JacksonandBegganinvitedbackforfurtherNFLtrials
Wicklow goalkeeper Mark Jackson and Monaghan’s Rory Beggan, two of the Irish hopefuls who performed kicking drills at the NFL Combine in February, have been given another chance to impress after being invited back to a rookie mini camp this weekend.
Jackson was seen as a potential NFL kicker after entering the league’s international player pathway. The 25-year-old and fellow Gaelic football goalkeepers Beggan and Charlie Smyth, along with former Connacht rugby player Darragh Leader, interviewed with and kicked in front of NFL team scouts in Indianapolis.
Down man Smyth came away from that trip with a contract to be on the extended squad for the New Orleans
Saints, and now Jackson will have an opportunity to prove worthy of a similar deal when he trials at the Pittsburgh Steelers.
It is not clear in what capacity Jackson will be at the camp. The team already have kickers Chris Boswell and Matthew Wright on the squad, though neither are rookies and the team need a rookie kicker to be able to train this weekend.
Jackson has been videoed hitting 70yard kicks, and hit a field goal from 55 yards when a Steelers scout watched him perform at a pro day in Florida.
At the combine he was the best performer when hitting kick-offs, with one shot from the tee going 76 yards in Indianapolis.
However, it is unsure how he may perform as the NFL have changed their kick-off rules for this season. It is likely he will perform drills related to this new style with the rookie mini camp as part of the squad’s overall preparations for the new rules.
Earlier in the off-season, Jackson signed Rob Roche as his agent, who also has the Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker as a client – the highest-paid kicker in the league and widely regarded as one of the best.
From this season, every NFL team must have one international player on their practice squad, essentially a reserve team.
Beggan, meanwhile, whose Monaghan team re-enter the Sam Maguire series next weekend with a game against Kerry, has been invited to try out with the Carolina Panthers.