Christian Wade Is Swinging For The Fences With NFL Move The news that Christian Wade has stepped away from rugby to pursue a career in American Football’s NFL is a stunner. The 27-year-old winger is third on the all-time try-scorer list in the Premiership. In fact, in the current issue of Rugby World, team-mates at Wasps wax lyrical about the wide man’s ability to make something out of nothing. As team-mate Jimmy Gopperth told us: “Not many players have that X-factor and it baffles me that he’s not had better luck internationally.” Such a statement may offer potential reasoning for Wade’s shocking switch – perhaps there is frustration at a lack of opportunities to represent England – whilst also compounding how gobsmacking such a move would be. Related: The exchange of ideas between rugby and NFL Currently details are scant. So we do not know via which route the hot-stepping Wade, who has only ever earned one England cap, intends to attack the NFL. But we know about those who have gone before him. Wade could try the IMG Academy. They train athletes to be ready for the NFL combine – the ‘meat market’ where hopefuls, with an overwhelming majority out of college, jump, sprint, lift and run around cones to impress scouts. Operating out of a base in Florida, they work with newbies to teach and drill and practise with hopefuls so they can learn the vagaries of a new game. Wasps last night tried to dismiss the story as "speculation" but have now removed Christian Wade's biography from the club website. https://t.co/w44hSnEr37 — Alex Lowe (@AlexMLowe) October 19, 2018 That is a tough ask. For all the talent an athlete possesses, there are too few polymaths who can excel in several differing sports. As it stands, two former rugby union players in Christian Scotland-Williamson and Alex Gray are currently on practice squads. Both tight ends, Scotland-Williamson is in his first year of a protected contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers, while Gray is in his second year with the Atlanta Falcons. Both men have had to battle to get where they are, and both have some way to go to convince teams to let them take plenty of snaps in the big show. Former Aussie rugby league U20 player Jordan Mailata is finding his feet, learning to play left tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles – but again, he is yet to play. Then we think back to league star Jarryd Hayne’s on-again-off-again stint with the San Francisco 49ers, where ultimately some dropped kick returns saw him demoted from the active team to the practice squad. He did not hang around for another season. Which means, while some are salivating at the prospect of Wade being a kick returner in the NFL, there is plenty to temper such enthusiasm. Just check out the thread of tweets which starts here for some thoughts on this: That Wade to NFL story is incredible. If true, it's a hell of a gamble, but … Continue reading Christian Wade Is Swinging For The Fences With NFL Move