NFL: Patriots reveal why they believe in Jotham Russell

“I came here with not even a full suitcase worth of clothes,” Australian Jotham Russell says about the whirlwind that has resulted in him signing with the famed NFL team.

“I’ve gone into the storage shed and asked for as many things as they’re willing to give me. I’d be running out of clothes quickly otherwise.”

“I want to make the most of it, really feel like a Patriot,” he laughs.

Making the most of it sums up Russell’s last six months.

Plucked from the obscurity of under 21 QRL at the Tweed Seagulls and placed in this year’s NFL’s International Player Program intake, Russell was quietly put on the Patriots’ radar.

Will Bryce, the NFL’s Head of International Development, had alerted Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf to the 193 cm 110 kilogram Russell.

“Jotham was one of the top couple guys that they thought would have the ability, tools and size to develop,” Wolf tells CODE Sports.

Players of that size that can move so well are a valuable commodity for an NFL defence.

The fact that Russell is only 20 years old (now the youngest player on the Patriots squad) could offset his lack of knowledge of the sport.

“He obviously didn’t have a ton of coaching outside the international player program, but Will mentioned that he’s a tremendous worker and a great kid.”

Patriots scouts were then sent to watch the international players work out at their pro day, the reports back confirmed Bryce’s prediction.

“When we saw him moving around it really piqued our interest in terms of someone we’d like to work with.”

Thinking Russell would still be in Florida where the program is held, the Patriots phoned to invite him for a try out at their rookie mini camp, only to find that he was already back in Australia.

Russell was sizing up what he did next, in between going back to his old school Palm Beach Currumbin High to address students and chat to his teacher, mentor and coach at Tweed Aaron Zimmerle.

Zimmerle says his skill development had him tracking towards the NRL, with a contract at the Canberra Raiders likely before the NFL sojourn.

“He was a robust winger that we worked really hard on with all those skills like high catches and body positioning to score tries and so forth,” Zimmerle says.

“But then if we had fatigue in the game, we would roll him into the front row and he would make 30 and 40 metre breaks through the middle of the field because he was big enough, tough enough and tackled well enough, but he had the foot speed of an outside back.”

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The Patriots had to do some logistic scrambling, including gaining special allowance from the NFL for Russell to arrive at the camp a few days early to acclimatise, but they got their man.

Arriving on a Tuesday at the Patriots headquarters in Foxborough, he was into the most important practice sessions of his sporting life by Friday.

“Really that Friday practice he jumped out at us with his size, his movement, his skills and his eagerness,” Wolf says.

“Even going into Saturday, getting some good coaching from our defensive line and outside linebacker coaches, he showed improvement even within that one day.”

This doesn’t surprise Zimmerle who saw his league game develop from the novice he first met at school.

“He’s a wonderful kid with a great personality, but the thing that gives me the greatest hope for him is knowing what he was in his senior year of school to what he was in his first year of colts to his second year of colts. The margin of improvement each year was dramatic.

“That’s Joth.”

The Patriots saw something similar and their mind was made up.

The following week they signed him using an extra spot allocated for international players and the intense education began.

He’s participating in organised team practice through to the end of June, then there’s full scale training camp in late July.

The game education that started with Russell playing Madden Football on his PlayStation each night of the pathway program has progressed.

Seeing it unfold in front of him at practice now connects to the theory he was taught in the program.

“I’ve never played a snap of football so it’s entirely about getting my technique right and getting my knowledge of the game right.

“Something I may have struggled to get the concept of just by speaking or hearing it, seeing it now clicks. You understand what the conversation’s about now.”

Wolf agrees that it’s the technique and play recognition that will determine the rate of development.

“He’s playing on the edge of the defence, so I think he’s going to end up big, strong and athletic enough,” he says.

“It’s just that awareness piece; the technique work with hands and feet, being able to shed blocks and to locate the football.”

While most novices would be overawed by the complexities of American football, Zimmerle believes the education process is something Russell will thrive on.

“When you sit down and spend the time with him and explain something he becomes better from it. He’s coachable,” he says.

“So going to the NFL where the game is structured and they have purpose in everything they do, I think it’ll suit him.”

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While Russell’s athletic traits were his ticket to this point, he knows he also has to continue to work on his body to ensure it can cope with the monsters that guard NFL offences.

Another 10 kilograms without losing any speed or agility is Russell’s goal.

“I’m slimmer than the others here, so lots of gym time. I want to get as big as possible and stay as mobile as possible.

And while the hurried nature of his US return meant he didn‘t pack his PlayStation in that one suitcase, he’s planning to go and buy one.

“To play as the Patriots of course.”

While Russell is adapting everything he knew to the American game, it doesn’t mean he’s leaving everything else behind in Australia.

It helps that the Patriots have a couple of Aussies in their front office, including the media manager that set up this discussion.

When CODE calls, Russell answers with a broad ‘G’day’.

“I haven’t been using it a lot, but then I thought to myself ‘the Australian terminology and everything is new to these people’, so why don’t I bring a bit of Australia to them.”

Russell now has a path to bring a bit of Australia to the Patriots on the field too.

While it would seem an uphill battle for him to make the Patriots’ 53 player active roster for next season given his age and development, there is a 16 man practice squad that has dispensation for a 17th member if that player is an international.

He has the inside running on that position which would buy him time to keep learning the game.

But as an NFL free agent rookie contract has no guarantees, Russell won’t be taking any minute of his time for granted. Nor getting dazzled by the potential dollars at a time when fellow Aussie Jordan Mailata has recently signed a $66 million dollar three year deal at Philadelphia.

“I have to do everything I can each day to stay and show them why I deserve to be here,” he says.

“Money is not ever really a piece of this. I honestly haven’t looked too much into that, I’ve literally just gone ‘they’re feeding me, they’re training me, I’m in a hotel, yeah I’m happy.’

The Patriots are happy too.

“We found somebody that seems like a really good person that will get better and is willing to work hard,” Wolf says.

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“He’s got a long way to go, but if he could just get incrementally better each day, then he’s going to have a chance.”

They’d also be happy that Russell recognises the opportunity in front of him with more wisdom than most 20 year olds.

“It’s opened up a door and I’m trying to go through that door as far as possible.”