Raimann, who was the first Austrian player to make it into the Colts’ 53-man squad in a position other than kicker, will start the season on the substitutes’ bench. However, the 24-year-old tackle, who is at home on the vital left side of the offensive line with right-handed quarterbacks, could come into play in the first game if starter Matt Pryor needs a quick breather or needs treatment. It would be the first minutes of an Austrian “non-kicker” in the NFL.
Many experts see Raimann, who is 2.01 m tall and weighs 138 kg, in the first formation anyway. So does the President of the Austrian Football Association (AFBÖE), Michael Eschlböck. “He’s doing a great job and has incredible athleticism. I’m convinced that if he doesn’t get injured, he’ll have an NFL career of more than ten years ahead of him,” Eschlböck told APA. Now it’s up to Raimann, who was the first Austrian ever to be selected in the draft in the spring and in the third round, but first of all to establish himself in the tough NFL business.
Starting disadvantage almost made up
In any case, there was plenty of praise from his coaches in the pre-season, even if the experienced Pryor initially still has the advantage on his side. “He’s becoming more and more consistent. If he continues to refine his game at this level, I think he will be a factor,” head coach Frank Reich said recently. However, you can also see “that he is sometimes still a bit inexperienced. But it is clear that he has the physical requirements and the necessary toughness to play this position.” Eschlböck added: “You could see what a bang he can do.”
The fact that Raimann was only retrained from tight end to offensive tackle in his last two years at Central Michigan University was probably the Viennese’s biggest disadvantage compared to his American colleagues, who grew up with football. Raimann’s path is all the more impressive, according to Eschlböck, since he almost caught up the deficit. “He is absolutely a role model,” said the AFBÖE President about the former junior international. For the U19 European Championship at home in July, Raimann wrote a video message to the young Austrian footballers, which was “of course an incentive for the young lads”.
“Very demanding” position
If Raimann’s big dream comes true, then he’ll be given the big task of covering the “blind side” of his quarterback Matt Ryan. The 37-year-old was the face of the Atlanta Falcons for 14 years, was named the league’s most valuable player in 2016-17 and also led the Falcons to the Super Bowl in the same year. There, Atlanta suffered a historic 28:34 loss in overtime against the New England Patriots, despite a late 28:3 lead. Now that the Falcons are starting a rebuild, Ryan was given a second chance with the Colts.
Raimann’s position as bodyguard in the right-hander’s blind spot was “very demanding,” said Eschlböck. “Of course, the defense also tries to attack the blind side. You also have to be incredibly quick in your head and have a quick reaction time.” To make matters worse: Offensive liners rarely stand out and mostly only stand out through mistakes. It is important to minimize this, that was also Raimann’s greatest credo in the first few weeks as an NFL professional. His trainers have praised Raimann several times over the past few weeks for being very “coachable”.
A rise to long-term starter in the NFL would also be a financial quantum leap for the Viennese. Because of the importance of the position, left tackles get princely salaries, but Raimann currently has a comparatively low-paid rookie contract over four years worth a total of $5.3 million. Established position mates make well over $15 million a season. But for the time being, Raimann has to complete his historic first mission anyway.