Background

Anthony Lucas was born in Haiti and spent part of his early childhood in Florida before his family moved to Scottsdale, Arizona, ahead of high school. His parents, Jacques and Mytsouka Lucas, raised him as a baseball player, weight-class rules in youth football in Florida would have put him with middle schoolers when he was in elementary school, and it was his mother who was encouraged by other parents at Chaparral High School to have him come out for football. His father agreed, and by his senior season, Lucas was the top prospect in Arizona. He posted 64 tackles, 22 TFL, and 9.5 sacks as a senior at Chaparral and earned Under Armour All-American honors, finishing as the No. 32 overall prospect in the 2022 class by 247Sports before signing with Texas A&M. After playing seven games as a true freshman and getting suspended for a locker room incident following Texas A&M's loss to South Carolina, he never returned to the field that season and then transferred to USC. He spent 2023 in a rotational role with no sacks, started the first six games of his junior year in 2024 before a leg injury required offseason surgery, and returned fully healthy in 2025 to post career highs across the board, 37 tackles, 3.5 TFL, and three sacks, before declaring for the 2026 NFL Draft.

Physical Attributes

Anthony Lucas did not take part in any testing at either his pro day or the combine. He stands 6'5.5" and weighs 256 lbs. He also has massive 10.25" hands. On tape, Lucas is a straight-line athlete. There is not a lot of bend or agility to his game, but in a straight line he can go. He has decent upper body strength, but his lower body strength can let him down against the run.

Data and Tape Analysis

If you are unfamiliar with my EDGE radar charts, you can find more information here

That radar chart is not great. The worst part is that it is not a regression or injury affected either; this is his best season and he was healthy throughout. Though, on tape it's hard not to like what you see from Lucas.

He works so damn hard. Every play he gives it his all until the whistle finishes. I wish this was not such a rare trait, but in the supply Lucas has it, it definitely is. He wins through solid physical skills and just an insistence that he will not lose. Given the length of time, he will eventually find a way to win.

That does not help too much, as most NFL QBs throw passes in under 2.5 seconds, yet guys like this manage to stick on teams. His desire to make a play is always there. While watching the film, twice I saw him tripped, and he affected the play both times. The first while still on the ground, he dove and nearly grabbed Emmett Johnson's cleat to prevent a TD. The other he got up in a heartbeat and got a sack.

His pass rush arsenal is modest at best, and hopefully some coaching could give him a proper plan. On run plays, he can get stuck on blocks, but he will pursue and grab the ball carrier.

Grade and Outlook

There are few traits to point to why Anthony Lucas will be a strong NFL player. It is all in his heart and determination, and he won me over. I am hoping he can make it work, even if it is only as a reliable depth piece in the league.

Grade: 4.4 (4th Rounder)