Irish trio Rory Beggan, Charlie Smyth and Mark Jackson will remain in America for an extra three weeks in a bid to increase their chances of securing an NFL contract.
Beggan and co. had initially planned to return home on Tuesday, but they will instead remain stateside with interest among NFL scouts said to be spiking, after the Irish trio’s trials at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis last Sunday.
All three Gaelic football goalkeepers performed well with Down man Smyth succeeding from twelve of his sixteen kicks as Beggan and Jackson notched eleven and ten respectively.
They were praised for their composure and accuracy, with many of the scouts said to have been blown away by their build and power.
“These guys are just built different. Elite mindset… they have it. They just have it. Not to mention they’re all built like brick s***houses,” heard Conor Mangan of Leader Kicking
Tadhg Leader, head of Leader kicking group, has since revealed that the trio have been asked to stay in Florida until the end of March pending further work-outs and tryouts, with the former Connacht rugby player predicting on RTÉ that ‘a couple of the lads’ will be signed to contracts.
“So, pretty mad thing to say but I think a couple of the lads are going to be getting signed to contracts in the next two to six weeks,” said Leader.
A pro day, scheduled for the University of Southern Florida in Tampa on March 20 will give the Irish hopefuls another chance to impress the NFL franchises in their bid to secure a contract.
Rory Beggan, meanwhile, told the Second Captains podcast on Tuesday that he will miss the rest of Monaghan’s Allianz Division One League campaign, though he said that beyond that, he is unsure of what lies in store.
“I don’t know where I’ll be come March 28 . . . but I’m not putting anything out there that I’m not available for anything after the league.
“I’d imagine the league at this stage is ruled out.
“In terms of Championship it’s still open until I hear anything.
“I’m sure someone will have news for us in the next week or two anyway. But for now I can’t confirm anything.”
Mark Jackson stood out when it comes to the subject of the Irish kicker’s power, with the Wicklow man hitting the longest kick-off of the day, at 76 yards. You can watch him in action below.
:”Not only is he in incredible shape – he has an ultra fast leg,” said Mangan of the Baltinglass man.
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