NFL hosting seven athletes for international pro day
The NFL has made no secret of its desire to grow the league and American football around the world, and welcoming athletes from other countries could certainly help that aim.
To that end, the league is hosting an international pro day on Monday at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ practice facility.
Seven athletes from five countries
There are seven athletes from five countries who were selected to take part in the pro day, which the league says will be attended by scouts from all 32 teams.
After workouts, teams will be able to have informal interviews with the men.
Five of the players have been playing American football, while two are trying to transition from rugby; all have been training at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, about an hour south of the Buccaneers’ facility, since January.
This is the third year the NFL has held a pro day for international players.
Germany well represented
Three of the athletes are from Germany: David Bada, Moubarak Djeri, and Jakob Johnson.
Bada, 24, is a defensive end for the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns, who appear to be the New England Patriots of the German Football League, winning the league title in each of the last two years, and making it to the title game in both 2015 and ‘16. Bada is 6-foot-4 and around 285 pounds. Current Cincinnati Bengals practice squad player Moritz Böhringer also played for the Unicorns.
Djeri, 22, is a defensive tackle who isn’t unfamiliar to NFL teams — he tried out for the Arizona Cardinals in 2017 and was signed, though he wasn’t with the team for long, taking part in OTAs but cut before training camp. He has previously played with the Cologne Crocodiles of the German Football League.
Johnson, also 24, is a fullback. He was born in Germany and played football there but moved to Jacksonville, Florida, as a teenager and played one year of high school football. He played at the University of Tennessee for four years, transitioning from linebacker to tight end during his time there.
Valentine Holmes is a 23-year-old Australian who is a professional rugby player in his home country. He’s walking away from a $5 million contract (roughly $3.6 million American) with his National Rugby League team to pursue an NFL career, hoping to catch on as an offensive skill player or kick returner.
Maximo (Sanchez) González, a 25-year-old linebacker, has played for several football leagues in his native Mexico, as well as with Monterrey Tech, one of the top college teams in the country. He is listed at 6-foot-1.5 and 230 pounds.
Durval Neto is a 25-year-old former judo champion in Brazil who has transitioned to football as a defensive lineman, and is the first Brazilian chosen for the NFL’s International Player Pathway program. Neto has spent the last two years playing for the two top teams in his country.
Christian Wade is a 27-year-old rugby standout who was on the English National Rugby team at the under-16, U-18, U-20 and senior team levels. The aspiring running back/kick returner, listed at 5-foot-8, was chosen for the British and Irish Lions, the highest honor for a rugby player, and his 82 tries (touchdowns) in Premiership Rugby are third-most all-time.
Free-agent deal or practice squad spot
Under the rules of the International Player Pathway Program, the seven players can be signed to free-agent contracts.
But those who aren’t signed could land on a practice squad. The AFC East has been chosen at random as the division that can receive international players this year (the NFC South and AFC North were the divisions chosen previously); at the end of training camp, players are eligible for an international player practice squad exemption, which allows teams to have an 11th practice squad member.
Unlike most practice squad players, however, players who are designated as international practice squad exemptions cannot be activated to the 53-man roster during the regular season.
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