Every draft cycle, we hear of players who have taken difficult routes to get to the NFL. Julius Welschof certainly fits that bill.
Welschof is from Germany and would have always had a harder route to the NFL than players born in the states. However, his story is even more interesting than that. On teammate Christian Kuntz’s podcast, Welschof spoke about his late arrival to the game of American football.
“When my host father told me I should start playing football, because he thinks I can play college football, I was like, ‘There’s no way’,” Welschof said. “In Germany, if you wanna become a professional soccer player, you gotta start when you’re five or six years old. I was 16 at the time. So I went back home [Germany] and joined a club team.”
Sixteen certainly is an older age to start playing football, but you can understand why Welschof’s host family in America might have wanted him to try. While he might not have been 6-6 at the time, Welschof’s a tall, commanding athletic figure.
That stature has suited him well as a defensive end, but Welschof also tried to learn tight end as he began to get used to the sport.
“I played tight end and defensive end. I knew what tight end was, but defensive end I never heard, because when you watch TV, you always see those people [tight ends] catch balls,” Welschof said. “But then I realized, defensive end, it was easier to catch up. Just kind of run up the field and try to get by the o-lineman.”
It certainly seemed like it was easy for Welschof to catch up at the position. When the Steelers signed him as an undrafted free agent last April, they knew he would be a project, which makes sense considering he didn’t pick the game up until the age of 16.
Welschof is a taller and longer player, but he’s athletic for the position. The Steelers liked his ability to get after the passer from a two-point stance, or with his hand in the dirt. He plays smart, consistently shows effort, and sets the edge well in the run game. Those are all things undrafted free agents must do well. They’re also all traits the Steelers love in a defender.
Welschof was able to develop that skill set over four years at Michigan, and one at Charlotte. However, as a Germany native, getting a scholarship to play college football was always going to be more difficult. Welschof joined Brandon Collier, founder of PPI recruits, which is an organization aimed at helping international athletes get noticed by collegiate programs in America.
That helped Julius Welschof land at Michigan, where he was able to further develop his career. Collier was so instrumental to Welschof’s success, that he was one of the first people to get the call after Welschof heard from the Steelers.
Welschof showed some promise during the 2024 preseason. He also earned the support of his new teammates in the process. After grabbing his first preseason sack against the Bills last August, his teammates recognized his hard work.
Unfortunately, an injury derailed any further progress in his rookie year. Now Welschof heads into Year 2 in Pittsburgh. He needs an impressive offseason to keep his place in the league. He’s no stranger to unfamiliar circumstances, though. Hopefully, for Julius Welschof and the Steelers, he can continue to put things together and become a solid depth player in 2025.
