NFL returning to London for international combine in October

NEW YORK (AP) — The NFL is holding an international combine in London for the second consecutive year.

Forty-four athletes will be selected to participate in the combine in front of NFL evaluators at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Oct. 3-4.

Instead of team scouts, the NFL that evaluates the players and selects a handful to train in the United States for three months, after which final choices are made to allocate players to NFL teams for the 2023 season. And then, they still need to win a spot on the team roster.

It will be the fourth international combine after one in Australia in 2018, another in Germany in 2019 and London last year.

“Hosting the International Combine in London for the second year provides tremendous exposure for our great game,” said Roman Oben, NFL vice president of football development. “The combine allows us to evaluate new talent globally, shine a spotlight on our sport and provide an opportunity for participants to compete at the highest level.”

Athletes representing as many as 13 countries will be evaluated for a potential position in the NFL’s International Player Pathway program. The program, instituted in 2017, aims to provide elite international athletes the opportunity to compete at the NFL level, improve their skills, and ultimately earn a spot on an NFL roster.

Washington defensive end Efe Obadu, Philadelphia left Tackle Jordan Mailata and Las Vegas fullback Jakob Johnson earned NFL roster spots following the program.

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