A Grip on Sports: Abraham Lucas has realized the potential he showed so many years ago in Lewiston
A GRIP ON SPORTS • It was long ago, we guess four years gone by now, when we first viewed Abraham Lucas thundering down the Sacajawea Middle School football field. The image is still burned in our brain.
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• Over the years, Mike Leach’s great super power, it seemed, was finding overlooked offensive linemen. They are, deep down, what made his Air Raid go. Instead of trying to out-recruit places such as Texas, Alabama, USC and Oregon for the five- and four-star guys, Leach’s assistants roamed the nation looking for long, tall, large-framed young men who most felt were missing something.
In Lucas’ case, heft.
Abraham Lucas was a rail-thin – if 260 pounds can be accurately labeled rail-thin – defensive end/ tight end when Eric Mele saw his Archbishop Murphy tape for the first time. But Mele saw what Leach wanted him to see. A fast, long-armed young man with a motor. And some meanness – in the football sense of the word.
He was the perfect fit. Except Mele wasn’t going to lie to him. He wasn’t going to tell Lucas to come to Washington State as a defensive end, his preferred position, get him on campus and then switch him to the dark side. Nope. He was honest with Lucas from the beginning, telling the 6-foot-7 senior-to-be he needed to be an offensive tackle.
As is his wont, Lucas thought about it. A long time. Finally said yes. Yes to Washington State. Yes to playing tackle. And yes to a professional career.
That last part took five years to create. The first year in Pullman? It was spent as a redshirt. He ate. He lifted. He honed new skills in drills. He hit people.
When Lucas stepped on the long, unruly Sacajawea grass in August of 2018, he was a different player. Same person. Bright, quiet yet well-spoken when he chose to talk, quick-witted. But a different player. Bigger. Stronger. Faster. Though with the same quick feet.
The 320-pound version of Abe Lucas earned the starting spot at right tackle within days of camp opening. And was showing off his skills the day we watched. It’s a day burned into our memory due to one play.
We were standing on the sideline to the right of the WSU offense, sweating profusely under Lewiston’s August sun. As always, we had our focus on the guys up front, mainly because we knew they were the ones who would determine just how successful the Cougars would be that year, after losing three starters. Besides, everyone else was enamored with this transfer quarterback, some guy named Gardner Minshew, and we wanted to take a different tack.
Leach called one of those quick screens to a receiver on the right side. The play demanded the right tackle, Lucas, sprint out and lead the ball downfield. It isn’t easy. Most tackles, even great ones like Andre Dillard, who manned the left side that day, use their size to screen defensive backs from the play, allowing the ballcarrier to cut off their backside to the open field.
Lucas was different. He came thundering around the right side actively seeking contact. We can’t remember who the poor defensive back was, but we do remember how easily Lucas was able to move his feet into position to match whatever dodge ball-like move the DB made. Then the freshman tackle buried his teammate. Made two quick moves with his feet and blew him up.
It’s hard for us to accurately explain how impressive Lucas’ play was. Someone that big shouldn’t move like that. It seems impossible.
We stood there, stunned. We had been watching football up close since the late 1970s. We had seen All-American linemen and how they moved. Heck, we watched Hall of Famer Anthony Munoz do his thing back in the day.
None of them had ever moved liked this.
We wrote in this space then if Abe Lucas stayed healthy, he would be playing in the NFL someday. He did. He will.
And, for a kid from Everett, he’ll get to do it for his hometown team. Friday, the Hawks made Lucas the 72nd selection – ironically he wore No. 72 for WSU – in the 2022 NFL draft.
It was all a little overwhelming for a guy who one night sat in his kitchen and heard a Cougar coach tell him he had to play a new position if he wanted to play in the Pac-12.
“I’m speechless,” Lucas told reporters on a conference call.
We’re not. We weren’t back in 2018 and we aren’t going to be in the future.
Abraham Lucas is ready to take the next step.
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WSU: Colton Clark was on the conference call and he has this story on Lucas’ selection by the Hawks. … It was a busy day for Colton, as he also had to cover some transfer news, what with basketball guard Tyrell Roberts entering the transfer portal and backup quarterback Victor Gabalis doing the same on the football side. … Elsewhere in the Pac-12 and college football, the first day of the draft wasn’t bad for the conference. … Arizona State just keeps taking portal hits. Why is that? … One of the Sun Devils’ better defensive players is now going to be playing for USC. … The new Trojan quarterback has started a foundation. … Defensive backs are kind of Washington’s calling card. … Oregon has a tough opener. … The trial in Oregon continues as the defendants make their case. … Getting his head right has helped a Colorado player. … Oregon State dipped back into a Southern California high school’s talent pool for a walk-on. … In basketball news, it’s not the transfer portal that is calling a UCLA player but the real world.
Gonzaga: It was not a surprise but Utah State big Fardaws Aimaq is not transferring to GU. He announced yesterday he’s headed to Texas Tech – if he doesn’t stay in the NBA draft. Jim Meehan has more. … The baseball team welcomed second-place Loyola Marymount to campus last night and pinned a 5-3 defeat on the Lions. … Around the WCC, former BYU big Gavin Baxter is headed to Utah.
EWU and Idaho: Around the Big Sky, appropriately, Montana State linebacker Troy Andersen is the first conference player picked in the NFL draft.
Chiefs: The season is over, done in by a first-round playoff sweep from Kamloops. The Blazers took game four 3-0 last night at the Arena. Kevin Dudley and Colin Mulvany were there, with Kevin writing the story and Colin supplying the photo gallery.
Preps: There was near-perfection Friday in GSL baseball. Dave Nichols passes along the news of a 21-strike-out, one-hit performance.
Indians: Spokane bounced back with a 4-1 win Friday night and have won eight of its last 11 games. Dave has the story.
Bloomsday: There are many Bloomsday stories concerning the surprising nature of the first attempt. Emma Epperly shares one that dates back to the first race in 1977 and continues on to this day. … Garrett Cabeza was at the Convention Center yesterday as the first check-in since 2019 became a reality.
Mariners: Matt Brash is going to have to locate his pitches better. He found that out last night when Tampa Bay patiently waited for him to find the strike zone – and then ripped the ball. … Mitch Haniger came back from COVID-19 only to be waylaid with a quick ankle injury.
Seahawks: Lucas wasn’t the only Hawk draft pick Friday. He was preceded by a pass rusher with the 40th pick and a running back. … Taking Kenneth Walker III with the 41st pick showed Seattle is even more committed to the running game than maybe we thought. And that Chris Carson’s future might be a bit in doubt. … No quarterback for the Hawks thus far. What does that mean?
Kraken: Seattle said goodbye to the home season last night, posting a 3-0 win over San Jose. Though the NHL season is over, the Kraken need to make up a game with Winnipeg on Sunday.
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• We’re back in Spokane for a few days. We have to pay bills, clean, make sure the house painting goes well and check in with a few people. The least Mother Nature could do is supply some nice weather. Will she? Being that it’s raining right now, we don’t think so. Until later …