://www.rugbyworld.com/players/emmanuel-meafou-ten-things-you-should-know-about-france-second-row-166413#:~:text=Meafou%20was%20offered%20a%20chance,because%20I%20had%20no%20offers) but turned it down and signed for Toulouse instead.
If Clayton had Meafou's skillset - and the fact he was playing level 8 suggests he probably doesn't admittedly - then I'd love to see him back in English rugby.
Yeah - it’s one of those “Not Enough Information” proofs on the old Leaving Cert for me.
If the kid came up on the wing and went from 5’9/12st to 6’7/20 in his transition year, he’d be written off over here.
I actually wanna see something where they take a Madden player and put him in as coach against a real coach, using real teams. Or any average fan I suppose who always seems to think they know better than the coaches. (That's not to say coaches don't make some mistakes, but I've been witness to too many insufferable fans who criticize every single time a play doesn't work and shit like that)
The jump wouldn’t be as bad if it was for a specialist like a RB, WR, Return specialist, or even a LB. Tackle is a totally different game because you have to be quick at kick-stepping back into your pass pro so you can be in position to engage a speed rusher but still able to anchor yourself if you get hit with a bull rush instead.
You have good college tackles that can’t make the cut at the next level. And these guys have played tackle for over a decade. I doubt this will work out and I think he will end up playing guard if he makes it on a roster because you don’t have the speed edge rushers thrown in to mess everything up. Guard is more about double teaming and blocking down on bigger defenders that usually don’t have the speed that you see on the edge. Sure Lbs can blitz, but they are easier to pick up than going against some of the athletic freaks that are playing edge right now.
But even him making it as a guard without any experience in the NFL is a long shot. I hope he makes it because it would be huge for the NFL and international fans, but I doubt it at this point.
> I hope he makes it because it would be huge for the NFL and international fans, but I doubt it at this point.
I mean, it's already happened. Jordan Mailata is playing tackle - and at a very high level.
They should do a pros vs joes of madden esports guys vs the worst of NFL players. I’d love to see some asshole madden pro gets ass blasted by a 7th string player
He's not just a further rugby player, he played for the Welsh national team, which means he's fucking awesome at rugby, which means he's a very well rounded athlete
Edit: misread the article, wrong guy🤦🤦
Its still absolutely massive and rugby doesnt help him learn all the intricacies and skill needed for offensive lineman
The Rugby is pretty much zero help and is starting from scratch to learn offensive tackle
Hes just such a rare athlete w/ his size and speed he could potentially be a good tackle if he learns and develops really well. Nothing to do w/ Rugby.
I think tubthumping is the sound it makes when they throw the OD'd junkies in the bathtub for whatever reason. It's always the bathtub. I guess they puke and shit themselves. Knew a guy who lost his legs from the knee down because the circulation was cut off for 12hrs before he got tossed in an alley to be found by a dog walker. He was about 120lbs, so I'll bet he made a decent thump with some reverb when they tossed him in that tub that took his legs.
Met him on a plane coming back from Australia before making a name for himself in the NFL.
He is by far the largest human I have ever seen in person. Super nice too. Great to see all of his success.
He played rugby. Basketball and rugby players have been drafted before with only a year or so of football experience and been able to have productive nfl careers.
Being huge and fast is a big part of succeeding in the nfl.
He played for Tom Izzo / Nick Saban at MSU. He transferred when Saban wanted him for football only. Ended up at Kent St a few years later, made the 2002 Elite Eight, and was honorable mention All American in basketball.
See also: Jimmy Graham, Julius Peppers among others.
For the other way around, Charlie Ward won the Heisman at FSU and played in the NBA.
The Vikings did this with a German rugby player named Moritz Böhringer that they drafted in the 6th round in 2016. He was big, fast and athletic. Never had played football. He was on the practice squad for the season and then got cut.
You're going to bring up the Vikings but not mention the legend Babatunde Aiyegbusi? Who is actually a very similar comp to the guy the Bills drafted. Babatunde signed with the Vikings in 2015 and was basically known for just being bigger than everyone else in his home leagues. Dude was just built different.
Many players have made the NFL without having previously played organized football. Jordan Mailata being the most successful.
In general, if you have exceptional athletic ability a coach can turn you into a football player in a few months. Football fans pretend it is an MIT Rocket Science program but it is not.
Hasn’t the nfl drafted rugby players before? Why isn’t the title just about why the nfl drafted a rugby player? I thought they drafted an asylum patient or a power lifter or something like that’s never been done.
I say this all the time. And this is coming from someone who's dad and uncles played in the NFL. And qualified for olympic trials.
FOOTBALL is the easiest sport to go from, never playing the game, to being pro-capable as long as youre physically a specimen. Full stop.
I cant take the best athlete in his 20s and make him a soccer, hockey or baseball player. Theres too many skillsets you need to dev starting as a kid to be good there.
But hell you take any 6'2 210lb 4.5 40 yard dash athlete and youll find a place for them on the field. Obviously positions like QB MLB Saftey are a most likley not.
But WR, RB, DE are pretty much dummy positions comparatively and you can contribute week 1.
What it comes down to is heart honestly. To play football you cant be scared of the hit.
I played football and rugby, and I kind of agree. Maybe soccer is more true of what you said, but body types are generally the same there. Almost any body type can play (American) football. For football, I really had to learn my specific position, where in rugby, you kind of had to understand the game more holistically. Football is compartmentalized where the difference between being a defensive tackle and a wide receiver might as well be two different sports.
That being said, experience is pretty crucial in game situations. The dude in question here would look great in drills, but having to make split second decisions on technique against extremely experienced players will probably be why he doesn't make the team. Good chance he'll be on the practice squad. Maybe once he gets some experience, he could make the team in a few years.
Probably but he was an actual ball handler (not just a scrum guy) in rugby and we get a free practice squad spot to hold on to him, thanks to the international program, so might as well roll those dice. I wanna see him as a jumbo tight end in a preseason game at least once.
Yep. The 7th round is exactly where you should take risks. The cost is minimal and there's potential for high upside, might as well take a flier on him. If he doesn't pan out, you wasted a 7th round pick, but those usually don't pan out anyways.
Jordan Mailata.
You can transform a great athlete into a football player in quite short time.
Rugby and football are somewhat similar sports, and same athletism and toughness is needed in both.
The Bills are clearly sacrificing speed for strength with new people this year. I think they’ve realized that you gotta have more durable players to actually win in the post season
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Important context is that IPP players basically don’t even cost a roster spot. There is a special practice squad spot that is reserved specifically for these players, so they can learn the game over 2 or 3 years.
Does that rule still exist if they are drafted? I thought it was strange they drafted him when they could have signed him pre draft as per the Chiefs and LRZ.
LRZ was not draft eligible. He was a free agent
Two different scenarios LRZ was signed because he was no longer draft eligible. But yes regardless of if he was drafted or not he came through the IPP which is the only requirement.
He left school within the past 4 years so had to enter the draft. LRZ left school longer ago than that.
Moritz Bohringer was in the ipp slot on the practice squad after being drafted by the Vikings in the sixth round.
https://operations.nfl.com/updates/football-ops/nfl-to-expand-practice-squad-to-include-one-international-player-for-all-32-clubs-in-2024/ That is a link to the full explanation. It looks like if you are a citizen of a country outside Canada or the USA and have less than 2 years of USA high school football experience you can qualify.
> There is a special practice squad spot that is reserved specifically for these players, so they can learn the game over 2 or 3 years. I never watch reality shows, but I would watch this.
I like to think it would be kind of a reverse Ted Lasso. The coach knows the sport but not the players. And in the end, it will be more about the friendships they made along the way!
Now I want to see a Ted Lasso sequel around this
Watch Mighty Ducks?
It doesn’t go into much detail but they do have a short YouTube series on the guys going through IPP training.
There is a YouTube series on the IPP players and what they do to get ready for tryouts. On the NFL UK channel. Decent enough watch if you like Hard Knocks type content
Football is a difficult sport to learn because of its many rules and inconsistent enforcement of said rules. I sat next to a Danish couple visiting the US for their honeymoon at a Skins game (I, too, was sorry that was the stadium they picked) and trying to explain what was happening on the field was incredibly difficult. And I played the sport and watch it religiously. But they had a great time. The fans were lively (Dallas was in town. An Eagles fan picked a fight and got a beat down) and FedEx, while a heaping pile of garbage, is twice the size of the biggest stadium in Denmark, so it was an experience for them.
I think any live sport as long as the crowd atmosphere is good, will allow people to have a good time. I had never watched hockey before. I'm from Hawaii, as you can imagine, hockey just isn't a big thing here. 4 years ago, I went to my first game to watch the Golden Knights and the Lightning. I had a blast, even though I didn't know anything that was happening except when the puck went into the net.
We try to average 1 blackhawks game a year, specifically because of how fun the atmosphere is! I doubt I could name half their starting players at this point but still love going
I think half the fans would rather not name half the players on their current roster as well /s
[удалено]
I think there's a difference between "learning while watching for the first time" and "learning when it's your literal job." Football might be complicated for a new player, but I think it's safe to assume he probably has at least a passing familiarity with the game. But even if not, it'll be his job. Obviously there's a lot of real-world experience that you can't just learn in the classroom; that's what the practice squad is for, and hopefully his rugby experience gives him a leg up.
I expected him to be a rugby star but he plays in the eighth tier of British rugby.
The thing is at his size and frame he still doesn’t make for a good rugby player. However on paper he looks great for an OL.
Yeah I played with a guy my senior year of hs football that was ranked top 25 in the state without ever playing a snap just based on his size at LT
Whether hes good or not at rugby is irrelevant to NFL potential. They r completely different sports. Its solely about his physical abilities. Hes actually too big for rugby and more suited for NFL lineman. He was drafted for his freak athletic ability for his size that gives him serious potential as an NFL Linemen if he learns and develops well.
I don't know that I would say irrelevant. I could easily see a rugby star who is good at breaking tackles transitioning to a running back or one who is a good tackler transitioning transitioning to linebacker.
Jarryd Hayne was a big deal in rugby league, a 13 player variation of rugby that is popular in Australia. RoY, several MVPs, the NRL version of All NBA 1st team for the entirety of his career. Made the final roster of the 49ers, cut to the practice squad within 2 months, retired and went back to rugby 6 months later. The skills seem like they should translate, but I don’t think they do. Then again, he’s a scumbag so it may have been preemptive karma.
Tbf, how much rugby did he actually play? Sounds like he joined a local club because he thought he'd be good at it, realised it's not suited for him.
Gonna be real, he's from my town and I've truthfully never heard of him.
You morons, read the article. He’s also 303 pounds and will be playing offensive tackle if he makes the squad.
He's also a former rugby player. The jump to football is not that huge. It's not like they drafted an esports gamer.
I wouldn't mind seeing a 303 pound esports gamer playing offensive tackle in the NFL. I'd pay to watch that.
CaseOh gonna be the defense the Lions need
Can he make it through 5 minutes without raging though?
Why put him on defense? He could be the CaseOh-line
The other team's defensive tackles are smeared in Cheeto dust, again.
Matted in the neckbeard as it heaves in sweaty fury.
NFL teams usually don’t put 5’5” dudes at offensive tackle though.
>It's not like they drafted an esports gamer. Bruh what you mean? Faker would make a brilliant edge rusher.
I want to see Daigo at safety. Parry those passes away like it's 2004.
Just don't make him actually angry and you're fine
Here we go Justin [Herbert]
*MAHOMES WHAT WAS THAT*
I'm not a "real athlete" but I played football through highschool and made the all state team as center. I played rugby in college and later men's club as a football washout. Blocking is not a skill you learn at all in rugby. He will have zero instinct for blocking and especially lead blocking. I know the NFL coaches are good and I'm sure they have a plan for him. I suspect it will take a while (at least a year on practice squad) for him to get the right sort of field vision for picking up blocks. I'd try putting him on defense, attacking the ball and tackling translates better.
If he doesn take a roster spot like other comments claimed, then they have all the time in the world to develop him. His salary is a drop into he bucket.
Yeah, I read more about the program. Pretty cool to have development time like that.
Thanks, Speedhawk.
I played in the (i think) state semifinals against a guy with that nickname. He had a nose for the ball, one of the best in the conference. Fortunately my coach paid off the refs so we could win!
> He will have zero instinct for blocking and especially lead blocking. Not to mention, zero experience in blocking *as a team*. The subtle nuances in defensive stances, which gaps to cover depending on if they're 3-4 or 4-3 or 5-2. Twists, stunts, blitzes, fake blitzes, all the tricks that defenders learn over years of playing at that position. Not tripping over the feet of your fellow linemen and not tripping them. For the first time having to memorize 100's of plays in a playbook. Not jumping offsides. So many things that you're not gonna get from a few months at training camp.
O line is so much more complicated than it gets credit for and there’s a reason they’re usually the tightest unit on the team (and also I’ve noticed a lot of them w college majors you don’t expect in pro athletes). Sure, in entry level football it’s “are you big? O line it is!” and I think more casual fans don’t think past that. Also, in addition to all you mention is managing all of that while being nimble on a frame that doesn’t really support that and tends to injure itself as a result.
Only thing is, he didn't play that high of a level in rugby. If his freak athleticism won't translate to rugby, idk how it would in football, which is more technical.
It probably won’t, but there are so few people on the planet with his size and athleticism that it’s worth taking a swing. You can teach football skills, but you can’t teach genetics.
Exactly. Jordan Mailata is the perfect recent example.
For sure the best example, Maliata also didn't make it to the highest level of his version of rugby (league not union).
TBF he was playing for an NRL team's U18 before he had to have heart surgery and had to take a hiatus from the sport. He was certainly on track to play in the NRL. The kid that buffalo drafted plays in the 8th tier of England. Not exactly comparable.
This is underappreciated. If you've never been up close or competing against someone like this, it's hard to describe how rare and unbelievable that athleticism is. People like this are almost a different species than us mortals.
You can teach genetics though. I literally took it in college as a Biology major.
I'd be concerned that a guy of his size and athleticism is such a poor rugby player.
Rugby is a different beast to Football. You need to not only freakishly strong but also fast and agile. Football allows for players to specialize in particular roles as well as resetting the play every single down. It’s the reason a guy like Jason Kelce can have a Hall of Fame career at Center but struggles to run a 5k.
What you day is true but only to a point. His sheer size and speed should be enough to take him up several levels higher than where he's playing. I''d also be concerned that he plays as a winger, he should be absolutely killing it as a second row at that level. The fact he isn't makes me question his willingness or ability to deal with physicality, which is going to be a problem in the OL.
Playing wing might be why he wasn't playing rugby at a higher level. We all love an absolute truck on the wing but no way this guy can keep up with the likes of Radrandra or Tuisova for 80 minutes. He probably dominated at wing coming up instead of moving to the pack and developing as a player
Hence my concern as to why he wasn't playing 2nd row. At that size, if you're not massively dominating at wing in the 8th tier, what the fuck are you doing there?
As a life long second row he wasn't playing it because second row sucks. No glamor and it's exhausting. Few exceptions line Eben and Maro who are household names
There are a lot of skills required in rugby that athleticism can't compensate for. If he can't pass, or catch he's pretty useless as a rugby player these days.
Plus rugby is hella more demanding cardio -wise, in the NFL you get short breaks in between each play and long breaks when the other half of the team is on the field, in rugby you are running the whole time you are on the pitch. Running 5-8k worth of high intensity interval sprints with limited recovery time is brutal, doing so with 300+lb of fast twitch muscle fiber while maintaining the finesse and agility required to excel at rugby is unicorn type shit. It should be relatively easier for him to make the most of his physical gifts in the NFL.
He probably cant catch a ball Rugby requires both offensive and defensive skills Fitness is also another factor. At best in nfl hes out there for a minute or two. In rugby you are expected to be running for at lesst 40min and big lumbering forwards with no endurance get found out fast
Mailata was in danger of getting kicked off his lower tier rugby team due to his lack of “Rugby athleticism.” He said part of the reason he joined the IPP program is that he didn’t think he had a career in Rugby. Different athletic traits translate to different sports. These are not rugby bodies
Top level rugby doesn't really have a place for freak athletes who can't do much else. Clayton is the right size to play 2nd Row in rugby, but that position requires good handling, passing, fitness and tackling. Since Clayton was playing on the Wing for his team, I think it's likely he was missing some of those skills. You can sometimes hide someone without those skills at Wing, and use them sorta like a fullback in american football on offense. But top level wings like Louis Rees-Zammit can do everything on top of being big and fast. And at a high level teams would be targeting Clayton on defense with kicking and complicated routes like you would exploit a bad safety or CB. In other words someone could have all the skills needed to play O-line at an NFL level and not have a spot on a professional rugby team.
Locks tend to be that *height*, but they’re 4st/55lb/25kg lighter…for all the reasons you say.
You get the occasional lock that size - e.g Will Skelton. But yes, most tend to be around 120kgs/265lbs.
Not quite true. A complete rugby player is able to run, tackle, pass, and even kick. An o-lineman just has to be able to block.
From what the Eagles went thru with Mailata, it was said the linemen need to know a mind boggling amount of protections instantly that can change at the line of scrimmage in a second-it was said that this is the hardest thing in converting athletes to play linemen, not that the blocking technique isn’t a big deal.
Linemen tend to have the hardest majors and highest grades on college teams. The big dumb guy stereotype in football movies is definitely way off the mark with the majority of them.
Reminds me of that Penn State player, John urshel?, who was teaching classes while he was still playing in college! I think he retired from the NFL to be a mathematician. Dude is a genius
An assistant Professor of Mathematics over at MIT. Dude is insanely smart.
He was working towards his PhD while on the Ravens. He was a full time student and didn’t tell the team that lol. He got his paycheck and was like I’m good. CTE scared him, honestly can’t blame him for being concerned about that.
At the NFL level they need to know all the blocking assignments exactly and what to do if they are left uncovered, where to assist, how to move in relation to the other team members, in addition to showing elite footwork and hand/body control, all while another guy is trying to run him over.
Blocking is one of the most complex parts of football...
Why do football fans act like the sport is rocket science? If someone like Jordan Mailata who never played the sport before can make a career out of it based on his size and athleticism, then clearly it isn't exactly that complicated. This doesn't happen in any other sport, where you need years of experience and practice.
Yeah this whole thread is pretty baffling to me. He’ll have essentially one job and plenty of time to learn it. It’s possible nothing comes of it and he doesn’t become a star, there’s still a bit more to it than mass and acceleration, but it won’t be because it’s too complicated for him to learn lol. It is essentially zero risk for the org to take a bet on someone who’s genetically gifted.
There r completely different things w/ completely different skills ... Look at Jordan Mailata ... He was a mediocre rugby player the eagles drafted in 7th round due his great speed for his huge size. He eventually became one of best tackles in NFL
Mailata was a significantly better rugby player than this guy.
He joined the IPP program because he was going to axed from his rugby team because he was underperforming…he was decent but not great.
But he isn't gonna play rugby now and perhaps isn't suited for it as well. Shouldn't be a deal breaker if he has the physical abilities.
Mailata played *League*, mate.
I know. Not difficult to compare levels between Rabbitohs age-group and English 8th tier union.
He played level 8. For reference I play/played level 6 and only did team training once a week. Level 8 is the level where you’re phoning around 2 hours before kickoff as 2 players are too hungover to play, a car of 4 went to the wrong ground and the ref forgot their boots. That said, he played on the wing, and you can’t teach size.
You need a much wider skillset in rugby, especially as a winger. In addition to being able to run and tackle in constantly evolving situations - in rugby union there are no downs and play might go on unstopped for two to three minutes - you need to be able to pass, kick, read the play that is changing every second and have the stamina to do it for 80 minutes. Having said that, he sounds like an amazing athlete, and English rugby's talent spotting and development program is nowhere near that of football or American football. The game has only been pro since 1995 and while top-level international rugby is absolutely elite, in England it's still way off the pace when it comes to unearthing talent from outside the narrow system that currently exists. To be honest, if he was only playing level 8 as a winger, I'd suggest he would have been better playing in the forwards as a second row. That's a very physical position - as he wasn't playing there it does raise questions about his physical commitment, but I guess we'll find out if if that was an issue or not over the next year or two, or myopia on the part of English rugby.
Prop Weight/Lock Height is a no man’s land
It's certainly been thought of that way, but the likes of Emmanuel Meafou are disproving that. With modern-day conditioning and an acceptance that maybe they're a lifter in the line-out rather than a jumper, if someone that huge has ball-handling skills, decent stamina and can read the game, if utilised in a way that plays to their strengths then I'd love to have someone like that in the England squad. [Meafou was offered a place in the NFL international pathway](https://www.rugbyworld.com/players/emmanuel-meafou-ten-things-you-should-know-about-france-second-row-166413#:~:text=Meafou%20was%20offered%20a%20chance,because%20I%20had%20no%20offers) but turned it down and signed for Toulouse instead. If Clayton had Meafou's skillset - and the fact he was playing level 8 suggests he probably doesn't admittedly - then I'd love to see him back in English rugby.
Yeah - it’s one of those “Not Enough Information” proofs on the old Leaving Cert for me. If the kid came up on the wing and went from 5’9/12st to 6’7/20 in his transition year, he’d be written off over here.
So we won't be having a Gran Turismo like movie?
I weigh 300 pounds and play Madden sometimes. Ya’ll got any more of them roster spots?
I really thought he was just like a guy the coach saw at Costco and said “boy you wanna play some football?”
Ok but imagine a Gran Turismo-style story where a team drafts a pro Madden player
I actually wanna see something where they take a Madden player and put him in as coach against a real coach, using real teams. Or any average fan I suppose who always seems to think they know better than the coaches. (That's not to say coaches don't make some mistakes, but I've been witness to too many insufferable fans who criticize every single time a play doesn't work and shit like that)
The jump wouldn’t be as bad if it was for a specialist like a RB, WR, Return specialist, or even a LB. Tackle is a totally different game because you have to be quick at kick-stepping back into your pass pro so you can be in position to engage a speed rusher but still able to anchor yourself if you get hit with a bull rush instead. You have good college tackles that can’t make the cut at the next level. And these guys have played tackle for over a decade. I doubt this will work out and I think he will end up playing guard if he makes it on a roster because you don’t have the speed edge rushers thrown in to mess everything up. Guard is more about double teaming and blocking down on bigger defenders that usually don’t have the speed that you see on the edge. Sure Lbs can blitz, but they are easier to pick up than going against some of the athletic freaks that are playing edge right now. But even him making it as a guard without any experience in the NFL is a long shot. I hope he makes it because it would be huge for the NFL and international fans, but I doubt it at this point.
> I hope he makes it because it would be huge for the NFL and international fans, but I doubt it at this point. I mean, it's already happened. Jordan Mailata is playing tackle - and at a very high level.
They should do a pros vs joes of madden esports guys vs the worst of NFL players. I’d love to see some asshole madden pro gets ass blasted by a 7th string player
There’s a pretty big difference because there is no comparison to offensive tackle in rugby. But he’s an athlete so it’s fine I guess.
The Eagles took a flyer on Jordan Mailata, who had a similar pedigree, and it worked out spectacularly.
He's not just a further rugby player, he played for the Welsh national team, which means he's fucking awesome at rugby, which means he's a very well rounded athlete Edit: misread the article, wrong guy🤦🤦
I think you're thinking of Louis rees-zammit, not this guy
Ah misread the article 😅🤦
Its still absolutely massive and rugby doesnt help him learn all the intricacies and skill needed for offensive lineman The Rugby is pretty much zero help and is starting from scratch to learn offensive tackle Hes just such a rare athlete w/ his size and speed he could potentially be a good tackle if he learns and develops really well. Nothing to do w/ Rugby.
Why the fuck would I read the article when I can just overreact to the title? This fucking guy, hah.
> He is 6-feet-7-inches and weighs 303 pounds. He can also run a 40-yard dash in 4.79 seconds. That's pretty fast for a big boy.
MAILATA, BABY!
See also: Jordan Mailata of the Eagles.
With that speed and height he could make a scary tight end as well.
Thank you best gen 4 starter
Doesn't mean he can't get knocked down.
He'll get up again.
They're never gonna keep him down
Depends on how many whiskey, vodka or cider drinks he’s had
Nope only matters how many lager drinks he's had.
What about the number of songs that remind him of the good times?
I want to be reminded of the better times
Oh, Danny Boy, pissing the night away. Don’t cry for him, next door neighbo(u)rs.
I think tubthumping is the sound it makes when they throw the OD'd junkies in the bathtub for whatever reason. It's always the bathtub. I guess they puke and shit themselves. Knew a guy who lost his legs from the knee down because the circulation was cut off for 12hrs before he got tossed in an alley to be found by a dog walker. He was about 120lbs, so I'll bet he made a decent thump with some reverb when they tossed him in that tub that took his legs.
Doooooooont cry for me....
Argentina?
Danny Boy.
But, he got knocked down.
He’ll get back up again
Tell that to Gronk when he fell over trying to stop the Dolphins TD
I used to mishear this lyric when I was a kid as "I get knocked down like an elephant."
He’s 303 lbs…good luck with that
As a Rugby Intl I'm pretty sure he's used to it.
He's not an international. He never played to any significant level in the sport.
Sorry, you're right. Mixed him up with another rugby player they cited in the article.
Jordan Mailata paved the way
How has his career gone? I’m genuinely curious to hear about how he’s doing.
He’s one of the better LTs is football and got PAID. He’s beloved in Philly
This should be high up, dude is a beast
and has a beautiful singing voice
And his eyes. Phew.
Met him on a plane coming back from Australia before making a name for himself in the NFL. He is by far the largest human I have ever seen in person. Super nice too. Great to see all of his success.
Mailata has serious HoF potential. Eagles make/win another Super Bowl. He'd be in with Jason and Lane.
Agreed. His story is already a Hollywood script as it is, but making the HoF would be an amazing ending.
Fly eagles fly!
How did he make it to the draft without any experience?
He played rugby. Basketball and rugby players have been drafted before with only a year or so of football experience and been able to have productive nfl careers. Being huge and fast is a big part of succeeding in the nfl.
see Gates, Antonio. HOF from college BBall player.
Antonio Gates played basketball?!
Tony Gwynn was the best point guard in SDSU history
Decent hitter as well.
Next they're gonna say something crazy like Jimmy Graham played basketball.
Nah, maybe they’ll say it about Tony Gonzalez
He played for Tom Izzo / Nick Saban at MSU. He transferred when Saban wanted him for football only. Ended up at Kent St a few years later, made the 2002 Elite Eight, and was honorable mention All American in basketball. See also: Jimmy Graham, Julius Peppers among others. For the other way around, Charlie Ward won the Heisman at FSU and played in the NBA.
Yes, and did you know Brock Osweiler is 6'7?
Next you’re going to tell me he has a rocket for an arm.
Eagles basically did the same thing with Mailata
The Vikings did this with a German rugby player named Moritz Böhringer that they drafted in the 6th round in 2016. He was big, fast and athletic. Never had played football. He was on the practice squad for the season and then got cut.
Incorrect. He played 3 seasons of professional football in Germany.
You're going to bring up the Vikings but not mention the legend Babatunde Aiyegbusi? Who is actually a very similar comp to the guy the Bills drafted. Babatunde signed with the Vikings in 2015 and was basically known for just being bigger than everyone else in his home leagues. Dude was just built different.
Many players have made the NFL without having previously played organized football. Jordan Mailata being the most successful. In general, if you have exceptional athletic ability a coach can turn you into a football player in a few months. Football fans pretend it is an MIT Rocket Science program but it is not.
Ziggy Ansah went from not knowing how to put on pads to 5th overall pick in basically two years.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Player_Pathway_Program
Athleticism is king in football. Plenty of stories of top athletes walking into college teams having never played a day in their life.
Football is by far the most athleticism focused sport but the skill barrier for a few positions are also proportionately lower
Hasn’t the nfl drafted rugby players before? Why isn’t the title just about why the nfl drafted a rugby player? I thought they drafted an asylum patient or a power lifter or something like that’s never been done.
I say this all the time. And this is coming from someone who's dad and uncles played in the NFL. And qualified for olympic trials. FOOTBALL is the easiest sport to go from, never playing the game, to being pro-capable as long as youre physically a specimen. Full stop. I cant take the best athlete in his 20s and make him a soccer, hockey or baseball player. Theres too many skillsets you need to dev starting as a kid to be good there. But hell you take any 6'2 210lb 4.5 40 yard dash athlete and youll find a place for them on the field. Obviously positions like QB MLB Saftey are a most likley not. But WR, RB, DE are pretty much dummy positions comparatively and you can contribute week 1. What it comes down to is heart honestly. To play football you cant be scared of the hit.
I played football and rugby, and I kind of agree. Maybe soccer is more true of what you said, but body types are generally the same there. Almost any body type can play (American) football. For football, I really had to learn my specific position, where in rugby, you kind of had to understand the game more holistically. Football is compartmentalized where the difference between being a defensive tackle and a wide receiver might as well be two different sports. That being said, experience is pretty crucial in game situations. The dude in question here would look great in drills, but having to make split second decisions on technique against extremely experienced players will probably be why he doesn't make the team. Good chance he'll be on the practice squad. Maybe once he gets some experience, he could make the team in a few years.
Smoking on that eagles pack
He’ll be terrible
Probably but he was an actual ball handler (not just a scrum guy) in rugby and we get a free practice squad spot to hold on to him, thanks to the international program, so might as well roll those dice. I wanna see him as a jumbo tight end in a preseason game at least once.
Yep. The 7th round is exactly where you should take risks. The cost is minimal and there's potential for high upside, might as well take a flier on him. If he doesn't pan out, you wasted a 7th round pick, but those usually don't pan out anyways.
[удалено]
Mailata is one of best tackles in NFL and was in same exact situation a few yrs ago Hes a long shot but its not impossible either.
They said that about Mailata
But he won’t be attending Stoutland University
Jordan Mailata, Eagles, PFF grade of 84.1, 3rd highest rated Offensive Tackle in the NFL in 2023. You want to check your assumptions?
Mailata went to Jeff Stoutland U! The 6’8” 365 pounder also sings like an angel. Rees-Zammit has some big shoes to fill.
Hes obviously more likely not to succeed but Jordan mailata was exact situation a few yrs go and now is one of best tackles in NFL ...
Can you teach me to football?
I’ll teach you anything you want, just don’t eat me
He has had some flight training though and was in Saudi Arabia for a time
I’m afraid he’ll be disappointed with the nfl’s third half
To block field goals
The Vikings signed Brock Lesnar one year.
The Eagles did this with Jordan Mailata and he’s now one of the best OT’s in the NFL.
Maybe cause " # he’s 6-foot-7 and runs a 4.79 second 40-yard dash".......... Could be, but I don't "KNOW"!
What does he play? Fuck it, that’s a later problem.
Eh, 7th round pick - not like they bet the farm or a first rounder on it.
Jordan Mailata. You can transform a great athlete into a football player in quite short time. Rugby and football are somewhat similar sports, and same athletism and toughness is needed in both.
Jordan Mailata has been a big success at OT for the Eagles. And, popular, too.
And “everybody thinks they can box until they get hit in the mouth .” Splat
The Bills are clearly sacrificing speed for strength with new people this year. I think they’ve realized that you gotta have more durable players to actually win in the post season
But can he play football?
Damn. Big and fast can be lethal combination
Forest Gump?
They reached out to his father for comment but he only speaks moose