Okoye to Mailata - rugby players who tried to crack the NFL

Louis Rees-Zammit and Travis Clayton are nan latest players to person discontinue rugby to prosecute a profession successful nan NFL.

It has proved a difficult task. Only Jordan Mailata has managed to make nan transition.

"It recalibrates what you deliberation is hard," says Christian Scotland-Williamson, 1 of those who missed out.

So arsenic Rees-Zammit and Clayton hole for nan adjacent shape of their NFL adventure, what tin they study from their predecessors?

Here's a reminder of those who chased their American dream.

Like Rees-Zammit, Christian Wade has gait to pain and discontinue rugby successful his prime. He was 27 and 3rd connected nan all-time Premiership try-scorers database erstwhile he near Wasps successful 2018.

After going done nan International Player Pathway (IPP) successful 2019, he trained pinch nan Buffalo Bills and made an instant effect successful their first pre-season game.

On his very first transportation successful American football, Wade burst done nan Indianapolis Colts' defence to tally successful a stunning 65-yard touchdown.

He played successful 2 much pre-season games but spent nan adjacent 3 seasons connected nan Bills' believe squad. That sensational commencement was arsenic bully arsenic it got.

Wade returned to rugby successful 2022 pinch French broadside Racing 92 and is now backmost successful England, coincidentally helping to capable nan void Rees-Zammit near astatine Gloucester.

Christian Scotland-Williamson was playing for Worcester erstwhile he produced a crunching tackle that went viral.

Among those to scope retired was nan NFL and months later he was moving up to 17 hours a time connected nan IPP programme successful 2018.

He joined nan Pittsburgh Steelers and played successful pre-season arsenic a tight end, but ill-timed injuries scuppered his advancement and he was released aft 3 seasons connected their believe squad.

He concisely returned to rugby earlier becoming a barrister, but insists he wasn't looking astatine rugby arsenic a Plan B.

His proposal is: "You've sewage to pain nan ships down you. You can't deliberation 'Oh, I'll spell for a spot past travel back'.

"The likelihood are truthful stacked against you, you can't person nan slightest thought of nan comfortableness waiting for you astatine home."

After stints pinch Newcastle Falcons, London Irish and Yorkshire Carnegie, Alex Gray joined nan inaugural IPP people successful 2017.

He joined nan Atlanta Falcons and played successful pre-season arsenic a tight end, but aft 3 seasons connected their believe squad, Gray was released and concisely returned to rugby pinch Bath.

Today, you're much apt to spot him successful spandex than enarthrosis pads arsenic he earned a spot connected nan newest type of BBC TV bid Gladiators arsenic Apollo.

Despite increasing up successful Australia, Hayden Smith discovered rugby successful America aft completing a hoops danasiwa there.

He went connected to play for Saracens and nan USA, and aft playing successful nan 2011 Rugby World Cup, he had workouts pinch 5 NFL teams.

He played successful 1 regular play crippled for nan New York Jets successful 2012, making 1 reception for a 16-yard gain.

It proved to beryllium nan 1 and only NFL walk he received arsenic Smith was released successful 2013 and returned to rugby.

Jordan Mailata grew up playing rugby convention and had reached nan South Sydney Rabbitohs' Under-20s, but location were continued concerns complete his conditioning.

That's erstwhile he received surely nan champion proposal he's ever had: "Why don’t you play a athletics that appreciates your size?" At 6ft 8in and 365lb (166kg), that athletics was American football.

"His agility and velocity for a personification of his size, who hadn’t grown into his afloat framework yet, it was truthful impressive," says Scotland-Williamson, who was connected nan IPP programme pinch Mailata successful 2018.

Aged 20, nan Australian was drafted by nan Philadelphia Eagles and though he spent 2 seasons connected their believe squad, he past became 1 of nan NFL's champion violative tackles and helped nan Eagles scope nan Super Bowl successful 2023.

Travis Clayton became nan 2nd IPP subordinate to beryllium drafted and Scotland-Williamson - a groomsman astatine Mailata's wedding past twelvemonth - reckons that bodes good for nan 6ft 7in violative lineman who weighs 301lbs (137kg).

"With nan bigger assemblage types successful nan trenches, you’ve sewage much chance of making a precocious modulation [to nan NFL] because you can’t really turn athletes that big, and they’re difficult to find," he says.

"Also, being drafted intends more. People want to spot their determination proved correct because they’ve invested draught superior successful you; they’ve stuck their cervix out, truthful you’ll get much patience."

Valentine Holmes didn't past a play connected nan Jets' believe squad successful 2019 earlier returning to Australia - and earlier nan IPP was launched, different rugby convention prima from nan NRL had to forge his ain way to nan NFL.

The San Francisco 49ers signed Jarryd Hayne successful 2015 and he did truthful good successful their pre-season games that he featured successful their play opener.

He had a mediocre start, fumbling his first punt return, but crossed 8 games he made immoderate affirmative plays as, like Rees-Zammit this pre-season, he was utilized successful a assortment of roles.

But nan 49ers past changed coach and Hayne returned to rugby successful 2016 because learning nan caller playbook would "take excessively overmuch time", external.

Scotland-Williamson tin empathise. He says studying nan rule books required to walk nan barroom was easier than learning an NFL playbook.

Now Rees-Zammit's chances dangle connected "how quickly he gets up to velocity pinch nan playbook" having conscionable switched teams, but Scotland-Williamson feels nan erstwhile Wales helping could beryllium utilized successful a akin measurement to Hayne.

"He played 8 games without nan IPP, arsenic a footwear returner and a specialist, and that’s wherever you tin debar nan 10,000 hours' spread of believe pinch nan method broadside – nan routes, nan timings, being capable to spot holes from nan backfield. They’re nan things that return clip to learn."

Scotland's Jamie Gillan and Kiwis Stephen Paea and David Dixon all played rugby successful their younker earlier making it to nan NFL via nan US assemblage system.

Kenya's Daniel Adongo deserves a mention for playing rugby successful South Africa and past playing doubly for nan Indianapolis Colts successful 2013.

And who could hide Lawrence Okoye? After playing rugby astatine precocious school, Okoye represented Great Britain successful nan discus earlier having a changeable astatine nan NFL.

Between 2013 and 2017, he spent clip pinch six teams arsenic a linebacker without playing a regular play game.

He is now backmost successful athletics but his departure from nan Arizona Cardinals - caput coach Bruce Arians said that Okoye was cut for utilizing his parking spot, external - should service arsenic a informing to Rees-Zammit and Clayton.