Former Kenya Simbas prospect on the verge of history in 2026 American Football Draft

And while we are still in admiration of Kayden McDonald and his emotional walk on the Draft Stage on Friday night, Saturday could be akin to that for our very own Josh Weru, as he hopefully ends his wait in the green room and receives a call of his lifetime.

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The former Kenyan rugby star is expected to become only the third Kenyan-born player to secure a spot in the National Football League (NFL), when one of the 32 teams in the American Football league snaps him up between the fourth and seventh rounds of the Draft taking place at the Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh.

Weru, 23, enters this stage as part of the beneficiaries of the NFL International Player Pathway (IPP), a program that aims to provide elite athletes from around the world the opportunity to earn a spot on an NFL roster, and increase the number of international players in the league.

Weru, born in Nairobi before relocating to the UK, was in December last year named as one of 13 athletes from 10 nations worldwide to qualify for the program, where he was expected to take part in an intensive 10-week training camp at X3 Performance and Physical Therapy in Fort Myers, Florida, for a chance to make his NFL dream come true.

Five months later, the defensive lineman stands on the cusp of doing just that, as he is among four IPP class of 2026 players expected to hear their names on stage on Saturday, 25 April.

When that happens, Weru will join Daniel Adongo and Rees Odhiambo, as the only Kenyan-born players to have secured a spot in the prestigious league.

To say Weru’s journey to the NFL was always on the cards would be a misjudgement on the gutsy decision and effort the 6-foot-4 phenom has made since waving goodbye to a sport he cherished from childhood.

Born to former Kenya Harlequins rugby player Ken “KT” Thimba, the natural curve for Weru existed not out of what was in front of him, as he sought to follow in his father’s footsteps.

“I was always at Quins watching rugby matches,” Weru told Nation Sport in an interview last year. “Seeing players like Collins Injera and Willy Imbaka regularly can get into your head a bit, and you start seeing yourself there one day.”

For an all-action man who also tried his hand on a couple of other sports namely; cricket, hockey, athletics, cross country and swimming, it was always written in the stars that rugby would take over his heart, and it did.

Aged 14, Weru migrated to the UK to pursue his high school education, when he was scouted by the Northampton Saints Academy, even earning his first professional contract with the English Premiership side in August 2022.

Kenyan youngster signs first professional rugby contract in England

Two years earlier, Weru’s rise in England had also seen him gain international recognition, having earned a call-up into the Kenya 15s national side - Simbas - aged just 16.

In 2022, he went to achieve another milestone, making his memorable debut for Kenya at the 2023 Rugby World Cup Repechage against USA in Dubai, and scoring a late try.

Just a day after that high however, Weru’s path in rugby took a huge hit, as the then 19-year-old back row lost his pro-status with Northampton, having fallen short of Rugby Football Union’s (RFU) eligibility criteria to secure a working visa to play professional rugby in England, having taken the decision to play for Kenya.

As per the rulebook, Weru, while turning out for a Tier 3 nation, ought to have had a minimum of 10 international Test caps, to secure a professional working visa.

Out of Northampton, Weru was forced to continue his rugby career abroad, briefly turning out for US Dax in France.

It was at that low point that a new journey crept his conscious.

“At the time, I thought rugby would be my long-term path, and I even tried pursuing professional opportunities, including signing with a club in France, but things didn’t work out the way I had hoped,” Weru told Capital Sport of his idea to explore a new sport. “During that period, while I was still training and waiting for the next opportunity, I kept thinking about American football. It was something I had always considered, but rugby was my focus until then. I eventually decided to seriously pursue it and moved to the US, where I joined Arizona State University.”

While in the US, an opportunity to jump right into the global stage opened.

“I initially hoped to be picked up quickly by the Arizona football team, but that didn’t happen,” Weru said. “Then one of the IPP scouts, Mark Dulgerian, reached out and offered me a workout. It went well, and that led to a tryout in Loughborough, England. From there, I was fortunate to earn a place in the IPP program in Florida. Everything was new, but I had been training hard, and I’m grateful that it all led me here.”

Having ticked all boxes through the aforementioned training program and IPP pro-day in Ashburn, Virginia in late March, Weru is now on the verge of accomplishing a big dream.

“Signing an NFL contract will be a blessing,” Weru said. “There is no pretending about the financial benefits of playing this sport professionally. The NFL has the highest revenue and most valuable teams in the world.”

As per a number of US mock drafts, Weru, who is listed at 103 kilograms, is projected to go as the last pick of the 2027 draft - number 257 - joining the Denver Broncos as one of two team compensatory selections, resulting from the departures of former players Javonte Williams and Riley Dixon.

Should Weru go last, he would inherit the famous “Mr. Irrelevant” tag, which is the nickname given to the final player selected in the NFL Draft.

Players chosen with this pick are often released from the team that drafted them before the regular season begins, but there remains notable exemptions, with the recent one being San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, who in 2023 led his team to Superbowl LVIII.

NFL’s Draft material describes Weru as a player who showed “rare athleticism” during pro-day, fluid and quick in field drills, and twitchy with sudden feet in short spaces.

Having no background in American football however, NFL add that his weaknesses include never playing organized football, and a lack of enough mass to play off the edge.

First things first though, Saturday evening will be about making a dream come true when he lands a team, with the hard graft of making the roster coming after the tears - if any.

“I do not have a particular team in mind,” Weru said of leaning to a particular team in the draft. “I believe in the mantra ‘the best team for you to be is where you are wanted.'”

Phone rings.