Colin Scotts, a former Australian NFL player for the St. Louis Cardinals and Houston Oilers, has predicted that Joseph Suaalii will receive the attention of several NFL scouts.
Although Suaalii will transition to rugby union at the end of the season on a three-year contract, the youngster has been compared to Travis Kelce, and Scotts believes he could make the jump to the NFL in the future.
Standing at an impressive 196cm tall and weighing nearly 100kg, Suaalii has all the making of a successful tight end and has his whole career ahead of him due to his young age.
A dual-code prodigy in rugby league and rugby union, Suaalii began his NRL career in 2021 with the Sydney Roosters and has been a mainstay in their backline - also representing Samoa at the Rugby League World Cup.
Now moving to the 15-man code, Suaalii aims to make his dream a reality by representing the Wallabies at the 2027 Rugby World Cup and 2025 Tour of the British Lions.
“If America gets a sniff of Joseph, there's no doubt they will put out a big contract for him,” Scotts told The Daily Telegraph.
“Joseph has absolutely raw talent. He reminds me a lot of Travis Kelce, the Kansas City tight end who just won the Super Bowl.
“Look at Kelce in the Super Bowl. Suaalii is definitely in that same mould – six-foot- five, six-foot-six – they are both co-ordinated with great ball skills and attitude, and what I love about Joseph, he's really strong in defence … I'm sure the American scouts will be looking at him, definitely. Rugby league has caught the imagination of America.
“He could easily grab $10m per season if he succeeded in the NFL.
“The way Joseph can jump in the air is something the Americans love. He is one of those God-given athletes who can jump really high. It's one of the biggest tests they do, the vertical leap. He would rip that.
“He goes looking for it, he's very aggressive and marketable – he ticks all the boxes to become an NFL player. They'll be looking at him."