Paul Fanaika is an offensive lineman for the Washington Redskins. He was previously with the Philadelphia Eagles, who selected him with the 213th overall pick in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL Draft. Fanaika attended Arizona State University, where he played for four seasons. Fanaika is 6-feet, 6-inches tall, and weighs 335 pounds. His last name is pronounced fan-EYE-kuh.

Paul Fanaika played high school football at Mills High School in Milbrae, CA. He was named his division's Lineman of the Year as a senior, and was also an all-league and all-county honoree. Despite his performance as a senior, Fanaika did not receive a scholarship offer from any FBS school.

Paul Fanaika participated in an open tryout at Arizona State and earned a walk-on spot with the Sun Devils in 2004. He redshirted his first year, but ended up appearing in 11 games the subsequent season.

As a sophomore, Fanaika moved into the starting lineup as a result of an injury to a teammate, and proceeded to start every game for the Sun Devils for the remainder of his career. Fanaika finished 2006 as an honorable mention All-Pac-10 selection. His consistency at right guard led then-coach Dirk Koetter to award him the Levi Jones Scholarship, given in honor of the former Sun Devils offensive tackle.

As a junior, Fanaika started all 13 games for Arizona State and again was named honorable mention All-Pac-10.

Fanaika returned in 2008 as the only senior on the Sun Devils' offensive line, and once again did not miss a start. All told, the former walk-on finished his collegiate career with 35 consecutive starts.

Fanaika was selected in the seventh round (213th overall) of the 2009 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles. Before the 2009 season, Fanaika signed a four-year contract with Philadelphia. He was waived at the end of training camp, but re-signed to the practice squad a day later.

On Nov. 23, 2009, the Washington Redskins signed Fanaika off the Eagles practice squad.

Fanaika's given first name is Pauliasi; he is of Tongan descent. Paul Fanaika's sister, Lavinia, is a guard on the Arizona State women's basketball team. His mother, Tina, played collegiate volleyball at Fresno State University. Fanaika graduated from Arizona State with interdisciplinary degrees in anthropology and sociology.