The new NFL season is almost here and there are plenty of Australians either playing or pushing for minutes for their respective teams this year. <\/p>\n
Watch an average 6 games per week and every game of the NFL Postseason, LIVE with ESPN on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.<\/a><\/p>\n From rookies to watch to a key player on a Super Bowl contender who has drawn the ire of his fanbase, foxsports.com.au fills you in on every Australian to keep an eye on!<\/p>\n LAKI TASI (Offensive tackle, Las Vegas Raiders)<\/p>\n Laki Tasi didn\u2019t know much about the NFL before he was signed by the Las Vegas Raiders as an undrafted free agent in April. He didn\u2019t even know who his new coach, Pete Carroll, was. <\/p>\n But Carroll, who coached the Seattle Seahawks to a 43-8 win in Super Bowl XLVIII, didn\u2019t need to know who Tasi was to realise the Raiders may have been onto something with the softly-spoken Australian. <\/p>\n In fact, the veteran coach singled out Tasi as his \u201cfavourite guy out there to watch\u201d early in training camp. <\/p>\n \u201cHe knows nothing about football when he walks in the door, and he\u2019s made tremendous progress,\u201d Carroll said at the time. <\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s enormous. He\u2019s the biggest guy you ever saw. \u2026 I don\u2019t know how long it\u2019s going to take, but he started from ground zero and he\u2019s made a lot of progress so far.\u201d<\/p>\n Tasi, whose NFL journey first started when he was selected for the NFL\u2019s International Pathway Program (IPP), joined the Raiders as a defensive lineman. <\/p>\n But Carroll had other ideas. <\/p>\n He told Tasi during OTAs (organised team activities), that he wanted the Australian \u2014 who stands at 6-foot-6 (198 centimetres) and 373 pounds (169kg) \u2014 to switch to the offensive line. <\/p>\n It was already a challenge for Tasi to learn the nuances of playing defensive line at IPP camp, so the learning process didn\u2019t come easy for the 21-year-old. <\/p>\n Las Vegas Raiders offensive lineman Laki Tasi.Source: Supplied<\/p>\n In fact, he told The Athletic<\/a> that it was \u201creally scary\u201d for him early on.<\/p>\n \u201cThe whole playbook with the offense is just crazy to me, especially with the numbers and the words that you\u2019ve got to know and assignments you\u2019ve got to go through on the field. \u2026 I was struggling at the start,\u201d Tasi told the publication. <\/p>\n \u201cBut then I had the voice to speak up to the coaches and say, \u2018Hey, I need help with the plays.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Tasi said veteran guard Alex Cappa had been a much-needed mentor for him, pulling him aside before his first pre-season game to remind the Australian to simply have fun out there and not get too caught up in whether he would be making mistakes. <\/p>\n After all, having grown up playing both rugby union and league, American football had not been on Tasi\u2019s radar before a friend Ben Niumata, who owned a local burger joint in Queensland, suggested he give it a shot.<\/p>\n Queensland rugby product Laki Tasi was signed by the Las Vegas Raiders in the NFL.Source: Supplied<\/p>\n Tasi was impressive in his first pre-season game, playing all 13 of his snaps at right guard where he received a grade of 84.6 from Pro Football Focus \u2014 the sixth-best among qualifying guards during the weekend\u2019s slate. <\/p>\n He also received plenty of praise from The Athletic\u2019s film expert Ted Nguyen after the game.<\/p>\n To make his first-ever football game even more special, Carroll even sent Tasi out for the coin toss.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was important to me to celebrate the fact that he\u2019s playing in his first football game in his life,\u201d Carroll said.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd so you see him go out for the coin toss, representing the rooks with the other captains that were game captains, and the fact that he played in the game and did some positive things, that\u2019s a long, long ways to come.<\/p>\n \u201cMost of us played football when we were 10 years old. He started a couple of months ago, and so it was exciting to see him do something and have fun out there, and I saw a little celebration after a good block. And to me, it\u2019s a real treasure just to watch him develop.\u201d<\/p>\n Tasi showed more of his inexperience in the final preseason game against the Cardinals, allowing two pressures, and was later waived by the team in a move that The Athletic\u2019s <\/p>\n Raiders beat writer Tashan Reed wrote at the time \u201ccould be a risk that comes back to bite\u201d them.<\/p>\n \u201cTo be clear, Tasi won\u2019t be ready to play this year. The former Australian rugby player had no experience playing football before this year and is as raw as they come,\u201d Reed wrote.<\/p>\n \u201cStill, his size (6-foot-6, 373 pounds), athleticism and movement skills give him a lot of upside. He\u2019s shown he\u2019s a quick learner and had some nice moments in the preseason. He\u2019ll draw interest from other teams, and he could possibly get claimed on the waiver wire.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Raiders are betting that other teams\u2019 lack of familiarity with where Tasi is in his development will cause them to hold off on claiming him.\u201d<\/p>\n In the end, that exact scenario played out as the Raiders were able to sign Tasi back onto their practice squad where he will continue to develop his game.<\/p>\n While injuries could open the door for Tasi to be called up to play in the NFL later in the season, he is still quite raw and so it may make more sense for the Raiders to play the long game with the 21-year-old. <\/p>\n After all, as Reed noted during training camp, the physical tools make his upside undeniable.<\/p>\n \u201cTasi\u2019s unique combination of size, athleticism, strength and physicality makes his upside intriguing,\u201d Reed wrote.<\/p>\n DANIEL FAALELE (Right guard, Baltimore Ravens) <\/p>\n They are a genuine Super Bowl contender and yet if you listened to some Baltimore Ravens fans, you would think they were no hope with Daniel Faalele as their right guard. <\/p>\n As is the case with everything, the truth lies somewhere in the middle, and The Athletic\u2019s Ravens beat writer Jeff Zrebiec put it best last month. <\/p>\n He conceded there are \u201csome flaws\u201d in Faalele\u2019s game but that at the same time, some of the criticism from Ravens fans towards the Australian has been \u201cover the top\u201d. <\/p>\n To some of them, he is the \u201cabsolute worst player in the NFL\u201d.<\/p>\n Zrebiec said there is a \u201ca major disconnect right now between how the organisation and Daniel\u2019s teammates feel about him and the job he does, and how outsiders perceive the job he does\u201d.<\/p>\n Proof of that came in the reaction to a play in Baltimore\u2019s preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts when he was easily beaten by Adetomiwa Adebawore for the sack. <\/p>\n The play did the rounds on social media and for Faalele\u2019s critics was just the latest proof that fifth-year veteran Ben Cleveland should move up the depth chart or that there needs to at least be some competition at right guard. <\/p>\n But ask the Ravens coaching staff about the play and Faalele\u2019s development in general ahead of his fourth season in the NFL and they will tell you something different.<\/p>\n In fact, offensive coordinator Todd Monken passionately defended Faalele last month when he was asked about that moment in the Colts game. <\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re excited about where he\u2019s at now and where he\u2019s going to continue to grow,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was one play. It was one example. I can\u2019t imagine any of us, one example of something in our life and that\u2019s who they are. <\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s the silliest s*** I\u2019ve ever heard in my life. Just the way it is, the world we live in.\u201d<\/p>\n Monken later went on to describe the criticism as \u201cunfair\u201d, adding that Faalele \u2014 who had dropped more than 20 pounds (nine kilograms) in the preseason \u2014 was \u201coutstanding throughout all of camp\u201d.<\/p>\n Daniel Faalele is looking for an improved season in Baltimore. Rob Carr\/Getty Images\/AFPSource: AFP<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s the world we live in with social media. One image, a couple of images make the man. It\u2019s unfair,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cBut we\u2019re into the shock value of a play, whether it\u2019s a good one or a mistake. I couldn\u2019t be any more thrilled with Daniel\u2019s progress. <\/p>\n \u201cDo you know how far he\u2019s come in the three years I\u2019ve been here? Do you know how hard he\u2019s worked? We\u2019re lucky to have him.\u201d<\/p>\n Ravens coach John Harbaugh called Faalele \u201cour best player out there\u201d while teammate Ronnie Stanley said Faalale had been hard on himself and his own biggest critic this offseason.<\/p>\n So, what have the experts who aren\u2019t close to or connected to the team made of Faalele\u2019s play? <\/p>\n Well, Zrebiec spoke to offensive line guru Brandon Thorn for The Athletic<\/a> last month and, again, the general consensus was that while there are certainly some areas for improvement he hasn\u2019t been as disastrous as some have made him out to be.<\/p>\n \u201cJust going back to his projection coming out of Minnesota and what he is now, definitely a little bit of a disappointment based on what I thought he could be,\u201d Thorn told the publication. <\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s just my personal evaluation of him. But in terms of how he\u2019s been as a pro, I would say serviceable.<\/p>\n \u201cIf he\u2019s your fifth-best starter (up front), then I think you probably have a good line. The way their line is constructed, their style of offense, I think you can get by with him.\u201d<\/p>\n Thorn said Faalele\u2019s struggles against the Colts were \u201coverblown\u201d, spotlighting \u201cseveral\u201d good reps in the game, including blocks on two long runs by speedster Keaton Mitchell \u2014 one of which ended in a touchdown.<\/p>\n So, while there will no doubt be plenty of external pressure on Faalele to perform and every move of his will remain under the microscope, the Australian can take some confidence in knowing he has the support of the coaching staff and his teammates. <\/p>\n After all, the Ravens drafted Faalale in the fourth round knowing it wouldn\u2019t all come together immediately.<\/p>\n But they also knew there weren\u2019t many people in the NFL who could move the way he did at his size and so they are in this for the long haul.<\/p>\n JORDAN MAILATA (Left tackle, Philadelphia Eagles) <\/p>\n There is not much new to report with Jordan Mailata, who is firmly locked in as Philadelphia\u2019s starting left tackle and one of the best at the position in the league.<\/p>\n If anything, Mailata\u2019s development in the past few years has more been about him as a leader, with the Australian emerging as one of the stronger voices in the locker room and with the media.<\/p>\n That was evident when one reporter asked Mailata in the preseason about the pressure of being defending champions, with the Australian confidently declaring that \u201cwhatever we did last year doesn\u2019t matter\u201d. <\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re not defending nothing. We\u2019re not the defending Champs… we\u2019re not defending s**t,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t like hearing that, \u2018defending champions\u201d. We have our mission, and now we gotta go do it all over again.\u201d<\/p>\n It has been a consistent message from the entire Eagles playing group all offseason and for Mailata, who always tells his younger teammates to \u201cstay where your feet are\u201d, it is a message he shouldn\u2019t have any issues living out through his play on the field. <\/p>\n Jordan Mailata with the Vince Lombardi trophy celebrating the 2025 Super bowl win. Picture Ryan KangSource: Supplied<\/p>\n Mailata and the Eagles kick off the regular season on Friday night against the Dallas Cowboys and the honest Australian admitted earlier in the week that it is a \u201csigh of relief\u201d to not have to go up against Micah Parsons anymore after the superstar pass rusher was traded to Green Bay.<\/p>\n \u201cI say that as a joke, but at the same time, it\u2019s just kind of crazy,\u201d Mailata told reporters.<\/p>\n \u201cThe last four or five years that we\u2019ve played the Dallas Cowboys, we\u2019ve come up with a game plan because Micah\u2019s a gamer. <\/p>\n \u201cIt is a sigh of relief that you don\u2019t have to plan like that anymore. <\/p>\n \u201cHowever, that is a talented D-line and a challenging defense. You\u2019ve got to treat them with the same respect, with or without Micah Parsons. They\u2019ve got Kenny Clark there. <\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s been in the league a long time. He\u2019s a great bloody player. So, now we\u2019ve got to figure out how he affects our game plan and how we control that.\u201d<\/p>\n MICHAEL DICKSON (Punter, Seattle Seahawks) <\/p>\n Dickson is one of the most consistent punters in the NFL and while established Australian veterans like Mitch Wishnowsky and Cameron Johnston were cut by their teams this summer, Dickson instead received a lucrative extension.<\/p>\n While it hardly compares to the huge numbers thrown at star quarterbacks and receivers, Dickson\u2019s extension of $16.2 million with $10.2 million guaranteed and a max value of $16.7 million made him the highest-paid punter in the league.<\/p>\n \u201cDicko is a premier punter in the league, so hopefully we showed that with the numbers involved,\u201d Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald said at the time. <\/p>\n \u201cBut he\u2019s a weapon for us. The stats show it. The film shows it. He\u2019s got a great attitude about him, great personality. Guys love him. Yeah, really excited to have him here for the long haul.\u201d<\/p>\n As for how much punting Dickson has to do this season, well that will largely depend on how Seattle\u2019s suspect offensive line holds up. <\/p>\n New offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak has overseen some of the most efficient and creative run games in the league recently, but that will matter little if the offensive line isn\u2019t doing its job and will only put more pressure on quarterback Sam Darnold. <\/p>\n There is every chance this Seahawks offence could be a disaster again, but at least if it ends up stalling they will have Dickson to rely on to help flip the field.<\/p>\n Seattle Seahawks punter Michael Dickson. (AP Photo\/Lindsey Wasson)Source: AP<\/p>\n TORY TAYLOR (Punter, Chicago Bears)<\/p>\n Well, at least Caleb Williams wasn\u2019t joking to Taylor that he wouldn\u2019t be punting much during the season.<\/p>\n The Bears\u2019 offence was an abject disaster in Williams\u2019 first season and while much of that had to do with both former offensive coordinator Shane Waldron\u2019s poor play calling and the state of the offensive line, the former first overall pick wasn\u2019t absolved of blame. <\/p>\n The arrival of an offensive mastermind in Ben Johnson as head coach along with a revamped offensive line and new weapons in the passing game mean Taylor may not be called on as much this year.<\/p>\n While some Bears may still question, especially seeing how last season went, whether taking Taylor in the fourth round of last year\u2019s draft was a luxury pick, the Australian still largely delivered in his rookie year.<\/p>\n Taylor finished the season with 82 punts for 3,911 yards, with an average of 47.7 yards per punt \u2014 the highest single season punting average in Bears history.<\/p>\n His 34 punts downed inside the 20 were a franchise rookie record and tied for fourth most in the NFL. <\/p>\n Chicago Bears punter Tory Taylor. (Photo by Geoff Stellfox\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n JEREMY CRAWSHAW (Punter, Denver Broncos)<\/p>\n There will be a new face joining the host of Australian punters in the NFL after the Denver Broncos selected Jeremy Crawshaw in the sixth round of this year\u2019s draft. <\/p>\n Crawshaw, who earlier in his teenage years was working towards playing for the Penrith Panthers, was taken by the Broncos with the 216th overall pick after averaging 45.8 yards per punt with the Florida Gators in 2024. <\/p>\n Meanwhile, he set the single-season Gators record for punt average at 48.9 yards.<\/p>\n Crawshaw quickly caught the attention of Broncos head coach Sean Payton with some of his booming punts in training camp.<\/p>\n \u201cCertainly he has the leg talent,\u201d Payton said at the time. \u201cYou can see that. It\u2019s exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n There was the kind of inconsistency you would expect with a sixth-round rookie and some of that crept into the pre-season too, with Payton noticing that it was often Crawshaw\u2019s first punts that were his worst before he started to find his accuracy as the game went on.<\/p>\n With that in mind, Payton revealed that assistant head coach and special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi had come up with an idea to help Crawshaw get over his early-game troubles.<\/p>\n You see, in practice Crawshaw would be putting up punt after punt whereas in games he would be called on and have to deliver right away on the spot.<\/p>\n So, the Broncos altered their sessions so the punt-protection and punt-return units would suddenly run onto the field in the middle of team periods to try replicate that early game scenario for Crawshaw. <\/p>\n \u201cKeep working with him and developing with him. That\u2019s part of it,\u201d Payton said of the Australian rookie.<\/p>\n \u201cI think we\u2019re going to be happy with him and his ability.\u201d<\/p>\n Jeremy Crawshaw was drafted by the Broncos.Source: Supplied<\/p>\n PATRICK MURTAGH (Tight end, Denver Broncos) <\/p>\n It has been a rough few years for the former AFL prospect, who was part of the IPP and landed with the Lions in the 2023 offseason before a medical issue brought his time in Detroit to a premature end.<\/p>\n Murtagh then returned to the States and was expected to earn a spot on the Jacksonville Jaguars\u2019 practice squad but unfortunately broke his right ankle during one session. <\/p>\n At that point it looked like it may be the end of Murtagh\u2019s NFL dream, but the Australian has been rewarded for his persistence after being signed by the Denver Broncos to their practice squad. <\/p>\n He competed with the team as a tryout player during mandatory minicamp and impressed enough to earn the one spot on Denver\u2019s practice squad that is reserved for an international player. <\/p>\n It is unlikely Murtagh will see much playing time, with Evan Engram firmly entrenched as the starting tight end while Lucas Krull received high praise last offseason and Adam Trautman played under head coach Sean Payton during his time at Denver.<\/p>\n Murtagh is hoping to put the injuries behind him. Picture: InstagramSource: Supplied<\/p>\n THOMAS YASSMIN (Tight end, Los Angeles Chargers)<\/p>\n One door closes, another opens. <\/p>\n Former Wallaby Jordan Petaia dealt with a hamstring injury during training camp and was later waived by the Chargers in a move that opened up a spot on their practice squad for another international player.<\/p>\n Enter Thomas Yassmin.<\/p>\n Yassmin started out playing rugby union at Scots College and eventually came onto the radar of being the NSW Waratahs and NRL, with the Sea Eagles and Broncos both interested. <\/p>\n He even played some basketball too and his coach at the time, David Todd, brought up the idea of trying his hand at American football before his final year of high school. <\/p>\n Yassmin didn\u2019t know where to start but when the University of Hawaii\u2019s football team toured Australia, he was able to connect with then-offensive line coach Chris Naeole and the interest grew from there. You can read more about Yassmin\u2019s background here<\/a>.<\/p>\n He was once considered a top-20 tight end prospect before the 2024 NFL draft, but a season-ending shoulder injury hurt his stock and he subsequently went undrafted.<\/p>\n The Denver Broncos then signed him on a three-year rookie contract and he spent last season on their practice squad through the IPP before being waived earlier this year.<\/p>\n That gave the Chargers, who suddenly had a vacant spot on their practice squad, the opportunity to pounce and add the tight end. <\/p>\n Like Petaia, Yassmin faces an uphill battle to get much playing time at the Chargers given they are well-stocked with veteran options at tight end in Tyler Conklin, Will Dissly and Hayden Hurst while they also drafted rookie Oronde Gadsden in the fifth round. <\/p>\n But unlike Petaia, Yassmin does have the advantage of multiple years of college football experience under his belt so he is a better chance than most international prospects.<\/p>\n The Chargers are expected to be a run-heavy defeat under offensive coordinator Greg Roman so improving his blocking will be key to Yassmin seeing any potential reps in the NFL.<\/p>\n Tight end Thomas Yassmin signed with the Chargers.Source: Supplied<\/p>\n LUKE FELIX-FUALALO (Offensive tackle, Philadelphia Eagles)<\/p>\n Luke Felix-Fualalo has a photo of Jordan Mailata at the Super Bowl parade saved to his phone. <\/p>\n \u201cJust all that emotion in that photo and knowing his story, I was just happy and it was invigorating,\u201d Felix-Fualalo told foxsports.com.au.<\/p>\n Like Mailata and many other Australians who have made the transition to American football, Felix-Fualalo didn\u2019t know much about the sport before his teenage basketball coach mentioned it. <\/p>\n Felix-Fualalo later underwent what he described as a \u201ctransformative\u201d experience at Conquest Athletic Performance, a Victorian training academy which helped prepare him for his American football journey. <\/p>\n It first started at L.A.\u2019s Cathedral High School, where Felix-Fualalo played alongside former first overall pick Bryce Young, before he finished his high school career at Mater Dei High. <\/p>\n He then spent three seasons at the University of Utah before transferring to the University of Hawai\u2019i to play for the Rainbow Warriors. <\/p>\n