Philadelphia Eagles Draft Rugby Player With No Football Experience
He’s spent the last few months learning the game of football.
At this year’s NFL Draft, the Philadelphia Eagles turned heads with its unorthodox seventh and final round pick. After trading the New England Patriots for a 233rd pick, the Eagles drafted Jordan Mailata, a former rugby player for the South Sydney Rabbitohs.
Although Mailata has been an interesting prospect in the league after being invited to a workout through the NFL’s International Player Pathway program. The 6-foot-8 346-pound prospect barely knows the game of football, noting he has spent the last few months learning the rules while training at the prestigious IMG Academy. Although at first glance the choice to draft Mailata does seem odd, the Eagles do have some space to experiment after winning the Super Bowl last season and has managed to keep the team largely intact.
Catch Jordan Mailata’s rugby highlight reel below and let us know what you think about the interesting draft choice.
In case you missed it, former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick recently received an Amnesty Award for his part in race protests.
The @Eagles just drafted Australian rugby player Jordan Mailata.
His highlights are… INSANE. DOMINANT. RIDICULOUS. 😱 #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/ELYxjng21m
— NFL (@NFL) April 28, 2018
