Former England Rugby Player Alex Gray to Join Atlanta Falcons Practice Squad

Former England Sevens rugby player Alex Gray is set to join the Atlanta Falcons' practice squad as part of the NFL's new International Player Pathway program.

Ben Volin of the Boston Globe passed along details of the new initiative Thursday:

Gray represented England through the U-20 international level along with his time on the England Sevens national team. He's played for the Newcastle Falcons, London Irish and, most recently, the Yorkshire Carnegie at the club level.

Tom Hamilton of ESPN.com passed along comments from the 26-year-old longtime rugby star, who will try to make the transition to tight end in the NFL.

"I have been working hard for this goal and to be told it was going to happen was an amazing moment," Gray said. "This is the start of another journey. It is a fantastic thing that is happening, but I am not going to get to where I want to be without keeping myself grounded. Making the decision to give this my all from rugby, there was a big transition period and it was mentally very humbling."

He added: "When you have to start from scratch again, that was a huge mental battle for me. When I look back I will be very proud of the way I approached this."

The similarities between the physical nature of American football and rugby have made it a popular avenue for switching sports.

Jarryd Hayne joined the San Francisco 49ers amid plenty of hoopla in 2015, but he failed to make the expected impact as a running back and special-teams asset. He's since returned to rugby to play for the Gold Coast Titans in Australia.

Other examples include New England Patriots safety Nate Ebner, who played rugby for the United States at the 2016 Summer Olympics, and recent Baltimore Ravens draftee Jermaine Eluemunor, who played rugby while growing up in England.

Hamilton noted Gray has been working in a group alongside former New York Giants defensive lineman Osi Umenyiora for the past three months. While the Falcons, along with their NFC South rivals, were given an extra spot on the practice squad for the program, the players can't be activated in the first year.