When i hear that size & speed with former basketball & rugby star..That's exciting. He should be very good at getting leverage as a blocker given his Rugby background. Now can he get seperation & run routes in the passing game is the bigger question.
Lol at "Ducsse'ing". You're right, no need for anyone to get over excited about this prospect though, lets just wait and see what happens...
From Wikipedia Hayden Smith Date of birth: April 10, 1985 (age 26) Place of birth: Penrith, Australia Height: 2.02 m (6 ft 8 in) Weight: 116 kg (18 st 4 lb) Smith was first noticed for his basketball skills (playing for Denver college in the USA), only learning to play rugby in 2008. Within weeks of being introduced to the game he played for the All-American Team and following his graduation, has started to play with the Denver Barbos. Smith joined Saracens in the 2008/09 season on an academy contract but the US Eagles second row impressed to earn a first team contract for the 2009/10 season. He made his debut against Newcastle Falcons in the 2008/09 seasons and his performances for the Saracens Storm the following campaign quickly saw him elevated to the first team squad. It’s not just on the domestic stage that Smith has impressed, he is also now a regular with the US Eagles having helped his country qualify for the 2011 Rugby World Cup during which he started all 4 group stage matches for the USA. [1] Smith is currently looking at the possibility of playing in the NFL and has had a workout with the New York Jets. [2] He graduated from Blue Mountains Grammar School with a Finance degree.
If he can block. And jump really high while catching and getting hit over the middle. Why the Hell not.
I honestly have no idea why no one's tried it yet. You think some NFL team would have already done it by now. Put him in as an Offensive lineman. Just stand there. That's all he has to do. You'll need 2-3 guys to lift him up, on the chance that someone might knock him down, and he'll be worthless in a no-huddle, but other than that, I say go for it!
What gives? We have a ton of needs and a TE is not one of them right now. Id like it if we actually had one that could block , but unless we are looking to dump/trade Keller and Cumberland is going to stay healthy what a waste of money and time if we sign this guy.
Have you played football before? It doesnt matter your size as much as it matters your skill set. You can be 6'10 360 but that doesnt mean you'll be a good or even decent NFL lineman.
What you say is true. The fact is though, a sumo wrestler has a very similar skill set to an offensive lineman - balance, power, hand skills and a strong center of gravity. Two sumo wrestlers lining up against each other is very much the same as an Olineman and Dlineman going up against each other. It's not really that crazy of a concept although culturally I'm sure it would be a pretty wacky transition to go from sumo to the NFL.
I guess he is a 3 sport guy soon. He plays basketball and rugby... Interview: http://www.staged.com/video?v=aR6b NFL style workout: http://www.staged.com/video?v=cR6b
The media really knows how to play word games. He's an Australian who plays rugby in USA, and how he can be called a star I'm not sure, since he isn't really one in the rugby world... I was looking for a name like Digby Ioane or James Pocock, who are actual rugby stars, when I saw the title, and instead it's some guy who plays at the US level of rugby. Not saying he won't be good or anything, just disappointed in the journalism here. Could create the wrong perception of talent in rugby if he's brought in and he's a scrub.
I actually forgot that Mulligan played TE for a second there when I read that. My subconscious apparently thought that he only played -5 yards.
