The New England Free Jacks got their first pick of the draft in Round 2, snagging Owen Clarke out of Brown. An accomplished rugby player and football player out of Staples HS, Clarke played football at Brown before returning to rugby, where he played flanker and lock.
Flankers and locks were the popular choice in the draft, with half of the picks being players who cover at least one of those positions. However, it was a fullback who was picked next, with DC taking Saint Mary's #15 Mario Storti. The elusive fullback joins his brother as the second brother combination (Mario and Erich), along with Palema and Julian Roberts.
Another outside back got the nod in the third pick of Round 2, with Seattle taking wing David Cathcart out of Lindenwood. Teams are targeting USA-eligible players because the league has been moving heavily toward more domestic players.
Cathcart is from Scotland, however he counts as a domestic player because he is on the path toward USA eligibility, being just a short time from reaching the five-year-residency threshhold.
The same is true of Arkansas State captain and No. 8 Aaron van Dyk, who was picked by the California Legion. St. Bonaventure lock Tyler White, a native Western-New-Yorker and at 6-5 one of the tallest in the draft, will go to Chicago with the final pick of the second row.
The third round saw the Free Jacks take two picks as they traded with the Legion for one. Their first pick was Cal scrumhalf Cormac Saint, who has been a standout on select sides through high school and, despite being understudy to Williams, made his mark as one of the best #9s in the collegiate game.
Old Glory will bring Nate Deegan home. The Saint Mary's hooker played for Gonzaga College HS in DC as a high-schooler. Seattle added Tristan Hubsch, a hard-hitting flanker-lock out of Like University in the mold of Ballinger.
New England's second pick of the Round 3 was shifty Mary Washington fullback Will Lindsay, and the final pick of the entire draft was Fraser Leslie. The Chicago Hounds picked up the 6-4 powerhouse from Walsh University, looking to bring in another physical lock/flanker. Leslie is set to graduate next spring, so will certainly be expected to be a more long-term project.
