Draftee Connor Devos Signed for 2026

By Alistair Kirsch-Poole
Jan 15, 2026 - 12:00pm

Old Glory has announced that American prop Connor Devos has officially been signed to the 2026 roster after being drafted fourth overall in the 2025 MLR Draft back in August. The Texas native played rugby for Woodlands Youth Rugby Club before attending Lindenwood University, where he earned back-to-back first team All-American honors. His also earned interest from the national team, touring with both the USA U20 and U23 teams while in college.

His obvious talent led him to be a consensus top prospect for MLR teams, and sure enough he was selected by Old Glory fourth overall in the 2025 MLR Draft.

As a tighthead prop, he will be in a position group that is expected to contain all new faces for 2026. Devos will be joined by seasoned MLR veteran Paul Mullen, the presumptive starter and role model given his 88 MLR caps, and fellow rookie Patrick Beattie, a third round draft pick in 2024 who went uncapped last season with LA.

It will be interesting to see which of the two rookies seizes the opportunity and establishes himself as the better option off the bench. Devos was a higher pick in the draft, and while the correlation isn't perfect, higher draft picks do have a higher likelihood of turning into top-end players. However, Beattie comes in with the advantage of being a year ahead, which is a big advantage for a prop. Even the best props like Jack Iscaro and Cali Martinez took a couple seasons to properly break through at the MLR level. It wouldn't be unreasonable to see Devos get a limited role in his first season that then expands in future seasons as he develops.