The Fastest Rugby Player in the World Just Signed with the Detroit Lions

Via Getty Images

The 'fastest man in rugby' may soon be coming to an NFL field near you.

Fans of rugby are already well aware of Carl Isles. The 5-foot-8, 160-pound Team USA wing is several steps faster than more or less any opponent he faces off against. He also ranked as the 36th fastest sprinter in the U.S. in 2012 by running a personal best 10.24 100-meter-dash.

His obvious athletic talents recently piqued the interest of the Detroit Lions, who invited him for a workout. Isles reportedly ran a 4.22 40-yard-dash during said workout, and it probably took less time than that for the Lions to offer him a practice squad contract afterwards.

The Lions aren't afraid to take risks on players with minimal football experience. Just this past April they selected Ziggy Ansah -- a defensive end from BYU who had only been playing the sport for a couple of years -- with the 5th overall pick in the NFL draft. And by all accounts the gamble has paid off for Detroit; Ansah has racked 8 sacks on the season, tops among rookies.

Unlike the many track stars that make an attempt to translate their talents to football, Isles has experience getting tackled, and more importantly, evading tackles. His size and speed might bring to mind Trindon Holliday, the pint-sized return man who has notched four special teams touchdowns for the Broncos in the past two seasons.

I've posted a highlight video of Isles below. Do you think his skills will translate to the NFL?

And in case you still aren't convinced, here's a little more proof that Isles is what some would describe as a good athlete: