The hangover from the Jarryd Hayne saga has left Australians somewhat skeptical about their place in the NFL.
For so long they’ve been marginalised to the not-so-glamorous role of punting and not much else. One could be forgiven for thinking that was set to continue.
The problem is that converts like Hayne may have all the physical talent in the world, but they lack the years of work it takes to master the fundamentals of the sport. Natural gifts and physicality aren’t enough to make it in a sport that demands so much of its players.
From high school through college and beyond players are expected not only to be at the physical peak of their sport but they’re also expected to approach the game with a studious fervour. There are no novice-virtuoso’s in the NFL – it takes both mental and physical grit, and it takes time.
So while Hayne might have had the physique and raw talent to succeed in the game, he was years behind in the class room and there was no shortage of physically gifted players ready to take his place while he struggled to catch up.
The base level for any NFL hopeful is laid years before they take to the pro-game, and the Australians who have come closest to breaking out have followed the more traditional route.
Before injury and illness cut down Jesse Williams’s NFL career, the Queensland native was a monster defensive lineman for the collegiate Juggernaut University of Alabama.
His work in helping win back-to-back national titles for the Crimson Tide saw him selected in the fifth round of the 2013 NFL draft, and demonstrated that for any Australian to make it in the league they’d need to do the ground work first.
Following in the path of Williams is Adam Gotsis. It might not have the recognition of a Jarryd Hayne, but the twenty-three year old Victorian is the name that every Australian NFL fan needs to learn.
Gotsis, who first played recreational football for the Monash Warriors of the gridiron Victoria League, earned attention from American scouts while playing for the Australian national team, and was eventually offered a scholarship at Georgia Tech – a Division I NCAA university from Atlanta.
Measuring in at an impressive 193 cm and 126 kg, Gotsis is a physical player, with quick feet, and excellent handwork.
Though he’s seen as raw talent that needs to develop his football instincts – a natural criticism of any player who is relatively new to the sport – his upside and impressive measurable were enough for the reigning champion Denver Broncos to select him 63rd overall in the 2016 NFL draft.
This was the last pick of the second round, and the highest draft position of an Australian yet.
Coming off the back of a Super Bowl that was largely won due to the impressive play of a historic defence, Gotsis could scarcely find himself in better company to develop his talents.
Coached by defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, Gotsis will see the bulk of his play come in a 3-4 defence (three lineman and four linebackers) that puts its focus on getting after the quarterback. To make things even easier he’ll be doing it alongside Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware – two of the game’s best edge rushers.
To temper expectations, a starting spot in the 2016 season is perhaps too much to ask for a developmental talent like Gotsis, especially in a Super Bowl calibre defence.
However, with recent season-ending injury to defensive end Vance Walker, Gotsis is projected to play a key role off the bench in Denver’s six man line rotation.
So far this preseason, Gotsis has done much of what has been expected of him. There have been the occasional rookie moments, and his play has put up modest numbers, but there’s also been a lot of optimism about his relentless motor and aggressiveness.
With his obvious physical talents, the focus will be about getting the technical part of the game perfected.
There’s a big step up from college to the pro game, and depending on the player, the finer points can either come quickly, or take a longer time to catch on.
If the young Victorian can match his effort with a willingness to learn from the great names that now surround him in Denver, Australia may at long last have its (non-punting) NFL star.
Unlike those that have come before him, not even the biggest NFL cynic could call Gotsis another gimmick – the talent is there, the effort is there, and so is the ground work.
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