Lauren Silberman of New York City will compete as a kicker during the March 2-3 Regional Combine in New Jersey as the first-ever female ever to do so, The NFL reported Tuesday.
Silberman wrote a Master's thesis at MIT on how video games can help train athletes, and then helped develop a company called Double Play, which trains athletes using virtual reality.
As a varsity soccer player at Wisconsin, she will be competing with other kickers going into the NFL. Although she probably won't gain any serious attention by the scouters, she's shocked she is the first woman to register after the NFL changed the rules to allow female players back in 2012.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell made the announcement in December of 2011 that women will be eligible to play in the NFL. He said he hoped the decision to include female players would convey the NFL’s more “feminine” and “progressive” sides.
"I was not aware that I was the first female registrant," Silberman told NFL.com on Tuesday. "I was actually hoping that the 2012 historical milestone rule, to allow women to play, would prompt more women to attend tryouts this year. But for me, what's important is to finally have a chance to fulfill my dreams by trying out to play in the world's most competitive football league."
It is not uncommon for players who compete in the lesser, regional combines to get drafted into the NFL. Four players, Chicago Bears cornerback Isaiah Frey, Detroit Lions cornerback Jonte Green, Oakland Raiders defensive lineman Christo Bilukidi, and St. Louis Rams kicker Greg Zuerlein were all drafted in later rounds of the 2012 draft.
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