NFL draft 2015: Britain's Jay Ajayi set to be picked
- Published
Ajayi was born in Hackney and lived in Essex before moving to Dallas, Texas, aged seven
London-born American football player Jay Ajayi is set to join the NFL.
Ajayi, 21, will be picked by one of the league's 32 teams in the annual draft, one of the biggest events in the US sporting calendar.
From Thursday to Saturday in Chicago there will be seven rounds of selection from the best college players.
Born in Hackney and a running back for Boise State University in Idaho, Ajayi is projected to be chosen in the second round.
Fuelled by pickle juice - is Ajayi NFL's next British star? | |
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6ft tall and weighs 15st 11lb (100kg) | Played soccer until he was 17 and could have had trials for Nigeria and European sides via his Nigerian father who was a licensed Fifa agent. |
Drinks pickle juice, which has a high sodium content, before and during matches to help prevent cramps. | "It's a really sour taste. I take a swig at the start of the game then again at half-time and I know I'll be good to go. I haven't cramped up since." |
He is set to join fellow Brits Menelik Watson, Jack Crawford and Lawrence Okoye who already play in the NFL.
Ajayi, who suffered a serious knee injury in 2011, has been through months of interviews, physical tests, medical checks and visits by teams ahead of the draft.
"It's been a great process, an exciting one and I wouldn't trade it for the world, I just can't wait to be drafted," said Ajayi, who moved to the USA when he was seven years old.
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