Football

This weekend’s NFL combine: What is it and what does it mean for GAA hopefuls?

Rory Beggan, Charlie Smyth and Mark Jackson will be alongside Galway man Darragh Leader in Indianapolis this weekend.

Experienced Monaghan goalkeeper Rory Beggan. Picture Seamus Loughran.
Safe hands: Experienced Monaghan goalkeeper Rory Beggan is taking part in the NFL combine this Sunday, alongside three other Irish. Picture Seamus Loughran.
By Jack Madden

Irish stars hoping to make a career in the NFL will face a crucial juncture this Sunday night as the NFL combine gets underway.

Monaghan’s Rory Beggan, Down’s Charlie Smyth and Wicklow’s Mark Jackson are each hoping to benefit from the NFL’s new International Player Pathway programme, one which seeks to grow the game globally.

What is the NFL combine event?

Global athletes are invited to show off their skills and attempt to earn a spot on the NFL Pathway. Those who are successful will then enter a 10-week training programme, where scouts will be in large attendance.

Kansas City Chiefs players take to the field ahead of Super Bowl LVII between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles in 2023
Kansas City Chiefs players take to the field ahead of Super Bowl LVII between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles in 2023 (Anthony Behar/PA)

The NFL then chooses at random which teams are permitted to draft IPP players. Once drafted, those players will have a shot at making a 53-man roster for their given club.

The concept was devised in 2017 by two British ex-NFL players who highlighted the improbability of international players making the NFL.

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Are there stars from other sports in attendance?

Rugby fans will be well acquainted with Welsh flyer Louis Rees-Zammit, who is Gloucester’s youngest ever player and the youngest man to score a hattrick in the English top flight.

As well as the trio of GAA stars in the shape of Beggan, Smyth and Jackson, former Connacht rugby star Darragh Leader will also be in the running.

Pictured: Noah Byrne (Dublin) Ross Bolger (Laois) Mary Sugrue (Irish American Partnership) Charlie Schewe, (Delta Airlines) Ronan Patterson, (Cavan) Tadhg Leader, (Founder)
Tadhg Leader established Leader Kicking in the hope that Irish stars could make a career in the NFL. Pictured: Noah Byrne (Dublin) Ross Bolger (Laois) Mary Sugrue (Irish American Partnership) Charlie Schewe, (Delta Airlines) Ronan Patterson, (Cavan) Tadhg Leader, (Founder)

Leader is a brother of Tadhg Leader, who established the Leader Kicking programme that kickstarted the journeys of the four Irishmen to this point.

Australian rugby league star Jotham Russell and English boxer Travis Clayton are among the athletes switching codes, as well as eight others from Austria to the Dominican Republic and beyond.

Where is the event on?

Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis (home of the Indianapolis Colts)

What time will the Irish stars be on show?

Rory Beggan, Mark Jackson and Charlie Smyth are expected to be putting their skills to the test around 4:30pm local time, or 9:30pm Irish time.

Down goalkeeper Charlie Smyth, along with the rest of the Irish athletes, impressed the NFL scouts and has earned another audience with them to potentially be invited to the NFL combine in Indianapolous
Down goalkeeper Charlie Smyth, along with the rest of the Irish athletes, impressed the NFL scouts and has earned another audience with them to potentially be invited to the NFL combine in Indianapolis
Can I watch or stream the NFL combine?

The match is available to watch on NFL Network, or an NFL Game Pass can be purchased which enables viewers to watch through DAZN.