The majority of the athletes competing in the 2023 Super Bowl in Phoenix on Sunday are born in the United States. However, there are five players on the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs who are from outside USA. Let’s take a look who they are.
J.J. Arcega-Whiteside
A native of Utebo, Spain, Arcega-Whiteside was the Eagles’s second round pick, 57th overall, in the 2019 NFL Draft out of Stanford. A wide receiver, he has 16 catches for 290 yards and one touchdown in three seasons in Philadelphia.
George Karlaftis III
A native of Athens, Greece, Karlaftis III was the Chiefs’s first round pick, 30th overall, in the 2022 NFL Draft out of Purdue University. A defensive end, Karlaftis started all 17 regular season games for the Chiefs and had 33 combined tackles (18 solo tackles and 15 assisted tackles), 11 quarterback hits, eight tackles for a loss, six sacks and two fumble recoveries. The fumble recoveries came in two Chiefs wins. The first on January 1 in a 27-24 Kansas City win over the Denver Broncos, and the second in a 31-13 Chiefs win over the Las Vegas Raiders.
Matt Leo
A native of Adelaide, Australia, Leo is a defensive end, who played his college football at Iowa State. A member of the Eagles’s practice squad, Leo was undrafted in 2020. He was however selected in the fourth round, 35th overall, in the 2021 Canadian Football League Global Draft, but decided to go on the Eagles’ practice roster instead. Remarkably, on many occasions, players earn more money by being on a NFL practice squad than being an active player on a CFL team.
Jordan Mailata
A native of Bankstown, Australia, Mailata is an offensive tackle who has an Australian rugby background. He has played three seasons now in Philadelphia, and has three combined tackles (one solo tackle and two assisted tackles), one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries in 45 games. In 2022, Mailata had one solo tackle and one fumble recovery. The solo tackle came in a 24-7 Eagles win over the Minnesota Vikings on September 19, 2022. The fumble recovery came in a 35-10 Eagles win over the Tennessee Titans on December 4, 2022.
Arryn Siposs
A native of Melbourne, Australia, Sioposs had 44 punts for 2005 yards this season as the Eagles’ punter. On December 11, Siposs recovered a blocked punt and ran for 13 yards, but suffered a serious injury in the process according to Reuben Frank of NBC Sports, and needed to be carted off the field in a 48-22 Eagles win over the New York Giants. Siposs suffered a high ankle sprain, and it was expecting his season would be over. Not so fast. The Eagles are in the Super Bowl and Siposs is expected to start.
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