The first Australian to come through the IPP program, which began in 2017, was Philadelphia Eagles starting left tackle Jordan Mailata, who earned a Super Bowl title and Second-Team All-Pro selection in 2024.
Like Mailata, Tasi is of Samoan descent and made the transition to football from premier rugby.
“I feel like if he what he did was possible, what can I?” Tasi said. “He won the Super Bowl [but] it took him three years to actually make it on the squad. I feel like I can make it too. Everything is possible in the realm of football. I give props to him because he put the NFL IPP on the map.”
While Tasi was initially linked to sign with the Detroit Lions, he ultimately landed with the Las Vegas Raiders as an undrafted free agent – citing good early conversations with their scouts as a deciding factor. Early in OTAs, the Raiders are allowing Tasi to work with the offensive and defensive lines in drills and team period.
“Humongous athlete,” defensive line coach Rob Leonard said of his first impression of Tasi. “That’s a great kid. He’s never played football before so he’s trying to figure it out.”
Considering his lack of experience, the Raiders will be patient with Tasi to help unveil his full potential. A reason of optimism for the lineman is his background in rugby, a sport he sees sharing a lot of the same objectives as American football.
“It’s pretty much just staying forward on the ground,” Tasi said. “You have to stay low, low movements – that’s what we get in rugby. You have to hit low, tackle low, run lower and it’s just the same if your a defensive or offensive player. I’m glad there’s some similarities.”
“With Coach BD [Brennan Carroll], Coach Andy Dickerson and Kyle Fuller – those guys have been helping me 24/7,” Tasi added. “It’s just like, ‘Hey, this is what you’re going to do every day from now on.’ Telling me to study the playbook, get the footwork right. Those guys have pretty much been helping me since day one. It’s all about bringing value to the team. Either way, I could pull offensive or defensive line so no matter what, I can play both ends.”
The team is permitted one roster exemption for a qualifying international player from the start of the club’s offseason program through the roster reduction to 53 players. Qualifying international players can then be signed as a 17th practice squad roster spot reserved for international athletes across any of the 32 teams if they don’t make the active roster.