Football: Rayman persuades in the NFL-Combine

Born in Burgenland, he admired workouts, sprints and in the weight room with his athleticism and explosiveness. The 24-year-old is considered one of the best offensive tackles of his college year.

In physical combination tests, Raimann showed the six highest values ​​among 50 or so athletes in position in the long jump and high jump (2.97 m or 77.5 cm from a standing position) and in the bench press (30 repetitions).

Slim and fast despite weighing 138 kg

Steinbrunner demonstrated agility and speed despite his 138kg body weight and 2.01m height in the 3-cone drill (7.46sec) and in the 20-yard shuttle (4.49sec) test, in the 40-yard race, Central Michigan College was third with a time 5.05 sec.

The NFL Draft will take place April 28-30 at the new Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada, home of the Las Vegas Raiders. Raymann could write the history of the sport there and be the first Austrian to be selected as an NFL talent coach.

Awards in college

The hope that you will be the first Austrian to play a competitive game in the NFL in 35 years is a good thing. Because unlike some of his countrymen, he’s been playing in the US for years and has also benefited from the position change. Raimann also played in the Senior Bowl, an all-star game for college players.

The 24-year-old, who took his first significant steps into football with the Vienna Vikings, isn’t the first Austrian to act at the highest college level, but Raymann has turned out to be a valuable player with the Chippewa offensive center in Michigan who was named the 2021 Mid-Player. American Conference Offensive Player by Pro Football Focus analysis firm at the end of this season.

High circulation in the draft

Interventions that protect the midfielder are not considered stars, but they perform a very important task, and therefore are often chosen higher in the draft. Last but not least, NFL experts see it possible to include Rayman in one of the first talent selection rounds in April. An Austrian player was never selected in the draft, the three Fritsch, Lienhardt and Wersching all came to their teams without drafting.

Expert Daniel Jeremiah, the NFL Network’s “master mentor”, has always included Steinbrunner in the 32 Top Talents of this year’s Talent List. “He should be a reliable player early in his career,” confirmed Jeremiah, who like many others from an extraordinary career admired. The Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers as well as the Dallas Cowboys have been named as potentially interested in Rayman.

unusual profession

The remarkable thing about Rayman’s career: he has been in the position for only two years and football for only ten years. According to Rayman himself, what Jeremiah calls a “wonderful story” began with a desire for more physical actions than football offered him. At the age of thirteen he saw the “oval ball” for the first time, after which it was going step by step. From the age of 14, Rayman played as a wide receiver for the Vikings, but soon went abroad as an exchange student.

“I was like, hey, I want to play Friday night (traditional high school football time). I thought this was going to be cool — and that was it,” Rayman said on the sidelines of the Senior Ball. Delton-Kellogg High School, and was so persuasive there that he got a job at Central Michigan in 2017. “Terrible Enfant” Antonio Brown and first NFL pick in 2013, Eric Fisher, who won the Super Bowl against Kansas Citi, did so before him, among others.

From the end of the court to the treatment

Raimann wasn’t even a tackle at that point, but he was playing as a court finish. As such, blocking is also part of the functionality, which should come in handy later on. Born with hand measurements for the position of center back, he accepted the call to re-train for 2020. Then the pandemic came, but Rayman managed to impress in just six games a season.

“Not only did he have the dimensions, he also had the wit,” his coach Jim McElwain said. Athletic coach Joel Welch added: “He is a rare, self-motivated and independent person. He is a complete professional.” Rayman gained 20 kilograms in a short time due to his position. What the Austrian lacks in experience compared to the others, he makes up for in action. Anyway, the NFL door is open for him.