Jermaine Eluemenor: Britain’s newest NFL hope
For over 250 young men, the NFL Draft is a career-defining moment as they seek to achieve their dreams and graduate to the professional ranks. One of this year’s hopefuls is London-born Jermaine Eluemenor, a former offensive lineman at Texas A&M.
After playing rugby and dabbling in flag-football with the London Blitz while growing up in Northwest London, Jermaine moved to the States in his early teens. Jermaine was already intrigued by football after watching the first International Series game at Wembley on British television, and he enrolled at Lackawanna College in Pennsylvania as an offensive lineman.
With his natural strength and athleticism, Jermaine drew interest from several colleges, but chose Texas A&M. As a junior, Jermaine started for the Aggies in 2015’s Music City Bowl before starting 12 of 13 games at guard and tackle as a senior at College Station. “I chose A&M because of the culture. It felt like home, and it is home!” Jermaine studied recreational parks and children sciences, and one day hopes to run his own non-profit children’s organisation.
But before Jermaine and the other prospects get to this year’s Draft in Philadelphia, they must first face the Combine; where they run through several athletic drills in front of delegations from the NFL’s 32 teams. But what exactly is the Combine like from the view of a player?
“The Combine was very fun. I’ve watched it on TV for so long, just getting to be a part of it was an awesome feeling. I did the 40 yard dash, bench press, and all the offensive line drills. Lucas Oil Stadium has a great atmosphere.” Jermaine posted a 5.22 40 yard dash (15th among linemen) and 34 reps on the bench press (2nd among linemen). Jermaine has the prototypical build for an NFL offensive lineman at 6'4” and 332 lbs.
However, prospects must face more than athletic drills in Indianapolis. Representatives from all 32 teams will also interview potential players, asking them far-reaching (and sometimes strange) questions about their career, their past, and their future. So how do coaches, scouts, and general managers react when they meet British-born players like Jermaine?
“They act surprised at first, but after hearing my story and how much football means to me and how bad I want to play, they like the fact that I moved here from England to pursue a dream.” So what was Jermaine’s strangest experience at the Combine? “The Browns made me play a card game with them, but nothing other than that.”
After the Combine comes Pro Days, held at a player’s school were NFL personnel can get a second look at potential prospects. So how do Pro Days compare to the Combine? “The drills were pretty similar. The offensive line coaches (from the 32 teams) were working closer with us, and each offensive line coach had us do different drills.”
So what about Jermaine’s draft stock? Prior to the Draft, the football world is usually dominated by one thing; mock drafts. An attempt to work out which prospects could be drafted by each team, thousands of mock drafts are published by fans and journalists alike. But how much attention do players like Jermaine pay to mock drafts? “I don’t pay any attention to them at all.”
Prior to the Combine, Jermaine was ranked as a top five tackle in this year’s Draft. A five round mock Draft by NFL.com’s Chad Reuter has Jermaine going to the Houston Texans in the third round, 89th overall. But have Jermaine’s own expectations changed throughout his journey? “They haven’t really changed. I’m just excited to be in the position I’m in!”
Jermaine is following a path spanning the Atlantic that has been walked by several British-born NFL players over the past few years. Miami Dolphins running back Jay Ajayi took the NFL by storm last year after an impressive sophomore season. Tackle Menelik Watson signed a three year, $18.3 million deal with the Denver Broncos this offseason and could be a starter there. Defensive lineman Jack Crawford signed a three year, $10.3 million contract with reigning NFC Champions Atlanta to bolster their pass rush.
All of these players have played in the NFL’s International Series at Wembley Stadium, which has build up a huge following since 2008 and has inspired players like Jermaine, who hopes to get a similar chance. “ (I grew) up watching games played at Wembley (so) for me to play in the country I was born in, in a stadium thirty minutes from where I was raised would be the craziest thing. I can’t even imagine what the atmosphere would be like because it would be so awesome!”
Four teams will be playing at Wembley this season. The Baltimore Ravens will face London’s adopted Jacksonville Jaguars, whilst the New Orleans Saints will make their first Wembley appearance against the returning Miami Dolphins. There will also be two games at Twickenham, with the Minnesota Vikings squaring off against the Cleveland Browns and the Arizona Cardinals facing the Los Angeles Rams in an NFC West divisional game.
It could be argued that all of these teams have needs on the offensive line, which means that we could see Jermaine suit up on home soil. But the best case scenario would surely be seeing Jermaine drafted by the Dolphins. Miami made the playoffs last season, and it would be great to see Jermaine paving the way for Jay Ajayi under Wembley’s floodlights in October…
