The best thing about watching the NFL Draft is seeing football prospects get the call from the GM and coach of the team drafting them. It's raw human emotion and it's what we love to see. Well, that extends to undrafted free agents as well.

For Hawaii kicker Kansei Matsuzawa, the call he received meant a bit mor than just getting called to the NFL. The call came from the Raiders which, as the story goes, is the team that inspired him to start playing football in the first place.

.@kan08sei's dream came true 🥹 @Raiders | @NFLDraft | @NFLJapan pic.twitter.com/7LLUEaC03P

Nicknamed 'The Tokyo Toe', the Japanese kicker prospect came into the process known for hitting 93% of his kicks last season, including 18 straight. He was also known for his story which was that it was a Raiders game in Oakland in 2018 at the age of 19 that inspired him to pick up a football and give kicking a try.

From there he taught himself how to kick while saving up money working at a steakhouse in Japan. Two years later he began sending his videos to college programs hoping to get a football scholarship. He got on offer at Hocking College in Ohio. After two years at Hocking, he transferred to Hawaii.

In 2024 he took over as the full time kicker. Last season he connected on 25 of 26 kicks and was a perfect 37 for 37 on extra points to be named a Consensus All-American.

Just after the 2026 NFL Draft had concluded, everything came full circle for Matsuzawa. The 27-year-old got the call and found out he would be suiting up for the team the inspired him on his football journey eight years earlier.

This article originally appeared on Raiders Wire: Watch: 'Tokyo Toe' UDFA call from Raiders who inspired his football journey