The Kansas City Chiefs are going with an unconventional move this offseason after signing former rugby player Louis Rees-Zammit, according to Bleacher Report's Jordan Schultz.
The 23-year-old Welshman played professional rugby in England for the past six years before he announced he would pursue an NFL career. Rees-Zammit left his club on Jan. 16 and joined the NFL International Player Pathway (IPP) program. He hired Kim Miale of Roc Nation to represent him ahead of signing with an NFL team.
Rees-Zammit also visited with the Denver Broncos, New York Jets and Cleveland Browns before he ultimately chose the Chiefs.
It's unclear what position Rees-Zammit would play at the NFL level. Schultz reported the Chiefs want him to play running back or wide receiver and return kicks because of his speed. He stands at 6-foot-3 and 194 pounds, which is too tall to be a running back but about average size for a wide receiver or defensive back.
The #Chiefs also plan on giving Louis Rees-Zammit a shot to be involved with kickoffs — which with the new rules makes this a significant signing. pic.twitter.com/HramyqTyaA https://t.co/aMQjwSMsfS
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) March 27, 2024
Rees-Zammit ran a 4.43 40-yard dash time, leaped 9-foot-7 in the broad jump and hit a 29-inch vertical at the IPP pro day earlier this year. Here's where those numbers would rank among running backs, wide receivers and cornerbacks at the 2024 NFL Combine:
- 40-yard dash: fourth among running backs, tied for 13th among wide receivers and 10th among cornerbacks
- Broad jump: tied for 19th among running backs, 32nd (last) among wide receivers, tied for 26th (last) among cornerbacks
- Vertical jump: 22nd among running backs, 32nd (last) among wide receivers, tied for 26th (last) among cornerbacks
Those numbers are necessarily a predictive metric for NFL success, but it's a good start for teams to evaluate where Rees-Zammit could fit on a roster. The Chiefs will also get one training camp exemption this year for a qualifying international player like Rees-Zammit.
Who is Louis Rees-Zammit?
Rees-Zammit is from Penarth, Wales — about four hours west of London. He began his professional career 70 days after his 18th birthday to become the youngest in the Premiership Rugby. He's tallied 190 points during his career at Gloucester. Rees-Zammit was one of the main subjects of Netflix's Six Nations: Full Contact show.
The young rugby winger is known for his speed. As noted earlier, his 40-yard dash time is solid compared to other NFL prospects and he was clocked at running more than 24 mph during the Rugby World Cup in 2023. That's faster than the fastest NFL play since 2020, set by Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf this past season.
He earned the nickname "Rees Lightening" during his professional rugby career and joked with NBC News that he wants to race Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill.
“I’d like to have a race with him,” he said. “His acceleration is probably quicker than mine but that’s something to work on and improve on. I don’t really like to compare myself to other players. I’m just ready to work hard and see how fast I can go.”
Rees-Zammit noted that he grew up watching American football because his father played for the Cardiff Tigers and Oxford Saints of NFL Europe.
"My dad has been a massive role model to me because he brought me up loving the sport," Rees-Zammitt said, via ESPN. "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."
Other rugby players in NFL
Rees-Zammit isn't the first former rugby player to try to make the jump to the NFL. The positions they've latched onto have varied as well from running back to linebacker to offensive line and defensive back. However, those that made the switch haven't had much success.
Philadelphia Eagles offensive lineman Jordan Mailata is perhaps the best example of an ex-rugby player making a star at the NFL level. The Eagles took Mailata in the seventh round of the 2018 draft after he played in Australia, he became Philadelphia's starting left tackle in 2020 and developed into one of the best offensive linemen in the NFL.
Others like Jarryd Hayne, Christian Wade, Hayden Smith, Daniel Adongo, Alex Gray and Christian Scotland-Williamson all had brief stints in the NFL.
Hayne played eight games at running back for the San Francisco 49ers in 2015 before he retired from American football in 2016 to return to rugby. He rushed 17 times for 52 yards and caught six passes for 27 yards.
Wade never played in a regular season game but was on the Buffalo Bills roster as a running back during the 2019, 2020 and 2021 offseasons. He returned a punt for a 65-yard touchdown in his debut NFL game during the 2019 preseason.
Smith played in five games at tight end for the New York Jets in 2012 but only caught one pass for 16 yards. He returned to rugby in 2013.
Adongo joined the Indianapolis Colts as a linebacker in 2013. He played in two games that season but didn't record a tackle. Adongo missed the 2014 season with a bicep injury and returned in 2015 to play in three games. The Colts waived Adongo midway through the 2015 season after allegations of domestic violence before Adongo and an unidentified female surfaced.
Gray signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a safety in 2017 but did not make the final round of roster cuts. He joined the Arena Football League in 2019.
Scotland-Williamson joined the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2018 but spent three years on the team's practice squad before being waived with a non-football injury designation in 2020.
