Andrei Iosivas is a name you might not have heard a lot about from his time playing football at Punahou High School. But, years after his senior season in high school, Iosivas is making headlines before this year’s NFL Draft. 

Andrei Iosivas wasn’t heavily recruited by major division one football programs coming out of high school. In fact, he was more known for his prowess on the track, rather than his skills on the football field. Iosivas was a graduate from Punahou High School in 2018, and starred on the track & field team, where he earned most outstanding male performer his junior and senior year. Iosivas also earned first team All-ILH honors his senior season at wide receiver for the Buff ‘n Blue football team. 

After high school, Iosivas decided to further his education at Princeton University, where he would make a commitment to play football and compete in track & field for the Tigers. 

During Iosivas’ time at Princeton, he would carve out an impressive four years in both sports. His dominance in track & field led to him being a three-time Ivy League champion in the heptathlon (2019, 2020, 2022), and a 2022 NCAA All-American in the heptathlon at the NCAA indoor championships. 

His success on the football field did not come immediately like it did with track & field. But, when Iosivas got his chance, he took it and ran with it. In 2019, Iosivas appeared in nine games, catching 18 passes for 263 yards and four touchdowns. After a gap year due to covid in 2020, Iosivas would put up an impressive 41 catches, 703 receiving yards and a team-high five touchdowns in his 2021 campaign. His production that year earned him second team All-Ivy and Phil Steele first team All-Ivy honors. 

Andrei built on that 2021 campaign and absolutely dominated his opponents his senior season. Iosivas would finish his 2022 senior season with 66 receptions for 943 yards and seven receiving touchdowns in 10 games. He ended his Princeton career ranked sixth all-time in receiving yards (1,909), 12th in receptions (125) and third in touchdown catches (16). He also received a multitude of accolades. His 2022 accolades included, are you ready… Phil Steele FCS first team All-America, Stats Perform FCS second team All-America, Associated Press second team All-America, HERO Sports FCS All-America, first team All-Ivy, Phil Steele Ivy offensive player of the year, Phil Steele first team All-Ivy, 2022 FCS Walter Payton award watchlist, Senior Bowl offensive player of the week, East-West Shrine Bowl outbreak offensive player of the week . Yeah… I would say he had a pretty nice year. 

Andrei’s magnificent senior year would land him an invitation to the coveted Reese’s Senior Bowl. The Senior Bowl features some of the best college football seniors across America and is a showcase for players to display their talents to NFL scouts and teams. 

During his time at the Senior Bowl, Iosivas did not fail to impress. He turned many scouts heads with his incredible route running and catching ability during the WR vs DB, 1v1’s in practice. In the actual game, Iosivas did not have the performance he had hoped for, but that wasn’t all his fault. Iosivas was able to gain separation from DB’s on a number of his routes and was wide open for a touchdown on one play, if it wasn’t for the quarterback airmailing the throw. 

Proud of @AndreiIosivas representing @PrincetonFTBL & going up against the best of the best this week @ the Senior Bowl! 🤫#SoWhat pic.twitter.com/rYSaplDLGS

— Brian Flinn🤫 (@Coach_Flinn) February 3, 2023

After competing in the Reese’s Senior Bowl, Iosivas shifted his focus on training for Saturday’s NFL Scouting Combine. This is where Iosivas’ draft stock was expected to skyrocket. Due to his impressive 6’3”, 205 pound frame and his elite track speed, scouts from all over the NFL were tuned in to see how Iosivas would test in this year’s combine. 

And boy, he did not disappoint! Iosivas went on to put up one of the most complete combine’s for a wide receiver this year. He ended up testing with a 40-yard dash time of 4.43 seconds (12th among wide receivers), vertical jump of 39” (11th among wide receivers), 3-cone drill time of 6.85 seconds (2nd among wide receivers) and 20-yard shuttle time of 4.12 seconds (2nd among wide receivers). 

#Punahou grad & @PrincetonFTBL WR Andrei Iosivas performed very well at the #NFLCombine2023 this morning. An unofficial 4.43 40 and looked smooth in his routes with good hands #NFLHawaii

📝👉https://t.co/iE1tsVfmBb▪️ @AndreiIosivas pic.twitter.com/Tpu6wW9lyp

— Alan Hoshida (@AHoshidaSports) March 4, 2023

Andrei already had NFL scouts salivating at his abilities on the field with the senior year he put on tape. But, what scouts love most about Iosivas is his potential on the field with his rare mixture of size, speed and strength. All of which were on full display on Saturday. 

Some experts have compared Iosivas to Packers star wide receiver Christian Watson due to similarities of them coming out of college from FCS programs, as well as both of their freakish mixtures of size and speed. Watson was drafted by the Packers in the second round (34th overall) of the 2022 NFL Draft. Iosivas however, is currently projected to go in the 4th round of this year’s NFL Draft, though his impressive testing at Saturday’s combine should have a positive impact on his draft stock. 

Next for Iosivas, is his Princeton Pro Day on March 21st, where he will be able to backpack on his already impressive combine numbers and exhibit more of his route-running prowess. 

Soon after his Princeton Pro Day, Andrei will be looking forward to the 2023 NFL Draft. Where he will land is up in the air, but it is certain he has already proved he belongs as one of the best wide receivers in this year’s draft. 

The NFL Draft will be held on Thursday, April 27th – Saturday, April 29th on ESPN networks.