Four college football players of Tongan heritage were included in the 259 players selected in the 2021 NFL draft from 29 April – 1 May to join the NFL’s 32 franchises.

Simi Fehoko, the wide receiver for Stanford University, was the first of the four Tongans, and the 179^th player to be selected in the 5^th round by the Dallas Cowboys.

This was followed by Talanoa Hufanga, a safety for the University of Southern California (USC), also selected in the 5^th round by the San Francisco 49ers.

In the 6^th round, defensive lineman for USC, Marlon Tu’ipulotu was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles, and in the 7^th round, defensive lineman for Brigham Young University (BYU), Khyiris Tonga was picked by the Chicago Bears.

Meanwhile, five other players of Polynesian decent were also selected, including four with Samoan heritage and one of Hawaiian heritage.