Darragh Leader and the Irish NFL prospects: 'We just have to deal with the pressure'
IRISH HOPEFULS: Darragh Leader, Mark Jackson, Charlie Smyth and Rory Beggan. Pic: James Crombie, Inpho
Current Bristol Bears scrum-half Kieran Marmion was compelled to send a message to Darragh Leader when he heard his old Connacht team-mate was one of four Irish athletes selected for the NFL International Player Pathway.
“What are you doing? He said this is like someone who hasn’t played soccer trying to make it for Manchester United,” recalls Leader with a chuckle.
“I said this pathway exists for a reason. We know now we can do it. Hopefully, we will do it.”
Leader will join three Gaelic footballers, Monaghan’s Rory Beggan, Wicklow’s Mark Jackson and Down's Charlie Smyth, in the program which could ultimately lead to a spot on an NFL roster.
His older brother, Tadhg, runs Leader Kicking, an initiative that connects Irish players with US college football teams.
It was with his brother that Darragh first tried his hand at American football kicking, but all the raw materials were long established. In 2013, footage went viral of a match-winning penalty for Connacht’s second team. One point down, Leader drilled a 60-metre kick.
He went on to play 91 times for his home province before leaving in 2020. Then there was a move Stateside and some time spent practicing with his brother, who was trying to make it as a kicker at the time.
“When I arrived, we went straight to the kicking field in North Carolina to train together. He said it to me then. You are kicking as good if not better than me without practice. You should try it.
“I did try at Clemson University but because I attended college in 2012 at NUIG, you only have a five-year window. My window ended so I couldn’t do it. In rugby kicking was my main thing. If something like Leader Kicking existed back then, I probably would have jumped across.
“It is the same as rugby in terms of power from the swinging leg. Rugby is different in that it is all end-over kicks. NFL has to be a spiral. When you spiral it has to be a straight shot. If you were to kick around the corner, your kick will be blocked.
The ball is a bit smaller, so the sweet spot is smaller.”
The Irish foursome will travel this week to take part at a training camp in Florida's IMG Academy. At the Combine in March, they will have the opportunity to showcase their talents to NFL team scouts.
Leader’s longest field-goal in practice so far is 57 metres. He has spent the last few months living in Kansas City which means solitary afternoons practising by himself on local High School fields. Occasionally he will prop up his phone and his brother will provide feedback over Zoom, if the connection holds up. Otherwise, he films everything and sends it across.
His hope is to try out as kicker, kickoff specialist and punter. The last few months of practice indicate punting is his best bet. And the Galway man is keen to stress that this is no longshot for the Irish cohort. They have the skillset. They’ve shown it already. They have proven in their sporting careers so far that they have the temperament. This can pay off.
“The more we train, the more we practice, the more we see it. We’ve shown we can score the same kicks. Kick the same distance. Get the same hangtime. The way I look at it, if we have our best day and they have their best day, we should win.
“Even our mentality, it will stand to us. Kicking against Leinster or in the Champions Cup, we are used to that. Everyone in the stadium staring at you. The same for a GAA goalkeeper. The combine will be all eyes on us. All of the cameras and everything that goes with that. We should be able to nail our kicks just as well.
“The job now is just to execute. Kicking a field goal in a field is the same thing as doing it in a packed NFL stadium. You have to do it with the same process. The same pattern. Blank everything out and focus on your task. Just focus on your job. We just have to deal with the pressure.”
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