OFFICIAL Broncos grant Ben Te Kura leave to pursue NFL career at six-week camp
- Thread starter FACTHUNT
- Start date
- Jul 28, 2016
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Cant stay healthy, and then every injury he cant stay fit.
Remember reading something last year about how far back he was fitness wise because he picked up a foot and ankle injuries before preseason.
A bloke that size needs to stay healthy otherwise he'd pack on the weight.
It makes you appreciate guys like Haas, Whyte and even Paseka... that are big units, mobile and play a ton of minutes every week.
I think props will start falling into the mold of Jackson Ford, but if you can get your hands on one of those guys you'll still be able to run through the middle.
We've got them in Willison and Patty, which is great for us.
Even someone like Flegler might struggle under the current rules... he was a 40-50mins prop for us, but that might come down post his long injury layoff
- Feb 25, 2015
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The game's speed is going to cause everyone to go with small or lean forwards.
Then someone will play a big unit like Nelson who just carries the smaller blokes even if he can only play 20 mins and carve up the center and the game will change again.
Then someone will play a big unit like Nelson who just carries the smaller blokes even if he can only play 20 mins and carve up the center and the game will change again.
Yeah. Death of the forward giant with 6 again rule. If we played the NRL of 5 years ago he would be a star.
Hoshsie
NRL Player
- Apr 6, 2022
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Just from his body type alone,there is no way he can succeed
- Jul 28, 2016
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I think his physical attributes are exactly what theyre looking for when it comes to a tackle in the NFL.
He's 6'9" with super long arms.
His weight is too low... and his agility is maybe a bit unknown, but that's probably more on me as I felt like I never got a chance to see him play consistently... but he was pretty highly touted coming through so he must've had something other than just being tall.
I think an NFL team will take a punt and at least bring him over. As any international pathways player is a free roster spot for NFL teams... and there's not that many international players that come through.
I'd say most teams dont currently use it because there's not enough players available... and most are just kickers or something.
BTK being a possible tackle (one of the most important and difficult positions to find) and them seeing Jordan Mailata being a massive success after having the exact same background... it's like zero risk but massive upside if it works out.
Harry
NRL Player
- Jul 20, 2017
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Agreed, the height and weight combo are definitely target attributes for a tackle.
He's also super bottom-heavy and long arms which again suits the prototypical tackle build.
But that's about where it ends.
Tackle is the most technique-heavy position in the NFL. Long arms are good but meaningless if you don't have the talent to take and maintain leverage. He would need to understand run blocking packages (including pulling to the second level) as well as complex protection schemes and blitz pickups. These are not things learned overnight and he is up against a never-ending production line and annual influx of young, hungry players with the same measurable who have lived and breathed and played the game at high school and college level in pro-ready offences.
I don't think any team seriously believes he could become a pro OL anchor in the NFL.
Some team will kick the tires as a marketing exercise and probably consider him a red-zone, gadget package receiving TE under the international pathway program... but really, they already have a ton of international 99th percentile physique players with no skills or game knowledge, and none of them even amount to anything, just like BTK won't.
- Jul 28, 2016
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Yep understand that, but I think thats where a team would look at Mailata and think this guy is basically the same as him.
He was playing NRL until U20's and had zero NFL knowledge or experience. He went to one of these camps in 2017/18 and Eagles saw the physical traits and picked him in the 7th round of 2018... Mailata didnt debut until 2020, but he's now one of the best left tackles in the league, and he's 6'8.
Most of this camp on the GC is likely just physicals, measurements and maybe some drills, but if a team can get a specimen like BTK who doesnt take up a roster spot... I could see them taking a chance.
The draft is like 2 weeks away so I dont think a team would even need to spend a draft pick to get him.
7th round picks are just flinging darts and hoping you hit something.... most of them dont make it, even if they come through the college system, but that's because it costs teams roster spots, etc... but guys that are 6'9" and physically gifted arent coming through all the time.
Just quickly looking and there looks to be only 5 guys in the 40 or so tackles this year that are 6'8" or taller and maybe 2 of them were 6'9". The level of detail NFL scouts go into with physical traits and dimensions is insane, but if he ticks off the percentiles that they want he's a chance.
He probably doesnt make it like Mailata did, but it's not a bad shout from his manager considering the NRL is pushing him out of their league
Harry
NRL Player
- Jul 20, 2017
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I see your point and concede Mailtata was lightning in a bottle and right-place-right-time.
BTK wouldn't be draft eligible anyway, so no 7th or draft rounder necessary. He would be picked up UDFA if at all, but he would have to take up a practice squad spot which is the biggest ask. Would a team be willing to take that chance and forego a move proven entity? Maybe. Certainly don't begrudge the kid for having a crack (and he's at least got the measurable to be worth a conversation... Unlike Valentine Holmes who was purely delusional).
PS... It's not particularly relevant or meant to disagree with your valid point, but I can't reply without pointing out that although he scores out well on PFF, he's certainly not 'one of the best left tackles in the league'. He's asked to pass block in drop back scenarios less than any other LT in the game with a QB who almost exclusively runs the ball and with a generational workhouse RB carrying the load. Very good.. yes, elite... no.
God I hate the Eagles.
- Jul 28, 2016
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Completely agree that if he does get picked up by a team he's not getting on the field any time soon... if ever.
In terms of the international pathways, I think they mostly sit outside the normal roster spots, because if they didn't then no team would bother... like you say there's guys that have been playing it all their lives that are more likely to be viable players at any given point.
The below from the NFL site talks about a 17th roster spot on the practice squad specifically for international pathways players (IPP)... so I think this means that a team can have at least one international player on their practice squad without it impacting anything else roster wise.
So a team that doesn't have an international player (or has a crap player that's going nowhere) could take a punt on him basically for free.
Harry
NRL Player
- Jul 20, 2017
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In reality, these teams nearly all utilise their international player so it would still be opportunity cost but not a huge one, so it's possible. Many teams take a punt on a Mexican-born player. Every now and then you'll get a South American and a few years ago Bengals had a 6 foot 9, 150kg pure muscle freak show from Germany or Albania or somewhere I can't even remember but he looked like Ivan Drago 2.0.
Hence my point about him being positioned as a TE. Heaps easier and cleaner pathway for a team that struggles in the red zone to say 'hey we're going to take this huge dude and throw him a jump ball in the endzone to trample some undersized nickel corner'' and he becomes a specialist / special team project, than thinking he can transition to protecting a franchise QB.
But, stranger things have happened (Mailta, as you pointed out) and I wish him the best of luck.
- Apr 9, 2012
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****en player managers mate....put ideas in kid's heads.
Scourge of the NRL, sitting just behind PVL admin.....
Hoshsie
NRL Player
- Apr 6, 2022
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nfl scouts aren’t gonna care that he’s 6’9, they won’t even look at him.
Hoshsie
NRL Player
- Apr 6, 2022
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Honestly in awe of how perfectly you worded this
- Jul 28, 2016
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FWIW I dont think he's going to succeed in the NFL or anything I'm just saying I wouldn't be surprised if a team took a punt on him and brought him over, because of his size and it already happened with Mailata.
BTK has realised that the NRL is pushing players like him out... if his manager is legitimately getting interest from NFL teams then he may as well give that a shot because his NRL career is dying from rule changes.
If that doesn't work maybe he goes to ESL... or he tries out boxing... or maybe the NFL shtick gets a team like dargons interested and they throw him a lifeline.
Who knows, but it seems like broncos are ready to move on, because telling him that he can go and stack on 20kg basically rules him out until the December preseason
bert_lifts
NRL Player
- May 15, 2021
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I'd say all parties have now acknowledged that under current vlandysball, must go a million miles an hour touch football - his build/physique is no longer viable. His NRL career is over unless the clowns running the show do a complete 180.
