135kg of Australian NFL power
Nick Walshaw From: The Daily Telegraph January 15, 2011 12:00AM
COLLEGE footy fans will wait hours in the sun just to see him. Converging en masse to grab pictures, signatures, even a word from this anonymous Sydneysider in the University of Hawaii gear.
"Which is something I've never got used to, not even after five years," Adrian Thomas laughs. "We play at home in front of 50,000 people. Against Arizona, their packed stadium holds twice that.
"And a couple of years back when we made the Sugar Bowl, we needed bodyguards just to get us on to the team bus for training. Honestly, we had hundreds of people waiting outside our hotel every day. Standing out there in the heat, waiting to see us ... it's crazy."
And that could just be the start of it.
Thomas, see, is throwing himself into the 2011 NFL draft. Really doing it.
Going where Willie Mason was headed, remember? Greg Inglis, too. There was Barry Hall, Cory Paterson and - at it's very worst - Todd Carney, who has never weighed more than a running back's cup.
So what makes this Gymea High School product different?
Well, for a start he actually plays American football. He also weighs 135kg, hits like the Taxation Department and sprints 40m in around five seconds.
According to NFL scout rankings, Thomas is considered a rank outsider at No. 999. Which is exactly why this 23-year-old who benches 200kg, powercleans 140kg and squats 220kg is now headed for extra training camps in Arizona.
"They're called pro days," Thomas explains. "Basically, you go into camp and spend your days drilling in front of scouts, trying to raise your stocks.
"But even after the draft is done there's still a chance you can be picked up as a free agent. If not, you can go to the UFL, which is like a feeder league, or the Canadian Football League."
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...aussie-nfl-power/story-e6frey6i-1225987989673
