Kiwi basketballer Nathaniel Salmon has been named among 14 athletes admitted to the NFL international player pathway programme for 2025, as the American sport scans the globe for talent.
Standing 1.98m, Salmon, 20, grew up in Porirua and has represented the Junior Tall Blacks, while playing for the Manawatū Jets and Wellington Saints in the National Basketball League.
This year, he crossed the Tasman to star for North Gold Coast in the Aussie NBL One competition.
"It's exciting," he said. "I got scouted during my basketball season in Australia, the guys saw I was tall and athletic, and they got in touch with my agent.
"I went into the NFL Academy on the Gold Coast and ran through a few tests. I guess they were keen on me and saw I had the goods.
"It was definitely strange. I've never watched a game of NFL or American football, but I knew the physicality of it, so I was pretty keen to give it a good crack."
As part of the NFL programme, he will spend 10 weeks at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, honing his skills on the field and in the classroom, before showcasing his talents for pro scouts in March.
Players can be signed as free agents or chosen in the 2025 NFL Draft, with each club allocated one international roster spot until the deadline for trimming squads to 53 players. At that point, they can be retained on a team's practice squad and promoted to the active roster when injuries occur.
Scouts have projected Salmon as a possible tightend — the offensive position played by Taylor Swift's boyfriend, Travis Kelce.
The 14 athletes named for the coming season include Wallabies rugby midfielder Jordan Petaia, North Queensland Cowboys NRL wing Laitia Moceidreke, Fijian rugby lock Janeiro Wakeham, Irish rugby winger Aaron Sexton and Jamaican Olympic discus champion Rojé Stona.
Twenty-three former international player pathway graduates are currently on NFL rosters.
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