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It took 49 minutes for the United Football League to conduct its 10-round draft Monday.
It will take until the end of the NFL’s lockout for two former Hawaii football players to decide whether to accept UFL offers.
The Sacramento Mountain Lions selected offensive lineman Kainoa LaCount in the seventh round and safety Mana Silva in the 10th. The league’s five teams announced the selections through Twitter posts.
"I had no idea I was picked," LaCount said. "I was getting ready to watch the Laker game, and then (former UH center) Bronson Tiwanak called me. He said Sacramento drafted me. I checked it out online, and it was true. That’s how it all went down."
Later, Sacramento officials contacted LaCount and Silva. The team did not indicate when it would initiate contract negotiations.
"Right now, I’m considering it for sure," LaCount said. "It’s a backup plan for me. We don’t know how long the (NFL) lockout will be."
During the lockout, NFL teams are not permitted to negotiate with undrafted free agents. LaCount and Silva are hopeful of receiving NFL free-agent offers when the lockout is lifted.
"I talked to the (Mountain Lions), and we’ll see what happens," LaCount said. "There’s a lot of time."
UFL camps do not open until July.
Silva also said he will wait for the NFL lockout to end.
"That’s pretty much my plan," Silva said.
In the two months leading to last week’s NFL Draft, Silva and LaCount trained in Arizona. LaCount remained there while Silva returned to Hawaii to train.
Neither was selected in the NFL’s seven-round draft, making them eligible for the UFL draft. The UFL has five teams in cities that do not have NFL teams. The UFL season runs from September through November.
