Former UA linebacker Scooby Wright selected by Browns in 7th round of NFL Draft
Apr 30, 2016, 3:50 PM | Updated: 4:09 pm
Arizona linebacker Scooby Wright III (33) speaks to the media, Monday, Dec. 29, 2014, in Scottsdale, Ariz.. Boise State is scheduled to play Arizona in the Fiesta Bowl NCAA college football game on Dec. 31. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
(AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
One of the most dominant players in the history of Arizona football has a home in the NFL.
Scooby Wright was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the seventh round of the NFL Draft Saturday. He was the 250th player taken, the fourth-to-last in the entire draft.
Surprisingly, Wright went after teammate Will Parks, a safety who was picked in the sixth round (219th overall) by the Denver Broncos.
Wright is known for his mesmerizing 2014 season that saw him record 153 total tackles, 29 for loss, 14 sacks and six forced fumbles
He was named a unanimous All-American, won the Lombardi, Bednarik, and Lambert awards, and also received the Nagurski Trophy as the best defensive player in college football.
An injury-riddled 2015 season had him unable to build off the momentum. He only played in three games, but one of them games was the New Mexico Bowl, in which he won the defensive MVP award.
The injury issues did not help Wright, and nor did an underwhelming combine, though there are some who believe he is one of the “safer second-day bets in this draft” and a potential defensive steal.
Yet, he remained on the board for most of the draft.
Wright is the first linebacker selected out of Arizona since Marquis Flowers was picked in the sixth round of the 2014 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals.
