New Jaguar's unique path to the NFL is similar to one of the greatest ever
The Jaguars' newest signing is a player who shares an unusual path to the NFL with one of the greatest to ever do it at his position. The team signed TE Sammis Reyes on Tuesday. Reyes, who is 27, never played college football. He moved to the United States at the age of 14, speaking […]
The Jaguars' newest signing is a player who shares an unusual path to the NFL with one of the greatest to ever do it at his position.
The team signed TE Sammis Reyes on Tuesday. Reyes, who is 27, never played college football. He moved to the United States at the age of 14, speaking no English. He eventually worked his way onto the roster at the University of Tulane college basketball team where he played for two seasons.
After working for a while as a DoorDash delivery driver, he attended an International Player Pathway Program by the NFL in 2021 and did enough to earn a contract from the Washington Commanders.
He made the Commanders' 53-man roster in 2021 and appeared in 11 games, mostly on special teams, making him the first Chilean-born player to play in an NFL game.
What caught the Commanders' attention? And why should Jaguar fans care? Because Reyes' physical abilities are through the roof for his position. At his pro day, he posted a 4.65 40, 40-inch vertical, 10'5" broad jump, and 31 bench press reps, which blast most tight ends' cumulative marks out of the water.
And that's why he hopes to follow another player who turned incredible athletic ability and a college basketball background into a storied NFL career: Antonio Gates. Gates did not play college football, instead starring for Kent State basketball, whom he helped reach the 2002 Elite Eight. With a career in the NBA not in the cards, he turned his attention to the NFL and signed with the Chargers as an undrafted free agent.
16 years later, Gates ended his career as one of the best tight ends in league history and should be a shoe-in for Canton in 2024, his first year of eligibility.
Putting Reyes in that same class is silly. In just his third year of organized football, he's still learning the game. However, comparing his path with that of Gates is not. Athleticism put Gates into an unfamiliar position by giving him an opportunity to transition to the NFL, and it was that same athleticism that led to him becoming an elite tight end for many years.
Athleticism has given Reyes a chance in the NFL, first with Washington and now in Jacksonville. Will he turn that natural physical ability into success? Time will tell, but – as said many times before – athletic ability is the currency that teams will invest in.
