Move over Danica! Former soccer player set to make history as first woman in the NFL

Lauren Silberman, 28, will kick at an NFL regional scouting combine

It follows success of Wisconsin-born Nascar driver Danica Patrick

A 28-year-old woman from New York is set to become the first female to be given a try out for the NFL.

Lauren Silberman had never kicked anything more than a soccer ball in an organised game before she started practicing long-range field goals.

Now she has been given a chance at an NFL regional scouting combine on Sunday at the New York Jets' training facility in Florham Park, New Jersey.

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Lauren Silberman's NFL.com bio listed her as a former club soccer player at Wisconsin Lauren Silberman, who has been handed a chance to make it into the NFL with a try out Scouts are likely to want to Silberman her connect on extra points and chip-shot field goals with some consistency before moving on to the heavy kicking

It follows the success of Wisconsin-born Nascar driver Danica Patrick, 30, who became the first woman to start the Daytona 500 on pole position.

Patrick's achievement sparked predictions she could become the first woman to win the 'Great American Race' in Florida, but she eventually finished eighth.



Speaking about her chances of getting the NFL call, Silberman said: 'I am working hard to prepare but I am also realistic about my chances.

'I hope my willingness to put myself out there inspires others to seize opportunities and challenges. The support from around the world has been so heartening.'

Her goal for the weekend is to kick perfect 60-yard field goals.

However, the odds are against her - scouts are likely to want to see her connect on extra points and chip-shot field goals with some consistency before moving on to the heavy kicking.

Silberman wrote her Master's thesis on how college and pro athletes can use video games to improve their athletic performance

Silberman (pictured with a friend) had never kicked anything more than a soccer ball in an organised game and she just started practicing long-range field goals

The 30-year-old Lauren Silberman, from New York, taking aim for a kick at an indoor session



Danica Patrick waves to fans as she walks down pit road before the start of the Nascar Daytona 500

Silberman will compete against more accomplished or polished college kickers, all hoping to prove they have the leg strength and accuracy worthy of earning an invite to an NFL training camp.



St Louis Rams kicker Greg Zuerlein participated in a regional combine last year before he was drafted and morphed into 'Legatron'.

Cincinnati Bengals special teams coach Darrin Simmons said teams look for several things specifically when judging kickers in these situations.

The most important is leg strength, followed by accuracy on field goals over 40 yards, and how they did on clutch kicks in college.

Patrick won the pole at the Daytona 500, becoming the first woman to secure the top spot for any Sprint Cup race

'When rating field goals, the deepest we test at the combine is a 50-yard field goal. There's not many attempts over 55 yards.

'We don't practice kicks much deeper than that - rarely do we do them,' Simmons said. 'You can tell after watching a 50-yard field goal how far the ball goes over the crossbar if they can hit from 55.

'They've got to be able to hit from 55. On kickoffs, they've got to be able to get the ball out of the back of the end zone.'

The regional combines debuted in 2011, and feature players who weren't among the 333 invited to the main combine in Indianapolis.

The league is holding these sessions in 10 cities this offseason, with the most impressive players advancing to a super-regional in April in Dallas.

It's sort of the sports version of a TV reality show, where each hit and tackle can wow a scout and move a player on to the next round. Only instead of a recording contract, it's an NFL one.

'It's all up to those guys. If you're talented enough, you're going to get recognised. And if you put up good numbers, the numbers don't lie,' said Doug Whaley, assistant general manager/director of



player personnel for the Buffalo Bills.

'That's one of the things about the combine part of this business. It's the least subjective part of the business. And it's really objective, because you're looking at numbers.'

Steve Rosner, a partner with 16W Marketing in New Jersey, said: 'The real upside is if she reaches the next level.

'Kickers, in general, aren't brands. Very rare. Even someone like Adam Vinatieri, who (has won) Super Bowls, would have to do a little more than kick to capitalise and endorse at the national level.

'The one thing she has that they don't have is that she's a woman. The uniqueness of her and the possible success she has will differentiate what she has at that position.'

While a female has never played in the NFL, if the gender breakthrough did happen, it most likely would be at kicker.

As a grad student at MIT, Silberman wrote her Master's thesis on how college and pro athletes can use video games to improve their athletic performance.

