But that's exactly what makes this next episode of Meet The Drafted worth your time: it's proof that the path into professional rugby in America doesn't have to look like the path everyone expects.

Clarke made the switch from football back to rugby, and it paid off. On Draft Day, the three-time Major League Rugby champion New England Free Jacks made him their pick — turning a college football career into the start of a professional rugby one.

In this episode, MLR broadcaster Will Hooley sits down with Clarke fresh off Draft Day to talk through the decision, the journey, and what comes next. The conversation goes beyond Clarke's own story, too, digging into one of the biggest growth opportunities in American rugby: the crossover athlete.

Here's what they cover:

• How football training actually translates to rugby
• What skills former football players bring to the game
• Whether crossover athletes could help grow rugby in America
• Why Clarke believes more football athletes should give rugby a look
• What he hopes to bring to the Free Jacks

Clarke also opens up about the Brown University connection that first pointed him toward professional rugby — a detail that adds a whole other layer to how this story came together.

From football to rugby. From Brown University to the MLR Draft. This is Owen Clarke's story.

Watch it now

Owen Clarke joins the Meet The Drafted lineup as one of the clearest examples yet of where the next wave of American rugby talent might come from. Watch the episode now, and stay tuned for more from the series.