Rory Beggan and Mark Jackson of Monaghan and Wicklow, respectively, are likely to miss the remaining matches in the Allianz Football League due to their extended stay in the United States. They are aiming to secure professional contracts after participating in the NFL Combine the past weekend. They were originally due to return to Ireland this Tuesday but they, along with Charlie Smyth of Down and Darragh Leader, a former Connacht rugby player, have decided to stick around their IMG Academy training centre in Florida for an added three weeks.
Their decision was fueled by their promising performances at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis last Sunday which garnered the interest of several NFL scouts and coaches. The quartet will now join a ‘pro day’ at the University of Southern Florida, Tampa on the 20th of March, an event that gives them another chance to impress representatives of all 32 NFL teams.
Tadhg Leader, the founder of Leader Kicking, shared how supportive the families have been through this process. According to Tadhg, the venture of keeping the players in the US aligns with their objective of making them easily accessible to NFL franchises. Darragh Leader, though slightly injured earlier, will also be participating in the ‘pro day.’
If all goes to plan, the next time these players set foot in Ireland, they will have a clear vision of their future.
Players are currently awaiting their official statistics confirmation from Sunday’s combine, according to Tadhg Leader. He found the reports accurate that Smyth had 12 successful kicks out of 16 attempts, Beggan was successful in 11 out of 16, and Jackson managed 10 out of 16. These players aren’t only evaluated based on their kicking precision; several other factors are taken into account, and the Irish hopefuls’ noticeable interest from scouts in Indianapolis played a significant role in their decision to stay in the States.
Leader pointed out that multiple teams have already shown great interest in having the players for training sessions, while a few mentioned heading back to their superiors to discuss whether they might recruit one of the guys to join their squad. He believes the three inter-county players’ experience was beneficial in handling the intense atmosphere during Sunday’s combine, when a legion of scouts and special teams coaches from all 32 franchises monitored the group of 10 kickers as they moved between various distance markers on the field.
Although Leader anticipates further discussions with teams in the coming days, he warns that any solid offers might probably surface after March 20. He described the pro day as another chance to evaluate the players’ performance and whether there have been any changes over the three weeks between their first ever event and the second one. He expects to see increased consistency due to their performance the previous weekend. He views it as a last opportunity in certain ways.
During the combine, we demonstrated our potential, and now they’re requesting for video footage and more details. The players are preparing to be profiled. It’s a massive enterprise with a well-defined structure and a commanding line of information dissemination. Whilst it would be amazing to see something happen within the next week, realistically, obtaining a clear picture could take between two to six weeks. The owner isn’t casually affirming to sign them instantly. Each position on rosters carries extreme importance and it’s a complex dynamic; our boys aim to be instrumental in it.
The Leader team were anticipating increased participation of kickers in the previous Sunday’s match but, apart from the trio of Irish contenders attaining their place via the International Player Pathway, only the premier septet of college football kickers were present. Among them was Will Reichard, Alabama’s all-time leading field goal scorer and the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s highest-ever point scorer with 547 to his name.
Leader noted, “Their journey differs from ours, they are cream of the crop and destined to be listed in NFL rosters for the upcoming season. They are the ones expected to be drafted.” He went on to add that although some individuals in Ireland might have presumed that their kicking would overshadow and excel, when compared to an average American kicker, they could certainly perform. However, they were competing against the country’s top-notch seven and they undoubtedly made their presence felt in such an elevated league.
The final sequence of standard Allianz Football League matches is set for 23rd-24th March. Monaghan is slated to go up against Mayo in Division One on that Sunday, whilst Wicklow has a scheduled match against Antrim in Division Three on the same date.
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