From Beijing to the NFL: the remarkable rise of China’s first International Player Pathway star Li Boqiao
- The 24-year-old outside linebacker is determined to promote the sport in China and confident in dispelling stereotypes and reaching elite tier
- Li, who narrowly missed the programme’s final cut, is impressing scouts from US, Canada and Japan
China’s first and only National Football League International Player Pathway inductee, Li Boqiao, is more than prepared to carry 1.4 billion people over his shoulder – after all, he is 6’4” (1.93cm) and weighs 270 pounds (122kg).
“Being born and raised in Beijing, I want to put China on my back and represent it well. It’s my home – I was raised there for 18 years and my whole family is in Beijing – so I can’t let anybody down,” said the 24-year-old Li, who was picked as one of nine elite international athletes for an opportunity to enter the NFL this year.
The outside linebacker narrowly missed out on the final cut as scouts whittled it down to four. Li remains the only player of Chinese descent to join the programme since its launch in 2017, with fellow international entrants also competing for a potential free agency or practice squad contract for the new season scheduled to start on September 10.
“I was told about the opportunity last July. After they evaluated me, I got to the combine in Germany and was blessed enough to be picked as one of the nine to attend training camp in Tampa [Bay, Florida],” Li said.
“In me, they saw a person who loves to compete, who is ready to play in the NFL or at pro-level. Unfortunately, I wasn’t picked, but it motivates me to work harder to either get to the NFL next year or play in the Canadian Football League [CFL] because I’ve had a couple of teams calling me,” added the fresh University of Charleston, West Virginia graduate.