Kiwi NFL player Paul Lasike of Auckland trying out for the Arizona Cardinals in 2015. He has made the final cut for the Chicago Bears this season.

New Zealander Paul Lasike has made the Chicago Bears' final roster for the 2016 National Football League season.

The 26-year-old Aucklander had a superb pre-season for the Bears, the fullback turning heads with several runs, including one in their final pre-season match last week.

The Bears confirmed on their website that Lasike secured a spot on their 53-man roster, a move which was first revealed in several reports out of Chicago, including one from Chris Emma, a reporter for 670 The Score and CBS Chicago.

Fullback Paul Lasike made the Bears' roster, a source confirmed. First reported by @kfishbain. — Chris Emma (@CEmma670) September 3, 2016

Lasike, a former rugby player, was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Arizona Cardinals in 2015 but failed to survive the final selection processes.

The Bears wanted a fullback to create a true power running game with their backfield stable. Paul Lasike, a former rugby player, is the guy. — Chris Emma (@CEmma670) September 3, 2016

The Bears signed two players earlier in the year to compete with him for the position but both were released in the past few weeks.



Lasike reportedly cemented his spot as the team's fullback with a standout performance in the Bears' pre-season game against the Cleveland Browns last week.

One of his runs was tweeted by the official NFL Twitter account with the caption "Paul Lasike is a BEAST". The play was also highlighted on the NFL's official website under "BIG PLAY HIGHLIGHTS"

Paul Lasike is a BEAST.



The @ChicagoBears fullback is just running people over. #CHIvsCLE https://t.co/HEgL0P9k37 — NFL (@NFL) September 2, 2016

Lasike joins 27-year-old Kiwi tight end Rhett Ellison, son of former NFL player and Super Bowl winner Riki Ellison, in the big league. Ellison has established himself with the Minnesota Vikings.

Defensive end Stephen Paea, who was born in Auckland, but grew up in Tonga before moving to the United States, is on the roster of the Cleveland Browns.

Lasike posted a one-word tweet on Twitter on Sunday morning (NZ time): "Blessed."