Growing up in Lagos, Nigeria, Hagai Chisom Ndubuisi never thought of becoming a soccer player. He played soccer and basketball like the rest of his classmates… until he discovered the NFL through YouTube.
“I didn't know anything about soccer. I grew up playing soccer and basketball,” Ndubuisi said this week. “My first video about the NFL became the biggest hit. I was surprised by it.”
He spent the next few years teaching himself through YouTube, attracting the attention of local scouts, enrolling in a football academy in Ghana, and winning an invitation to the international combine in London. Thousands of miles, years, and many questions and doubts later, the 6-foot-6, 298-pound Ndubuisi is now a member of the Washington Commanders and the latest beneficiary of the NFL's International Player Pathway Program. It becomes.
The NFL has spent the better part of the last decade traversing the globe, playing games and building fan alliances with countries around the world. The league is also active in attracting the world to the NFL, scouting potential players from athletes around the world. Since 2017, the NFL's International Player Pathway has become the most effective route for international athletes (some of whom, like Ndubuisi, may have only recently learned of the NFL) to reach the league. It has functioned as
Since the program's inception, 37 international players have signed contracts with NFL teams. Approximately 20 players are currently under contract, with five on current NFL rosters. The odds are long, but the addition of a new international roster spot in 2024 makes it a little more likely that the NFL will one day host a version of Shohei Ohtani or Nikola Jokic.
How the NFL finds international talent
Patrick Murtagh is a veteran of Australian rules football, the NFL game's chaotic cousin. He played for the Gold Coast Suns for three years. Upon his release, he turned his attention to the IPP, despite the NFL still having virtually no cultural footprint in Australia.
“I thought, why not?” Murtagh says. “Is one door closed? Let's open another one.”
The NFL is a dream opportunity for Murtagh, who grew up trying to explain the Peyton Manning Broncos to his father. His background in football makes him an ideal tight end candidate.
“None of it is easy, of course,” he said of the football version switch. “But you go from running, running, running 18 kilometers a game to just putting on pads and running a few kilometers.”
Murtagh was a well-known player thanks to his AFL career. Many other potential players remain virtually anonymous due to the vast scope of their international recruitment. Within the United States, football recruitment follows a standard methodology. Recruiters tap into networks of high school coaches and brokers to target future stars and unearth diamonds. But if your recruiting area is “global,” you'll need to be a little more creative in finding talent.
Take, for example, the case of Byron Matos of the Dominican Republic. “I met him when he played basketball in college. [the University of South Florida]'' said James Cook, a former British quarterback who now heads IPP. “Then one day he walked into a gym. And the gym owner was training NFL athletes.” The trainer contacted one of his former customers, who contacted Mr. Cook. — “Hey, my old trainer just met this huge Dominican guy. You probably know about it.” — And now Matos has put his name on the draft list. They are connected. offensive lineman.
“I had the opportunity to play college basketball in America,” Matos says. “But a lot of people said, 'Are you going to play football?'” You should be playing football. 'But that was something I didn't really understand. ” His speed, agility and footwork have impressed scouts and he is now on his way.
“There are a lot of stones that need to be turned over,” Cook said. “It's a true blend of traditional scouting and relationship building. And sometimes there's a weird intro.”
Like when I found a future NFL prospect I hadn't even looked for yet. “Our team was watching footage of another player,” Cook said. “We saw him standing on the sideline and thought, 'Who the hell is this guy?' That player was Germany's David Bada, a defensive lineman who was later signed by the manager. It has been found.
“A lot of times you look at athletes, and Jordan Mailata of Philadelphia is a great example of that. They were just playing the wrong sport to begin with,” said the Eagles, who reportedly signed a three-year, $66 million contract on Thursday. Coach Cook talks about the offensive tackles. Overtime with the Eagles. “Jordan wouldn't have become a rugby star if he had stayed in that sport, but he's clearly becoming a star in this sport. He was too big for rugby, but he played offensive tackle in the NFL. I was born for it.”
This is the key to IPP. It's about identifying players with natural athleticism who are suited for the NFL but don't have a pathway to established high school-to-college leagues in the United States. The 6-foot-6, 250-pound athlete may not have a future in pro basketball, but the tight end slot may be in his future. Sometimes they find players through referrals from other coaches or foreign American Football Associations, and sometimes they see grainy cell phone videos of NFL prospects towing cars. Anything to gain an edge.
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Certain physical characteristics carry over from sport to sport. Mr Cook pointed to Welsh rugby player Louis Rees-Zammit, who was recently signed by Chiefs, as a powerful example of cross-sport alignment. “I don't have to teach Louis how to hold the ball or make him make mistakes,” Cook said. “You might have to teach him how to run routes. But you want to lean into those instincts, you don't want to fight them.” Considering the current trends), Rees-Zammit could be used as a receiver, running back, or punt returner.
On the other hand, there are some aspects that cannot be expressed well. “Rugby isn't played very low to the ground,” Cook says. While American football has become more influential and has a lower center of gravity, we often work with rugby players and the challenge is to get them to play lower. ”
But fundamentally, there are challenges that all players face. It's about how you act and react when you're about to get hit on the field. “The biggest hurdle has always been learning and understanding the game and the speed at which information is processed,” Cook said. “There are already a lot of great athletes around the world and in the United States who can’t participate in this game because they can’t process information fast enough.”
What's next for international players?
Players who participate in the IPP go through a full training camp, similar to what they would undergo in college, ending with a pro day in order to showcase their skills on an NFL team. Depending on how long it has been since they graduated from high school, they will either be eligible to enter the NFL Draft or become immediate free agents. Either way, it's a waiting game.
There is now an incentive for teams to focus on international talent. Starting with the 2024 season, each team will be given an additional 17th practice slot exclusively for overseas players. While there is no requirement for teams to sign players, this slot is only available to players outside of the United States and Canada.
While the appeal to the players themselves is obvious, IPP also helps spread the gospel of the NFL. When a local hero plays in an overseas league, the whole community buys into it. Thus, the seeds are planted for the NFL to grow on international soil.
“This is a huge, growing sport,” says Travis Clayton, a former British rugby player who is now looking for a job on the NFL lines. “Representing England in America is obviously where it’s at.” [aren’t] Many Britons play American football in the NFL. That's a big part of why I try to get into this sport. I feel like I can inspire a lot of kids, a lot of people, to get involved in American football in their hometown. ”
It will take generations of players for NFL football to have the international star power of baseball or the NBA, but America's Game will soon take on a more international flavor. is clear.
