Ben Te Kura is used to standing out. At 6-foot-9 and 268 pounds, he is, by measurement, the tallest player ever to appear in Australia's National Rugby League. Now he is betting that the same frame that made him a novelty in one sport can make him a prospect in another.
Leaving the Broncos
The Brisbane Broncos have released the 22-year-old prop from the remainder of his contract so he can pursue a career in the NFL, after he impressed American scouts during a training camp earlier this year, Australian Associated Press reported. Rather than hold him to his deal, the club chose to let him chase what its football boss called a potentially once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Te Kura is relocating to Arizona to train ahead of the NFL preseason, aiming to make a roster as an offensive tackle, according to Yahoo Sports.
The Mailata blueprint
If the idea of a rugby player with no gridiron experience reaching the NFL sounds far-fetched, there is a very recent, very successful counterexample: Jordan Mailata. Another big Australian from rugby league, Mailata entered the NFL through its International Player Pathway program without having played the game, and developed into a standout left tackle and a Super Bowl champion with the Philadelphia Eagles. His rise is the template — and the proof of concept — for exactly the leap Te Kura is attempting.
A long road ahead
The comparison is flattering, but the path is hard. Te Kura would have to add weight, master an unfamiliar playbook and learn a position from scratch against athletes who have played the sport their whole lives. The NFL's pathway program, created in 2017 to bring international athletes into the league, has placed dozens of players on rosters over the years, though most spend time developing before they see the field. Te Kura is not yet formally in the program; for now he is a very tall, very raw project training on his own toward a tryout.
Whether he makes it is an open question. What is not in doubt is the appeal of the story: an athlete willing to give up a sure thing in one sport for a long shot in another, chasing the same dream a countryman turned into a Super Bowl ring.
