Day One of the XFL draft concluded Tuesday evening and three former Arizona Wildcats are off the board.
Former All-American linebacker Scooby Wright III was the first ex-Wildcat taken; the DC Defenders selected him at No. 28 overall. Former UA offensive linemen Gerhard de Beer and Lene Maiava were also picked up in the XFL draft. De Beer, who was released by the Green Bay Packers prior to this season, was drafted by the Houston Roughnecks with the 42nd overall pick. The Los Angeles Wildcats picked Maiava at No. 64.Β
Wright will now play in his third pro football league since departing the UA following the 2015 season. After a brief stint with the Cleveland Browns and Arizona Cardinals, Wright joined the Alliance of American Football and played for the Arizona Hotshots. The league folded halfway through its inaugural season.Β
The XFL is comprised of eight teams: The Defenders, Roughnecks, Wildcats, Dallas Renegades, New York Guardians, Tampa Bay Vipers, St. Louis Battle Hawks and Seattle Dragons. Each team in the XFL selects players from a pre-draft pool, though Wright wasn't included in the lists that were released leading up to Tuesday. By the time the XFL draft is finished, each team will have 71 players on their rosters. That number will be trimmed to 52. Only 46 players will be available on game days.Β
The only former Wildcat still available in the XFL draft is center Steven Gurrola, who played for the Indoor Football League's Arizona Rattlers last season. Tucson native and former Army wide receiver Edgar Poe is a part of the XFL draft but has not yet been selected.
Here are the current Pac-12 leaders in the first day of the XFL draft:Β
- (4) Arizona State, Utah, Washington
- (3) UA, Oregon State
- (2) USC, Stanford, Colorado
- (1) UCLA, Cal, Oregon
Day Two of the XFL draft will resume Wednesday at 7 a.m.Β
