Pete Carroll talks up big, developmental offensive lineman
One of the more interesting players to watch for the Las Vegas Raiders when they begin training camp later this month is a player who very likely not appear in a regular-season game in 2025.
But there is no doubt, there is internal excitement about Laki Tasi. The Raiders signed Tasi in April through the International Player Pathway Program. The Raiders brought in the massive Tasi (he is 6-foot-6, 348 pounds) as a defensive tackle. But they moved him to the offensive line early in their offseason process.
Las Vegas head coach Pete Carroll went out of his way to address Tasi at the end of the team’s mandatory minicamp in June.
“My favorite guy out there to watch is Laki Tasi,” Carroll said. “He knows nothing about football when he walked in the door and he’s made tremendous progress, and he’s enormous. He’s the biggest guy you ever saw. I think he weighed in at weigh-ins the other day at 369. He’s learning and we got to keep an eye on him. It’s an exciting process. I don’t know how long it’s going to take, but he’s starting from ground zero, and he’s made a lot of progress so far.”
That a pretty interesting quote by Carroll. he didn’t have to even mention Tasi (the question was a general one about the offensive line). But Carroll sees something in Tasi. Usually, players from International Player Pathway Program toil quietly without much notice or expectations because they are learning the game basically from scratch. But Tasi has caught Carroll’s eye.
Tasi was born in Samoa but grew up in Brisbane, Australia, where he became a standout rugby player. He began playing football in 2024 via the NFL Academy in Gold Coast, Queensland.
The plan has been for Tasi to start on the practice squad and develop. So, it could take some time for him to be ready for the 53-man roster, but it’s clear it’s not out of the question that he eventually plays meaningful snaps for the Raiders at some point.