Former five-star recruit who left Texas A&M for USC and turned his length and upside into an undrafted deal with the Lions.
Anthony Lucas arrived in college football as a five-star prospect, but it took a transfer from Texas A&M to USC for his game to click. He went undrafted in the 2026 NFL Draft despite the pedigree, and Detroit signed him afterward, betting on the kind of size and length teams covet on the edge.
Path to the league
Lucas was a five-star recruit who originally committed to Texas A&M before transferring to USC in 2023. He went undrafted in the 2026 NFL Draft and signed with the Detroit Lions as a free agent, with the team praising the traits and effort that USC's system helped sharpen.
Career highlights
Over three seasons with the Trojans, Lucas piled up 63 tackles, 7.0 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks. At the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine he measured 6-foot-5 1/2 and 256 pounds with 33.5-inch arms and an 85-inch wingspan, length that places him firmly in the mold of a prototypical NFL edge defender.
2025 season recap
Lucas's best college production came in his final season at USC in 2025, when he recorded 37 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks. It was enough to draw praise from the Lions' coaching staff even after he slipped through the draft entirely.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Anthony Lucas (defensive end)
- ESPN: Anthony Lucas
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Defensive End
- Group
- defense
- College
- USC
- Hometown
- Scottsdale, AZ, USA
- Age
- 21
- Status
- active
