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Day 1 of the XFL draft is complete after the league's eight teams took turns in a snake format to choose 352 players over 44 rounds.
This draft was broken down by position. The first 11 rounds consisted of offensive skill-position players (minus quarterbacks). Defensive backs went in the next 11 rounds.
The defensive front seven then took its turn from Rounds 23-33. Finally, the offensive line took centerstage to round out the day.
The third iteration of the XFL will kick off on Saturday, February 18. Like the last two versions of the league, there will be eight teams.
For this year, they are the Arlington Renegades, DC Defenders, Houston Roughnecks, Orlando Guardians, San Antonio Brahmas, Seattle Sea Dragons, St. Louis BattleHawks and Vegas Vipers.
You can find each team's roster thus far by clicking on this link from XFL.com, heading to the "Team" section and finding who you're looking for through the dropdown menu. There's also a running list here from Kevin Skiver of Sporting News.
The eight XFL head coaches pre-selected their quarterbacks before the draft, so signal-callers were not involved in Wednesday's process. They were announced on Quarterback Selection Show, which aired Tuesday on XFL.com.
Ari Meirov relayed the list of names from the XFL.
Notable names at quarterback include A.J. McCarron, who spent six seasons in the NFL (primarily as a backup) for the Cincinnati Bengals, Oakland Raiders and Houston Texans. McCarron also signed with the Atlanta Falcons for the 2021 season, but he suffered a torn ACL during the preseason that ended his campaign.
In 17 games (four starts), the 32-year-old completed 62.6 percent of his passes for 1,173 yards (6.7 yards per attempt), six touchdowns and three interceptions.
McCarron was Alabama's starter at quarterback when the Crimson Tide won back-to-back national titles in 2011 and 2012. He'll suit up for the St. Louis Battlehawks.
Luis Perez is back in the XFL after previously playing for the New York Guardians in 2020. He most recently led the USFL's New Jersey Generals to a 9-1 record and a playoff appearance. Perez starred by completing 71.7 percent of his passes for 1,200 yards, nine touchdowns and just one interception. He then joined the Los Angeles Rams for training camp but was waived in August. Perez will play for the Vegas Vipers.
Former James Madison star Ben DiNucci is also in. He most recently spent time with the Dallas Cowboys and made one start in 2020, completing 21-of-40 passes for 180 yards in a 23-9 road loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. He spent the 2021 season on Dallas' practice squad and training camp with the team this year before being waived.
Day 2 of the draft will consist of the eight teams choosing their kickers, punters and long snappers. That will then be "followed by open selections for all available positions," a process that teams can opt out of if they so choose.
There will also be a supplemental draft in early 2023 for anyone currently under contract with another professional sports league.
The D.C. Defenders will be selecting first in the XFL draft.
The new league, which is co-owned by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, announced the draft order and schedule for this week's event:
According to the league's official website, the draft will take place at the UFC APEX facility in Las Vegas. A total of 1,700 players in the XFL draft pool will be competing for the 528 training camp spot and 400 active player roster spots, but XFL head coaches already pre-selected quarterbacks.
Those quarterbacks will be announced Tuesday during a live-stream on the league website.
The first day of the draft will see offensive skill positions, defensive backs, defensive front-seven players and offensive linemen selected with 11 rounds of picks per the four positional groupings, while the second day will be dedicated to special team players before time dedicated to open selections for all positions.
While past attempts at XFL leagues have failed, there is no shortage of star power this time around.
Not only is The Rock involved as one of the league owners, but former Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops is the head coach of the Arlington Renegades. Four-time Pro Bowler and two-time Super Bowl champion Hines Ward is the head coach of the San Antonio Brahmas, and Pro Football Hall of Famer Rod Woodson is the head coach of the Vegas Vipers. Meanwhile, longtime NFL head coach and defensive coordinator Wade Phillips will serve as the head coach for the Houston Roughnecks.
One of the biggest questions heading into the post-NFL season for the new league is whether any players will emerge as household names.
P.J. Walker starred in the last edition of the XFL and is now a quarterback on the Carolina Panthers with five starts under his belt this season. He also started a game in 2020 and 2021 for the NFC South team.
Maybe the next Walker will hear his name called in the upcoming draft.
XFL co-owner Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson announced team names for the football league's upcoming 2023 season Monday.
The league is set to include three direct carryovers from the 2020 season—the D.C. Defenders, Houston Roughnecks and St. Louis Battlehawks—along with a slight name change for the Seattle Dragons, who've added Sea to their name.
Elsewhere, the Guardians have moved from New York to Orlando, the Vipers have relocated to Las Vegas from Tampa Bay and the Renegades made a small switch from Dallas to Arlington.
The one completely new franchise is the San Antonio Brahmas, who replace the Los Angeles Wildcats.
Here's a look at the team logos:
The XFL completed half of its 2020 regular-season schedule before the remainder of the campaign was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In August 2020, five months after the league shut down, a group that included Johnson, business partner Dany Garcia and RedBird Capital Partners purchased the XFL out of Chapter 11 bankruptcy for $15 million.
The league was owned by former WWE chairman Vince McMahon during both its 2001 and 2020 iterations.
In May, the XFL announced its 2023 season would kick off Feb. 18, six days after the NFL's Super Bowl, with all games being broadcast on the ESPN family of networks.
Johnson attended the league's HBCU showcase at Jackson State in July, saying the XFL is searching for potential hidden gems that may not attract immediate attention from NFL teams.
"Looking at places that are generally overlooked and even the ones that are looked at, for example, like a Jackson State when scouts come here, and they look, and they see, and they evaluate the players," Johnson told reporters. "Well, now we come along, and we want to evaluate the players, but maybe there is an opportunity here. Let's explore, let's dig deeper."
While none of the spring football leagues over the years has emerged as a true alternative to the NFL, leagues like the XFL can be a terrific proving ground for players on the fringe.
Dozens of players who took part in the abbreviated 2020 XFL season went on to sign contracts in the NFL or CFL after the league shut down.
XFL President Russ Brandon previously said the league was aiming for a mid-November draft, though an official date still hasn't been announced in wake of the team name reveals.
The eight XFL teams now know where they will play in 2023.
Kevin Seifert of ESPN reported the league will have teams in Las Vegas; Orlando, Florida; San Antonio; Arlington, Texas; Houston; St. Louis; Seattle and Washington, D.C. The first three are new cities that were not used in the previous iteration of the league and replace New York, Los Angeles and Tampa Bay.
Seifert also noted the league assigned home stadiums for every team except the one in Las Vegas, which may eventually play in Allegiant Stadium.
The coaches were also assigned to teams with Bob Stoops taking over the Arlington one and Hines Ward taking over the San Antonio one:
While the teams are still missing nicknames, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, who is the league's owner, said, "We have been working on cool, new logos and innovative uniforms that match the dynamic and innovative vision of our league."
In April, the XFL announced it partnered with the NFL Alumni Academy to provide training programs for players who may play in the league.
This comeback is happening after the XFL suspended operations and eventually canceled the season in March 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It also filed for bankruptcy in April of that year.
The first game for the new iteration is scheduled for Feb. 18.
The XFL has found a new broadcast home as it prepares for its upcoming relaunch.
The pro football league, featuring an ownership group led by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Dany Garcia and Gerry Cardinale’s RedBird Capital Partners, has reached a multi-year agreement with the Walt Disney Company for ESPN to be the exclusive broadcast partner starting with the 2023 season.
The XFL is set to kick off its return on Saturday, Feb. 18, 2023. The schedule will feature 40 regular-season matchups, two semifinal playoff games and a championship.
The announcement of the broadcast deal coincided with Johnson and Garcia's appearance at the Disney Upfront presentation in New York on Tuesday.
"This is a definitive moment for the XFL and the beginning of an incredible, long-term partnership for the league, building on my longstanding, very successful legacy relationship I've had with Disney throughout my career," Johnson said.
The XFL was most recently active for its comeback season in 2020 under the ownership of WWE chairman Vince McMahon. The season lasted just five weeks before ceasing operations and filing for bankruptcy in April due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Johnson and his ownership consortium purchased the XFL for $15 million in August 2020.
According to the release, XFL games will be broadcast on "a combination of ABC, ESPN networks and FX." The agreement also gives ESPN exclusive content rights for its digital and social platforms, including ESPN+.
"Through the combined power of Disney and the XFL, together we will create a new powerhouse on the sports calendar and bring a dynamic game of football to fans everywhere," Johnson said. "Time to ball out."
The eight head coaches for the 2023 relaunch of the XFL were revealed Wednesday on ESPN.
During an appearance by XFL owners Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Dany Garcia on ESPN's Get Up, the following names were announced as head coaches for the 2023 season:
Former NFL head coaches Wade Phillips and Jim Haslett, as well as former University of Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops, will join the league. Former NFL stars Hines Ward and Rod Woodson are set to receive their first head coaching opportunities at the professional level.
In terms of previous head coaching experience, Phillips, Haslett and Stoops are undoubtedly the biggest gets for the XFL.
Aside from being a longtime NFL defensive coordinator, the 74-year-old Phillips spent 12 seasons as an NFL head coach. He was a full-time head coach of the Denver Broncos, Buffalo Bills and Dallas Cowboys and served in an interim capacity for the New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons and Houston Texans.
All told, Phillips accrued an 82-64 record during the regular season and led teams to the playoffs on five occasions.
Haslett, 66, has long been an NFL assistant coach on the defensive side of the ball, but he is best known for his six years as head coach of the Saints from 2000 to 2005, going 45-51 with one playoff appearance. He also went 2-10 as the then-St. Louis Rams' interim head coach in 2008.
Stoops spent 18 seasons as the Sooners' head coach from 1999 through 2016 and served as the interim head coach for two games last season after Lincoln Riley's departure.
He is one of the most successful head coaches in college football history with a 191-48 record, 10 Big 12 championships and one national championship to his credit.
The 61-year-old Stoops is also the only returning head coach from the 2020 version of the XFL, which saw him lead the Dallas Renegades.
The other five XFL head coaches are best known for their NFL playing careers, and many of them have limited coaching experience.
Ward spent 14 seasons as a wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1998 through 2011, earning four Pro Bowl nods, two Super Bowl rings and one Super Bowl MVP award.
He broke into coaching as an offensive assistant with the New York Jets in 2019 and spent last season as the wide receivers coach at Florida Atlantic University.
Woodson is also a Steelers legend, spending 10 of his 17 NFL seasons as a defensive back in Pittsburgh.
The 57-year-old is a member of the Pro Football and College Football Hall of Fame, and he owns a sparkling resume highlighted by 11 Pro Bowl berths, six first-team All-Pro selections, one NFL Defensive Player of the Year award and one Super Bowl win, the latter of which came as a member of the Baltimore Ravens.
Woodson's most recent coaching job was as the cornerbacks coach for the then-Oakland Raiders in 2017.
Terrell Buckley, 50, was an NFL cornerback from 1992 through 2005 with multiple teams, most notably the Miami Dolphins from 1995 to 1999.
He has been an assistant coach at multiple collegiate programs since 2007, including being the cornerbacks coach at Ole Miss in 2020 and 2021.
The 44-year-old Anthony Becht was a first-round pick of the Jets in 2000 and remained in the NFL through the 2011 season.
His first major coaching job came as the tight ends coach for the Alliance of American Football's San Diego Fleet in 2019, and he most recently was the offensive coordinator at Wiregrass Ranch High School in Florida.
Reggie Barlow, 50, was a wide receiver and return specialist for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1996 through 2003, winning a Super Bowl with the Bucs.
He has extensive head coaching experience at the NCAA FCS and Division II levels, coaching Alabama State from 2007 to 2014 and Virginia State from 2016 through 2021.
The 2023 XFL season is set to begin in February 2023, and it will represent the third iteration of the league.
The XFL lasted one season in 2001 before folding and didn't make it all the way through the 2020 season after its reboot because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Johnson, Garcia and a group of investors purchased the XFL from WWE Chairman Vince McMahon in 2020 for $15 million.
In hopes of sustaining the XFL over the long term, the league has reached a partnership agreement with the NFL to aid in the development of players.
The XFL announced on Monday it is partnering with the NFL Alumni Academy, a training program during the NFL season for players deemed talented enough to potentially play in the league in the future.
"The NFL Alumni Academy has found great success over the past two years training and mentoring up-and-coming players, many of whom have gone on to play in the NFL, and we are collaborating to create another avenue of opportunity for players to showcase their talent," XFL president Russ Brandon said in a statement. "We are completely aligned in our player-centric philosophy and we're eager to continue to explore the bounds of this partnership."
The XFL and NFL Alumni Academy will combine their "scouting and training expertise to develop the next best players in the game and offer more opportunities to play professional football."
The NFL Alumni Academy essentially serves as a training and developmental camp for players who could land on teams because of in-season injuries or roster cuts, giving NFL teams a pool of prospective free-agent additions.
In past seasons, NFL Alumni Academy players have gone on to sign with NFL teams.
Alongside football training, it also offers "off-field development opportunities including life skills, cognitive training, and mind-body wellness programs."
"What makes a league successful is its players, which is why we take a holistic approach to player development at the NFL Alumni Academy, ensuring they have skills and resources needed to excel both on and off the field," the NFL Alumni Academy's executive director Dean Dalton said in a statement. "We are really excited for this strategic partnership with the XFL, which will have a positive ripple-effect across the entire football landscape."
The XFL, now in its third iteration after being shuttered on two separate occasions, is currently under the ownership of Dany Garcia, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Gerry Cardinale's RedBird Capital Partners.
"The acquisition of the XFL with my talented partners, Dany Garcia and Gerry Cardinale, is an investment for me that's rooted deeply in two things—my passion for the game and my desire to always take care of the fans," Johnson said in Aug. 2020 after taking ownership of the XFL. "With pride and gratitude for all that I've built with my own two hands, I plan to apply these callouses to the XFL and look forward to creating something special for the players, fans and everyone involved for the love of football."
The XFL is re-launching in Feb. 2023.
The XFL announced Monday that it has entered into a partnership agreement with the NFL that will see the XFL test out potential NFL rule changes and player safety measures.
According to ESPN's Kevin Seifert, former Buffalo Bills and current XFL President Russ Brandon said the following regarding the relationship between the leagues:
"People would ask, 'What are the opportunities to look at the game through a different lens from a player development standpoint? How can you be an incubator or an accelerant in many different verticals, from officiating to rules innovations to playing surfaces, to player development?' You can go on and on.
"Any opportunity that the NFL has to advance the game of football, I think they've always been open to, and we've had some really good dialogue, led by our ownership group."
The XFL, which is owned by WWE legend and Hollywood star Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Dany Garcia and RedBird Capital Partners, is set to relaunch in February 2023.
In what was a precursor to the announcement of the XFL-NFL partnership, The Rock appeared on the field at SoFi Stadium prior to Super Bowl LVI against the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals just over a week ago.
As he did so often during his time as a WWE Superstar, Johnson pumped up the crowd with a fiery and passionate speech.
While the XFL and NFL will be working together in certain areas moving forward, Garcia made it clear that there is no goal or intention to make the XFL a developmental league for the NFL.
Regarding the XFL possibly becoming a minor league system of sorts for the NFL like NFL Europe once was, Garcia said: "That's a no. We are a spring league. We will play at the highest level in the spring. There is not the anticipation of any player sharing that changes the dynamic. That's not how we're executing our vision."
The XFL had been in search of a strategic partnership since it was purchased by Johnson, Garcia and RedBird Capital Partners in 2020.
At one point, the XFL and CFL held discussions about working together in some way, but things were ultimately tabled, and no deal was reached.
Working with the NFL potentially puts the XFL in an advantageous position as far as spring football leagues are concerned.
The revived USFL is scheduled to begin play in April, and it has significant television deals with both Fox and NBC. The USFL is shaping up to be the XFL's biggest competition if it can make it beyond one season, but having some backing from the NFL could be what the XFL needs to establish itself as the preeminent spring league.
The XFL originally launched in 2001 under the ownership of WWE chairman Vince McMahon. The league folded after one season, but McMahon brought it back in 2020.
While the revived XFL had TV deals with Fox and ABC and received some positive reviews, it folded before the 2020 season could be completed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
With Johnson and Co. purchasing the league, however, another chapter in the unique story of the XFL will be written next year.
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson wears a lot of different hats as an entertainer and movie star, but one of the roles he's most proud of is being co-owner of the XFL.
During Monday's Manning Cast of the NFC Wild Card Game between the Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Rams, Johnson explained why it was so important to him to be a key part of reviving the XFL.
"As you guys know, you have a love and a passion for the game of football. Man, I love football. And my dream in the NFL, making it to the NFL, that dream never came true," Johnson told Peyton and Eli Manning during the second quarter. "So for me, this is a real full-circle moment for me. ... I worked so hard down at the University of Miami to make it, and I didn't make it."
Johnson went on to say that it was a goal of his to create an alternative for players who want to continue their football careers but don't get the chance to play in the NFL.
"But now, years later, to be able to be the owner of the XFL, a league that we've galvanized with great leadership teams, great organization, a lot of passion," he continued. "But to be able to, I think, create opportunities for players to play the game that they love, play the game that we love, pay their bills, take care of their families and keep their dream alive, it's a full-circle moment for me."
Along with his business partner Dany Garcia, Johnson formed a consortium with Gerry Cardinale's RedBird Capital to purchase the XFL for $15 million in August 2020.
Johnson stressed that his main focus will be on creating a league that is catered to its players.
"As an XFL owner, my No. 1 goal and my No. 1 priority will always be the player and to take care of the players and create these opportunities for them," he said.
The XFL is expected to launch in 2023. The league recently announced six additions to its football operations team.
