Louis Rees-Zammit is the highest profile, most successful athlete to join the NFL from the International Player Pathway Program.This is a lofty claim but he has left the game of Rugby Union at the peak of his career. A move that sent shockwaves across not just the World of Rugby Union but the World of sport. The following facts are well known now.He has just signed for the Kansas City Chiefs. He is a former Welsh rugby player and product of the International Player Pathway Program. But why has the signing of Louis Rees-Zammit triggered so much interest? What has the signing caused so much debate among both the American Football and Rugby communities? Will he be successful? We will explore these questions and explain who Louis Rees-Zammit is during this article.
Louis Rees-Zammit was a huge star of Welsh Rugby Union. This is not an exaggeration.When he announced on January 16th 2024 that he was leaving Rugby, on the eve of the annual Six Nations tournament it was a shock to say the least. Rees-Zammit played club rugby for Gloucester in the Gallagher English Premiership (the highest level of English Rugby). He also played for his country Wales. He played 32 times scoring 14 tries. This is an incredible achievement considering he is still only 23 years old. He was also selected to play for the British and Irish Lions scoring 3 tries in 4 appearances. Playing for the British and Irish Lions is considered a great achievement in the World of Rugby. With all due respect to other Rugby Players such as Christian Wade , Alex Gray etc, they are not superstars on the level of Louis Rees-Zammit.
“I would like to take this opportunity to announce a significant career decision that I have taken after careful consideration”. This is the opening sentence of the announcement that Rees-Zammit made on January 16th 2024. This decision was met with much debate and many questions, Why? How much would he get paid? What position would he play? The reaction to this announcement was surprising. A major Welsh star leaving on the eve of the Six Nations? Rugby fans however on the whole wished him luck. That may have to do with the current poor state of Welsh Rugby at the moment. There were two main strains of comment on social media , good luck to him but also skepticism about whether or not he would be successful. His knowledge and relationship with American Football was also questioned unfairly. Many veteran fans and players of British American Football will know his father Joe Zammit, a fantastic player. Zammit played for the mighty Cardiff Tigers ( this writer may be biased as I attended many games as a younger person) in a period of early popularity for American Football in Britain. Rees-Zammit said that his Dad was a massive role model when asked by the Kansas City Chiefs media team his reason for his American Football Journey.
As is widely known the reigning Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs announced they signed Rees-Zammit on March 29th. He ran a reported 4.43 second 40 yard dash at the IPPP pro day, A time that he said was a disappointment. He had recorded 4.2 and 4.3 times previously. I am a believer in looking at game film. If you watch Rugby highlights of Rees-Zammit the speed is there to see. Also he is listed on the Chiefs roster as measuring at 6 foot 3 and 194 pounds. This has drawn comparisons to Chris Godwin. I am not however saying this to indicate this as a guarantee of success just as a comparison.It is interesting to note that he is listed on the Chiefs roster at time of writing as a Running Back not Wide Receiver as a lot of people have thought.What made this different was the amount of coverage this received not just in Europe but in the media in the United States as well.The Chiefs tweeted (posted on X) 6 times celebrating the new signing. This is a huge achievement! A major milestone in fulfilling his dream of playing in the NFL. This was not however as many media outlets in the United Kingdom and Europe reported a guarantee of a roster spot on the Chiefs. For Rees-Zammit the hard work has only just begun.
The ultimate question of success for Louis Rees-Zammit is whether or not he makes the Chiefs roster. Is this possible? Of course anything is possible if you are physically as gifted an athlete as Rees-Zammit. The odds are stacked against him. There are only a few examples of players from other sports with little playing experience making it to the NFL. I can realistically see Rees-Zammit making the practice squad this year with the Chiefs and progressing and learning in his first year. The Chiefs organization seems to be an ideal environment for him to develop his American Football Ambition. But for me even as A Raider fan I hope that he does make it. To see a person achieve their goal in any work of life is an incredible thing to see
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