12 July 2023 , 19:48
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Jacksonville Jaguars hopeful Sammis Reyes has revealed he survived a potentially embarrassing moment involving New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick as he tried to make it as an NFL player.
The Chilean tight end came through the NFL's International Player Pathway Programme (IPPP) and has spent time with the Washington Commanders and the Chicago Bears over the past two seasons before signing with the Jags in May.
When the 27-year-old, who played college basketball at Tulane University, had his pro day in front of NFL coaches and scouts a couple of years ago as he tried to earn a roster spot or a practice squad place, he crossed paths with six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach Belichick.
But Reyes had no idea who Belichick was at the time, as he explained on the El Huddle podcast.
"It was after the Pro Day," he explained. "I did very well, I had like 16 scouts that came up to me including coaches and people that now I know who they were. At the time, I had no idea.
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"We go to the hotel to get our stuff, I go up the elevator and coach Belichick jumps in the elevator with us. We have a full conversation, a full-on conversation for, whatever, 15 seconds.
"And then he gets off on the same floor and we walk the same way. The whole time, one of my teammates was next to me, one of the guys from the NFL IPP programme. We get done and he asks me 'Do you know who that was?' and I'm like 'No, I have no idea'.
Sammis Reyes had no idea who Bill Belichick was when their paths crossed at his pro day. (Getty Images)"He says 'That's coach Belichick, the coach of the Patriots'. And I'm like '"What? Did I say the right thing? Did I shake his hand?' I was so nervous, but I thought it was a random guy in the elevator asking a question. I had no idea."
Reyes, standing at 6ft 5in and 260lbs, remains very raw as an NFL prospect, but he has been measured as one of the most athletic players to enter the NFL.
After being clocked at 4.65 seconds over the 40-yard dash, Reyes also recorded 31 reps in the bench press, a 40-inch vertical jump and a 10ft 5in broad jump.
Those are some of the best numbers recorded by any tight end in the league's history, but he joined the IPPP without any competitive experience from the gridiron and he remains unpolished as a player.
Nonetheless, he made the Commanders' roster in 2021 and featured on special teams during the regular season before his campaign was cut short by injury.
He will hope to take a leap forward in training camp with the Jaguars when players report at the team facility on July 25 and do enough to make the 53-man roster.