Back to the Philadelphia Eagles Newsfeed

Destiny Vaeao can sack your QB - and sub for your kicker in a pinch |Marcus Hayes

There are few places as placid as a fishing boat on the Pacific Ocean. There are few places as violent and hectic as the trenches of an NFL football game. One man equally at home in both is Eagles defensive tackle Destiny Vaeao.

Vaeao’s stunning performance in training camp in 2016 as an undrafted free agent out of Washington State helped convince the Eagles to not pursue defensive tackle Bennie Logan after the 2016 season. Now, he’s part of a defensive-line rotation that is No. 1 in the NFL against the run.

He comes from a family of fishermen based in Pago Pago, the capital city of American Samoa, which has become a pipeline to college and professional football — 34 players born in American Samoa have played in the NFL.