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Jordan Petaia is charting caller crushed for Australians successful the NFL aft being head-hunted by the Los Angeles Chargers arsenic a imaginable choky end.
The two-time World Cup Wallabies endowment has signed a three-year woody with the Bolts aft impressing arsenic portion of the league's International Player Pathway successful a 10-week Florida NFL clang course.
Former rugby league endowment Jordan Mailata became the archetypal Australian to triumph a Super Bowl successful February arsenic Philadelphia's antiaircraft tackle, portion Jarryd Hayne was a moving backmost for San Francisco and galore others person punted for NFL teams.
But Petaia, who was besides chased by Atlanta, Cleveland and Kansas City, is seen arsenic a smaller choky extremity by the Chargers, who were archetypal to amusement their involvement and hardest to pursuit aft the Australian impressed astatine the University of South Florida's Pro Day.
The specializer presumption is simply a hybrid betwixt an violative lineman and a receiver, acceptable adjacent to the violative tackle and capable to drawback passes, artifact for different receivers oregon support the quarterback.
Petaia's vertical and wide leap results were elite astatine Pro Day but it was his earthy instinct and absorption clip during way runs that convinced scouts helium was susceptible of playing a nuanced presumption seldom mastered by code-hoppers.
Former Wallabies prima Jordan Petaia (pictured playing for Australia successful 2023) has breached into the NFL aft signing a three-year contract
The rugby prima impressed scouts with his elite vertical and wide leap marks astatine a workout
The 25-year-old knocked backmost lucrative European rugby and NRL offers - and the accidental to diagnostic for the Wallabies against the British and Irish Lions - to alternatively springiness up astatine slightest 5 months of wage to prosecute his NFL dream.
He's truthful acold the lone subordinate of the 14-strong IPP harvest to motion a deal.
'We are thrilled for Jordy, who has softly planned this determination to the NFL for immoderate time,' manager Andrew Fairbairn said.
'He has taken a immense hazard to depart rugby national for the NFL IPP, with nary contractual guarantee.
'After speaking with a fewer teams since Pro Day past week, we felt the Chargers was the champion acceptable for him arsenic helium takes his archetypal measurement successful the NFL.'
Established successful 2017, the IPP programme is designed to accommodate elite athletes from astir the satellite connected NFL rosters.
Active rosters had been water-tight successful the past but caller rules introduced earlier past play mean the Chargers tin transportation Petaia successful an other roster spot and activate him astatine immoderate stage.
But the three-year woody doesn't connection implicit security.
Petaia has enactment pen to insubstantial connected a three-year woody with the Los Angeles Chargers
The 25-year-old was besides being chased by NRL teams
Petaia is capable to beryllium traded oregon carried connected the grooming squad, similar Welsh rugby prima Louis Rees-Zammit who ne'er featured aft signing with the Chiefs, being chopped and past picked up by Jacksonville past season.
He'll alert location to Brisbane this period earlier returning successful April oregon May to statesman pre-season training.
'I americium ace arrogant of Jordan and I deliberation the accidental helium has is tremendous,' Mailata, portion of the IPP's 2018 class, said.
'It is specified a large vocation determination for him and besides large that helium volition beryllium person to location connected the westbound seashore successful LA.
'I cognize the Chargers are going to put successful Jordan and helium is going to put and bargain into the full process. Couldn't beryllium prouder of him.'
Petaia played 31 Tests for the Wallabies, debuting for the Queensland Reds erstwhile helium was 18 and becoming the youngest Australian to play astatine a World Cup the pursuing year.
Injuries routinely acceptable the versatile endowment backmost but astatine his champion helium showed explosive athleticism coupled with terrific manus and ft skills.
Training arsenic either a smaller choky extremity oregon bigger wide receiver, Petaia's professionalism had impressed observers, who regarded this harvest arsenic the best-performed IPP squad yet.
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