The incredible journey of Adam Gotsis from the Aussie rules footy grounds of Melbourne to America's NFL is almost complete.
The hulking 195cm tall, 127kg defensive lineman from Georgia Tech is expected to be snapped up when the three-day NFL Draft begins on Thursday in Chicago.
The Arizona Cardinals and Philadelphia Eagles appear to be the favourites to pick him after they invited him to their facilities, but his phone has also been running hot in recent weeks with calls from other NFL teams.
"I've probably had 20 to 25 teams that have got in contact with me and there's a fair few that are really interested," Gotsis told AAP on Monday.
"It's pretty cool just enjoying this process."
What makes the high level of NFL interest in the articulate 23-year-old former Kew High School student more compelling is Gotsis tore the ACL ligament in his left knee in October and has been restricted in what he can do during team visits and the NFL combine.
The film NFL coaches and scouts see of Gotsis in his four barnstorming years for Georgia Tech, wrecking opposing linemen and hunting down quarterbacks has teams salivating.
Opponents had to double team Gotsis because he was too much to handle.
Just two weeks before the injury he had a career-high eight tackles and a fumble recovery against eventual national college championship runner up Clemson.
Gotsis has started running and lifting weights again and estimates he will be 100 per cent recovered just before the NFL season starts in September.
The Australian's stock has also been lifted by one of ESPN's top draft analysts, Todd McShay, who this week described Gotsis as the third most underrated player of the draft and predicted he would be taken in the third round by the Indianapolis Colts.
McShay ranked Gotsis as having the second best "motor" of any defensive lineman in the draft, placing him ahead of potential top 10 picks Joey Bosa (Ohio State) and Shaq Lawson (Clemson).
"That was pretty cool when I saw that," Gotsis said.
Gotsis might not be the only Australian picked, with another Australian rules convert from Melbourne, University of Utah punter Tom Hackett, a potential seventh round selection.
If not, an NFL team will likely swoop on Hackett as a priority free agent, and at a cheaper price, as soon as the draft is complete.
Hackett made history when he won the award for college football's best punter, the Ray Guy Award, in consecutive years and is the top-ranked punter at this year's draft.
Draft analysts have former VFL North Ballarat Roosters big boot Lachlan Edwards as the third best punting prospect after his impressive time at Sam Houston State University.
Following in the footsteps of New York Giants Australian punter Brad Wing, Jamie Keehn is hoping to use his time at Louisiana State University as a launching pad to also land a punting career in the NFL.
Another Australian Brad Craddock, after a record-breaking stint at the University of Maryland, is considered one of the top goal kicking prospects.
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