FORMER ULSTER WINGER Aaron Sexton has been confirmed by the NFL as one of the 14 athletes hopeful of making on the roster of an American Football francishe through the International Player Pathway.
Altogether, 14 athletes across 13 nations will fill out the places on the programme that starts in January 2025. It will involve ten weeks of on pitch training and off-pitch theory education at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, as they seek to earn their spot.
Then, they will be invited to showcase their skills in front of NFL scouts as part of the University of South Florida’s Pro Day in March.
Each NFL club is permitted one roster exemption for a qualifying international player from the start of the club’s offseason programme through the roster reduction to 53 players.
Aside from kickers it’s very hard to make it from the IFPP. I think players like Sexton would be better served playing college football first and getting dispensation to be draft eligible after 1 year of playing but also have the option to do up to 5 seasons there if needed . The step up to NFL for offensive and defensive positions is to big for players who have no experience
@Owen ODonoghue: Give it a lash ya never know. Then pitch in with an MLR team if it doesn’t work out, and score a try against Ireland for the USA in RWC31!