Jason Taumalolo, Valentine Holmes called ‘accomplished athletes’ after impressing NFL scouts at workout

NRL stars Jason Taumalolo and Valentine Holmes have taken a step closer to their American Football dream after impressing NFL scouts at their official workout.

NRL stars Jason Taumalolo and Valentine Holmes have taken a step closer to their American Football dream after impressing NFL scouts at their official workout.

NFL combine guru Jeff Foster labelled Taumalolo and Holmes “accomplished athletes” following a two-hour testing session that was attended by 14 NFL clubs.

The premiership-winning duo were visibly nervous upon arriving at Los Angeles’ Loyola High School, where they were greeted by a slew of America’s finest footballing scouts.

But after being put through their paces, Holmes and Taumalolo relished the experience and said it has only amplified their desire to emulate Jarryd Hayne by cracking the NFL.

Their sentiments are sure to spark concern from their NRL employers Cronulla and the Cowboys, who signed paperwork permitting Holmes and Taumalolo to undergo NFL testing.

Jason Taumalolo and Valentine Holmes are the centre of attention.

“I think we went pretty well,” Holmes said as he departed the venue.

“It was different to what we were used.

“At first I was nervous, all the scouts had our eyes on us but we went pretty well under pressure.

“We’re very privileged to be standing here, we’re stoked that so many teams came out, we weren’t expecting so many to come out.

“It’s a waiting game now. The scouts said they will get in touch with our managers so we’ll see what happens.”

The session started at 9am local time with Taumalolo and Holmes having their measurements taken.

Taumalolo weighed in at a whopping 262 pounds, or 119kg, well above the 110kg usually listed for the Cowboys wrecking ball in the NRL. However, he officially stood just under six foot one, shorter than the six foot three measurement sent to NFL scouts.

Holmes tipped the scales at 194 pounds, or 88kg. The Sharks ace registered 4.6 seconds in the 40-yard dash, while NFL scouts were impressed with Taumalolo’s time of 4.9sec for a big man.

The duo then performed NFL-specific skill drills including catching a gridiron ball on the run, running routes at full speed and leaping over tackle pads before shuffling backwards.

Taumalolo said he was ecstatic with the workout considering they had a dress rehearsal the day before cancelled after an NFL expert was unable to attend.

“All we’ve heard so far is good comments from the scouts,” he said.

Jason Taumalolo and Valentine Holmes had 14 teams watching their workout.

“We didn’t get any practice runs in between, but we did pretty well in the drills and they were pretty stoked to see guys from a different code could come out and surprise them.”

Asked about the nuances of catching a gridiron ball, Taumalolo said: “It’s easier catching a rugby league ball from ‘JT’ (Cowboys champion Johnathan Thurston) but it’s different when a quarterback is firing a bullet ball at you.

“We had gloves to help us, it was a new experience and that helped us a lot.

“This is just feeding the fire to push me and Val even harder and get another crack.”

Foster, president of National Football Scouting, said it is premature to say the pair are NFL material but he lauded the athleticism of Taumalolo and Holmes.

“I was impressed,” said Foster, who has watched thousands of American Football athletes.

“Valentine and Jason earned their opportunity and the teams were excited to be here.

“We had 14 teams turn out, the 49ers were here and Jarryd Hayne deserves a lot of credit for starting this.

“It was a good showing. We had a good variety of scouts.”

Asked if they can make the NFL, Foster said: “It’s not something you can determine just from today’s workout.

NFL combine guru Jeff Foster leads the two Aussies in for their workout.

“What today did was give us a baseline of where they are athletically, which I think was very impressive.

“They are very accomplished athletes in their sport, so it’s been fun to watch them.

“One of the big things is how their skills transfer to American Football and you don’t know that until they start playing.

“Both these guys were told what to do, did it one time and they were done.

“That speaks highly of them, their ability to listen and learn and perform under what was a lot of pressure for them.

“The teams will now put their data and numbers together and make decisions on whether they want to bring them back for more work.”

Originally published as Jason Taumalolo, Valentine Holmes called ‘accomplished athletes’ after impressing NFL scouts at workout