League: Not all NFL clubs interested in NRL stars

AAP

22 Nov, 2016 12:44 AM2 mins to read

Jason Taumalolo will take part in testing this weekend in the hope of being picked up by an NFL side. Phoco / Brett Phibbs - NZ Herald.

Not every NFL team is licking its lips at the prospect of signing NRL aces Jason Taumalolo and Valentine Holmes.

The Los Angeles Rams told AAP they likely will not be sending scouts to watch Taumalolo and Holmes work out this weekend.

Distance is not the issue for the Rams - the trials will be held in LA.

"I don't think we will be there," a Rams official said.

Jarryd Hayne's former team, the San Francisco 49ers, were keeping their cards close to their chest about whether they would send scouts to LA.

Hayne was a rollercoaster ride for the 49ers and it will be interesting to see how much of an appetite they have for the physically gifted, but NFL raw Taumalolo and Holmes.

Taumalolo, 23, and Holmes, 21, have the advantage of age, with Hayne a 27-year- old rookie during last year's stint at the 49ers.

The Daily Telegraph reported that five clubs had registered interest in scouting the duo, including the Seattle Seahawks, the Indianapolis Colts and the San Diego Chargers.

Taumalolo, a 191cm, 113kg back-rower with North Queensland, and Holmes, a 185cm, 87kg fullback-winger for NRL premiers Cronulla, will be put through a battery of non-contact drills where their speed, footwork, jumping and catching ability will be assessed in front of NFL scouts.

The pair made the surprise move of flying from London to LA immediately after playing each other in the Australia-New Zealand Four Nations final.

The NFL Management Council sent out an alert to the NFL's 32 teams to inform them of Saturday's trial.

"Jason Taumalolo and Valentine Holmes, two of the best players in Australia's National Rugby League, have scheduled a work-out for NFL clubs this Saturday," the NFL Management Council alert stated.