Four Australians invited to the NFL combine

(Photo: Getty Images)

With more Australians in the NFL and the NCAA football ranks than ever before it is exciting to see three get invited to the NFL combine. The four players are :

• Brad Craddock (K), Maryland
• Lachland Edwards (P), Sam Houston State
• Adam Gotsis (DT), Georgia Tech
• Tom Hackett (P), Utah

These three will be a part of the 332 NFL prospects expected to attend the annual event from Feb. 23-29.

The NFL Combine is the premier pre-draft evaluation and scouting showcase for college prospects looking to fulfil their dreams of playing in the NFL. It is an intense week-long job interview for the potential draftees, who perform various drills, physical and mental tests in front of hundreds of coaches, scouts and front office personnel.

Edwards is the only player from Sam Houston State to be invited, Craddock is one of five players from Maryland, Gotsis is of two players from Georgia Tech and Tom Hackett is one of six players from Utah. All three have had strong college careers but Adam Gotsis did have his senior season derailed by a knee injury and it will remain to be seen if he will do all the drills at the combine as he goes through his rehab.

The chance of all three being drafted is very low as often specialist like punters and kickers are not drafted but I would expect to see them in NFL camps during the pre-season. There were as many as six Australians on NFL rosters last pre-season lets hope to see even more in 2016.