The LRZ tracker thread

[dirty harry]

So, I've been told by a friend who works in the NFL, that LRZ's IPP day was only OK.

He received 3 offers for training squads, as did a LOT of the IPP players, however none of those came with a firm commitment, or from a decent franchise.

His stats on pro day were poor, he was the 24th quickest WR and 5th quickest RB ... in the IPP!!!
He also ranked outside the top 30 in all his jump stats!

His 40 yard was barely quicker than Wade's 6 years ago, 0.08 of a second.

Hes now doing the rounds touting himself to some of the bigger franchises, after failing to impress them last week.

Hes also just signed for Roc Nation, which is never a great sign if NFL is your goal.

Not only has he not made a splash, hes tested poorly, I'm sure he would have wanted to have been top 10 in every category...

Good luck to him, looks like it's goingto be a difficult summer!

 

[die_mole]

Sports - ROC NATION

Roc Nation Sports elevates athletes’ careers on and off the field, including endorsement deals, philanthropic endeavors, media relations and brand strategy.

www.rocnation.com

roc nation has a massive nfl portfolio. It's one of America's top sport agencies.

There are only 16 IPP players so your second blurb doesn't really make sense.

 

[Welsh Exile]

looks like it's goingto be a difficult summer!

 

[TRF_Olyy]

IPP players are basically guaranteed to be picked up by a side,
It's probably gonna be two years until we start to see wether he'll be returning to rugby

 

[Saintjay]

So, I've been told by a friend who works in the NFL, that LRZ's IPP day was only OK.

He received 3 offers for training squads, as did a LOT of the IPP players, however none of those came with a firm commitment, or from a decent franchise.

His stats on pro day were poor, he was the 24th quickest WR and 5th quickest RB ... in the IPP!!!
He also ranked outside the top 30 in all his jump stats!

His 40 yard was barely quicker than Wade's 6 years ago, 0.08 of a second.

Hes now doing the rounds touting himself to some of the bigger franchises, after failing to impress them last week.

Hes also just signed for Roc Nation, which is never a great sign if NFL is your goal.

Not only has he not made a splash, hes tested poorly, I'm sure he would have wanted to have been top 10 in every category...

Good luck to him, looks like it's goingto be a difficult summer!

I don't think he's under any illusions on what a big ask it is. His combine scores were nothing spectacular by NFL standards. The lad is trying to get into a sport where there's about 1700 full time pros and far less in the positions he wants, in a country of a 300 million plus people. He's a stand out athlete in a game he's played all his life. In America Football he's probably average at best. Yet it's early day so you never know.

 

[big ginger 8]

Hilarious how much the Welsh want him to fail.

Given his size a 4.44 is very good. His jumping numbers are definitely awful.

He's reportedly meeting with the Chiefs who as the current back-to-back champs are a decent franchise. Anyway to misquote Hawthorne 'franchises are always rising and falling in the NFL'. Two years ago the Lions finished with the second worst record in the league and this year were in the NFC Championship game.

Also as Olyy says every IPP player will almost definitely get a practice squad spot as it's an extra place that isn't available for non-IPP guys.

 

[die_mole]

IDK if the specialist IPP guys will get spots. Especially if they are a punter who hasn't learned to hold. Even if they are a free spot what are they going to do at practice?

 

[Welsh Exile]

Hilarious how much the Welsh want him to fail.

I would say it's more sad or pathetic. Petty and bitter also work. But I guess we all find different things funny.

 

[big ginger 8]

I would say it's more sad or pathetic. Petty and bitter also work. But I guess we all find different things funny.

If I don't know whether to laugh or cry I'll usually choose to laugh because life is more fun that way.

 

[dirty harry]

Hilarious how much the Welsh want him to fail.

Given his size a 4.44 is very good. His jumping numbers are definitely awful.

He's reportedly meeting with the Chiefs who as the current back-to-back champs are a decent franchise. Anyway to misquote Hawthorne 'franchises are always rising and falling in the NFL'. Two years ago the Lions finished with the second worst record in the league and this year were in the NFC Championship game.

Also as Olyy says every IPP player will almost definitely get a practice squad spot as it's an extra place that isn't available for non-IPP guys.

This is my point...

I could call the cheifs and get a meet lol...

In 2013 I went to work for the Giants, and when I turned up they thought I was trying out Haha

4.44 isnt great for the NFL, this years best was 4.21.

I dont want LRZ to fail at all, but I'm a realist, and have experience in the NFL, IMHO itll take a miracle for him to make a regular season swuad

 

[Welsh Exile]

I dont want LRZ to fail at all

What if Gatland started playing Costelow on the wing?

 

[dirty harry]

What if Gatland started playing Costelow on the wing?

He defends on the wing anyway... anything to get him out of the way!

 

[big ginger 8]

This is my point...

I could call the cheifs and get a meet lol...

In 2013 I went to work for the Giants, and when I turned up they thought I was trying out Haha

4.44 isnt great for the NFL, this years best was 4.21.

I dont want LRZ to fail at all, but I'm a realist, and have experience in the NFL, IMHO itll take a miracle for him to make a regular season swuad

This year's best was 4.21 which was also happens to be the best ever run at the combine...

And the guy who ran it was 165lbs.

Running a 4.4 will always be a good time for the NFL a number will run faster but it will never not be considered fast. Just not blazing. Most of the people, not all, who run lower would be 20+ pounds lighter than LRZ. His speed will not be a concern for teams.

 

[dirty harry]

This year's best was 4.21 which was also happens to be the best ever run at the combine...

And the guy who ran it was 165lbs.

Running a 4.4 will always be a good time for the NFL a number will run faster but it will never not be considered fast. Just not blazing. Most of the people, not all, who run lower would be 20+ pounds lighter than LRZ. His speed will not be a concern for teams.

It was a concern enough, combined with a real bad vertical jump score for the big franchises not to make any offers...

 

[Saintjay]

Drafts, cap limits and schemes the teams run all come into play when selecting players. You are probably more likely to take a risk on a 3rd - 5th draft RB or WR with tones of video tape and a college football career than a IPP player when picking your final 50 odd player roster.

Saying that watching Tom Brady at the combines he never looked like a starting QB let alone ever being one of the GOAT quater backs.

 

[dirty harry]

Drafts, cap limits and schemes the teams run all come into play when selecting players. You are probably more likely to take a risk on a 3rd - 5th draft RB or WR with tones of video tape and a college football career than a IPP player when picking your final 50 odd player roster.

Saying that watching Tom Brady at the combines he never looked like a starting QB let alone ever being one of the GOAT quater backs.

Add Patrick Mahomes to that lol.

But this is my point, more than 30 boys at the latest combine out performed him, are younger and have a LOT more experience in the game.

It was always going to be a challenge, so he needed a monster IPP day performance.

That said he will 100% get picked up on a practice squad, but which one will determine if he truly has a future, because the 3 he got he cant be happy with

 

[Welsh Exile]

Does it not just make a mockery of the Sport if he does get a major contract or is it just that LRZ is exceptional?

Dot get me wrong, Rugby isn't much better but the idea that someone in their mid 20s (who's never played the game before) can just do a 2 week trail or whatever where they run 40 yards and jump up and down for a bit and can get a contract for a team in americas top sport is a complete joke in my eyes and one of the many reasons why American football is a ridiculous sport.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

He'd probably be a lot cheaper than a top draft prospect, and would also bring a different skillset to a position than the competition - how much of that skillset would successfully translate to Football who knows, but there might be teams who'd chuck a minimum wage contract his way (which would still be pretty meaty compared to rugby contracts) just to see

NFL sides are probably looking at rugby a bit atm after the Eagles ex-Rugby coach had them basically mauling this season, and successfully, and the new tackle laws that got implemented earlier this week meaning they're going to have to adjust the way they do trackback tackles. Wouldn't be surprised if a rugby defence coach gets a consultant gig out there at some point

I'd still be very surprised if he got a playing contract this season - next season? Who knows - but even then I'd be surprised if he did better than say a Jarryd Hayne (think he played 2 or 3 games in the NFL before going back to the practise squad?)
Be interested to see him in pre-season games, though - Wade had that miracle first touch of the ball but in 3 years never made a playing squad, Alex Gray was there for 3 years too and also didn't make a playing squad.

Think the only successful converts have been in the offensive/defensive lines, rather than receivers/runners?

 

[Groundhog]

It was a concern enough, combined with a real bad vertical jump score for the big franchises not to make any offers...

That's largely because there is no offer making at this stage of the process. No one can sign him until after the draft process. Realistically he will sign somewhere as an Undrafted Free Agent for the off-season, be waived and then signed to a practice squad under an exemption which means he cannot play in the NFL next year, because there is literally no downside for a team to do that.

He will likely get a few plays in pre-season games though.

 

[Groundhog]

Well apparently he's signing for the Chiefs well in advance of the draft so I'm dead wrong! No idea how that works, I guess they're classed as FA's rather than Rookies, but per the IPP website they can definitely also be drafted!

In any case a good landing spot for LRZ. Will get to learn in the best org in football right now.