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NFL Draft Prospect Lucien Proving Quick Study On, Off Field

Arizona Sports News online

ASU wide receiver Devin Lucien, #15, is tackled by West Virginia safety Dravon Askew-Henry, #6, during the second quarter of the Cactus Bowl at Chase Field in Phoenix on January 2, 2016.

ASU wide receiver Devin Lucien, #15, is tackled by West Virginia safety Dravon Askew-Henry, #6, during the second quarter of the Cactus Bowl at Chase Field in Phoenix on January 2, 2016.

Devin Lucien isn’t looking for much from NFL teams.

Simply an chance.

An opportunity much like Todd Graham and the Arizona State football family gave him nearly one year ago when he left UCLA and opted to spend his graduate season playing with close friend Mike Bercovici and the Sun Devils.

His decision to leave Westwood proved to be a wise one as the six-foot one, 200-pounder caught 66 passes for 1074 yards and eight touchdowns. All three of those categories eclipsed his three-year totals with the Bruins.

He wasn’t invited to the NFL Combine after fighting off injuries early last fall but impressed at ASU’s Pro Day running a 4.42 40-yard dash and showing good hands while running crisps routes.

While impressing on the field, he believes he’s improved off it as well since the end of the Devils’ season in early January.

“I’m just more knowledgable on the game,” Lucien told Sports360AZ.com’s Brad Cesmat during a phone interview Monday. “I work on my physical attributes all the time, making sure I’m sharp every time I’m on the field but I think one thing I’ve really gained this off-season going into the draft is more knowledge of the game.”

Lucien has met with the Arizona Cardinals, Cincinnati Bengals, Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Rams and New England Patriots. His draft projections vary from mid-late rounds to undrafted free-agent but one well-respected draft site is extremely high on his skill set. Lucien caught the attention of Rams’ head coach Jeff Fisher and his staff during a recent workout.

It will be a low-key weekend watching the draft. No big parties, no friends. Simply his mom, dad and girlfriend.

“Through this process, what’s keeping me [grounded],” he explained to Cesmat. “Not getting too high on anything, not getting too low on anything. That’s kind of the mindset I want to keep until it’s over. Until I know what team I’m going to.”

The past has proven all Devin Lucien needs is a chance.

He’ll get that chance at an NFL camp soon enough.

 

 

A Valley native, Eric has had a passion for the Arizona sports scene since an early age. He has covered some of the biggest events including Super Bowls, national championships and the NBA and MLB playoffs in his near 20 years in local media.

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