It so happens that having little to no football experience is not a deterrent for NFL teams looking to add talent. The New York Giants put that idea to work with offensive lineman Austin Droogsma, bringing him in for a tryout after not having played football since high school.
“[Charles Tisch] was like, ‘Hey you want to come try out?’ and I’m like, ‘You know I didn’t play football right?’ I don’t know if I thought someone was messing with me or if it was some kind of weird scam that they’re targeting athletes,â€Â Droogsma recently told ABC 3.
The New York Giants are taking a calculated risk with Austin Droogsma:
At 6-foot-4, 345-pounds, Droogsma has the size and strength to be a force in the trenches, but his lack of technique and experience will surely be an obstacle he must overcome. In fact, having no experience at all should have been an impossible hurdle, yet the Giants signed him to a contract to compete during training camp for a spot on the active roster.
“I was kinda like, ‘This is going to be a really cool experience, and then I’m going to go back home and go back to my life. It’s just going to be a really cool story I can tell my kids one day.’ And then they signed me. I thought they were joking,†said Droogsma.
The former shot putter and potential Olympic athlete will now continue on with his journey in the NFL, and at the very least, it’s a story he can hold on to for life. However, there’s always the possibility that he sticks around on the practice squad for a season while he develops his game and earns real-time reps against professional athletes.