Originally Posted by Camel
(Post 17460825)
First post! I’ve been an NFL and Chiefs fan since 2018.
I live about 15 minutes from Zam’s club, Gloucester Rugby, where I’ve been a fan my whole life. So I’ve seen his progression through our academy, to be being the most exciting winger in World rugby.
I was obviously delighted to hear he’s signed with the Chiefs! Athletically, he’s got every attribute which has seen him excel in Rugby.
Given some of the questions in the thread and knowledge I have of him, I thought I’d post.
Money wise, I believe he was on about £250k a year with Gloucester. He’d have additional salary playing for Wales, maybe around £100k a year. So around $440k per annum. He would be inside the top 10% in the UK for a rugby player.
His attributes are obviously his pace. His reputation as the fastest rugby player on the planet is justified. But it isn’t just that which sets him apart.
He has excellent handling ability, including offloading and is great under the high ball. In rugby, as a winger, he’d be targeted maybe a dozen times a game with a high ball. This is typically caught in one of 3 situations: either in a competitive situation under duress, or with a big hit coming shortly after the catch, or in space where he runs it back. He’s very reliable in all situations, which is positive for the NFL.
His hip positioning and rotation is as good as I’ve seen. It enables him to manipulate defences and tacklers, meaning in rugby terms he creates his own channels and spaces really effectively.
His running style is a glider. He’s very different to a Pacheco. It often looks like he’s not trying, but you then see him overtake his opposing player with ease. That comparison another poster made with CMC is an interesting one.
His weaknesses in rugby were tackling, where he did sometimes seem easily beaten and would often concede yards in contact. That obviously won’t matter in NFL, assuming he’s on the offence.
Injury wise, he’s been very robust, given the physicality of the sport. He’s also very used to high pressure situations and excelling in bigger games.
I see him (under the new rules) as a punt returner. That skill set is very easily transferrable from his position in rugby. Longer-term and with a huge amount of hard work, he’s got the attributes to make it as a wide receiver in my opinion.
Hope that helps.
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