With the dust having settled on the 2023 NFL Draft, four prospects who first played the game of American football on European soil are joining NFL teams to compete during the offseason for a coveted roster place.

None of the quartet heard their names called at the annual selection event in Kansas City but will each now head to destinations where they have a chance to continue their dreams of playing professional football. For some, offers from the Canadian Football League and the rebooted USFL provide alternative opportunities. Italian edge rusher Habakkuk Baldonado, a six-feet-five, 260 pounds defensive end out of the University of Pittsburgh, first discovered the gridiron at the age of 13 and four years later was pulling on the Azzurri of the Italian junior national team. Formerly of the Lazio Marines, Baldonado has signed a free agent contract with the New York Giants and has an option to head north of the border having been selected in the CFL Global Draft by the Saskatchewan Roughriders. German left tackle Kilian Zierer (pictured) has joined the Houston Texans as an undrafted free agent. The Munich native played with the Allgäu Comets of the GFL and is the latest success story from the production line of prospects sent Stateside by the Gridiron Imports organization run by former first round draft pick Bjoern Werner and his prep school coach Chris Adamson. Zierer might have been a 2023 NFL Draft selection, but for missing a chunk of his career at Auburn through injury before starting five games in 2022. The six-feet-seven, 312-pound Zierer first played in the Munich Cowboys junior program as a wide receiver and tight end. Fellow German lineman Lorenz Metz, who stands at a massive six-feet-nine and 330 pounds, signed with the Chicago Bears following the Draft and is already being considered by local media as an undrafted free agent with a genuine shot at making the Bears roster. The University of Cincinnati product hails from Neuötting and played at both the U19 and senior levels with the Kirchdorf Wildcats of the GFL2. Swedish left tackle Isaac Moore is considered by NFL.com draft analyst Chad Reuter to be among the top 30 undrafted offensive tackles seeking an NFL team. The former Orebro Knights and Temple University standout has been invited to the Green Bay Packers’ minicamp and was also selected by the Calgary Stampeders in the first round of the CFL Global Draft. Photo: Austin Perryman