Bradlee Anae
Bradlee Joseph Ioane Anae is an American professional football linebacker/defensive lineman for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League. He played college football for the Utah Utes.
Early life
Anae grew up in Laie, Hawaii and attended Kahuku High & Intermediate School, where he was a member of the basketball, football, and track teams. As a senior, he contributed to the school earning a 13-0 record and winning the Division 1 state title. He received All-state and second-team All-USA Hawaii honors. He is of Samoan descent.Rated a three-star recruit, Anae committed to play college football at the University of Utah over offers from Vanderbilt and BYU. He followed his older sister Adora, who was a volleyball scholar athlete at the school.
College career
Anae played in six games for Utah as a true freshman defensive end backup, recording four tackles and two sacks. He started 9 games at right defensive end and one at defensive tackle for the Utes during his sophomore year, registering 39 total tackles, 3 forced fumbles, with a team-leading 7.0 sacks and tying for the team lead with 10.0 tackles for loss.As a junior, he started all 14 games. He led the Pac-12 Conference with 8.0 sacks and finished third in the conference with 15.5 tackles for loss along with 51 total tackles, three passes broken up, 2 forced fumbles and was named first-team All-Pac-12. He considered entering the 2019 NFL draft, but ultimately decided to return for his senior season.
As a senior, he started all 14 games at left defensive end and was part of a stout defensive unit that saw 6 players selected in the 2020 NFL draft. Anae was named preseason first-team All-Pac-12 and to the Bednarik Award watch list going into his senior year. He tied the Utah career sack record with 29.5 after posting 1.5 sacks against Colorado on November 30, 2019. Anae broke the career sack record in the 2019 Alamo Bowl, the final game of his career, with a half sack against the University of Texas. Anae finished his senior season with 14 starts, 41 tackles, 13.0 sacks, 14.0 tackles for loss and a forced fumble, while being named first-team All-Pac-12, consensus All-American selection, received the Morris Trophy as the best defensive lineman in the Pac-12 and was a finalist for the Ted Hendricks Award. He also participated in the 2020 Senior Bowl, where he had 3 sacks and received defensive MVP honors.
He finished his college career with 38 starts out of 47 games, 30 sacks, 210 sack yards, 41.5 tackles for loss, 245 tackle for loss yards and 6 forced fumbles.
Professional career
Dallas Cowboys
Anae was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the fifth round with the 179th overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft, after dropping because he didn't test well at the NFL Scouting Combine. As a rookie, he appeared in the first six games with minimum playing opportunities. After defensive end Randy Gregory returned from his suspension, Anae was declared inactive in nine of the last 10 contests. It was later reported in the media, that the team's defensive end depth and his struggles against the run were the reasons for his lack of playing time. He played mainly on special teams and had one defensive tackle.On September 24, 2021, he was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list. On October 6, he was activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list. On November 2, Anae was waived after committing a defensive offsides penalty on fourth-and-5 in the second quarter against the Minnesota Vikings, that kept a drive alive. On November 4, he was re-signed to the practice squad. He appeared in 4 games as a backup defensive end, making 2 defensive tackles.
New York Jets (first stint)
On January 19, 2022, Anae signed a reserve/future contract with the New York Jets. He was waived on August 30, and re-signed to the practice squad the next day. On January 7, 2023, he was promoted to the active roster to provide depth for the season finale against the Miami Dolphins.In 2023, he returned to the team to compete for a roster position. He was placed on injured reserve on May 25, 2023. He became an unrestricted free agent and was not re-signed at the end of the season.