First play between Patrick Mahomes and Louis Rees-Zammit gets fans’ attention

Louis Rees-Zammit finally strapped on his shoulder pads and looked for a pass from Patrick Mahomes in training camp for the Kansas City Chiefs on July 17, as he impressed with his trademark blistering speed and ability to dodge a tackle.

Rees-Zammit, from Wales in the United Kingdom, captured headlines when the Chiefs selected him through the international player pool scheme after he decided to swap professional Rugby Union for American Football, leaving fans eager to see how he performs.

There are limited comparisons of players going from one discipline to the other and a raging debate about which one is actually harder to play, which makes up part of the interest surrounding his career and he took to the NFL training camp like a duck to water.

If he continues the transition to this standard then the $2.85m the Chiefs will pay him over three years could turn out to be an excellent and highly shrewd investment from billionaire Clark Hunt’s team of executives as he caught snaps from Patrick Mahomes.

“St. Joe debut for Rees-Lightning,” the Kansas City Chiefs’ social media account posted to X.com, formerly Twitter, with a pun on the phrase ‘grease lightning’ and the Chiefs’ Nation fans were quickly heaping on the praise to the youngster.

One user wrote, “I’ve been pounding the table for him since he joined the IPP and then signed with the Chiefs.”

A second added, “So excited for this season ngl.”

And a third said, “Rees may be the guy who leads the Chiefs even higher than the Pats dynasty ever was. Would not be surprised to see him in MVP debates come that time.”

With his chance for an NFL debut on the horizon against the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday Night Football in the season opener on September 5, it will be interesting to see how Rees-Zammit handles the transition to the sport.

But some old habits die hard as other fans pointed out that he still holds the ball like a rugby player, with two hands, when he’s running as opposed to the one hand NFL players use. Whilst this comes at a cost to mobility, it does offer him a stronger grip on the ball