New on SI: Jaguars Rookie Steven Nielsen Aims to Be the Next International Pro

Jaguars Rookie Steven Nielsen Aims To Be The Next International Pro

Jacksonville Jaguars rookie offensive tackle Steven Nielsen has traveled far and wide in pursuit of a career in the NFL. At 6' 8" and 307 pounds, the Denmark native moved to the United States to play high school, college, and now professional football. 

American football is not as common in Denmark as soccer or handball but after watching his brother play in a club league, Nielson fell in love with the game. Kaitlin O'Toole is joined by Jaguar Report Maven, John Shipley for more insight into his conversation with Steven Nielsen.

Read the full transcript below:

Kaitlin O'Toole: Jacksonville Jaguars rookie offensive tackle Steven Nielsen has traveled far and wide in pursuit of a career in the NFL. At 6' 8" and 307 pounds, the Denmark native moved to the United States to play high school, college, and now professional football. Joining me now from Jaguar Report is John Shipley. John, American football is not as common in Denmark as soccer or handball. How did Nielsen get turned on to playing the sport?

John Shipley: Yeah, absolutely. Nielsen told me he had played those kinds of sports growing up, he played soccer. He told me he had played about a practice of handball before he realized it really just wasn't for him. And the thing was, Nielsen was simply just physically different than a lot of the other kids in Denmark. As you noted, he is now 6' 8", almost 310 pounds. He's just a big guy. Then once he saw his older brother playing for a club team, you know, playing the American version of football, he said, "hey, this is something that I can do." This is something that fits me. And from what he described, once he started playing it, he just fell in love with it. Eventually, that love really pushed him. It was the conviction of football that helped him move to the United States by himself, play at a prep high school in Indiana, eventually to receive a scholarship from Eastern Michigan. Now, he on an NFL roster, one of the few Danish people to do so.

Kaitlin O'Toole: That's an incredible story and such a commitment like you said, impassioned to be able to do that. What do you think we can expect to see out of the rookie this season?

John Shipley: Absolutely. He really fits all of the Jaguars' traits that they like in an offensive tackle. They like big guys with a lot of length, a lot of athleticism. You can see that and Cam Robinson and Jawaan Taylor, two other offensive tackles they've invested in. So I actually think he has a decent chance to make the roster potentially as a swing tackle or as a third-string offensive lineman just because the Jaguars, they don't have a lot of offensive tackle depth. So when he is on the field, the thing that fans can really look for is how he is on pass protection just in terms of his footwork and then how he is as a run blocker in terms of his aggression and to be able to move guys off the ball. If he can really show off well in those areas, he might have a good chance.

Kaitlin O'Toole: All right, well, we're rooting for him over here. John, thanks so much for your insight. Appreciate it. 

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