The Kansas City Chiefs, the reigning Super Bowl champions, have confirmed they have added former Wales rugby union star Louis Rees-Zammit to their roster.
Rees-Zammit stunned the world of rugby union in January as he pulled out of Warren Gatland’s Welsh squad for the Six Nations to pursue a career in the NFL, which has been his dream since childhood.
The 23-year-old entered a ten-week training camp as part of the league’s international player pathway (IPP) and immediately caught the eye of top scouts.
Rees-Zammit attracted interest from the New York Jets, the Denver Broncos, the Cleveland Browns and the Chiefs after recording a rapid 4.44-second 40-yard dash at the University of South Florida’s Pro Day, which would have ranked fifth among tailbacks at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine.
Capped 32 times by Wales, Rees-Zammit has put pen to paper on a three-year contract in Kansas and will now be looking ahead to September when the Chiefs’ gruelling off-season begins.
The ex-Gloucester winger, renowned for his lightning pace, will be competing for a place in Andy Reid’s 53-man roster, with the Chiefs on the hunt for a third successive Super Bowl crown.
‘It’s always been on my mind,’ Rees-Zammit told Rob Maaddi of the Associated Press at the IPP workout.
‘My dad has been a massive role model to me because he brought me up loving the sport.
‘He played the sport when he was younger so it’s quite easy to love the game because I’ve been watching it from such a young age.
‘So, it’s always been in the back of my head, but it’s just amazing to finally do it now.’
Speaking to Sky Sports, Aden Durde – the first British coordinator in the history of the NFL, claimed Rees-Zammit would have to learn how to ‘simplify’ the game to succeed in the sport.
‘I definitely think he’s got a chance. It’s the process of going through this is the hardest but it’s the best thing,’ Durde said.
‘When you go through this, it’s how you develop, it’s how you start learning the game, how you understand the different phases of the game.
‘It’s a complicated sport, but once he simplifies it, that’s when his athletic talents will take over and you’ll see the player he can possibly become.’
More to follow.
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