Former Dallas Cowboys scout Larry Dixon believes that as the world is getting smaller through globalization, there will one day be a Japanese player in the National Football League — though he can't guarantee when.
"It's just a matter of time until there is a Japanese athlete who is good enough to play (in the NFL)," Dixon said after the NFL Japan Combine held at the practice field of X League club Tokyo Gas Creators in Tokyo on Sunday.
Dixon and former New Orleans Saints and Kansas Chiefs scout Cornell Gowdy were invited to the combine to assess the participating locals, who mainly consisted of X League and college players. The players went through drills such as the 40-yard dash, vertical jump and bench press skill tests, just as prospective NFL players do back in the United States.