ASU, Arizona and NAU to be represented in XFL draft
Oct 8, 2019, 2:28 PM | Updated: 3:55 pm
TEMPE, AZ - NOVEMBER 21: Wide receiver Devin Lucien #15 of the Arizona State Sun Devils runs with the football en route to scoring on a 59 yard touchdown reception past safety Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles #12 of the Arizona Wildcats during the first quarter of the college football game at Sun Devil Stadium on November 21, 2015 in Tempe, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
The XFL announced plans for its two-day player draft on Oct. 15-16, which will include approximately 1,000 players who have accepted commissioner Oliver Luck’s invitation.
The resurgent league will be comprised of eight teams including the Dallas Renegades, DC Defenders, Houston Roughnecks, Los Angeles Wildcats, New York Guardians, Seattle Dragons, St. Louis BattleHawks and Tampa Bay Vipers.
Each team will boast a roster of 71 players by drafting from a set of positional groupings. Each team will have a quarterback assigned to its roster prior to the draft.
The groupings include skill players (QB, RB, WR and TE), offensive line (OT, OG and OC), defensive front seven (DL and LB), defensive backfield (CB, NB, SS and FS) and open draft which includes all remaining players in addition to P, K and LS.
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A snake format will be used while drafting and the selection order in each phase will reverse after each round.
On Monday the league announced it would be releasing the names of draftable players via Twitter. Through two days of player announcements, Northern Arizona, ASU and Arizona have former players who are eligible to be drafted by an XFL team.
Siupeli Anau, a defensive tackle who was a part of the NAU program from 2014 through 2016, is the school’s only alumnus announced so far.
#XFL announces first group of players to enter #XFLDraft pool
MORE ➡️ https://t.co/npaVEtSV2T pic.twitter.com/sT8kQjDUD1
— XFL (@xfl2020) October 7, 2019
During his career as a Lumberjack, the 6-foot-3, 250-pound Anau played in 20 games, recording 88 tackles and 11 sacks.
The Sun Devils were represented by wide receiver Devin Lucien and linebacker Carl Bradford.
Lucien only played one season (2015) in Tempe as a graduate transfer from UCLA. That season was a breakout year for him as he made 66 catches for 1,075 yards and eight touchdowns.
He was later drafted by the New England Patriots in the seventh round of the 2016 draft. He won a Super Bowl with New England as a practice squad player.
The #XFLDraft is coming soon!
We're announcing a new group of players in the draft pool each day this week.
Here's 2/5. pic.twitter.com/WpPDr9j13e
— XFL (@xfl2020) October 8, 2019
Bradford played a total of 39 games for ASU from 2011 through 2013. He recorded 154 total tackles including 20 sacks.
After his time as a defensive threat for ASU, he was drafted in the fourth round by the Green Bay Packers.
Former Arizona Wildcats offensive tackle Gerhard De Beer and defensive tackle Larry Tharpe Jr. were included in the CFL’s draft announcement,as well. as well.
De Beer was never drafted but did sign as an undrafted free agent with the Buffalo Bills in 2018, later to be waived by the team. He signed with Green Bay, eventually signing to the active roster before being waived in August of 2019.
Tharpe Jr., son of former Arizona Cardinal offensive tackle Larry Tharpe, was a member of the Wildcats football team from 2016 through 2017.
In 19 career games he recorded just 29 tackles and .5 sacks.
The XFL is expected to release its next batch of draftable players on Wednesday.
