3 former Arizona Wildcats selected on first day of XFL Draft

Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Former Arizona Wildcats linebacker Scooby Wright III and offensive linemen Gerhard de Beer and Lene Maiava were selected in the inaugural XFL Draft on Tuesday.

Wright was chosen by the DC Defenders, De Beer was taken by the Houston Roughnecks, and Maiava was selected by the Los Angeles Wildcats.

The XFL Draft is divided into phases in which only certain positions can be selected.

Wright was picked in the fourth (of 10) round of the front-seven portion of the draft. De Beer and Maiava were selected in the sixth and eight rounds of the offensive line phase, respectively.

Former UA center Steven Gurrola, linebacker Marquis Flowers, and defensive lineman Larry Tharpe Jr. did not get picked, but there are two more rounds of selections Wednesday in which defensive backs and players from all positions can be chosen.

Wright played at Arizona from 2013 to 2015, posting one of the best seasons in UA history in 2014, logging 163 tackles, 29 tackles for loss, 14 sacks, and six forced fumbles. That led him to be named a unanimous All-American as well as the winner of the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Lombardi Award, and Chuck Bednarik Award.

Wright was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the seventh round of the 2016 NFL Draft, but was cut in September of his rookie year and has spent the last few years bouncing around the Browns’, Cardinals’ and Patriots’ practice squads. Wright also played a few games for the Arizona Hotshots before the Alliance of American Football ceased operations.

De Beer played guard and tackle at Arizona from 2013-17, before practice-squad stints with the Green Bay Packers and Buffalo Bills.

Maiava, who played at Arizona from 2011-15, was UA’s starting right tackle in 2015. He briefly signed with the Seattle Seahawks before being released.

The XFL season begins after the Super Bowl and runs through late April. The average XFL salary will be $55,000, according to reports.

While it is unclear how the XFL’s rules will differ from the NFL, its website says it will be “faster, with more plays, less stall, fewer interruptions and no gimmicks.”

Some ideas floated around include multiple forward passes and three-point conversions. For the most part, it will resemble normal 11-on-11 football.

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