From the European League of Football to the NFL? For Marcel Dabo, this dream could become reality. At the Pro Day, he excelled with excellent stats. ran spoke to the defensive back.

Munich/Arizona – Marcel Dabo has caused quite a stir.

The 22-year-old from Reutlingen shone at the Pro Day in Arizona with excellent scores. “For me personally it went mega-good. I’m super satisfied,” he said in a video interview with ran.de.

Twenty-six of the 32 NFL teams were in attendance as the defensive back took the usual performance tests. “I think I made an impression,” he concluded. “I’ve had some teams talk to me. “

From an athleticism standpoint, a Jalen Ramsey

The stats speak for themselves: he ran a time of 4.42 seconds on the 40-yard dash. By comparison, superstar Jalen Ramsey was just 0.01 seconds faster. In the bench press (21 repetitions with 102 kilograms) and jump (3.5 metres) he was even considerably better than the Los Angeles Rams cornerback.

But what does that even mean? “A lot of people say the NFL Combine can’t be transported onto the field. But the NFL does this test anyway because from experience, they know that players with certain athleticism scores have a higher chance of being successful in the league,” Dabo explained.

“The stats don’t mean I’m a better defensive back than Jalen Ramsey, that’s logical. But I think those are good benchmarks to see where my potential might be.” He’s realistic about the value of the performance tests, saying, “Pro Day is just a job interview that can be your ticket. “

From Stuttgarter Kickers to Stuttgart Surge

Dabo played football for the Stuttgarter Kickers in his youth before discovering an interest in football at the age of 15 through a student exchange with a US high school.

He proved his potential in the European League of Football in 2021 when he excelled on duty for the Stuttgart Surge and was named Defensive Rookie of the Year. “But the Americans don’t really look at Europe,” Dabo knows. Nevertheless, in January 2022 he was accepted into the NFL International Pathway Programme.

Since then he has been training in Phoenix (Arizona) and preparing for a possible career in the NFL. “My strength is my athleticism,” he knows. In daily training, however, it would be a matter of “developing the football IQ” for the position of defensive back. I definitely have to work on that. But I think I’ve made great progress in the last six or seven weeks here.”

Dabo could play both cornerback and safety, also wants to prove himself on special teams. “I’m taking my cues from all the top defensive backs – Jalen Ramsey, Marshon Lattimore and Jaire Alexander, for example. I look at how they play, what they do well and what I can do to improve my game,” he revealed.

Jakob Johnson gives him tips

He is also in contact with German fullback Jakob Johnson, who was traded from the New England Patriots to the Las Vegas Raiders. “That’s very, very, very important for me,” says Dabo. “It also helps me insanely when it comes to, for example, finding an agent, how you talk to coaches or how you present yourself in interviews. I’m in close contact with Jakob on that.”

All avenues are open to Dabo. “Because I’m so young, I’m also eligible to be drafted in the NFL Draft,” he reveals, then adds, “But that’s a long shot for now. I’m focused on my training. “

And further: “The dream is that I make it to the NFL. Basically, it doesn’t matter how you make it to the NFL first – whether you’re a free agent, through the college route or the International Pathway Program. You just try to make sure you have as many opportunities as possible to make your dream come true.”

He will remain in the US until 9 April before returning to Germany – temporarily, he hopes. “I did everything in the ten weeks then to be as good as I can and make the best impression possible. Everything else is out of my control.”

And what would be the wishful headline he would like to read about himself? “Marcel Dabo, first-round pick from Germany,” he answers with a laugh. “That’s a dream idea. But you have to stay realistic.”

A 1st round pick is hardly likely to be realistic. Making it to the NFL, however, is.