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Defensive front seven draft tracker

14 Oct 2019

DEFENSIVE FRONT SEVEN

Rounds: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10

Round 1

Order	Team	Player	Position	College
1	Vipers	Obum Gwacham	DE	Oregon State
Analysis: A former track athlete and wide receiver, Obum Gwacham transitioned to a pass-rusher in his final year at Oregon State and was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the sixth round of the 2015 NFL draft. Since, he has played for five NFL teams and spent time in the CFL and AAF. The athletic pass-rusher has the speed and flexibility to bend as a quality edge defender, from either a three-point or two-point stance.
2	BattleHawks	Casey Sayles	DT	Ohio
Analysis: Playing under 290 pounds for most of his college and pro career, Casey Sayles is an undersized, but explosive, penetrator who should translate well to the under tackle position. At Ohio, Sayles finished his career with 11.5 sacks and 19.5 tackles for loss from the interior before signing with the Los Angeles Rams in 2017. He has since had two stints with the Pittsburgh Steelers and saw significant playing time in the AAF.
3	Dragons	Stansly Maponga	DE	TCU
4	Wildcats	Anthony Johnson	DT	LSU
Analysis: A hybrid defensive lineman who plays inside and outside of the offensive tackle, Anthony Johnson has been a contributor as both a base end or as a pressure player on the interior. After his career at LSU, Johnson played five years in the NFL with five teams, as well as stints in the CFL and AAF. The former high school All-American from New Orleans is a flexible chess piece on the defensive line who should be able to find playing tme in multiple roles.
5	Defenders	James Vaughters	LB	Stanford
6	Roughnecks	Trenton Thompson	DT	Georgia
7	Guardians	Ben Heeney	LB	Kansas
8	Renegades	Hau'oli Kikaha	DE	Washington
Analysis: At Washington, Hau'oli Kikaha was a first-team All-American and two-time All-Pac-12 pass-rusher played both 3-4 outside linebacker and 4-3 defensive end at Washington. The second-round pick for the New Orleans Saints played three years with the team. With his judo background, it should not be a surprise that Kikaha is a technical pass-rusher who works well with his hands on the edge.

Round 2

Order	Team	Player Name	Position	College/NFL
1	Renegades	Sealver Siliga	DT	Utah
2	Guardians	Joey Mbu	DT	Houston
3	Roughnecks	Corey Crawford	DE	Clemson
4	Defenders	Charles Harris	DE	Buffalo
5	Wildcats	Eric Pinkins	LB	San Diego State
6	Dragons	Nick Temple	LB	Cincinnati
7	BattleHawks	Terence Garvin	LB	West Virginia
8	Vipers	Deiontrez Mount	DE	Louisville

Round 3

Order	Team	Player	Position	College
1	Vipers	Ricky Walker	DT	Virginia Tech
2	BattleHawks	Andrew Ankrah	DE	James Madison
3	Dragons	Will Sutton	DT	Arizona State
Analysis: Will Sutton has changed his frame over the years, playing at weights that ranged from a true nose tackle type to a lean three-technique frame. After earning two first-team All-American nods at Arizona State, Sutton was drafted in the third round by the Chicago Bears in 2014. He spent five years in the NFL before signing with the AAF. A penetrating under tackle, Sutton generates pressure between the tackles or as a base end.
4	Wildcats	Latarius Brady	DT	Memphis
5	Defenders	Elijah Qualls	DT	Washington
6	Roughnecks	Edmond Robinson	LB	Newberry
7	Guardians	Austin Larkin	DE	Purdue
8	Renegades	Winston Craig	DT	Richmond

Round 4

Order	Team	Player Name	Position	College/NFL
1	Renegades	Ray Ray Davison	LB	California
2	Guardians	TJ Barnes	DT	Georgia Tech
Analysis: At 6'7" and 364 pounds, T.J. Barnes is a true space-eating defensive tackle who most recently was in camp with the Carolina Panthers. In total, he has spent five years in the NFL along with a season in the AAF. The former Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket is a surprising force in the pass-rushing game for his size, where he translates his strength and length into a powerful bull rush.
3	Roughnecks	Davis Tull	LB	Chattanooga
4	Defenders	Scooby Wright	LB	Arizona
Analysis: A unanimous All-American at Arizona, Scooby Wright was drafted in the seventh round in 2016 and spent time with three NFL teams, most recently the New England Patriots, and the AAF. As an inside linebacker, Wright excels as a run-stuffer between the tackles. As a high-effort defender, he consistently makes tackles outside of the numbers.
5	Wildcats	Willie Mays	DE	Tiffin
6	Dragons	Tenny Palepoi	DE	Utah
7	BattleHawks	Jamell Garcia-Williams	DE	Alabama-Birmingham
8	Vipers	Reggie Northrup	LB	Florida State

Round 5

Order	Team	Player	Position	College
1	Vipers	Josh Banks	DT	Wake Forest
2	BattleHawks	Channing Ward	DT	Ole Miss
3	Dragons	Jacquies Smith	DE	Missouri
Analysis: The former All-Big 12 pass-rusher at Missouri is best known for his 2014-2015 stretch, where he made 13.5 sacks over 18 starts for the Tampa Bay Buccaners. Overall, Jacquies Smith spent seven years in the NFL as primarily a pass-rushing specialist. The bendy edge rusher should come in and make an early contribution at the XFL level.
4	Wildcats	Tre' Williams	LB	Auburn
5	Defenders	Tracy Sprinkle	DT	Ohio State
6	Roughnecks	Olive Sagapolu	DT	Wisconsin
7	Guardians	Nick DeLuca	LB	North Dakota State
8	Renegades	Greer Martini	LB	Notre Dame

Round 6

Order	Team	Player Name	Position	College/NFL
1	Renegades	Gelen Robinson	DT	Purdue
2	Guardians	D'Juan Hines	LB	Houston
3	Roughnecks	Beniquez Brown	LB	Mississippi State
4	Defenders	Jameer Thurman	LB	Indiana State
5	Wildcats	Leon Orr	DT	Florida
6	Dragons	Steven Johnson	LB	Kansas
7	BattleHawks	Khyri Thornton	DT	Southern Miss
Analysis: At Southern Miss, Khyri Thornton earned All-C-USA honors and was eventually drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the third round of the 2014 NFL draft. Thornton played four years in the NFL and started six games with the Detroit Lions in 2016. A flashy pass-rusher on the interior, Thornton will likely play under tackle in the XFL where he has special play speed for his size.
8	Vipers	Emmanuel Beal	LB	Oklahoma

Round 7

Order	Team	Player	Position	College
1	Vipers	Lucas Wacha	LB	Wyoming
2	BattleHawks	Gimel President	DE	Illinois
3	Dragons	Taniela Tupou	DT	Washington
4	Wildcats	Reggie Howard	DT	Toledo
5	Defenders	Sam Montgomery	DE	LSU
Analysis: Twice an All-SEC defensive end at LSU, the former All-American was a third-round pick of the Houston Texans in 2013. Having spent three years in the NFL, as well as stints in the CFL and AAF, Sam Montgomery is a veteran defensive end who wins off of his arm extension and play stength. He is an every-down end who is as impactful in the ground game as he is as a pass-rusher.
6	Roughnecks	Andrew Jackson	LB	Western Kentucky
7	Guardians	Jarrell Owens	DE	Oklahoma State
8	Renegades	Frank Alexander	DE	Oklahoma
Analysis: At Oklahoma, Frank Alexander tallied 20.5 sacks and 44 tackles for loss over his Sooners career. Drafted in the fourth round by the Carolina Panthers in 2012, he played for four years with the team before a stint in the CFL. Alexander is a bendy and athletic rusher who should translate to the 3-4 outside linebacker or 4-3 defensive end positions.

Round 8

Order	Team	Player Name	Position	College/NFL
1	Renegades	Jonathan Massaquoi	LB	Troy
2	Guardians	Cavon Walker	DT	Maryland
3	Roughnecks	DeMarquis Gates	LB	Ole Miss
4	Defenders	Jonathan Celestin	LB	Minnesota
5	Wildcats	Corey Vereen	DE	Tennessee
Analysis: While at Tennessee, Corey Vereen recorded 13 sacks and 26 tackles for loss in the SEC. After flashing as a New England Patriots signing, he saw playing time in the AAF. Vereen is a gifted pass-rusher whose development is trending up as he sees more reps.
6	Dragons	Danny Ezechukwu	DE	Purdue
7	BattleHawks	Marcus Hardison	DT	Arizona State
Analysis: Marcus Hardison, a former JuCo transfer, quickly rose up the ranks in college football. In two years, he went from a relative unknown to a fourth-round talent at Arizona State. Selected by the Cincinnati Bengals, the base end-defensive tackle hybrid played for four years in the NFL prior to signing with the AAF. A stout run defender, Hardison will be asked to hold blocks at the line of scrimmage and force tackles for a loss.
8	Vipers	Anthony Stubbs	LB	Prairie View A&M

Round 9

Order	Team	Player	Position	College
1	Vipers	Jason Neill	DE	Texas-San Antonio
2	BattleHawks	Nicholas Grigsby	LB	Pittsburgh
3	Dragons	Pasoni Tasini	DT	Utah
4	Wildcats	Adrian Hubbard	DE	Alabama
Analysis: Adrian Hubbard is a long pass-rusher at 6'6" who can play as either a 4-3 defensive end or as a 3-4 outside linebacker. At Alabama, he was a starting pass-rusher for the program's 2012 national title team, when he posted seven sacks and 11 tackles for loss on the year. Following his college career, he signed a contract with the Green Bay Packers and has since played in the CFL and The Spring League. His length and leverage should help him pressure the quarterback from the edge.
5	Defenders	KeShun Freeman	DE	Georgia Tech
6	Roughnecks	Caushaud Lyons	DT	Tusculum
7	Guardians	Garrison Smith	DT	Georgia
8	Renegades	Tegray Scales	LB	Indiana

Round 10

Order	Team	Player Name	Position	College/NFL
1	Renegades	Izaah Lunsford	DT	Bowling Green
2	Guardians	Rykeem Yates	DE	Nevada
3	Roughnecks	Drew Lewis	LB	Colorado
4	Defenders	Daryle Banfield	DT	Brown
5	Wildcats	Owen Roberts	DT	San Jose State
6	Dragons	Praise Martin-Oguike	DE	Temple
7	BattleHawks	Corbin Kaufusi	DE	BYU
8	Vipers	Devin Taylor	DE	South Carolina
Analysis: At 6'8", Devin Taylor is a lengthy defensive end who has a knack at influencing passing lanes with his pass-rushing ability and frame. At South Carolina, he earned All-SEC honors as a defensive end opposite of Jadeveon Clowney, his then teammate. He was drafted in the fourth round in 2013 by the Detroit Lions and played five years in the NFL before seeing extended playing time in the AAF. Look for long and athletic defensive end to make a difference in the field goal blocking game, too.