Valentine Holmes ‘can be a weapon’ in NFL according to SB Nation scouting report

With former Maroons star Valentine Holmes ready to make his debut for the New York Jets, one of America’s biggest sports sites has delivered its verdict on his NRL prospects.

FORMER Queensland Origin star Valentine Holmes has received his strongest endorsement yet as he prepares for his first shot at NFL stardom.

Holmes, who turned his back on the NRL last year to chase his American football dream, is likely to see game time in the New York Jets’ first pre-season game of the year Friday morning, against cross-town rivals the Giants.

While most experts believe the former Cronulla and Queensland league star will struggle to make the Jets’ final 53-man squad for the regular season, he is guaranteed a place on the team’s practice squad through the league’s international pathways program.

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Valentine Holmes will take part in his first match for the New York Jets. Picture: James Keivom/News Corp Australia

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However, like Jarryd Hayne four years ago, Holmes could force himself on to the main roster if he catches the eye during the four practice games scheduled over the next month ahead of the season opener on September 9 Australian time.

Leading American sports blog SB Nation has compiled a comprehensive scouting report on Holmes, delivering a detailed evaluation that concludes he ‘can clearly be a weapon’ with a ‘decent chance’ of eventually making the grade in the NFL.

Calling him ‘an intriguing first round addition’, SB Nation studied video footage of Holmes in action during both NFL practice and his NRL career to point out his strengths and weaknesses at this early stage of his career switch.

While conceding he was likely to stay on the practice squad this year — meaning he would not see any regular season game time, the report concludes he has the potential to make a success of his brave career switch.

Valentine Holmes is preparing for his first taste of the NFL. Picture: AP Photo/Seth Wenig

“With the potential he displays, there’s a decent chance of that,” SB Nation writes.

Despite acknowledging his lack of American football experience, SB Nation’s scout report gives Holmes plenty of praise, including he is ‘likely to have a good nose for the end zone’ (gridiron’s version of the try line) and ‘can clearly be a weapon in space’.

The scout report notes his ‘running skills would seem perfect for a (kick) return role’ and enthuses that he appears ‘comfortable and natural catching passes in practice footage’.

Incredibly, the report also believes Holmes could even have an edge over some of his rivals thanks to his NRL career.

“Having already succeeded at the highest level, albeit in a different sport, Holmes should have a professional demeanour and a mature approach to the game. In fact, he may be further along in that regard than most of the other young players,” the report says.

Holmes is also compared favourably with Hayne, with SB Nation concluding it would be ‘premature to rule out his chances of eventually becoming a contributor at the NFL level.’

“He has a ton of talent and the desire to learn how he can fill in the holes in his game,” it states.

Originally published as Valentine Holmes ‘can be a weapon’ in NFL according to SB Nation scouting report