Christian Wade names the Six Nations player best suited to play NFL

Christian Wade has named the Guinness Six Nations player best suited for a switch to American football. The former England winger quit Wasps in 2018 to try and make it in the NFL and he spent three years at Buffalo Bills before making a return to rugby with Racing 92.

That experience leaves him perfectly poised to run the rule over the current rugby/NFL debate ignited by Louis Rees-Zammit’s decision last month to quit Gloucester and Wales for a shot at making it across the Atlantic in a very different type of sport.

Wade had plenty to say about the endeavours of Rees-Zammit, who is currently training at an international player camp before a combine try-out. However, Wade has named a different player as best suited to making the transitions from rugby to NFL.

Speaking to BitcoinCasinos, Wade said: “There is one guy I was watching on Full Contact, which I just finished. There was an episode on Sebastian Negri and I was thinking, ‘Wow, he is definitely one who would be cool in the NFL because of his size, power and determination’.

“He looks about 300lbs, around 6ft 4 or 6ft 5ins, and I’m like, ‘He is someone who you could put in as a tight end. Teach him how to be a tight end. A hybrid between a receiver and running back too’. They would all suit him – as long as he is good at catching!”

Negri is currently on the Guinness Six Nations sidelines as an injury last weekend versus England has ruled him out of Sunday’s round two Italy fixture against Ireland in Dublin. Curiously, avoiding getting hurt was something Wade fastened on when discussing Rees-Zammit’s move to America.

“A hard NFL tackle hurts more than a hard rugby tackle, for sure. With the pads themselves, getting hit with a pad, helmet or grill, a kneecap, you’re not getting that in rugby. Guys are not going to dive head first at your knees.

“My biggest warning to Rees-Zammit is to learn how to protect yourself, especially on specialties when you are sprinting down the field. You are usually sprinting with your head on a swivel because you have somebody else who has an assignment to stop you. They are looking to take a real shot at you.

“They also have a look-off block. You’re not looking but I have set you up so that it’s a shock when you do. You need to be prepared so you can win collisions. The pads are there but they are not really doing anything. You have guys who are 300lbs, athletic, powerful, strong and running at you trying to kill you. When you get hit by those dudes it’s pretty damaging.

“In rugby, we are not wearing pads or helmets, but there is an element of technique that is involved. If you get caught really well it’s going to hurt but it’s different. I got tackled where I got a helmet to my forearm, and if I press in the right spot it still feels fresh. It’s crazy. I remember getting hit from the side and the pain just shot across me. My joint was in so much pain.

“It all varies really. In the NFL, like rugby, you have to protect yourself, but in the NFL you need to know how to protect yourself more because of the way guys can come in at any angle. There are no safety measures for tackling above the shoulder, anything goes. There are some tackles that I thought were dangerous, where they can just dive at your knees.

“You just have to know how to protect yourself when you are out there. Fall correctly when you are going into collision, get compact, get your pad high – there are a lot of things that go into protecting yourself that I had to learn fast.”

Wade also suggested where Rees-Zammit ideally should look to play. “He should focus on special teams in the NFL if he wants to break through. With his speed and agility, the positions he mentioned, running back and wide receiver, make sense for him. You would call them the skill positions. To play defence is very difficult, especially if you don’t know the game as well or haven’t grown up playing it.

“As long as you know your job and your routes and you can read and understand if they are playing man or zone, then you are putting yourself in a good position. But those two positions will be his best opportunity to learn as much as possible.

“The way for him to get game time will be proving himself to special teams. Everyone wants to be the star. A bit like football, no one wants to go in goal. It’s like that in the NFL everyone wants to be the receiver or the running back, but special teams are where you can really make your mark and earn a position to get on the field.

“Those are the positions that will work for him, or at least get him that introduction to finding which position is best for him. Special teams and playing kick-off return, maybe put him as a five to use his speed to get down the field.

“There are so many different positions for him, and ultimately the skills he needs to learn for running back will cross over into specialties. It’s a complicated game but as he trains he will see how they cross over.”

Switching back to rugby, Owen Farrell will be a Racing teammate of Wade’s next season in France. “I bumped into Owen recently and I can’t wait to see him at Racing” he enthused. “I haven’t seen Owen for a while; he’s been at Saracens and before 92, I was at Wasps, but I have known him since U16s and then through the years.

“I had a French class last week and he was in the foyer. I said hello and we caught up briefly. He has been a staple for England for so long now. It was really good to see him and catch up.”