United Kingdom to American Football

NFL Dream

Welsh rugby star Louis Rees-Zammit turned many heads earlier this year when he announced that he will be leaving the sport that made his name in exchange to be a National Football League player. The 23 year-old has been one of rugby's most promising names, as he has made 32 international appearances for Wales and has scored about 14 times in these matches. In 2021, he become the youngest player ever to get drafted by the British and Irish Lions squad since 1959. A superstar future form Rees-Zammit almost seemed guaranteed, until he decided to leave his original sport for the NFL.

"I fancy a new challenge and what a better challenge than to be in the NFL. I've been training really hard for 7 or 8 weeks now and I think I'm in a good position. I feel smooth, I feel comfortable and I'm ready to show everyone what I can do," Louis Rees-Zammit said to press.

The Process

Rees-Zammit has been living his training process at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida alongside a cohort of other outstanding athletes. He is getting to grips with his new sport as he prepares for Pro Day, which is where he will perform multiple tests and drills for NFL evaluators. Despite never playing football from a young age, he is familiar with the sport as he watched it all the time as a kid. He will be going up against players who have put some much time and effort into the sport their whole lives, so he better rise up to the challenge. 

"My dad as a teenager in the UK, he always played American football. It was pretty tough for him back then though to get over to the states and go to college and try to go through that system," Rees-Zammit explains.

"I kind of want to continue his legacy and go beyond and inspire a lot of people back home to be able to make this change and, you know, have the confidence to do it as well."

Rees-Zammit is aiming to play an offensive position and said that it would be "a dream come true" if he was able to receive a spot to play wide receiver. He compares his style of play to the stars of Deebo Samuel and Christian McCaffery of the San Francisco 49ers. They are both versatile players who can take over games but just running the ball but are also efficient route runners and pass catchers. Rees-Zammit reveled that his favorite NFL player growing up was receiver DeSean Jackson, and he used to watch his highlights on You tube. Like Jackson, the rugby player is known for his crazy speed. He has earned the nickname "Rees-Lightning" and has clocked in at a speed of 24 miles per hour in a rugby game. To show a comparison, the fastest a man has run in an NFL game has been 22.23 miles per hour, from DK Metcalf of the Seahawks. Rees-Zammit's speed could end up making him a weapon on the special teams return.    

What's Ahead

There is no doubt that Rees-Zammit is insanely quick, even by NFL scouts and former coaches, he has been named as a "freak athlete." Although, adjusting to the game, let alone making the league, takes way more than just raw athletic ability. Coming to terms with the game, learning the basics, and memorizing plays are if not more important than being an exceptional athlete. An Australian player on the Philadelphia Eagles currently, has a story similar to Rees-Zammit's. Jordan Mailata entered the game of football with no experience or intelligence of the game at all, in this is different to Rees-Zammit. When he first saw the Eagle's NFL playbook, it looked like a different language to him. It took him a long time to adjust, but single-handedly, knowing this book made Mailata the NFL star he is today. 

"I think a lot of it is being able to accelerate and decelerate at such speed. In rugby, you don't have to do that too often," asserted Rees-Zammit on how the sports differ from each other. 

"It's been an adjustment I've had to make over the past 7 weeks. If you were able to see my footage from week one compared to now, I'm very happy with it. The coach is very happy with that."

There is a big future for the star rugby player, as he has a chance to once again become a star in another sport.