When Julian Roberts looks back on the moment his name was called in the 2023 Major League Rugby Draft, he remembers one word. 

“Surreal.”

For a young player who had only discovered rugby after moving to Tennessee at 16, hearing his name called sixth overall in the Draft, and knowing he was about to become a professional rugby player, represented the fulfilment of a dream. Roberts had grown up playing football and other sports, with rugby nowhere near the top of his list. But after finding the game in high school, his trajectory changed quickly.

Three years after being selected by NOLA Gold out of Life University, Roberts has gone from promising college prospect to MLR standout and, this summer, a USA Eagle.

Now preparing to start at fullback against Argentina XV in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday, Roberts represents exactly what the MLR Draft can offer American rugby: a pathway from college rugby to the professional game, and potentially all the way to the international stage.

“I always wanted to play professional sport,” reflects Roberts. “Whilst that wasn’t in American football, I took that same mindset in wanting to get into the MLR. Getting drafted to a professional team was always my dream.”

For Roberts, the journey began at Life University, a program he describes as being “just as good as the professional level.” The environment gave him far more than rugby ability. The intensity of training, expectations around recovery and nutrition, and the standards away from the field helped prepare him for what was waiting in Major League Rugby.

“It was, and still is, a program that wants to win and I remember I just wanted to be part of it,” recalls Roberts who left Life University in 2023. “I had seen great players go through the program like Conner Moneyham, rocking the mullets. I just wanted to be cool like them.”

Mooneyham would go on to become MLR’s inaugural first-round pick in the 2020 Draft, adding his name to the long list of Life alumni who have gone on to represent the USA Eagles, including Roberts. MLR legends such as Cam Dolan and Dylan Fawsitt, along with Eagles star and English Premiership standout AJ MacGinty, all came through the Life program. The connection extends to the coaching ranks, too, with current Eagles head coach Scott Lawrence and assistant scrum coach Blake Bradford both having come through Life, with Bradford continuing to serve as the current Life head coach.

By the time Roberts entered the 2023 MLR Draft, he was ready for the opportunity.

“Being drafted for me was a major transition,” says Roberts. “It was huge. A major transition that ultimately felt like going into adulthood.

“I just wanted to be the best rugby player I could be. Major League Rugby gave me the opportunity to do that. In America, it is like the top of the top. So when you're in it and you're getting playing time and feeling good, then you feel you’ve made it to that big stage like the NFL and NBA, but just in rugby. You feel like you're at the top.”

Roberts admitted that his rookie season involved plenty of learning as he adjusted to the level and absorbed information from more experienced teammates.

But he quickly began to find his feet.

In 2024, Roberts was named NOLA Gold’s Rookie of the Year. In his sophomore season, he started all 10 games and scored four tries. 

He then moved to Anthem RC earlier this year where he took another significant step forward. With greater confidence and a growing understanding of the game, Roberts began to look increasingly comfortable expressing himself on the field.

His versatility quickly became one of his defining strengths. Across the season, he featured at wing, outside centre and fullback, establishing himself as a dynamic threat across the backline.

At Anthem, that freedom helped produce the best season of his professional career to date. Roberts was named in the All MLR First Team, the only Anthem RC player selected. He finished among the league’s top three players for breaks made, defenders beaten and try assists, underlining his impact not only as a versatile backline player, but as one of the league’s most dangerous attacking talents.

“At first when I entered MLR the game seemed so fast,” reflects Roberts. “But things now feel more slowed down. I can play it basically how I want and just express myself and be free. I feel way more comfortable.”

That progression has now taken Roberts to the USA Eagles.

His first international cap came on the Fourth of July against Portugal, before he appeared in all three of the Eagles’ Nations Cup games, including starting and scoring a try against Spain.

For Roberts, playing for the USA carried enormous personal significance. His family were there to watch his debut, making the occasion about much more than simply achieving an individual sporting goal.

“My parents came from Samoa and allowed me to be in this position here in the US,” says Roberts. “Getting that first cap was like a thank you to them. Representing my last name and representing America means a lot.”

Now Roberts heads into Saturday with another opportunity to represent his family.

The USA Eagles haven’t faced an Argentinian national team on US soil since 2018, when the Eagles won in Los Angeles. Now Roberts and his teammates face the heat of Florida, along with the excitement of building on their positive July performances in the Nations Cup.

“We knew coming into this camp it was going to be tough,” admits Roberts.

“We are constantly talking about raising our game 10% better every time. Aiming to be comfortable playing at Test match speed against strong opposition like Argentina.”

For Roberts and every member of the USA Eagles squad, each matchday opportunity is a chance to put down a marker in the race to be part of the Rugby World Cup squad in Australia next year.

That possibility is never far from Roberts’ mind. A dream he has carried since being selected in the MLR Draft.

“I’ve absolutely been thinking about it,” laughs Roberts. “It will be huge. Getting to play those Test matches in front of all those people will be surreal. It’s the biggest stage.”

The way Roberts is developing and performing would give any USA Eagles fan reason to look favourably on his chances of being among those heading to Australia next year.

He is also an ideal inspiration for the next generation of college players preparing for the MLR Draft and hoping to follow in Roberts’ footsteps.

His advice to players entering the Draft is simple: “Be confident, know your skills, master your craft and be ready when the opportunity comes. When that opportunity arises, you just take it and you run with it!”

That is precisely what makes his journey so compelling.

The MLR Draft cannot guarantee that every college standout will become a professional player. But Roberts is proof of what can happen when the pathway works.

He was the sixth overall pick in 2023.

Three years later, he is an MLR All-First Team player and a newly capped USA Eagle.