The Best Asian NFL Players Of All Time

NFL Career: 1998–2011 2× Super Bowl champion (XL, XLIII) Super Bowl MVP (XL) Born in Seoul, South Korea, Hines Ward was a surprise coming out of the third round of the 1998 NFL Draft. While Ben Roethlisberger gets lots of credit for the Steelers’ Super Bowl success, Ward was equally integral and proved this so when he claimed the MVP of Super Bowl XL. Ward retired with 1,000 receptions, 12,083 receiving yards, and 85 touchdowns.

NFL Career: 2019 - Murray, whose mother is Korean, was one of the biggest names in college football after winning the Heisman trophy, leading to the quarterback being the #1 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. With the Cardinals, Murray has dual threat passing and running ability that makes him extra-valuable in an era where running quarterbacks are making a bit of a comeback.

NFL Career: 2017 - Koo's first salvo in the NFL didn't go as expected, when in his first season on a winless Chargers team, the coach sacked Koo midseason and basically used him as a scapegoat for the team's all around woes. But Koo fought didn't give up. Following a year away from football, Koo played for the Atlanta Legends of the Alliance of American Football (AAF), where he scored the first points in league history and converted all of his field goal attempts until the AAF indefinitely suspended operations. His success and consistency led to Koo's NFL return with the Falcons in 2019.

NFL Career: 1996–2008 3× Super Bowl champion (XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX) The son of a Filipino mother, Tedy Bruschi made his name in the NFL as one of the toughest linebackers around. Bruschi played for the New England Patriots in the years before the team became a juggernaut with Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. Bruschi amassed 1,110 tackles, 30.5 sacks, 12 interceptions, and 11 forced fumbles in his career en route to three Super Bowls, two Second Team All Pro awards, and a Pro Bowl.

NFL Career: 2009 - 2020 3× Super Bowl champion (XLIX, LI, LIII) Born to a Jamaican mother and a Chinese father, the safety Chung had a storied NFL career, mainly as a member of the New England Patriots where he won three Super Bowls while playing his way into the New England Patriots All-2010s Team and New England Patriots All-Dynasty Team.

NFL Career: 1999–2005 After a standout career at Texas A&M, Nguyen was drafted in the third round of the NFL draft by the Dallas Cowboys. He was an All Rookie in his first year and later an All Pro. Nguyen's time with the Cowboys showed that despite his smaller size, he could be a force in the NFL. Nguyen’s career was, unfortunately, cut short due to neck and knee injuries. He is the first Vietnamese-American to be drafted, play, and be recognized as an All-Pro in the NFL.

NFL Career: 2011 - 2018 Super Bowl champion (XLVIII) Baldwin's grandmother is Filipina, making him ¼. In 2013, Baldwin carried the flag of the Philippines onto CenturyLink Field to honor Typhoon Haiyan victims. Baldwin played a storied career in Seattle where he won a Super Bowl and once led the NFL in receptions for a single season. Baldwin is the Seahawks third all-time leader in team receptions and receiving yards, second in receiving touchdowns and was selected to the Pro Bowl twice

NFL Career: 2019 - Super Bowl champion (LVI) Rapp was raised in Bellingham, Washington by a Chinese mother and white father. NFL.com described Rapp as a player who has “beaten long odds, undeterred by a city that failed to support prep football, a high school community that openly mocked him, coaches who were unprepared to develop his talents, college recruiters who blatantly overlooked him, and kids who racially taunted him for his Chinese ethnicity.” Rapp played college football at Washington, and was selected by the Rams in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Three years later, he won his first Super Bowl title, in which Rapp had seven total tackles, when the Rams beat the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI.

NFL Career: 1992 - 2000 Super Bowl champion (LII) In 1992, Eugene Chung became the first Korean-American football player chosen in the first round of the NFL draft. He was also the first Asian-American to be selected in the first round since 1962. Chung had a five-year career in the NFL. But after two years as a starter for the New England Patriots, he struggled to stay in the league.

NFL Career: 1962 - 1977 NFL Most Valuable Player (1969) With a Filipino father, Roman Gabriel was the second overall pick in the 1962 NFL Draft at a time where diversity was a bigger problem than it is today. In his legendary career, Gabriel won the league MVP in 1969 and led the Rams in passing yards and touchdowns in 1973. At the time, Gabriel might have been the greatest in NFL, and he’s still one of the most underrated QBs of all time.

NFL Career: 2016 - Kalif Raymond's mother is Chinese, while his father is a mix of Black, White, and Native American. Raymond bounced around the NFL as a return specialist and slot receiver for five years, before finally sticking with the Detroit Lions. Raymond started 14 of the Lions 16 games in 2021 and scored a career high four touchdowns.

NFL Career: 2002-2008 Demps was signed by the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2002, following a 2x First-team All-MWC career at San Diego State. He played six years in the NFL and finished three games shy of 100 games played. His brother Marcus Demps briefly followed in his footsteps to the NFL. Demps' mother is Korean while his father is Puerto Rican and African American.

NFL Career: 1988 Born in Seoul, Lee began playing football as a freshman at Downey High School when his family moved to the states, and studied kicking under the tutelage of Ben “The Toeless Wonder” Agajanian. It was on Agajanian's recommendation that UCLA signed Lee to an scholarship. Lee played college football for the UCLA Bruins, where he was a two-time All-American. Lee was selected in the second round of the 1986 NFL Draft by the St. Louis Cardinals with the 32nd overall pick. He played one season with the Cardinals and was the first Korean to play in the NFL.

NFL Career: 2002 - 2012 Super Bowl champion (XLIV) Scott Fujita was adopted as an infant by a third-generation Japanese-American father. Fujita grew up in a traditional Japanese household, celebrating Japanese festivals and holidays, and considers himself “half-Japanese at heart.” Fujita played for a decade in the NFL and won a Super Bowl as a member of the New Orleans Saints

NFL Career: 2000 - 2006 Morton was drafted out of USC late in the fifth round of the 2000 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints. After a standout rookie year with the Saints, Morton played five more years between stints with the New York Jets, the Washington Redskins, and the New York Giants. His brother Johnnie also played in the NFL. During his career, Morton set records for: • Most kickoff return touchdowns in a single game: 2 (2002 vs Buffalo Bills) • Longest overtime kickoff returned for a touchdown: 96 (2002 vs Buffalo Bills) • Most receptions in a playoff game by a rookie: 13 (2000) • Most receptions in a playoff game: 13 (2000)

NFL Career: 2005 - 2006 During his college career at Hawaii, Chang set several major college football passing records, including the NCAA record for most all-time passing yards. This obviously got the gunslinger a shot at the NFL. In both 2005 and 2006, Chang was in training camp with NFL teams, but both years the quarterback was cut before making the final rosters. Chang is of Chinese and Hawaiian descent.

NFL Career: 1994 - 2005 Johnnie Morton, whose mother was from Japan, had a great career at USC as a wide receiver. His NFL career with the Detroit Lion saw the speedy wide receiver and punt returner make a handful of game breaking plays. His brother, Chad, was also in the NFL.

NFL Career: 2016 - 2019 Duarte played college football for the UCLA Bruins, and earned second-team all-conference honors in the Pac-12 as a junior in 2015. After foregoing his final year of college eligibility to enter the 2016 NFL Draft, he was selected by the Miami Dolphins in the seventh round. He spent most of his two seasons with the Dolphins on their practice squad, and he bounced around to other team's offseason rosters.

NFL Career: 2010 - 2013 Wang's parents were both track and field athletes for China at the 1984 Summer Olympics. Wang played college football at Virginia Tech and was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the 2010 NFL Draft. Wang was the first full-blooded Chinese player to both be drafted and to play in the NFL. He was given the nickname, "Godzilla" due to his aggressive playing style, size, and Asian heritage. His younger brother, David Wang, also played football for Virginia Tech, spent the 2015 off-season with the Saint Louis Rams.

NFL Career: 2002 - 2011 Following a standout career at Kansas State, Leder was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the third round of the 2002 NFL Draft and was an PFWA All Rookie selection. Leber later played for the Minnesota Vikings. He was consistently a starter and main contributor at strong side linebacker for his teams. His mother is Korean.

NFL Career: 2008 - 2013 The son of a Japanese father and Irish mother, Nakamura was a standout player at Cincinnati, earning All Big East honors. The safety was then drafted by the Ravens in the sixth round and played five seasons in the NFL.

NFL Career: 1998 - 2006 Wong's father is of Native Hawaiian and Chinese descent, and his mother is of German and Scottish descent. Wong played college football at Stanford and was a first-team All-American as a senior. Selected in the second round of the 1998 NFL Draft, Wong played in the NFL for nine seasons, first for the Minnesota Vikings from 1999 to 2001. In 2002, Wong was part of the inaugural roster of the Houston Texans, with whom he played until 2006. Wong had 496 tackles, 21.5 sacks, and six interceptions in his NFL career.

NFL Career: 2004−2012 Eugene Amano played for the Tennessee Titans from 2004 to 2013 as both a center and guard, primarily as a backup before earning a starting position in his later years. Amano is one of three NFL players to be born in the Philippines, along with Tim Tebow and Fred Jones - neither of whom are of Asian descent.

NFL Career: 2006 Following in the footsteps of his brother Will Demps, the safety played college ball at San Diego State. Demps went unselected in the 2006 NFL Draft, however he was signed by the Detroit Lions as an undrafted free agent after participating in the rookie mini-camp as a tryout player. He was then signed to the Lions practice squad. Demps never made much of an impact in the NFL after that due to injuries.

NFL Career: 2006 - 2012 Gocong was an FCS All American in the mid 00s, which earned him a look in the NFL. After being drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles, Gocong became a standout special teams player, eventually working his way up to his normal position at "Sam" linebacker.

NFL Career: 2001 - 2009 Kaesviharn's father is an immigrant from Thailand. He played college football at Augustana and was met with little fanfare upon graduation. After going undrafted in the 1998 NFL Draft, Kaesviharn spent one year out of football before spending time in the Arena Football League and XFL, which got safety noticed by the Green Bay Packers. Kaesviharn bounced around the league for seven years and picked off 17 passes in his career.

NFL Career: 1998 Lee played college football at Dartmouth and professionally for one season with the San Diego Chargers. But he found his success in the NFL later as a scout and a defensive assistant coach for the Chicago Bears for five seasons, including an appearance in Super Bowl XLI.

NFL Career: 1984 - 1985 Kan was a promising quarterback for Dartmouth in the early 80s, but suffered an injury and got stuck behind future NFLer Jeff Kemp. Despite never getting to show his stuff for the Big Green, Kan made it to NFL camps with the San Francisco 49ers and the San Diego Chargers in 1984 and 1985. Kan did well in his tryouts, making it to the final cut of training camp in both years. All the while, Kan was in medical school.

NFL Career: 2004 - 2010 Super Bowl champion (XLV) Chillar is one of two players of Indian-American descent to ever play in the NFL, along with Sanjay Beach. After a memorable college career at UCLA, Chillar was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the fourth round of the 2004 NFL Draft. He later played for the Green Bay Packers, with whom he won Super Bowl XLV over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

NFL Career: 2018 - 2022 Super Bowl champion (LVI) Out of college, Santoso signed with the Detroit Lions as an undrafted free agent. In his short career, he bounced around the league. Santoso has been in training camp every year, but struggled to stay rostered. Thanks to his involvement with the team on the Los Angeles Rams practice squad, Santoso became a Super Bowl champion when the Rams defeated the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI. His father is Indonesian, while his mother is white.

NFL Career: 2011 Moody played college football for the USC Trojans, then later the Florida Gators football team winning a national championship in 2009. Moody signed with the Buffalo Bills after going undrafted in 2011, but was cut midseason that year and never got another shot at the NFL. He is half black, half Korean.

NFL Career: 2013 The Vietnamese defensive tackle weighed in at 6'4", 315 lbs. in his heyday. After a good career at Ohio University, Huynh earned a tryout with the Atlanta Falcons in 2013. Huynh anchored the dirty birds interior defensive line during the 2013 preseason, but failed to make the final roster and washed out of the league.

NFL Career: 1988 - 1993 Beach went undrafted out of Colorado State in 1988, but signed with the Cowboys before an injury shut his season down. Beach spent the 1989 season with the New York Jets, where he played in only one game. First signing on with the team in 1991, Beach caught four passes for 43 yards that first season. After leaving for the Packers in free agency, he returned in 1993 and caught five passes for 59 yards. In a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Beach caught Brett Favre's first NFL completion excluding a pass that was deflected and caught by Favre himself. Over the course of the season, Beach racked up career highs in catches (17), yards (122), and tied for his career high in touchdowns with one. Beach is one of two players of Indian descent to play in the NFL; former Packer linebacker Brandon Chillar is the other.