Australian Thomas Yassmin has signed a three-year rookie contract with the Denver Broncos after missing out on selection in the 2024 NFL Draft, and is hoping to make history by becoming the first Australian tight end to play in the NFL.
The Broncos did not select a tight-end in the Draft but immediately picked up Yassmin as an undrafted free agent, with the 23-year-old hoping to become the first Australian to feature in the NFL in a ‘skilled position’ since Jarryd Hayne in 2015 – unlike Jordan Mailata or punters including 2024 Draft pick Tory Taylor.
Yassmin was a schoolboy rugby union star at Scots College and represented the Australian schoolboy team, and was also widely in demand from NRL teams before courageously making the move to play college football in the states.
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The 6’5”, 251-pound beast (198 centimetres, 114 kilograms) had a breakout season for the Utah Utes in 2022, catching six touchdowns including one in the famed Rose Bowl.
The Australian was ranked as a top-20 tight end prior to the NFL Draft, but suffered a season-ending shoulder injury just three games into his final college year.
Nevertheless, there was plenty of interest in the Australian with as many as 10 teams reportedly keen to sign him and three holding conversations with him on the day he opted for the Broncos, per ESPN and The Daily Telegraph.
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The main competition at tight end for Yassmin at Denver will be Adam Trautman, who played under coach Sean Payton while at the Saints before later being brought over to the Broncos, and Greg Dulcich – a talented pass catcher who has had a bad run with injuries since being drafted in 2022.
But the relative lack of depth at the position means Yassmin is a serious chance of earning his place on the 53-player roster – and making history as Australia’s first tight end to feature in the NFL.
Yassmin is the second Australian tight end currently on an NFL roster, after International Player Pathway prospect Patrick Murtagh inked a deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars a few weeks ago.
Meanwhile, Texas A&M punter Nik Constantinou, another graduate of Australia’s Prokick academy, has also signed with the Broncos as an undrafted free agent.