2023 XFL rookie draft

Last updated

2023 XFL rookie draft
General information
Date(s)June 16, 2023
Time11:00 AM ET
Overview
League XFL
  2023
2024  

The 2023 XFL rookie draft was the player selection process to fill the rosters of the eight teams for the 2024 XFL season, and the only rookie draft in the rebooted version of the XFL's history.

Contents

The draft was held on June 16, 2023, [1] with results released through the XFL's social media channels later that evening, with 80 players being selected.

Eligibility

The XFL 2023 "rookie" draft pool consisted only player who were eligible to have been drafted in the 2023 NFL draft and who are not under contract by a professional football team (players under contract with Indoor Football League are eligible to be drafted). [1]

Drafted rookies will be placed on XFL rosters with players who finished the 2023 season on active and reserve lists and teams will hold exclusive rights with the players they select in the draft. [1]

Selection order

The draft was to consist up to 10 rounds. XFL team rosters will be expanded from 51 to 90 players to allow for the increased number of players. [1]

The selection order was follows (the selection order for subsequent rounds followed the order of the first round):

SelectionTeam2023 recordPlayoff result
1 Orlando Guardians 1-9Did not qualify
2 Vegas Vipers 2-8Did not qualify
3 San Antonio Brahmas 3-7Did not qualify
4 St. Louis Battlehawks 7-3Did not qualify
5 Seattle Sea Dragons 7-3Div Championship
6 Houston Roughnecks 7-3Div Championship
7 DC Defenders 9-1Lost Championship
8 Arlington Renegades 4-6Won Championship

Before the draft, the Renegades and Sea Dragons complete a trade, with Arlington receiving linebacker Tuzar Skipper and the 46th overall pick and Seattle receives offensive lineman George Moore and the 40th overall pick. [2]

Draft results

Reference [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19]

On the evening of the event, the XFL announced that the following 80 players were selected in the rookie draft. The league didn't published selection order and just announced the selections in alphabetical order by team. [20]

Arlington Renegades

PlayerPositionCollege
Sy BarnettWR Davenport
Connor Degenhardt QB New Haven
Ami FinauDL Maryland
Jalen GreenDB Mississippi State
Charles HallWR Arizona State
James JacksonOL South Alabama
Jordan RhodesOL Arkansas State
Merlin RobertsonLB Arizona State
Chris WhittakerLB Incarnate Word
Jordan WrightLB Kentucky

DC Defenders

PlayerPositionCollege
Paxton BrooksP Tennessee
Matt CarrickOL Michigan State
Alex JensenOL South Dakota
C. J. Johnson WR East Carolina
Kaleb OliverLB Western Kentucky
Jack PlumbOL Iowa
Bentlee Sanders DB Nevada
Mohamed SanogoLB Louisville
Ty Scott WR Missouri State
Trea ShropshireWR UAB

Houston Roughnecks

PlayerPositionCollege
Jayson AdemilolaDL Notre Dame
Austin Ajiake LB UNLV
Michael AyersLB Ashland
Quinton BarrowDB Grand Valley State
Momar FallDL Colorado State Pueblo
Ahofitu MakaOL UTSA
Alijah McGheeDB Minnesota State-Mankato
Marcus MinorOL Pittsburgh
Marvin PierreLB Kent State
Lindsey Scott Jr. QB Incarnate Word

Orlando Guardians

PlayerPositionCollege
Jeremy CooperOL Cincinnati
Kosi EldridgeLB Texas Tech
Terry HamptonDL Arkansas
K.D. HillDL Ole Miss
Jarrett HorstOL Michigan State
Darius JoinerDB Duke
Jacquez JonesLB Kentucky
Keyron KinslerDB Alcorn State
Brock MartinDL Oklahoma State
Laquinston SharpOL Mississippi State

San Antonio Brahmas

PlayerPositionCollege
Jahleel Billingsley TE Texas
Brendan Bordner OL Florida Atlantic
Carlos CarriereWR Central Michigan
Darrious GainesDB Western Colorado
R.J. HubertDB Utah
Lorenzo McCaskillLB Kansas
Dylan O'QuinnOL Cincinnati
J.C. SantanaWR Tulsa
Chris Smith RB Louisiana
Dillon ThomasDB Missouri State

Seattle Sea Dragons

PlayerPositionCollege
Sam BurtDL Kansas
Des Holmes OL Arizona State
Malcolm LeeDL Kansas
Wes MoeaiDL Rocky Mountain
Colby ReederLB Iowa State
Titus SwenRB Wyoming
Destin TalbertDB North Dakota State
Chad TownsendWR Texas Tech
Jazston TurnetineOL Florida State
Payton WilgarLB BYU

St. Louis Battlehawks

PlayerPositionCollege
Nico BoldenDB Kent State
James BosticRB Ohio
Johnny Buchanan LB Delaware
Darion ChafinWR Incarnate Word
Jaocb GallOL Baylor
Kemore GambleTE UCF
Matthew JesterDL Princeton
Kevo LatulasRB Missouri State
Jadrian TaylorDL UTEP
Anthony WitherstoneDB Merrimack

Vegas Vipers

PlayerPositionCollege
Nick AmoahOL UC Davis
Desmond BessentOL Buffalo
Dwayne BoylesLB South Florida
Stacy ChukwumezieWR Northern Arizona
Jamare EdwardsDL James Madison
Lorenzo FauateaDL BYU
T.J. GreenRB Liberty
Robert MitchellOL North Carolina Central
Darrius NashDB Utah Tech
Naasir WatkinsOL Liberty

Undrafted players

On June 20, the XFL announced that the rights to 44 undrafted players have been claimed by teams. [21]

Arlington Renegades

PlayerPositionCollege
Tyrell AijanDB Kentucky
Connor BlumrickQB Virginia Tech
Noah HendersonOL East Carolina
Ike IraborRB Union
Todd SimmonsWR Dubuque
Noah TaylorLB North Carolina

DC Defenders

PlayerPositionCollege
Adonis BooneOL Louisville
Jahlil BrownDB Central Connecticut State
Warren EricsonOL Georgia
Josh FaloTE USC

Houston Roughnecks

PlayerPositionCollege
Isaiah BowserRB UCF
Cody ChrestWR Sam Houston State
Christian EaleyOL Kentucky Wesleyan
Dalton GodfreyLS South Dakota
Braydon JohnsonWR Oklahoma State
Destin MackDB The Citadel
Christian MorganDB Baylor

Orlando Guardians

PlayerPositionCollege
Bo BauerLB Notre Dame
Daetrich HarringtonRB Appalachian State
Stacey MarshallWR Marshall
Shea PittsDB UCLA
Zane PopeWR Fresno State
Tre'Mond ShortsOL LSU
Bryson SpeasOL North Carolina State

San Antonio Brahmas

PlayerPositionCollege
Luke FordWR Illinois
Micahh SmithDB Incarnate Word
Nazier WrightLB William Paterson

Seattle Sea Dragons

PlayerPositionCollege
Dillon DoyleLB Baylor
Beau KellyWR Portland State
Luke LoecherP Oregon State
N'Kosi Perry QB Florida Atlantic
Morgan VestDB Northern Arizona
Dawson WeberDB North Dakota State
Lazarius WilliamsDL New Mexico State

St. Louis Battlehawks

PlayerPositionCollege
Kemari AverettWR Bethune–Cookman
Eric BlackDL Stony Brook
Aidan BorguetRB Harvard
Marcus CushnieLB UMass
Jaylen HallWR Western Kentucky
Dom PetersonDL Nevada
Justin RaginDL Jackson State

Vegas Vipers

PlayerPositionCollege
Trey CobbLB Appalachian State
Alfred EdwardsOL Utah State
Victor JonesDL Akron

Other undrafted players were invited to XFL player showcases, with a chance to exhibit their skills in front of XFL coaches and personnel directors. Players were evaluated based on performance for inclusion in the XFL player pool for the upcoming 2024 season. The top performers were invited to the XFL Combine, which was held July 25–27 in Arlington, Texas. [22]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "XFL to Host 2023 Rookie Draft on Friday, June 16". XFL. June 14, 2023.
  2. "XFL Trade: Renegades and Sea Dragons Complete Trade in Advance of 2023 XFL Rookie Draft". xflnewshub.com. June 16, 2023.
  3. "St. Louis Battlehawks 2023 XFL Rookie Draft Recap". xflnewshub.com. June 18, 2023.
  4. "St. Louis Battlehawks Reloading With the 2023 XFL Rookie Draft". Shady Sports Network. June 16, 2023.
  5. "Seattle Sea Dragons 2023 XFL Rookie Draft Recap". xflnewshub.com. June 18, 2023.
  6. "Seattle Sea Dragons Pass on Selecting a Quarterback, Load Up on Weapons". Shady Sports Network. June 18, 2023.
  7. "XFL 2023 Draft: Orlando Guardians' Rookie Draft Recap – Breakdown of Positions and Talent Added". xflnewshub.com. June 18, 2023.
  8. Perry, Mark (June 18, 2023). "Orlando Guardians' Strategy Revealed: Terrell Buckley on XFL 2023 Draft Picks". xflnewshub.com.
  9. "2023 XFL draft: Orlando Guardians look to improve on league's worst record". Shady Sports Network. June 17, 2023.
  10. "XFL 2024: Houston Roughnecks Rookie Draft Recap, Player Selections". xflnewshub.com. June 17, 2023.
  11. "Houston Roughnecks Draft Recap". Shady Sports Network. June 22, 2023.
  12. "Arlington Renegades 2023 XFL Rookie Draft Recap". xflnewshub.com. June 16, 2023.
  13. "XFL: Arlington Renegades 2023 Rookie Draft". Shady Sports Network. June 25, 2023.
  14. "XFL 2023 Draft: D.C. Defenders' Rookie Draft Recap – Breakdown of Positions and Talent Added". xflnewshub.com. June 16, 2023.
  15. "XFL: DC Defenders 2023 Rookie Draft Recap". Shady Sports Network. June 22, 2023.
  16. "XFL 2023 Draft: Vegas Vipers Rookie Draft Recap – Breakdown of Positions Taken". xflnewshub.com. June 21, 2023.
  17. "Have the Vegas Vipers Injected More Venom Into This Roster for 2024?". Shady Sports Network. June 26, 2023.
  18. "XFL: SA Brahmas 2023 Rookie Draft Recap". Shady Sports Network. June 21, 2023.
  19. "XXFL 2023 Draft: San Antonio Brahmas Rookie Draft Recap – Breakdown of Positions Taken". xflnewshub.com. June 22, 2023.
  20. "XFL Rookie Draft 2023". XFL.com.
  21. "XFL Teams Claim Rights to 44 Undrafted Rookies". XFL.com. June 20, 2023.
  22. "XFL Completes Rookie Draft". XFL.com.