POLYNESIANS IN THE 2022 NFL DRAFT
The 2022 NFL Draft was the 87th edition of the National Football League's annual draft and was held from April 28–30th at the Caesars Forum in Las Vegas.
This year there was a total of two players of Polynesian Heritage who were picked up in the 2022 NFL draft - Daniel Fa'alele who is of Samoan/Tongan heritage from Melbourne Australia and Khalil Shakir who is also of Samoan/Tongan heritage born in California but also lived in Hawaii and Japan as his father was in the Marines.
-
Polynesian 2022 Draft Picks in order below:
Daniel Fa'alele: Samoan/Tongan - Offensive Tackle
#110th pick overall, drafted by the Baltimore Ravens.
At 203cm tall and 174kg, he looks set to become the heaviest player in the league and fifth-heaviest in the history of the NFL.
While no-one knows at this point what the future in the league holds for Fa'alele, his unique combination of size, power and athleticism make him an exciting prospect. Fa'alele is expected to compete for the starting right tackle job at the Ravens, where he would be another offensive lineman to protect quarterback Lamar Jackson.
“I grew up playing rugby back home when I was younger, and then I transitioned to basketball. How I really got into football, I was getting scouted by the Hawaii coaches, and from there, I got interested,” Faalele said.
Check out his story here -
We heard about Daniel via Calum Niuafe who had him as his 'one to watch' in this years draft when he talked to the Coco Sports Talk girls here
-
Khalil Shakir: Samoan/Tongan - Wide Receiver
#148th pick overall, drafted by the Buffalo Bills
A two-time First Team All-Mountain West Conference receiver, Shakir led the Broncos in receiving each of his last two seasons. He was also a team captain. Shakir ranks fifth all-time at Boise State in receptions (208), fourth in receiving yards (2,878), and sixth in career 100-yard receiving games (10).
He was also a finalist for Polynesian Football Player of the Year last year.
Check out his family's reaction to him getting drafted in the video below.
-
While the goal is to be picked up in the NFL draft there are also a number of Polynesian players who will be picked up as free agents after the draft. As free agents they have the choice to sign with any team that makes them an offer, however the terms of the contract are uncertain and they'll need to work hard in preseason training to secure a spot on the season roster.
We will update this with Poly players who are picked up as free agents later in the week.
-
Nephi Sewell: Samoan - Line Backer
Nephi was born in American Samoa and moved to the United States when he was 12 years old. Nearly six years ago, early on in the first game of his junior season at Desert Hills High in St. George, Utah, Nephi Sewell suffered a serious neck injury (he was only 16 at the time) while making a tackle on a wide receiver. Sewell made a remarkable recovery & eventually earned a scholarship to Utah.
The New Orleans Saints signed former Utah Utes linebacker Nephi Sewell to an undrafted free agent deal following the 2022 NFL Draft.
-
Jaylen Warren: Samoan - Running back
He was named one of 7 national finalists for the 2021 Polynesian College Football Player of the Year award and has been described by media as a 'hell of a runner'. The Pittsburgh Steelers agreed to sign him as an undrafted free agent following the conclusion of the 2022 NFL Draft.
-
Haskell Garrett: Samoan - Defensive Tackle
Last year he was named the Polynesian College Football Player of the Year. The Burlington-born Garrett went undrafted at the close of the three-day NFL Draft on Saturday night, but quickly landed a free agent contract with the Tennessee Titans.
-
Kana'i Mauga: Samoan - Defensive Tackle
Coming out of high school, Mauga was the top linebacker in the state of Hawaii and decided to play college football at USC. He had a decent career with the Trojans. However, the 2022 NFL draft wasn’t very kind for linebackers in general. He signed an undrafted free agent deal with the Denver Broncos at the conclusion of the NFL draft last week.
-
Mika Tafua: Samoan/Hawaiian/Japanese - Defensive End
He was a finalist for the 2021 Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Award and grew up in Laie, Hawaii. He was expected to go in the 3rd or 4th round of the draft but didn't hear his name called - he's since signed with the Dallas Cowboys to an undrafted free agent deal and will try to make the 53 man roster in Dallas.
-
Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa: Samoan - Defensive End
Myron with his parents Tulileie & Saipeti Amosa above grew up in Ewa Beach, Hawaii. Last year his father passed away suddenly and the lineman dedicated the season to his fathers memory. Although he didn't hear his name called in the NFL draft, he has landed with the Las Vegas Raiders as an undrafted free agent.
-
Isaiah Pola-Mao: Samoan - Safety
Isaiah is the nephew of Steelers Hall of Famer Troy Polamalu and has embraced the expectations of having a Hall of Fame uncle creating a name of his own when competing on the football field. He wasn't drafted but is now heading to the Las Vegas Raiders on an undrafted free agent deal.
-
Hauati Pututau: Tongan - Defensive Line
He's very proud of his Tongan heritage and feels like he found a place to play college football where he could fully embrace that.
“Being Tongan is what keeps me going, motivates me to be a hard worker and to develop a good work ethic each and every day we are out here on the field.”
The Green Bay Packers signed former Utah Utes defensive tackle Hauati Pututau as an undrafted free agent following the 2022 NFL Draft.