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They enter as raw prospects with little or no experience in American football. Some have excelled previously in other sports, some have no experience whatsoever as professional athletes. But they all have one thing in common: the dream of making it in the NFL.
Ten weeks of intense training in Bradenton, Florida, for this year’s batch of 13 young hopefuls came to a conclusion on Wednesday as the Class of 2025 from the NFL’s International Player Pathway (IPP) took part in the University of South Florida’s pro day workouts in neighbouring Tampa.
The IPP prospects were put through their paces in front of NFL scouts. They can be picked during the league’s annual player draft taking place from April 24 to 26, or failing that, signed later by any of the 32 NFL teams as free agents. Or the dream ends and other paths must be followed.
Since its inception in 2017, 41 IPP graduates have signed with NFL teams, and there are 23 currently on its teams’ rosters. These include Jordan Mailata, a former rugby league player from Australia who won the Super Bowl in February as an offensive lineman with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Alex Gray: The rugby player who became a Gladiator
Gray, a former England Under-20 rugby union captain, was part of the first IPP group eight years ago. He was on the Atlanta Falcons’ practice squad, a supplement to an NFL team’s 53-strong active roster, as a tight end from 2017 to 2019 but is now a star on the BBC’s Saturday night game show Gladiators.
Christian Scotland-Williamson: The commentator and barrister
Scotland-Williamson was signed by English top-flight rugby union side Worcester Warriors while studying for a Master’s in international business at Loughborough University in England.
Ayo Oyelola – The Londoner attempting ‘the impossible’
Oyelola has been with the Jacksonville Jaguars for two NFL pre-seasons (2022 and 2023) and on the Pittsburgh Steelers (2024) roster. He was selected by the IPP twice, in 2021 and 2022, and was one of the first athletes to do so with a soccer background. He is now a free agent and preparing for the NFL’s training camps this summer.
…and so on. Let me know if you’d like me to continue!
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