How New Orleans Saints Wide Receivers Are Improving Hands By Catching Rugby Balls At Rookie Minicamp Practices

There were quite a few new additions at New Orleans Saints rookie minicamp, but one of the most notable was wide receivers coach Keith Williams introducing the rugby ball into the fray.

Mar 2, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receivers coach Keith Williams during / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

There was a different feel as media looked on at the New Orleans Saints' second rookie minicamp practice. The tempo felt like it was up, the intensity was palpable and the constant vocal presence of coaches rang through the warm air on both fields. One of the coaches that commanded the most attention was the team’s newly appointed wide receivers coach Keith Williams. 

Williams was active, boisterous and struck a necessary balance between delivering strict directives while celebrating the accomplishments of the wideouts along the way. But another way that he stood out was with the inclusion of a new tool as the receivers were running some early catching drills: rugby balls. 

The use of rugby balls (also known as “footies”) is not new for NFL teams. Williams has used this practice with the Baltimore Ravens for multiple years as has New York Giants wide receivers coach Mike Groh. Notable players like Davante Adams and Tyreek Hill have also been connected to the practice as both have trained with Williams in the past. 

The look of it may seem unusual at first, but after some research, the benefits are clear. It is important to first understand that the time spent working with these rugby balls is brief. The receivers were in a line running toward a training staff member who would throw the ball to them as they warmed up their hands for catching drills. Plain and simple. They quickly then switched to regulation NFL footballs immediately after. 

After looking into the practice, some of the benefits include improved grip strength to handle the size relative to a football, softer hands to combat the risk of ricochet with rugby balls being more inflated than footballs and a greater ability to secure the football once swapped back to the regulation size. Effectively, catching a rugby ball first makes catching a football feel a lot more manageable. 

NFL regulation footballs are expected to be between 11 to 11.25 inches long and have a “long circumference” (measuring around the football from end to end) of 28 to 28.5 inches. The “short circumference” (measuring around the middle of the ball, over the laces) must be between 21 and 21.5 inches. The ball should also weigh 14 to 15 ounces per NFL guidelines. 

Meanwhile a regulation rugby ball will land between 11 to 11.8 inches in length, 29 to 29.3 inches in long circumference, 22.8 to 24.4 inches in short circumference and weigh about 14 ounces. 

Some veteran wide receivers have also spoken in favor of this practice. Giants wideout Darius Slayton is among them. “If you catch a rugby ball 20 times,” Slayton said. “Then somebody threw you a football, it just makes the football seem like a Nerf ball.”

Turning a football into a Nerf ball is pretty positive practice. Anything that will help build the hands of a receiving corps is going to be a worthwhile practice for an NFL club. 

Williams’ early foray into this approach was noted in Ravens practice because he was using soccer balls back in 2021. A concept that he himself admitted he felt “weird about” when cultivating it. He has since evolved to the rugby ball approach which better mimics the shape of a football. Former NFL wideout Sammy Watkins described the soccer ball experience for Ravens team reporters. 

“I get his whole method,” Watkins said. “You've got to spread your hands. It's bigger than a football, so hopefully, we catch the ball and don't have drops."

Spreading the hands and opening the space between the fingers is a major element of this process. Slayton referred to it as “engulfing” the football. “That way when you catch a football,” Slayton said. “It feels like you’re just engulfing it with your hands. Obviously, everybody has different opinions, but I think it helps.”

Everyone has different opinions indeed. While the benefits of Williams’ usage of rugby balls are clear, it has received some hate in the past. Former NFL head coach Rex Ryan went on a rant about it after Ravens receivers had a bad game of drops against the Pittsburgh Steelers last year. 

🚨Rex Ryan speaks on the Ravens usage of Rugby balls:

“I’d take that Rugby ball and kick it out of my building…” pic.twitter.com/OHI7gIeWd3

— STONE (@stone_2x) October 9, 2023

In the 17 to 10 loss, Ravens pass-catchers were credited with seven total drops, per Pro Football Focus. Ryan went on a tirade about the rugby balls, but Williams stayed the course. Of those seven drops, four came from the wide receivers while tight end Mark Andrews committed three on his own. Looking at the entire Ravens team in 2023, they finished with just 26 total drops, regardless of position. That is just three more than the Saints committed in 2023. 

Suffice to say that the approach of using rugby balls has more positives than negatives despite what talking heads may argue. Perhaps that may be why Williams is still actively coaching in the league while those challenging his process are not. 

How this practice will impact the Saints’ wideouts remains to be seen, but based on the track record of success that follows Williams, it is easy to expect positive results.