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2021 AAPI NFL Draft Picks
Penei Sewell went #7 overall — the highest-drafted Samoan OT in NFL history
6
Total Drafted
3
Round 1
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Heritage Groups
| Pick | Player | Pos | School | Team | Heritage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R1 #7 | Penei Sewell | OT | Oregon |  DET | 🇦🇸American Samoan |
| R1 #3 | Trey Lance | QB | North Dakota State |  SF | 🇼🇸Mixed (mother is Samoan) |
| R1 #16 | Zaven Collins | LB | Tulsa |  ARI | 🇼🇸Samoan |
| R6 #215 | Marlon Tuipulotu | DT | USC |  PHI | 🇹🇴Tongan |
| R5 #180 | Talanoa Hufanga | S | USC | SF | 🇹🇴Tongan |
| R3 #75 | Osa Odighizuwa | DT | UCLA |  DAL | 🇼🇸Nigerian-Samoan |
🏆 First Round AAPI Picks
Oregon · American Samoan — Born in American Samoa; 2019 Outland Trophy winner; consensus top OT prospect
North Dakota State · Mixed (mother is Samoan) — Part Samoan through his mother
AAPI Players in the 2021 NFL Draft
The 2021 draft was a landmark year for AAPI representation with 3 first-round picks: Penei Sewell (OT, Oregon, #7 overall) — born in American Samoa and the highest-drafted Samoan OT in NFL history, Trey Lance (QB, NDSU, #3), and Zaven Collins (LB, Tulsa, #16). Sewell won the 2019 Outland Trophy and is widely considered a generational tackle prospect.
Talanoa Hufanga (S, USC, Round 5) went on to earn First-Team All-Pro honors in 2022 — one of the best late-round AAPI success stories in recent memory. His cousin Tuli Tuipulotu would be drafted two years later.
See the full 2021 prospect database and check analyst accuracy on the leaderboard.