Bernhard Raimann: Indianapolis Colts Rookie Files
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NFL players are part of a very exclusive group.
The number of players who make it onto an NFL roster is very slim. Only 1% of all high school football players in America will play a snap of professional football someday.
Taking that number into account, imagine what the odds would be for an international player to one day join an NFL team. The odds diminish even further if that player has not already played football for several years.
For one rookie on the Indianapolis Colts, he has defied all of those odds.
This is “Rookie Files,” a series on Horseshoe Huddle that gives you the backstory of every rookie for the Colts. Going player by player, we look at their journeys to the NFL and what makes each one unique while also detailing how they help the Colts. Next is Bernhard Raimann, whose journey to the states for the game of football may lead him to be a cornerstone of the Colts’ offense for years to come.
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Finding the Game Abroad
Raimann was born on September 23, 1997, in Steinbrunn, Austria. Like many European countries, the most popular sport in Austria is soccer. Raimann grew up on the pitch, playing soccer with his friends and in school.
It was not until his early teenage years that he was introduced to the game of football. Turns out, Raimann had found a new love.
“It all happened pretty randomly to be honest,” Raimann admitted. “I grew up playing soccer and then other sports, but one day when I was 13 years old, I saw some guys down the road playing catch with a football down by my dad’s house. I ended up joining them and I had just a ton of fun just rolling around with them, tackling, throwing the ball.”
After discovering the game, it did not take long for Raimann to want to play organized football. A local youth football club known as the Vienna Vikings was having tryouts for the team. So, at age 14, Raimann worked out for the team, and they were impressed by his size and ability for only knowing the game for less than a year. The workout went well, and Raimann got his first taste of being on a football team.
As he fell more in love with the game, Raimann could not get enough football. He traveled to Wimbley Stadium in London to attend one of the NFL’s international contests. He used a friend’s NFL GamePass account to watch game replays and the All-22 film. He even became obsessed with movies such as ”Friday Night Lights” and “The Blind Side” as he dreamed of one-day playing professional football in America.
As he entered high school at Ballsportgymnasium Wien in Viena, Raimann was still playing for the Vikings. His high school did not have football as a sport, and playing for the Vikings would only get him so far.
Raimann knew deep down that he would need to go to America if his dreams of playing professional football would ever come true.
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Coming to America, Part One
Raimann approached his parents before his junior year of high school in 2015. He was performing well for the Vikings and wanted to see if he could continue playing football at the next level. To do that, he would need to go to America to showcase his talents.
After convincing his parents, Raimann applied to a foreign exchange program to spend a year abroad. On his application, under likes he put “Playing American football,” and under career goals, Raimann answered “NFL player or banker.” It was obvious from the start why he wanted to go to America.
However, there was no guarantee he would be placed with a family who supported his passion for football. He could have been placed in one any of the 50 states or in an area that may or may not have football. But luckily for Raimann, he found the perfect home.
Rollie and Marie Ferris from Delton, Michigan, were looking through exchange student applications. The Ferris’s had already housed four exchange students before, all girls. All four of these girls had an interest in playing volleyball, a sport in which their daughter Faith excelled at.
At this time, it was their son Tyden who was the focus. Tyden was entering his sophomore year and expected to play football on varsity at Delton-Kellogg High School. Rollie and Marie hoped they could find someone to play football with their son, just as the girls played football with Faith.
Seeing Raimann’s application, they knew it would be a perfect match.
Raimann joined the Ferris family for his junior year of high school and quickly adapted to life in America. He became great friends with Tyden as their relationship grew by bonding on football. The Ferris family introduced Raimann to Delton-Kellogg head coach Ryan Bates, and it did not take long for Bates to accept the 6-6 Raimann to the team.
Playing wide receiver, Raimann had his first taste of football on American soil. He had an immediate impact on the gridiron, helping lead Delton-Kellogg to an 8-4 record and their first playoff appearance since 2001. He was named to the Detriot Free Press Fab 50 for the season.
But the success did not stop there. Raimann also received varsity letters in wrestling and track, showcasing his athletic ability outside the football field. Raimann was thriving in America but had returned to Austria after his junior year.
Austria requires all males to complete six months of military service after graduating high school. All men who do not complete their service face nine months of community service. Raimann returned to his home country and completed his six months of service after graduating from Ballsportgymnasium Wein.
Although he had gone back to Austria and was only able to play one year of football in America, he would soon find his way back on the football field on American soil.
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Coming to America, Part Two
While he only played one year of high school football, it was still enough for Raimann to generate interest from Division I colleges. Raimann was a two-star recruit and the No.58 overall recruit in the state of Michigan. He received offers from Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan after his stellar junior season. The choice ended up being an easy one for Raimann.
Rollie Ferris had played on the offensive line for Central Michigan back in college. His son and Raimann’s now close friend Tyden had also committed to play football there. So, Raimann followed suit, committing to play for the Chippewas.
Raimann arrived on campus in 2018 after greyshirting in 2017, ready to continue his football journey. Because of his size, the Chippewas’ coaching staff thought it best if Raimann moved from wide receiver to tight end. They went to work to catch him up to speed so they could get him on the field right away.
Raimann played in all 12 games as a freshman, grabbing ten catches for 88 yards. His sophomore year under new head coach Jim McElwain was much of the same, catching ten passes for 76 yards and earning Academic All-MAC honors. But as his junior year approached, coaches began to develop another vision for Raimann.
The coaching staff approached Raimann about what he thought about playing left tackle. Raimann had already transitioned from wide receiver to tight end, adding on weight to accommodate the demands of the position. After a couple of practices along the offensive line, Raimann loved it and decided to give it a shot.
But this would be a whole different animal, as Raimann would need to take his 245-pound frame up to 300-pounds or more. What complicated things was the fact that the change happened right before programs shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Raimann would have to undergo the transition largely on his own.
Even though the odds were stacked against him as he underwent the transition alone, Raimann never wavered. He relied on his athleticism and had faith in his talents.
“I take a lot of pride in my athleticism,” Raimann explained. “I keep working on it, no matter how much weight I gain or whatever. I try to be as athletic as I can so then that way, I can be out on the field playing loose, playing aggressive and really can enforce my playing style on the defense.”
The pandemic would not be an excuse for Raimann as he continued to pursue his dream. He spent the rest of the spring and summer adding weight and studying the left tackle position, working on his footwork and the various nuances of left tackle. He gained 50 pounds over the summer and started the season as the Chippewas’ starting left tackle.
Raimann started all six games of the Chippewas’ COVID-shortened season and earned All-MAC fourth team and Academic All-MAC honors. With a year now under his belt, Raimann continued to work going into his senior year and had now surpassed 300 pounds. This season would be his last chance to make an impression on the NFL.
Raimann started all 12 games his senior season, never giving up a sack. He earned First-Team All-MAC honors, Academic All-MAC honors, was named to the Pro Football Focus All-America First Team, and won the MAC Medal of Excellence. Raimann excelled in the classroom as well, graduating with a double major in actuarial science and statistics while holding a 3.8 GPA.
Raimann earned an invite to the Reese’s Senior Bowl for his play, where the Colts saw him up close in person all week. It was enough for the Colts to see the potential Raimann possessed, as they took him with the No. 77 pick in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
While Raimann had talked with the Colts during the pre-draft process, the call still came as a shock to him.
“It really was a surprise,” Raimann said with a smile. “But I had some great talks with Coach (Chris) Strausser. I had some really great meetings with the rest of the Colts’ staff as well as some scouts there too. I just knew I was ready to work wherever I was going to end up. I was fortunate enough to end up with the Colts. I really just got lucky, and I just felt blessed more than anything in that moment.”
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How Raimann Helps the Colts
Ever since the retirement of Anthony Castonzo after the 2020 NFL season, the Colts have been trying to find his replacement at left tackle. Raimann could finally be that answer.
At 6-6 and 303 pounds, Raimann has the size of an NFL tackle and has shown great athleticism. He has the speed and quickness to combat speed rushers in pass protection and stay in front of them as they try to rush the quarterback. He is an intelligent young man who learns very quickly and hardly makes the same mistake twice.
With only playing the position for two years, Raimann is still a little raw in his mechanics. He could use some refinement in run blocking and will have to adjust to the level of competition coming from the MAC to the NFL. But the Colts are very happy with Raimann’s progress so far, and he has continued to get better every day.
As the regular season approaches, Raimann is the backup left tackle on the Colts behind Matt Pryor. But Raimann is improving rapidly and could challenge Pryor for the spot if he begins to struggle. The Colts have big plans for Raimann and see him as a guy who could be their cornerstone left tackle for years to come.
It is not often a player comes from Austria to America and has an NFL career. Raimann has done just that and based on his dedication to his craft, it’s shaping up to be a long and successful career at that.
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