I don’t think there’s any relation to the one who’s on the roster. But Iñaki Villanueva has a pretty cool story.
The Steelers recently worked him out, a rugby player turned tight end, according to ESPN’s Field Yates.
As Yates tweeted out, Villanueva is a rugby star who competed for Spain at the 2016 Olympics. The 25 year old is listed at 6’5 227 pounds.
Frankly, information on Villanueva is scarce and my Spanish is a little rusty. If yours is better than mine, check out this show he was on earlier this year.
His Spanish team qualified for the final spot in this year’s Summer Olympics, beating Samoa 22-19 in the game’s final minutes. They went 1-4 in the Olympics, finishing in 10th place.
Here is footage of that game against Samoa. Villanueva is wearing #1. If you find an especially interesting clip, let us know and we’ll make a GIF.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mx3rOQu7A7E
Villanueva, if he gets a shot in the NFL, wouldn’t be the first rugby player to make the jump into the NFL. Jarryd Hayne spent a season with the San Francisco 49ers before retiring this past May. The New England Patriots’ Nate Ebner was drafted by the team out of college but played with the American Rugby team this summer.
