Minnesota Vikings showing interest in former Australian rugby star

The Minnesota Vikings were in attendance to watch former NRL star Valentine Holmes workout in front of a number of NFL scouts in Florida on Monday.

Over the past handful of years, the Minnesota Vikings are one of the few teams from around the NFL that have shown they are not afraid to take a chance on an international prospect or two.

Obviously, there was the time when the Vikings used a sixth-round draft pick in 2016 to select German wide receiver Moritz Boehringer. He was supposedly the “German Randy Moss”, but Boehringer didn’t even make it to Minnesota’s active roster once during his year and a half with the team.

In 2015, the Vikings took a chance on Polish offensive lineman Babatunde Aiyegbusi. He was a towering prospect, measuring in at 6-foot-9 and 351 pounds. But Aiyegbusi’s tenure with Minnesota ended after just three preseason games and he is currently pursuing a career in the WWE.

Now, the Vikings appear to be expressing some interest in a former Australian rugby star.

Valentine Holmes, formerly of the National Rugby League’s Cronulla Sharks, recently held a workout down in Tampa, Florida and a number of NFL scouts were in attendance, including Minnesota.

Holmes reportedly looked pretty impressive and a scout from the Vikings apparently met with the former rugby star for 10 minutes after his workout.

Attempting to break into the NFL as a running back or a wide receiver, Holmes is only 23-years-old and he turned down AU$6 million from the NRL to pursue his dream of playing professional football. So this is clearly a goal of his that he has a great deal of interest in fulfilling.

At 6-foot-1, 198 pounds, Holmes reportedly clocked in at 4.45 seconds in his 40-yard dash during his workout. Scouts were impressed with the versatility he displayed as both a rusher and a receiver.

With their No. 2 running back spot currently up for grabs, Holmes could be someone Minnesota may bring in this summer to compete for the role. Given his lack of football experience, his cost will likely be low, which means the risk will be as well.