Matos was born in the Los Minas neighborhood in Santo Domingo Este.
The Dominican Bill Matos and the Welshman Louis Rees-Zammit shone during the ‘NFL International Player’ trials that were held at the University of South Florida facilities.
Both players are part of the ‘International Player Pathway 2024’ (IPP) program, which opens the way for international talents, outside the United States, to seek a place in one of the 32 NFL teams.
Matos is 23 years old, is 2.06 meters tall and weighs 131 kilos. He is a powerful offensive lineman who is distinguished by his aggressiveness on the field.
Bayron Matos. EFE/NFL.
The boy came to the United States at the age of 16 as a basketball player. In 2021 he was recruited by the University of South Florida (USF), with which he stood out; His abilities led him to try his luck in the USF football program, which catapulted him to the ‘International Player Pathway 2024’.
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His display at the ‘NFL International Player’ tryouts impressed several of the 51 talent scouts from 31 of the 32 teams present, with only the Los Angeles Rams missing.
In the strength test Matos recorded 17 bench press repetitions, ran the 40 yards in 4.88 seconds, obtained 2.8 meters in a clean jump, and was noted to be agile and powerful in the field exercises.
The one born in the neighborhood of Los Mina, Santo Domingo, is the only Latin American player among the 15 selected this year in the NFL IPP.
At the end of the tests, the Dominican stressed how much it has cost him to get one step away from playing in the league.
“I have been working very hard to get to the next level. This is a fast game, not everyone can play soccer. It is a sport for big kids,” Matos said.
Welshman Louis Rees-Zammit, former rugby player, who represented his country in the 2023 Rugby World Cup, left the sport in which he is considered a star to try to make a place for himself in the NFL.
Rees-Zammit ran the 40-yard dash in 4.43 seconds, a time that qualifies him to aspire to a position as a running back, receiver or kick returner in the NFL.
The ‘International Player Pathway’ was established in 2017, since then 37 international players have signed with NFL teams, among them Chilean Sammis Reyes, a tight end who played for the Commanders, stands out.
2024-03-24 13:45:12
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