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.

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

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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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

Arlington Renegades

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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

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Player Position College
Adonis Boone OL Louisville
Jahlil Brown DB Central Connecticut State
Warren Ericson OL Georgia
Josh Falo TE USC

Houston Roughnecks

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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

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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

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Player Position College
Luke Ford WR Illinois
Micahh Smith DB Incarnate Word
Nazier Wright LB William Paterson

Seattle Sea Dragons

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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

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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

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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]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "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. 16 June 2023.
  3. ^ "St. Louis Battlehawks 2023 XFL Rookie Draft Recap". xflnewshub.com. 18 June 2023.
  4. ^ "St. Louis Battlehawks Reloading With the 2023 XFL Rookie Draft". Shady Sports Network. 16 June 2023.
  5. ^ "Seattle Sea Dragons 2023 XFL Rookie Draft Recap". xflnewshub.com. 18 June 2023.
  6. ^ "Seattle Sea Dragons Pass on Selecting a Quarterback, Load Up on Weapons". Shady Sports Network. 18 June 2023.
  7. ^ "XFL 2023 Draft: Orlando Guardians' Rookie Draft Recap – Breakdown of Positions and Talent Added". xflnewshub.com. 18 June 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. 17 June 2023.
  10. ^ "XFL 2024: Houston Roughnecks Rookie Draft Recap, Player Selections". xflnewshub.com. 17 June 2023.
  11. ^ "Houston Roughnecks Draft Recap". Shady Sports Network. 22 June 2023.
  12. ^ "Arlington Renegades 2023 XFL Rookie Draft Recap". xflnewshub.com. 16 June 2023.
  13. ^ "XFL: Arlington Renegades 2023 Rookie Draft". Shady Sports Network. 25 June 2023.
  14. ^ "XFL 2023 Draft: D.C. Defenders' Rookie Draft Recap – Breakdown of Positions and Talent Added". xflnewshub.com. 16 June 2023.
  15. ^ "XFL: DC Defenders 2023 Rookie Draft Recap". Shady Sports Network. 22 June 2023.
  16. ^ "XFL 2023 Draft: Vegas Vipers Rookie Draft Recap – Breakdown of Positions Taken". xflnewshub.com. 21 June 2023.
  17. ^ "Have the Vegas Vipers Injected More Venom Into This Roster for 2024?". Shady Sports Network. 26 June 2023.
  18. ^ "XFL: SA Brahmas 2023 Rookie Draft Recap". Shady Sports Network. 21 June 2023.
  19. ^ "XXFL 2023 Draft: San Antonio Brahmas Rookie Draft Recap – Breakdown of Positions Taken". xflnewshub.com. 22 June 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.