Report: Washington Redskins visiting with rugby player Jordan Mailata

The Washington Redskins have been diligently scouting talent during the 2018 offseason. According to reports, they are working out rugby player Jordan Mailata as he looks to transition to professional football.

This offseason, the Washington Redskins have been hosting a lot of visits at Redskins park, and they have done a lot to uncover talent all over the continent. The team recently visited the University of Calgary pro day, and they have brought in countless other prospects as well. On Monday, they switched to a global scale and brought in a very intriguing player who could end up being a developmental project for the team.

That player is Jordan Mailata, a rugby star from Australia. Mailata is a massive, 20-year-old man with a lot of upside. Per NFL Network’s Gil Brandt, Mailata visited the Redskins in the first of five visits he had this week. And it’s easy to see why the Redskins might be interested.

According to NFL.com, Mailata was impressive at a recent pro day in Tampa Bay, and that is what helped to put him on the map. In that workout, Mailata measured in at nearly 6-foot-8, 346 pounds and had 35.5 inch arms, which is incredible. He was able to blaze the 40-yard dash in 5.12 seconds and looked like a potentially athletic tackle for the next level. He also had good strength, totaling 22 reps. Per that same story, Mailata seemed pleased with his performance and said the following.

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"I felt today went well. This was my first chance to go through the positional drills in front of teams and I hope they got a chance to see the progress I have made as I try to master the position."

If Mailata can become a solid tackle at the NFL level, then he could be a great value. He has a massive frame that is similar to some of the top left tackle prospects in the 2018 NFL Draft. Because of his size, he should be able to reroute pass rushers easily and if he can develop a strong core and leg strength, he could easily hold up as a starter at either tackle position.

For the Redskins, adding a guy like Mailata would make sense. In the past few years, the team has added high upside, athletic projects to develop on their offensive line. Mailata is still very young, and he could develop behind Ty Nsekhe, who is a similar player with a massive frame and nice strength. Bill Callahan could then have a year or two to turn Mailata into a quality reserve or even better, a starter.

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Mailata isn’t likely to make the Redskins final roster, but he could be an excellent practice squad candidate. He has the athletic ability to be an NFL player, but he is just very raw. The Redskins have taken chances on players like this in the past, Nsekhe and John Kling being two recent examples, so seeing them land Mailata wouldn’t be surprising. He is a name to watch as April rolls along.

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