The 2023 XFL draft was the player selection process to fill the rosters of the eight teams for the 2023 XFL season, and the second draft in the rebooted version of the XFL history, following the 2020 draft.
| 2023 XFL draft | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Date(s) | November 15–17, 2022 |
| Time | 8:30 AM PT |
| Location | Enterprise, Nevada |
| Overview | |
| League | XFL |
The draft was held on November 15–17, 2022, with results released through the XFL's social media channels.[1]
Eligibility
editThe XFL 2023 draft pool consists of 1,700 players that are eligible.[2][3] Of those, 528 players will advance to the preseason rosters.[4][5]
XFL personnel have evaluated nearly 6,000 players[6] in seven XFL showcases:[7][8][9] Washington, D.C. (College Park, MD),[10] HBCU (Jackson, MS),[11] Florida (Bradenton, FL),[12] Arizona (Tempe, AZ),[13] Hawaii (Honolulu, HI),[14] Texas (Arlington, TX) and "supplemental showcase" for players on the "XFL waitlist" in San Diego, CA, which was run by American National Combines (ANC).[15] The league also held a separate "Specialist Showcase" run by Nick Novak's Novak Kicking & Consulting.[16]
Selected players who participated in XFL showcases were given a "Player Pool Invitation" which was an official invitation to the 2023 draft.[17] XFL personnel also evaluated and invited players from NFL training camps and tryouts.[18] Players from 2020 XFL season were giving an automatic entry into the league's draft pool.[19] International players were excluded, since the league was ineligible to seek P visas for players from outside the United States.[20]
Structure
editThe 2023 XFL Draft followed the same basic layout as the 2020 XFL Draft: starting quarterbacks will be allocated in a separate process and revealed November 15, while the remaining positions will be separated by position.[1][21] It followed a "snake" format, with each position phase following a random order set prior to the draft, and that order reversing between odd and even rounds of the phase.[22][23]
- November 15
- Phase 0: Quarterbacks—2 rounds
- November 16
- Phase 1: offensive skill positions (running backs, wide receivers, and tight ends)—11 rounds
- Phase 2: defensive backs (cornerbacks and safeties)—11 rounds
- Phase 3: defensive front seven players (defensive linemen and linebackers)—11 rounds
- Phase 4: offensive linemen (offensive tackles, guards, and centers)—11 rounds
- November 17
- Phase 5: special teams (kicking players, long snappers)—3 rounds
- Phase 6: open draft (any position)—11 rounds
A supplemental draft was held on January 1, 2023 to allow players who were obligated to another league at the time of the November draft (this included players from the 2022 USFL season who signed before a loophole in the league's reserve clause was closed, as well as players on National Football League practice squad) to join the league.[4]
Teams did not have any reserve rights to any players they had employed in 2020, and thus all of the league's roster spots will be filled by way of the draft or the supplemental draft. Also, there were no territorial or college rights.
Draft results
editPhase 0: Tier 1 quarterback allocations
editPhase 1: Skill Players
editPhase 2: Defensive backs
editPhase 3: Defensive front seven
editPhase 4: Offensive line
editPhase 5: Specialists
editThe specialist draft consisted of three rounds with a total of 24 players selected. Each team selected a long snapper, a kicker and a punter.
Phase 6: Open draft
editPhase 7: Additional quarterback allocations
edit| Rnd. | Pick # | XFL team | Player | Pos. | College | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Arlington Renegades | Kevin Anderson | QB | Fordham | ||
| 1 | 2 | DC Defenders | No Selection Made | Jordan Ta'amu was assigned to DC on January 6, 2023, after his contract expired | |||
| 1 | 3 | Houston Roughnecks | Cole McDonald | QB | Hawaii | ||
| 1 | 4 | Vegas Vipers | No Selection Made | Bryan Scott was assigned on January 1, 2023, after his USFL contract expired | |||
| 1 | 5 | Orlando Guardians | Mitch Kidd | QB | Redlands | ||
| 1 | 6 | Seattle Sea Dragons | Brian Lewerke | QB | Michigan State | ||
| 1 | 7 | St. Louis BattleHawks | Nick Tiano | QB | Tennessee-Chattanooga | ||
| 1 | 8 | San Antonio Brahmas | Reid Sinnett | QB | San Diego | ||
| 2 | 9 | San Antonio Brahmas | Jack Coan | QB | Notre Dame |
Supplemental draft
editXFL supplemental draft was held 1 January 2023. The draft consisted of 17 rounds, with a total of 90 players selected. The teams followed a snake-style format with the pick order reversing each round. The selections included 1) players who were previously ineligible to be drafted, and 2) players who were not selected during the XFL Draft November 16-17. NFL Alumni Academy graduates who were not selected will be assigned to teams and instructed to report to training camp with their teammates.[29]
NFL Alumni Academy Player allocation
editPlayer allocations were announced via the XFL Communications Department's Twitter page on January 6.[31] The allocations were announced by team, rather than an order of selections.[31] All teams were allocated ten additional players with the exceptions of the Houston Roughnecks and Vegas Vipers who were allocated nine players.[31]
References
edit- ^ a b XFL [@XFL2023] (November 10, 2022). "#XFLDRAFT WEEK SCHEDULE: Nov 15: QB selection, livestream @ 11AM PT Nov 16–17: XFL Draft, coverage @ 8:30AM PT" (Tweet). Retrieved November 10, 2022 – via Twitter.
- ^ "Familiar faces, new names included in early reported XFL draft invites". XFL Board. July 10, 2022.
- ^ "Undrafted, but undeterred: Top undrafted players from XFL pool". XFL Board. November 27, 2022.
- ^ a b Seifert, Kevin (November 14, 2022). "What's next for the XFL? What you need to know about the QBs and this week's draft". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
- ^ "Strong International influence found in the XFL Draft Pool". American Football International. November 16, 2022.
- ^ "XFL Showcase Attendee List, Who Is Attending The Six Events". XFL News Hub. May 15, 2022.
- ^ "XFL Showcases; Summer Recap". YouTube. Archived from the original on January 27, 2023. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
- ^ "XFL To Host Player Showcase Series In Six Cities Across The United States". XFL. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
- ^ "XFL XFL Showcases FAQ". XFL.
- ^ "XFL hosts showcase in College Park". DC News Now. June 18, 2022.
- ^ "What to know about XFL HBCU showcase at Jackson State this weekend". Clarion Ledger.
- ^ "Emptying the notebook: Notes, quotes, and anecdotes from the XFL Florida Showcase". XFL board. June 22, 2022.
- ^ "Former ASU quarterback Manny Wilkins among XFL hopefuls at league's showcase". AZ Central.
- ^ "The Rock returns to the islands to host XFL Football Hawaii Showcase". Hawaii News Now. June 26, 2022.
- ^ "ANC Reveals Supplemental Showcase for Players on XFL Waitlist". usflnewsroom.com. September 2, 2022.
- ^ "XFL Partners with Nick Novak to Run Specialist Showcase". XFL.
- ^ "XFL 2023 Player Draft Pool Invitation Details, NFL Alumni Academy". XFL News Hub. June 24, 2022.
- ^ "XFL Draft November 2022, Supplemental Draft Details, Player Pool & More". XFL News Hub. June 10, 2022.
- ^ "XFL 3.0 Opens The Draft Door For XFL 2020 Players". XFL News Hub. August 4, 2022.
- ^ "4 Takeaways From The XFL's Arizona Showcase". XFL News Hub. July 27, 2022.
- ^ The Markcast® [@the_markcast] (November 10, 2022). "***Just a reminder! We will be going LIVE and reacting to the @XFL2023's 11/15 QB selection show AND 11/16 day 1 of the #XFL draft. ✅⤵️ http://themarkcast.com/watch to subscribe, will post links/guests soon! Tuesday, 11/15, 11 am PST + Wednesday, 11:16, 8:30 am PST #XFL #XFL2023" (Tweet). Retrieved November 10, 2022 – via Twitter.
- ^ "SELECTION ORDER FOR XFL DRAFT REVEALED". XFL. November 14, 2022. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
- ^ Rachuk, Stephan (November 14, 2022). "Selection Order for the 2023 XFL Draft Revealed". XFL Newsroom. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
- ^ "XFL Draft List of Selections - November 16-17, 2022". XFL News and Discussion. November 17, 2022. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
- ^ "New Football Leauge[sic] 2023 XFL Draft Results & Rosters". SI.com. November 18, 2022.
- ^ "2023 XFL Draft grades: Analysis, prospect profiles, remaining needs for all eight teams". CBS. November 17, 2022.
- ^ "XFL Teams Select Quarterbacks". XFL Board. November 15, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e "Draft Central". www.xfl.com. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
- ^ "Supplemental Draft Picks 2023". XFL.com. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
- ^ Miller, Anthony (January 2, 2023). "XFL 2023 Supplemental Draft Recap: Arlington Renegades Draft Highlights Include De'Veon Smith, Donald Payne". XFL News Hub. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
- ^ a b c XFL Communications Department [@XFL_PR] (January 6, 2023). "The following players have been assigned to XFL training camp rosters: (in thread)" (Tweet) – via Twitter.