Tackle Ramiro Pruneda, who led Monterrey Tech to four Mexican national championships, has been assigned to the 49ers as part of the international practice squad program. He will join the team in training camp.
Pruneda, 6-6, 317 pounds, went to training camp with Kansas City last season and spent the 2007 season on the practice squad for the Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles. He was named the best offensive lineman in Mexico three times, and was scheduled to play in NFL Europa last season but pulled out do to a knee injury.
Sixteen of the best international football players from around the world will have an opportunity to play a role in the NFL this season as part of the NFL International Practice Squad Program.
The initiative, which enters its fifth year in 2008, will for the first time feature 16 players joining the practice squads of NFL teams to enhance the development of elite football talent from around the world. The expansion of the program was approved by NFL clubs at the league's spring meeting in May.
The 16 players from seven different countries have earned positions on the practice squad rosters of teams in the AFC North, AFC West, NFC South and NFC West Divisions. More than 100 players competed at NFL International Player Development camps held in Europe and Asia in the past 12 months for the right to claim these coveted positions.
