UCLA interior lineman target features on SI All-American Watch List

Anthony Lucas was heralded for his NFL size and powerful pass-rushing moves

One of the Bruins' defensive targets stands above the rest heading into his senior season.

Chaparral High School (AZ) interior defensive lineman Anthony Lucas was ranked No. 5 on SI All-American's Watch List for his position Wednesday, the highest ranked of any player with an offer from UCLA football. Lucas is 6-foot-5 and 290 pounds and has UCLA in his top 10 as of April 7, alongside Georgia, Michigan, Texas and others.

Lucas has had visits at Texas A&M, Notre Dame, Oregon, Miami, Florida State, Alabama and Vanderbilt since in-person recruiting reopened at the start of June, with no word on if or when he'll be coming to Westwood.

SI All-American's John Garcia and Matt Solorio wrote up a scouting report on Lucas, highlighting both his pros and cons on the field:

Widebody from head to toe. NFL size with good composition. Room for a little more good weight. Great Length. Solid out on the edge, but might get out-twitched at the next level. Highly coordinated when changing direction. We really like his lateral first step, because he doesn’t give any ground when trading gaps. Big, powerful stepper. His compact style of pass-rushing fits the interior better than the edge. Locking out blockers was coached into him well. Can sometimes give up his chest with low, late punches. Pad level is decent, angles of pursuit look good. Shows flashes of pass-rushing brilliance. Eyes can sometimes get lost in the backfield. Would benefit from more active hands when rushing the passer. 

247Sports Mountain Region Recruiting Analyst Blair Angulo wrote a scouting report of his own on Lucas in March 2020, actually comparing the young lineman to former Bruin and 2016 first round NFL draft pick Kenny Clark. Lucas is a four-star in the 247Sports Composite ratings and is the No. 18 recruit in the country based on the site's own rankings.

Another Bruin target, Hero Kanu, was honorable mention for SI All-American's interior D-line list, but UCLA is not considered to be in contention after not making his official top nine. The UCLA staff sent Kanu an offer on April 13, and he named his list of finalists on July 9.

Here's what Garcia and Solorio had to say about Kanu:

Hero Kanu is cat quick out of his stance and works as a grunt inside and out on Friday nights. As athletic, pound for pound, as anybody on the list, he plays a controlled game and can really stress a blocker at the point of attack. 

Former target and recent Washington commit Ben Roberts, on the other hand, did make his way onto the watch list. UCLA offered him on Feb. 13, but the Bruins were not on his list of visits by the time June rolled around and he committed to the Huskies on June 27.

The Bruins do not have a single defensive line commit – interior or otherwise – in tow for 2022. It isn't exactly an immediate need since UCLA has a trio of four-star freshman lineman coming in this fall in Jay Toia, Tiaoalii Savea and Quintin Somerville, but with Tyler Manoa, Otito Ogbonnia, Martin Andrus Jr., Odua Isibor and Datona Jackson likely entering their final season in the program, additions will have to be made sooner rather than later.

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