Attention National Football League (NFL) lovers, our time is almost here. Who’s already looking for their sports gear and game day snack recipes? I know I am! But, besides sports decor and bites, who else is looking out for the next Latino NFL icon?
Historically, there have been plenty of incredible Latino football players. Since the organization’s inception in 1920, we’ve seen greats like Mexican-American former football offensive tackle Anthony Muñoz make history with the Cincinnati Bengals, Guatemalan-American former professional American football linebacker Ted Hendricks who played with the Baltimore Colts (among other teams), and Mexican-American former professional football quarterback Jim Plunkett who helped the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders with the Super Bowl twice.
To kick off the 2024-2025 NFL season (September 5, 2024, to February 9, 2025), we rounded up six Latino football players to look out for.
Latino NFL Players to Look Out for This Season
There may not much Latino representation this season – in the 2023 season there were only two percent of players that identified as Latino – there are still many reasons to celebrate. The following are six Latino NFL players to look for on the field this season.
Isiah Pacheco
Puerto Rican-Dominican-American Pacheco is a running back for the Kansas City Chiefs. He’s been playing with the Chiefs since 2022, and guess what? He’s actually helped them win two consecutive Super Bowl games, making him one of the most exciting Latino athletes in the sport right now.
Will the team make it a three-peat in 2025?
Chris Olave
Cuban-African-American Olave is the New Orleans Saints football wide receiver. He’s been playing with the Saints since 2022 when he was drafted by the team in the first round. His career highlights include PFWA All-Rookie Team (2022), 2x first-team All-Big Ten (2020, 2021), and Third-team All-Big Ten (2019).
Chris Rodriguez Jr.
Puerto Rican-American Rodriguez Jr. is a football running back for the Washington Commanders. He’s fairly new to the team, last year (2023) was his first season with them. But what caught the NFL’s eye was that during his college career with the Kentucky Wildcats, the professional team player finished second in school history in career rushing touchdowns.
Malcolm Rodríguez
Mexican-American Rodríguez is a linebacker for the Detroit Lions. He has been with the Lions since 2022. Career highlights include PFWA All-Rookie Team (2022), First-team All-Big 12 (2021), and Second-team All-Big 12 (2020).
Last year, the Detroit Lions showed up and won two NFL playoff games – which was surprising since they hadn’t won more than one from 1958 to 2022.
Jon Feliciano
Another great Latino player to keep an eye on is Puerto Rican-Sicilian-American Feliciano. Feliciano has been a football guard for the San Francisco 49ers since last year. He’s formerly played with the Oakland Raiders (2015–2018), the Buffalo Bills (2019–2021), and the New York Giants (2022).
Although he’s currently dealing with a knee injury, he’s expected to play mid-season.
Eddy Piñeiro
Piñeiro is a Cuban-Nicaraguan-American football placekicker for the Carolina Panthers since 2022. His professional career history includes time in other teams such as the Oakland Raiders (2018), the Chicago Bears (2019–2020), and the New York Jets (2021).
Another interesting detail about Piñeiro is that he’s the first player of Nicaraguan descent to ever play in the NFL! Incredible, right?
