Asian NFL Players Current are Younghoe Koo, Camryn Bynum, Kyler Murray, Taylor Rapp, and Josh Jacobs. Murray was 1st overall pick in 2019.
Asian players have made significant contributions to various sports including NBA, Olympics, and other global competitions.
Though NFL has few Asian players, some of them have achieved remarkable success and recognition in the league.
For example, Hines Ward made a remarkable mark in the NFL by winning the Super Bowl MVP and Super Bowl champion with the Steelers.
Similarly, QB Kyler Murray is one of the most talented and popular players in the NFL. He ranks 8th in the second reaction, 5th in rushing, and 10th in arm strength. Tedy Bruschi and Scott Fujita are also members of the winning Super Bowl team.
Younghoe Koo – Atlanta Falcons
Younghoe Koo is an NFL Asian football player from Seoul, South Korea. He joined the franchise Los Angeles Raiders in 2017.
The South Korean native placekicker played one season with Atlanta Legends and New England Patriots before joining the Atlanta Falcons in 2019.
Koo grew up in South Korea with his parents until he was 12 before they relocated to New Jersey, United States.
Before being selected for the NFL, Koo was enrolled in the college football team for four seasons at Georgia Southern Eagles. where he earned the name as a finalist for the Lou Groza Award.
The 29-yr old Koo has made one Pro Bowl appearance, first-team All-Sun Belt and was the NFL scoring leader in 2020.
The player has made 137 for 122 field goals in his professional career including a career-long 54-yard kick and 84 touchbacks.
Camryn Bynum – Minnesota Vikings
Camryn Bynum is one of the few Asian American football players in the position of safety. The Vikings selected him in the 2021 fourth round.
The California-born football player is a proud Filipino-American who plays safety in the NFL. His mother and grandmother are both from the Philippines.
Before playing for the Vikings, the 6-foot and 91 kg star player Bynum played college football at California. As a true freshman, he gained 58 tackles, eight passes, and two interceptions.
Bynum was the only Golden Bear to start in all 42 games as a safety during his college football career from 2017 to 2020.
The 25-year-old Safety made his NFL debut against the Bengals in Week 1 and has recorded two solo tackles. Similarly, his first interception was gained in the Vikings’ Week 9 over the Ravens.
As of the 2022 season, Bynum has completed 109 tackes with two fumble recoveries and three interceptions as a Vikings safety.
Kyler Murray – Arizona Cardinals
Kyler Murray was born and raised in Bedford, Texas. His mother is from South Korea and his father is American.
Murray has honored his mothers’ Asian heritage by wearing a South Korean flag decal on his helmet. During his college time, Murray was known as a baseball and football player.
After being selected in the 2019 MLB Draft by Oakland Athletics and Arizona Cardinals in 2019. Murray made history by being the first player ever to be drafted in the first round of both the MLB and NFL.
Kyler is also regarded as the best quarterback in the NFL with the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2019 and being selected to the Pro Bowl twice.
The 26-year-old QB has thrown for 13,848 passing yards, 84 touchdowns, and 41 interceptions along with 381 carries for 2,204 rushing yards in his four seasons.
Taylor Rapp – Buffalo Bills
2019 NFL Draft Taylor Rapp is part Chinese due to his mother Chiyan Rapp. His father Chris Rapp was born in Oklahoma but raised in Canada.
Rapp was born in Atlanta, Georgia, and brought up in Bellingham, Washington.
The Chinese-American 25-year-old footballer went to Washington College from 2016 to 2018. As a freshman, he played 14 games with 10 starts.
Los Angeles Rams picked him in the second round of the 2019 draft. Before beginning his NFL career, Rapp made a mark on college football with 2 times first-team All-Pac and Pac-12 Defensive Freshman of the Year.
The Buffalo Bills Safety Rapp was traded from the Rams in 2022 at $1.77 million after winning the Super Bowl LVI with the Rams in the 2022 season.
The Asian-American player is also regarded as the best safety in the NFL with 330 total tackles, 9 interceptions, and one TDs in his career so far.
Josh Jacobs – Las Vegas Raiders
The Filipino-descent Asian NFL player Josh Jacobs has played for the Raiders since 2019. He started playing as a running back in high school.
Josh honored his Filipino heritage by having a tattoo of his grandmother on his left hand who was born in the Philippines.
The 5’10” footballer was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma on February 11, 1998. He went to high school at McLain High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma before enrolling at Alabama for his college studies.
Jacobs made his first Pro Bowl appearance in 2020 after rushing for 1,065 yards and 12 touchdowns in 15 games. Similarly, he has a record for the most rushing yards in a single season in 2022.
The 2019 NFL Draft running back Jacobs had an impressive record with the Raiders including 4,740 rushing yards along with 40 touchdowns and 160 receptions.
All Time Asian Football Players in NFL
All-time best Asian NFL players are Hines Ward, Patrick Chung, and Tedy Bruschi. John Lee was the first Asian player selected in the NFL.
Hines Ward
The South Korean native Hines Ward played 14 seasons in the National Football League franchise Pittsburgh Steelers from 1998 to 2011.
Ward was born in Seoul South Korea to a Korean mother Kim Younghee and an African-American father Hines Ward Sr. He moved to the US with his mother when he was one year old.
The Steelers WR played college football at the University of Georgia before being selected in the third round of the 1998 NFL Draft. Ward was the only Steelers WR to have a record for all-time leader in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdown receptions.
Ward was considered one of the best WR of the 2000s and a role model for many Asian football lovers.
The footballer was awarded the Super Bowl MVP after winning the career-first Super Bowl against the Seattle Seahawks. He appeared in Pro Bowl four straight times from 2001 to 2004.
Patrick Chung
The Jamaican-American football player Patrick Chung played 12 seasons in the leagues. New England Patriots drafted him in the 2009 Draft.
The 35-year-old Safety played for the Patriots from 2009 to 2012, the Eagles in 2013, and rejoin Patriots from 2014 to 2020.
Before beginning his NFL career, the footballer spent almost four years in college football and earned the two-time first-team All-Pac, first-team Freshman All-American, and second-team All-American in 2007.
With a total of 773 tackles, 11 interceptions, one forced fumble, and one defensive touchdown in his NFL career, Chung is a three-time Super Bowl champion.
Tedy Bruschi
The son Of Filipino mother Tedy Bruschi was born in San Francisco, California on June 9, 1973, and attended Roseville High School. He started playing in the NFL as a linebacker in 1996.
The New England Patriots drafted him in the third round and spent his entire professional football career with the Patriots. As a former player with a decade of experience, he became the senior advisor to the head coach for Arizona in 2021.
The Filipino and Italian-descent linebacker had a record for winning three Super Bowl champion and NFL Comebacker Player of the Year awards. He has also been honored with the College Football Hall of Fame.
Dat Nguyen
The first Vietnamese-American football player Dat Nguyen was selected in the 1999 NFL Draft by Dallas Cowboys. He played seven seasons with the Cowboys.
He began his football career at Rockport-Fulton High School and played as a middle linebacker and punter. Then he moved to the Texas A&M Aggies football team in 1995.
As a college football linebacker, he was honored with Jack Lambert Award in 1998 and earned the Defensive Player of the Year honors in the Big 12 Conference.
He had completed his NFL journey with a total of 516 tackles along with seven interceptions and four forced fumbles. His journey was pretty short due to his Knee injuries in 2006.
Eugene Chung
The Korean-descent footballer Eugene Chung joined the league in 1992. He was drafted by the Patriots in the 1992 NFL Draft.
The first Korean offensive tackle player Chung played a total of 55 games with 30 starting during his NFL career with the Patriots, Jaguars, Colts, Chiefs, and Eagles before his retirement.