4 Rising FilAm Picks in 2023 NFL DRAFT SIGN ROOKIE Contracts

Written by Jennifer Redondo

All football fans know that the NFL just wrapped up the 2023 draft and it was an exciting one at that- especially for Filipino American players. For those of you are new to draft process, there are seven rounds in the NFL draft, in which each of the 32 teams receives one pick in each round. To be eligible to enter the draft, players must meet the following: 1. Graduated from high school for at least three years and 2. Used up their college eligibility before the start of the next college football season. This past spring, 259 players entered the 2023 draft. When all was said and done, four superstar Filipino Americans players signed rookie contracts: Zaire Barnes was drafted by the New York Jets, Andrei Iosivas was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals, and both Nikko Remigio and Anthony Witherstone Jr. will be joining defending Super Bowl champs Kansas City Chiefs. Here what you should know about these rising stars:

1. Zaire Barnes 

Zaire Barnes, son of Annette and Ron Barnes, attended Carmel Catholic High School in Mundelein, Illinois where he played safety. In high school, he was ranked the number 45 player in Illinois by 247 Sports, Class 7A honorable mention all-state as a running back and safety, two-time all-conference, all-area selection, all-state pick and MVP in 2017. 

Barnes went on to Western Michigan in 2018 where he studied Computer Information Systems. In his first season, Barnes appeared in a career-high 13 games. He finished his sophomore year with 29 total tackles and started in four games. Unfortunately, due to a torn ACL, Barnes missed the 2020 season. When he returned in 2021, he appeared in 13 games as a full-time starter. In 2022, Barnes finished his final collegiate year with 94 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 3 fumble recoveries, 8 passes defended, and 1 interception.  

Barnes was selected by the New York Jets in the sixth round at pick number 184. 

Looking to add some athleticism to their squad, the Jets believe that Barnes’ speed, versatility and length will contribute to their defense. In a recent interview, Barnes shares attributes that make him qualified: “ I am someone who plays with a lot of heart. I am someone who’s going to be in the playbook every single day and know it with the back of my hand. I am going to be great in the coverage… versatile and take pride in doing so”. Barnes is expected to compete for a role on their special teams as a rookie – “I understand that I have to go in every day and earn my role”. 

It’s a surreal moment, and he is honored and humbled to have this opportunity! After signing, Barnes tweeted, “Thank you everybody for the support and love! A life-long dream fulfilled, but only getting started. To new beginnings! Let’s Work! Go J.E.T.S.” 

2. Nikko Remigio 

Nikko Remigio, son of Mark and Jennifer Remigio, is an Orange County, California native. Remigio’s mom is half Black and half White. Remigio’s dad’s family immigrated from the Iloilo and Muntinlupa regions of the Philippines. His dad was born in Seattle and raised in Southern California, which is where Remigio attended Mater Dei High School.  

Remigio started playing football at the age of 5. The competitiveness and the aggressive physicality is what drew him toward the sport. In high school, he was rated a 3-star recruit by ESPN and 4-star recruit by 247 Sports. In 2018, Remigio committed to the University of California, Berkeley, where he spent four years with the Golden Bears playing 36 games as a wide receiver and return specialist. During his time at Cal, he earned the Joe Roth Award for courage, sportsmanship and attitude, led as a season captain, and was selected to the Third-team All-Pac-12 as a kick returner. Outside of playing professional football, Remigio is interested in law, business and public service. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in Political Science in 2021. 

With careful consideration and thought, Remigio opted to do a fifth year in college and joined the Fresno State Bulldogs. In just one year with the squad, Remigio played 13 games, 69 catches for 768 yards, and 5 touchdowns. During his last season in college, Remigio became the first Fresno State player to earn all-conference accolades for two different positions, as a receiver and punt returner. He finished second in the Mountain West, earning a pair of second-team all-conference honors. 

After day three of the NFL draft, Remigio was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent, making him the second Bulldog to head to Kansas City since Devon Wylie, who was drafted in the fourth round in 2012.  

3. Anthony Witherstone Jr. 

Anthony Witherstone Jr., son of Anthony Witherstone Sr. and Juliet Duco, attended Bishop Hendricken High School in Warwick, Rhode Island. In high school, he won the State Championship his sophomore, junior, and senior years. In 2017, Witherstone went on to Merrimack College to play Defensive Back. The following year, he missed the season due to injury, but came back strong in 2019. He appeared in a career-high 7 games, 3 pass breakups, his first career interception, and 7 tackles. In 2021, he appeared in 11 games, and finished his season with 27 tackles, and ended third on the team in pass breakups with 7. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Rehabilitation Science and a master’s degree in Exercise and Sports Science.   

Witherstone’s parents have played a major role in his football career. Neither of them come from a country with American football, yet they introduced him to the sport at a young age. As immigrants, both of them moved to the United States for a better future and life – their strength and courage have served as a major motivator. Witherstone realizes the sacrifices his parents have made to afford the life that he’s been given. Witherstone’s father fled Liberia and spent three years in a refugee camp in Ghana before coming to the United States, where he pursued a career in Nursing. Witherstone’s mother comes from a large Filipino family. She is one of 8 siblings and spent her entire life working on her family’s rice farm up until she was able to save enough money to come to the United States. 

Both his parents taught him that nothing in life is given to you. Witherstone understands that nothing comes easy, and that he has to work for what he wants. That’s exactly what he’s doing with his opportunity with Kansas City. When Witherstone announced that he was entering the draft on his Instagram he wrote, “Take pride in how far you’ve come, have faith in how far you will go”.   

4. Andrei Iosivas

Andrei Iosivas, son of Mihai and Evelyn Iosivas, attended Punahou School in Honolulu, Hawaii, where he played three sports: football, track and basketball. In respect to his high school football career, he earned first-team all-conference honors, caught three touchdowns and was named MVP of the 2017 Honor Bowl. During his senior year, he led Punahou to the state tournament as the team captain. He equally excelled in academics, he was a scholar and a member of the National Junior Honor Society.

In 2018, Iosivas made his way to the Ivy League at Princeton. As a freshman, he played on the junior varsity football team where he developed as a wide receiver — this was Princeton's Ivy championship year and first undefeated season since 1964. During his sophomore year, he appeared in nine games, catching 18 passes for 263 yards and four touchdowns. Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, his 2020 season was canceled.

In 2021, Iosivas led the squad with five touchdown catches, and was second in the unit with 41 catch passes for 703 yards. That same year he was named second-team All-Ivy League. In his final season, Iosivas was named the 15th-most athletic player in college football on Bruce Feldman's annual "Freaks List". His numbers from his senior year certainly demonstrate why Iosivas was named first team All-Ivy League, leading the conference with 66 receptions, 943 receiving yards, and seven touchdowns. He ended his Princeton career ranked sixth all-time with 1,909 receiving yards, 12th with 125 receptions, and third with 16 touchdown catches. In addition to football, not only did Iosivas have a full academic load at one of the best undergraduate schools in the country, but he was named a First-Team All-Ivy track athlete three times! He specialized in Heptathlon, which involves seven different track events rolled into one.

Iosivas is known to be a natural leader. He was team captain at Princeton, and during his time there they only lost five games in four years. In a recent interview with AtoZ Sports, Iosivas stated, “I know what kind of dedication and work it takes to be a leader. I lead by example.”

The wide receiver was selected in the sixth round, pick number 206 by the Cincinnati Bengals. According to Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports, Iosivas is the Bengals’ best pick: "he's big and very fast, and there's always a role for those wideouts in the NFL today... Iosivas tracks it beautifully down the field and, if utilized correctly, he can be a fun, sizable gadget type early in his career for the Bengals.” With this opportunity with the Bengals, Iosivas is continuing to learn from the best and he’s excited to be coached and mentored by those who will make him even better.

So what happens after signing a rookie contract? These four may have contracts signed, but they still have to fight for a spot. Approximately 80-90 players start out together on a team, but no one is immune to tryouts – not even the current roster! Once training camp and pre-season concludes, there are cut-down days that bring down the final roster number to a maximum of 55, in which only 48 may be active on game days. It’s a cutthroat process, but each year a couple of undrafted free agents make a big enough impact to make it onto the roster. Let’s hope that these four make it through. We’re cheering for them to go all the way!  

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Written by Jennifer Redondo

Co-Founder and Co-Author of In Her Purpose

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