Can people who've never played college....

[KayfabeMan]

or arena football get a try-out with the NFL?

I know it might be an ignorant question, but I'm not really a huge sports mark - so I thought I'd ask. Is it possible for someone who has never played any type of college sports to get involved in the NFL?

[Supermark101]

or arena football get a try-out with the NFL?

I know it might be an ignorant question, but I'm not really a huge sports mark - so I thought I'd ask. Is it possible for someone who has never played any type of college sports to get involved in the NFL?

Its very unlikly, but can happen. All you would have to do is bug the team until you get a try out. I know Kansas City has done open try outs in the past.

[Jesus Shuttlesworth]

It would be really hard to just get a try out without an experience at all. It can happen though but it probably wouldn't be worth it anyways. It would be a shitload of work for really nothing.

[samichna]

Maybe some other leagues, like the arena league or something (XFL lol) are more likely to hold open try-outs. So I guess someone could try to get a roster spot there, as a stepping stone to the NFL, as opposed to aiming straight for the NFL.

[PureHatred]

or arena football get a try-out with the NFL?

I know it might be an ignorant question, but I'm not really a huge sports mark - so I thought I'd ask. Is it possible for someone who has never played any type of college sports to get involved in the NFL?

You can't "bug a team" into getting a try-out. But as was mentioned, teams do host open try-outs occasionally and this is basically for Joe Somebody to make the team based on athletic merit and not their experience. But really, what are the odds that someone with the athletic talent to end up in the NFL has spent yars hidden under a rock or something and never once had a scout see them playing football on some level?

[BCWWF]

I think the answer is yes, you legally can (legal by NFL rules), but honestly you don't really have a chance if you aren't at least playing college football. I have two examples.

1. When the Maurice Clarett thing passed last season and they temporarily removed the age limit, I remember like 10 random high schoolers filed for the draft and ESPN.com had some background showing that none of them actually played football. Kind of a shitty example, but yeah.

2. Probably not as much what you are thinking, but nobody mentioned it yet. There are some NFL players doing quite well right now who didn't touch a football in college. There are some players who played other sports (basketball, wrestling etc) who were drafted and converted into football players in the NFL. Antonio Gates is an example of this, I guess Brock Lesnar would be another.