Valentine Holmes ‘needs more weight and speed’ to succeed in NFL
Valentine Holmes needs to put on up to 10 kilograms and increase his speed if he is to succeed in the NFL, according to Australia's pioneer in the sport Colin Scotts.
Cronulla Sharks, Queensland and Australia full-back Holmes has reportedly decided he wants to leave the NRL and pursue a career in the United States, following in the footsteps of Jarryd Hayne in 2014, News Corp has reported.
He will meet with Cronulla chief executive Barry Russell this week to further discuss his future, but there is some suggestion he could head overseas almost immediately.
Holmes has long harboured an ambition to play in the NFL, and both he and Jason Taumalolo trialled in front of a number of agents at the end of 2016 to see if they could cut it.
On that occasion Holmes's 40-yard dash time was 4.6 seconds, while he weighed in at 90kg last year according to the Sharks.
That sprint time is below the NFL's average for his likely positions, which could present a significant hurdle in terms of speed to fit in as a wide receiver or explosiveness as a running back.
His weight is close to the usual for an NFL wide receiver, but about 7kg below the reported average running back size in 2016.
Another option could be for him to be used mainly in special teams as a punt returner, although a left-field suggestion would be for the NRL full-back to play on defence as a safety, where he would be expected to read plays and make tackles in the backfield.
Scotts, who played over 54 games for the St Louis Cardinals and Houston Oilers as a linebacker in the late 1980s, was the first Australian player to be drafted into the NFL.
"He'll have to put on five to 10kg and increase speed," Scotts told Triple M's Rush Hour.
"But there's no-one better at doing it than if he gets over there now and starts working with the best trainers in the world.
"There would be teams deadset interested. Possibly for special teams and then potentially work into a wide receiver position."
Holmes's case is different to Hayne's in 2015, despite the obvious similarities.
He will arrive three years younger at age 23 and has previously attracted the interest of at least four teams in 2016, compared to Hayne who largely went into his attempt blind before playing eight games for San Francisco.
Australians currently in the NFL
- Jordan Berry — Punter, Pittsburgh Steelers
- Lachlan Edwards — Punter, New York Yets
- Adam Gotsis — Defensive End, Denver Broncos
- Cameron Johnston — Punter, Philadelphia Eagles
- Michael Dickson — Punter, Seattle Seahawks
- Jordan Mailata — Offensive Tackle, Philadelphia Eagles
But despite his try-scoring record — which includes 17 in 13 Tests for the Kangaroos — Holmes does not have two Dally M Medals to his name as selling power.
However, Scotts was confident he could join the six Aussies currently in the NFL.
"If his heart and desire is to go right now [he could succeed]," Scotts said.
"He's a beautiful athlete, we all know the way he runs. He knows space and knows how to find space.
"That's a big thing in the NFL, he just has the instinct to find space. I just think he could be a raging success."
AAP/ABC
[contf]
[contfnew]
ABC .net
[contfnewc]
[contfnewc]
