At 6'1" and 240 pounds, Coby Baker is one of them, and now that frame and everything he's built around it at Cal Poly belong to Major League Rugby. California Legion made it official in the 2026 MLR Collegiate Draft, and the newest episode of Meet The Drafted has him sitting down with Will Hooley to talk about what happens next.

Baker's game isn't just about size. He brings an offloading and kicking game to go with the physicality, the kind of skill set that could slot dangerously well into what's already one of MLR's most lethal attacks. In the episode, he talks through achieving the dream of turning pro, what he plans to bring to the Legion, and why that combination, power up front, skill in the back, is what he thinks makes him different.

Here's the twist, though: ask Baker who he looks up to, and the answer isn't just about the players you'd expect. He names an All Blacks legend among his rugby idols, and, in a detail that adds a nice wrinkle to his own draft story, a player who could soon be lining up as his own California Legion teammate.

The full journey is worth hearing in his own words:

• Discovering rugby while living in Malaysia, watching his dad play
• Representing the USA at U20 and U23 level
• Becoming a two-time Rudy Scholz Award finalist
• Earning his shot at the professional game with California Legion

And there's more to Baker than what happens on the pitch. He cooks. He surfs. It's the kind of detail that rounds out a player before he's played a single professional minute, and it's exactly why Meet The Drafted exists.