2023 XFL rookie draft
2023 American football player draft
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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.
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):
| Selection | Team | 2023 record | Playoff result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Orlando Guardians | 1-9 | Did not qualify |
| 2 | Vegas Vipers | 2-8 | Did not qualify |
| 3 | San Antonio Brahmas | 3-7 | Did not qualify |
| 4 | St. Louis Battlehawks | 7-3 | Did not qualify |
| 5 | Seattle Sea Dragons | 7-3 | Div Championship |
| 6 | Houston Roughnecks | 7-3 | Div Championship |
| 7 | DC Defenders | 9-1 | Lost Championship |
| 8 | Arlington Renegades | 4-6 | Won 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
| Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|
| Sy Barnett | WR | Davenport |
| Connor Degenhardt | QB | New Haven |
| Ami Finau | DL | Maryland |
| Jalen Green | DB | Mississippi State |
| Charles Hall | WR | Arizona State |
| James Jackson | OL | South Alabama |
| Jordan Rhodes | OL | Arkansas State |
| Merlin Robertson | LB | Arizona State |
| Chris Whittaker | LB | Incarnate Word |
| Jordan Wright | LB | Kentucky |
DC Defenders
| Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|
| Paxton Brooks | P | Tennessee |
| Matt Carrick | OL | Michigan State |
| Alex Jensen | OL | South Dakota |
| C. J. Johnson | WR | East Carolina |
| Kaleb Oliver | LB | Western Kentucky |
| Jack Plumb | OL | Iowa |
| Bentlee Sanders | DB | Nevada |
| Mohamed Sanogo | LB | Louisville |
| Ty Scott | WR | Missouri State |
| Trea Shropshire | WR | UAB |
Houston Roughnecks
| Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|
| Jayson Ademilola | DL | Notre Dame |
| Austin Ajiake | LB | UNLV |
| Michael Ayers | LB | Ashland |
| Quinton Barrow | DB | Grand Valley State |
| Momar Fall | DL | Colorado State Pueblo |
| Ahofitu Maka | OL | UTSA |
| Alijah McGhee | DB | Minnesota State-Mankato |
| Marcus Minor | OL | Pittsburgh |
| Marvin Pierre | LB | Kent State |
| Lindsey Scott Jr. | QB | Incarnate Word |
Orlando Guardians
| Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|
| Jeremy Cooper | OL | Cincinnati |
| Kosi Eldridge | LB | Texas Tech |
| Terry Hampton | DL | Arkansas |
| K.D. Hill | DL | Ole Miss |
| Jarrett Horst | OL | Michigan State |
| Darius Joiner | DB | Duke |
| Jacquez Jones | LB | Kentucky |
| Keyron Kinsler | DB | Alcorn State |
| Brock Martin | DL | Oklahoma State |
| Laquinston Sharp | OL | Mississippi State |
San Antonio Brahmas
| Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|
| Jahleel Billingsley | TE | Texas |
| Brendan Bordner | OL | Florida Atlantic |
| Carlos Carriere | WR | Central Michigan |
| Darrious Gaines | DB | Western Colorado |
| R.J. Hubert | DB | Utah |
| Lorenzo McCaskill | LB | Kansas |
| Dylan O'Quinn | OL | Cincinnati |
| J.C. Santana | WR | Tulsa |
| Chris Smith | RB | Louisiana |
| Dillon Thomas | DB | Missouri State |
Seattle Sea Dragons
| Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|
| Sam Burt | DL | Kansas |
| Des Holmes | OL | Arizona State |
| Malcolm Lee | DL | Kansas |
| Wes Moeai | DL | Rocky Mountain |
| Colby Reeder | LB | Iowa State |
| Titus Swen | RB | Wyoming |
| Destin Talbert | DB | North Dakota State |
| Chad Townsend | WR | Texas Tech |
| Jazston Turnetine | OL | Florida State |
| Payton Wilgar | LB | BYU |
St. Louis Battlehawks
| Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|
| Nico Bolden | DB | Kent State |
| James Bostic | RB | Ohio |
| Johnny Buchanan | LB | Delaware |
| Darion Chafin | WR | Incarnate Word |
| Jaocb Gall | OL | Baylor |
| Kemore Gamble | TE | UCF |
| Matthew Jester | DL | Princeton |
| Kevo Latulas | RB | Missouri State |
| Jadrian Taylor | DL | UTEP |
| Anthony Witherstone | DB | Merrimack |
Vegas Vipers
| Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|
| Nick Amoah | OL | UC Davis |
| Desmond Bessent | OL | Buffalo |
| Dwayne Boyles | LB | South Florida |
| Stacy Chukwumezie | WR | Northern Arizona |
| Jamare Edwards | DL | James Madison |
| Lorenzo Fauatea | DL | BYU |
| T.J. Green | RB | Liberty |
| Robert Mitchell | OL | North Carolina Central |
| Darrius Nash | DB | Utah Tech |
| Naasir Watkins | OL | Liberty |
Undrafted players
On June 20, the XFL announced that the rights to 44 undrafted players have been claimed by teams.[21]
Arlington Renegades
| Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|
| Tyrell Aijan | DB | Kentucky |
| Connor Blumrick | QB | Virginia Tech |
| Noah Henderson | OL | East Carolina |
| Ike Irabor | RB | Union |
| Todd Simmons | WR | Dubuque |
| Noah Taylor | LB | North Carolina |
DC Defenders
| Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|
| Adonis Boone | OL | Louisville |
| Jahlil Brown | DB | Central Connecticut State |
| Warren Ericson | OL | Georgia |
| Josh Falo | TE | USC |
Houston Roughnecks
| Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|
| Isaiah Bowser | RB | UCF |
| Cody Chrest | WR | Sam Houston State |
| Christian Ealey | OL | Kentucky Wesleyan |
| Dalton Godfrey | LS | South Dakota |
| Braydon Johnson | WR | Oklahoma State |
| Destin Mack | DB | The Citadel |
| Christian Morgan | DB | Baylor |
Orlando Guardians
| Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|
| Bo Bauer | LB | Notre Dame |
| Daetrich Harrington | RB | Appalachian State |
| Stacey Marshall | WR | Marshall |
| Shea Pitts | DB | UCLA |
| Zane Pope | WR | Fresno State |
| Tre'Mond Shorts | OL | LSU |
| Bryson Speas | OL | North Carolina State |
San Antonio Brahmas
| Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|
| Luke Ford | WR | Illinois |
| Micahh Smith | DB | Incarnate Word |
| Nazier Wright | LB | William Paterson |
Seattle Sea Dragons
| Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|
| Dillon Doyle | LB | Baylor |
| Beau Kelly | WR | Portland State |
| Luke Loecher | P | Oregon State |
| N'Kosi Perry | QB | Florida Atlantic |
| Morgan Vest | DB | Northern Arizona |
| Dawson Weber | DB | North Dakota State |
| Lazarius Williams | DL | New Mexico State |
St. Louis Battlehawks
| Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|
| Kemari Averett | WR | Bethune–Cookman |
| Eric Black | DL | Stony Brook |
| Aidan Borguet | RB | Harvard |
| Marcus Cushnie | LB | UMass |
| Jaylen Hall | WR | Western Kentucky |
| Dom Peterson | DL | Nevada |
| Justin Ragin | DL | Jackson State |
Vegas Vipers
| Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|
| Trey Cobb | LB | Appalachian State |
| Alfred Edwards | OL | Utah State |
| Victor Jones | DL | 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]