The NFL, the world’s most prestigious American football league, is the dream for a lot of players in college football teams and even earlier than that. Naturally, since the league is contested in America, a lot of the players are from the US. The NFL recognizes that players from overseas are in a minority, but the organization is taking steps to make it easier for internationals to play in the league. Below is a look at how the NFL is doing this, at some of the internationals playing in the NFL today, their journey into the league and what their prospects are of experiencing Super Bowl glory with their team.
The International Player Pathway Program
The aim of the NFL’s International Player Pathway (IPP) is to give elite players from around the world to join an NFL roster. Players must be from outside of the US and Canada and must have a maximum of two years of US high school experience. In addition, they must satisfy NFL player eligibility requirements and have been eligible for a prior NFL draft.
Since the start of the program, 37 internationals have signed with teams in the NFL, either allocated, drafted or as a free agent, and there are currently 18 on NFL rosters. The league introduced some changes to the program for 2024, so now each of the 32 clubs in the league can fill the 17th spot on its practice roster, reserved for an international player, and can elevate the player to its active roster three times maximum throughout the season.
The NFL International Combine
The NFL uses its NFL International Combine to scout for players for the program. Players who perform to specific standards and show potential to play in the league then get to train in the US for three months. After training camp, the number of participants will be reduced, and a select few players will be allocated to designated clubs in the NFL for the approaching season.
International players in the NFL
Joining an NFL team may seem like a dream to many, but it’s not impossible. Below is a look at some of the players who have made it happen.
Daniel Faalele
Daniel Faalele made it into the NFL all the way from Melbourne, Australia, and is an offensive tackle for the Baltimore Ravens. He played high school football for IMG Academy, in Bradenton, Florida, and helped them to an unbeaten season in 2017, his first season of competitive football. In 2018, he enrolled at Minnesota and played his freshman, sophomore and senior seasons with the university before becoming eligible for the 2022 NFL draft. The Ravens have the third best odds of winning the Super Bowl at +1000 in the sports betting odds.
Cairo Santos
Cairo Santos made his journey to the NFL from Sao Paulo, Brazil, and is a placekicker for the Chicago Bears. Despite knowing very little about American football while in Brazil, he really honed his kicking skills while playing soccer in his native country and became a natural fit for placekicker on football fields. He went to high school as a foreign exchange student at St Joseph’s Academy but played his college football at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana, and won the 2012 Lou Groza Award, a prize for the nation’s best collegiate kicker.
Santos made his NFL debut with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2014 and spent four years with the team before moving on to clubs including the Los Angeles Rams and Tennessee Titans. Unfortunately for Santos, sportsbooks don’t place much confidence in the Bears when it comes to the club’s prospects of winning the Super Bowl. They’ve set the Chicago team at +3500 on the moneylines.
Arnold Ebiketie
Arnold Ebiketie was born in Yaoundé, Cameroon, and plays his football with the Atlanta Falcons. Although his main talent is for football, he was also very handy on the basketball court and, on the athletics track, as a sprinter and high jumper.
In his high school days, the Falcons’ offensive linebacker played as a wide receiver and linebacker for Albert Einstein High, in Kensington, Maryland. In his college days, he played for three seasons with Temple University, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, before transferring to Penn State, in Centre County, PA.
The sportsbooks don’t have much faith in the Falcons winning the Super Bowl. They’ve placed only marginally more confidence in them than in the Bears and have set the Atlanta side at +3000 on the moneylines.
It’s tough for an international to get into the NFL, but not impossible, and the league is trying to create more opportunities for players from overseas to play in the league. Other players who have reached the NFL include Arizona Cardinals guard Hjalte Froholdt, who was born in Denmark, and Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle Jordan Mailata, born in Australia.