Devin Timothy Soane Asiasi (born August 14, 1997) is an American former professional football tight end. He played college football at UCLA. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 2020 NFL draft.

Devin Asiasi
refer to caption
Asiasi with UCLA in 2018
Personal information
Born: (1997-08-14) August 14, 1997 (age 27)
San Mateo, California, U.S.
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:260 lb (118 kg)
Career information
High school:De La Salle (Concord, California)
College:
Position:Tight end
NFL draft:2020 / round: 3 / pick: 91
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career NFL statistics as of 2023
Receptions:4
Receiving yards:44
Receiving touchdowns:1
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

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Born in San Mateo, California and raised in the Shoreview community, Asiasi played high school football on both offense and defense at De La Salle High School in Concord, California.[1][2] During his senior season, he hauled in 17 catches for 311 yards and five touchdowns on offense, and finished with 49 tackles, five pass breakups and four sacks on defense. He participated in the 2016 U.S. Army All-American Bowl.[3][4]

He was rated as a four-star prospect by ESPN.com, Rivals.com, and Scout.com, and was ranked by ESPN as the No. 3 tight end in college football's incoming Class of 2016 and the No. 44 overall player in the 2016 ESPN 300.[5]

College career

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Michigan

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Asiasi was personally recruited by Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh during a visit to De La Salle High School in January 2016.[6] On February 3, 2016, he committed to play college football for the Michigan Wolverines.[7][8][9][10]

On September 24, 2016, Asiasi scored his first college touchdown in a victory over Penn State.[11] He finished the season with two catches for 18 yards and one touchdown.

Following his freshman season, Asiasi transferred to UCLA. He transferred to be closer to his home in San Mateo, California.[12]

UCLA

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After sitting out the 2017 season due to transfer rules, Asiasi made his debut for the Bruins in 2018.[13] He finished the season with six receptions for 130 yards and one touchdown.

He saw a much greater role in 2019, playing in 12 games and netting 44 receptions for 641 yards and 4 touchdowns. He had 141 yards against USC, his first 100-yard game.[13]

College statistics

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Season Team Class GP Receiving
Rec Yds Avg TD
2016 Michigan FR 2 2 18 9.0 1
2018 UCLA SO 4 6 130 21.7 1
2019 UCLA JR 12 44 641 14.6 4
Career[14] ! 18 52 789 15.2 6

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 3 in
(1.91 m)
257 lb
(117 kg)
33+14 in
(0.84 m)
9+34 in
(0.25 m)
4.73 s 1.62 s 2.75 s 30.5 in
(0.77 m)
9 ft 7 in
(2.92 m)
16 reps
All values from NFL Combine[15][16]

New England Patriots

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Asiasi was selected in the third round of the 2020 NFL draft by the New England Patriots with the 91st overall pick.[17] He was placed on injured reserve on November 3, 2020.[18] Asiasi was activated off of injured reserve on December 10.[19] During the Patriots' Week 17 game against the New York Jets on January 3, 2021, Asiasi recorded the first two receptions of his career and his first receiving touchdown during the 28–14 win.[20]

On August 30, 2022, Asiasi was waived by the Patriots.[21]

Cincinnati Bengals

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On August 31, 2022, Asiasi was claimed off waivers by the Cincinnati Bengals.[22] Asiasi was waived by the Bengals on August 29, 2023 as part of their 53-man roster cutdown.[23]

Cleveland Browns

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On September 26, 2023, Asiasi signed with the practice squad of the Cleveland Browns.[24] He was released on November 7.[25]

Tennessee Titans

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On December 26, 2023, Asiasi was signed to the Tennessee Titans practice squad.[26] He was not signed to a reserve/future contract and thus became a free agent when his contract expired at the end of the season.[27]

NFL career statistics

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Year Team Games Receiving
GP GS Tgt Rec Yds Avg Lng TD
2020 NE 9 3 7 2 39 19.5 26 1
2021 NE 1 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
2022 CIN 12 0 2 2 5 2.5 6 0
Career[28] 22 3 9 4 44 11.0 26 1

Personal life

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Asiasi is of Samoan and Tongan descent.[29]

References

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  1. ^ "Devin Asiasi". UCLA. Retrieved October 17, 2020.
  2. ^ "What Tight End Devin Asiasi Had To Say After Getting Drafted By Patriots". WBZ-TV. April 25, 2020. Retrieved October 17, 2020.
  3. ^ Dominguez, Raul (January 4, 2016). "For Army All-American Devin Asiasi, the choice is offense over defense". USA Today. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
  4. ^ Sayles, Damon (May 19, 2015). "Family-Driven Devin Asiasi Using Football to Chase a College Degree". Bleacher Report. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
  5. ^ "2016 ESPN 300". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
  6. ^ "Michigan Head Coach Jim Harbaugh Meets With De La Salle HS Prospects". CBS. January 19, 2016. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
  7. ^ "Four-star TE Devin Asiasi commits to Michigan". Sports Illustrated. February 3, 2016. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
  8. ^ Snyder, Mark (February 3, 2016). "U-M lands another California recruit in four-star TE". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
  9. ^ "Four-star TE Devin Asiasi picks Michigan on signing day". Mlive.com. February 3, 2016.
  10. ^ Craig Haubert (February 3, 2016). "Scout's Take: TE Devin Asiasi to Michigan". ESPN.com.
  11. ^ "Cali Cool in Michigan Blue: Harbaughs convince 270-pound Asiasi to come across country". Detroit Free Press. September 29, 2016. p. C7.
  12. ^ Nathan, Alec (March 9, 2017). "Devin Asiasi Transfers to UCLA from Michigan". Bleacher Report. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  13. ^ a b Williams, James H. (September 8, 2020). "UCLA's Joshua Kelley, Darnay Holmes and Devin Asiasi named to 53-man NFL rosters". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
  14. ^ "Devin Asiasi". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on June 15, 2017. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
  15. ^ "Devin Asiasi Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved September 1, 2022.
  16. ^ "2020 Draft Scout Devin Asiasi, UCLA NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved September 1, 2022.
  17. ^ Yang, Nicole (April 24, 2020). "The Patriots select Devin Asiasi with 91st pick overall pick in 2020 NFL Draft". Boston.com. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  18. ^ "Patriots Acquire WR Isaiah Ford in a Trade with Miami; Announce Additional Roster Moves". Patriots.com. November 3, 2020.
  19. ^ "Patriots Activate TE Devin Asiasi to the 53-man Roster; Place TE Ryan Izzo on Injured Reserve". Patriots.com. December 10, 2020.
  20. ^ "New York Jets at New England Patriots - January 3rd, 2021". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  21. ^ "Patriots Make Roster Moves to Reach 53-Man Roster Limit". Patriots.com. August 30, 2022.
  22. ^ "Bengals Roster Moves: Practice Squad Announced". Bengals.com. August 31, 2022.
  23. ^ "Bengals Reduce Roster to 53 Players for 2023 Season". Bengals.com. August 29, 2023.
  24. ^ "Browns sign TE Devin Asiasi and RB Deon Jackson to practice squad". ClevelandBrowns.com. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  25. ^ "Browns sign T Geron Christian and WR James Proche II to the active roster". ClevelandBrowns.com. November 7, 2023.
  26. ^ Moraitis, Mike. "Titans signing TE Devin Asiasi to the practice squad". Titans Wire. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  27. ^ Wyatt, Jim (January 8, 2024). "Titans Sign Six Players to Reserve/Futures Contracts". TennesseeTitans.com.
  28. ^ "Devin Asiasi, Pro". pro-football-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on June 16, 2020. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
  29. ^ Marchiano, Brian (July 29, 2015). "Tagaloa and Asiasi – SNN: Samoan News Network". YouTube. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
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