Pro Hogs

Two more former Hogs drafted by start-up league

Arkansas safety Jerico Nelson returns an interception for a touchdown during the fourth quarter of a game against Vanderbilt on Saturday, Oct. 30, 2010 at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville.
Arkansas safety Jerico Nelson returns an interception for a touchdown during the fourth quarter of a game against Vanderbilt on Saturday, Oct. 30, 2010 at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville.

A trio of players from one of Arkansas' best teams are once again teammates.

Linebacker Alonzo Highsmith and defensive back Jerico Nelson were drafted Thursday by the same start-up Major League Football team that picked wide receiver Joe Adams first overall Wednesday.

All three players were on the Razorbacks' 2011 team that won the Cotton Bowl and was ranked No. 5 in the final AP poll.

They'll be reunited on a team coached by former Dallas Cowboys head coach Dave Campo. The locations of the eight MLFB teams have not been announced, but it has been reported that the league is eyeing Little Rock as a potential home for one of the franchises.

Adams was taken in the one-round "Franchise Player" portion of the draft, while Highsmith and Nelson went in the "Territorial" portion, which consists of rounds 2-40.

Highsmith was Campo's third-round selection, going 17th overall. He played at Arkansas in 2011 and 2012, before stints with the Miami Dolphins, Kansas City Chiefs and Washington Redskins. He has never made an NFL 53-man roster.

Nelson went in the ninth round, 65th overall. He played for the Razorbacks from 2008-2011. In the NFL, he appeared in three games for the New Orleans Saints during the 2012 season, but didn't register any statistics.

Major League Football is a spring football league scheduled to begin play this year. It hopes to develop players for the NFL. For more information, read Wednesday's story about Adams being drafted.

The three Razorbacks aren't the only players on Campo's team with Arkansas ties.

He also drafted former Arkansas-Pine Bluff defensive end Damian Lee (12th round), former Arkansas Tech defensive tackle Justin Martin (15th round) and former Henderson State offensive lineman Javon Ross (18th round).

The "Territorial" draft will resume Friday at 9 a.m. with rounds 21-40. The league is also scheduled to have a "National" draft Friday.

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