On the heels of the three-day XFL Combine earlier this week, the D.C. Defenders have added four players to their 90-man roster via a player-rights draft featuring all eight XFL teams. Note that while the Defenders have secured the rights to these players, this doesn’t guarantee their commitment to playing in the XFL.
The rights additions by XFL teams is conducted similar to NFL waiver claims. In the event that more than one team wants the same player.
Some players have agreed to potentially join the league. While others haven’t.
Arguably the most notable of the four players selected, Conley was regarded as one of the top corners in his draft class. He was taken with the 24th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders. However, many believed he could’ve been chosen even higher hadn’t sexual assault allegations were revealed just days before the draft.
Prior to the NFL, Conley spent four years at Ohio State, including the 2013 season which he redshirted. He played a platoon role for the Buckeyes during their 2014 national championship campaign, recording 16 tackles and two pass breakups in nine appearances as a redshirt freshman. His redshirt sophomore season saw a massive increase in production as he recorded 49 tackles, five pass breakups, and two interceptions as a first-year starter. His redshirt junior season saw him earn second-team all-Big Ten honors as he notched 26 tackles, eight pass breakups, and four interceptions. Following the season, he announced that he would forgo his final year of eligibility and enter the draft.
While there were times during Conley’s young NFL career when he looked like a future star, injuries were his primary foes from the very beginning. First, a shin injury held him to just two games during his rookie season in the NFL, but he rebounded during the 2018 season, posting 37 tackles, 15 pass breakups, and three interceptions, including a pick-six, in 15 games (14 starts).
Conley recorded an even 50 tackles and 13 pass breakups during his third NFL season, which saw him unexpectedly traded to the Houston Texans midseason. Unfortunately, in-game action during the 2019 season was the last he’d see for a long time, as he hasn’t been able to take the field since after suffering nerve damage in his ankle during off-season surgery in 2020.
Despite the likelihood of regression after Conley’s extended absence from play, it’s worth noting that he ran a 4.44 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. His size (6’0″, 195 lbs) and arm length (33″) are also plusses that he brings with him to the Defenders’ secondary. At 28 years old and with three NFL seasons under his belt, he undoubtedly brings a veteran presence to the Defenders’ locker room.
WR Kelvin Harmon
One of the most prominent North Carolina State receivers of the decade, Harmon’s 1,017-yard receiving performance during his sophomore season in 2017 was the first 1,000+ receiving yardage season by any Wolfpack receiver since 2003. This yielded second-team all-ACC honors for the Liberian native. He followed this with a similarly impressive 1,186 receiving yards accumulated during his junior season, which earned him first-team all-ACC honors.
After forgoing his senior year of college to pursue the 2019 NFL Draft, Harmon was selected with the 206th overall pick by the Washington Commanders. Appearing in all 16 games as a rookie, he recorded 30 receptions for 365 yards for the Washington Commanders – impressive for his sixth-round draft status. Unfortunately, he could never build off these numbers, as he missed the entire 2020 season after tearing his ACL during off-season training.
A fully recovered Harmon made the Commanders’ practice squad but didn’t see any in-game action in 2021. He was released by the Commanders in August 2022 before he was given an opportunity with the USFL Philadelphia Stars in the spring. However, he couldn’t stick there either, as he was released during training camp.
At 6’2″, 221 lbs, Hamlin is a physical wideout who can take advantage of smaller defensive backs and use his size and strength to haul in passes. If he can play at a level similar to what he played at during his rookie season, he can be an asset for the Defenders’ receiving corps.
RB Tabyus Taylor
Out of Virginia Union and Notre Dame College, don’t let Taylor’s D-II stature fool you.
Initially a member of the 2014 Virginia Tech recruiting class, Taylor never enrolled due to grades and disciplinary issues. Instead, he enrolled at Atlanta Sports Academy, a prep school where he rehabilitated his grades while continuing his football training.
Three years later, he ended up at Virginia Union, where injuries hindered his freshman season before a breakout sophomore season in 2018 that saw him run for 1,546 yards and 21 touchdowns on 245 carries. His junior-year production saw a dip, as he only mustered 865 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on 207 carries – representing similar volume, yet about half the output statistically from the previous season.
After three seasons at Virginia Union with 2,800 rushing yards, Taylor transferred to Notre Dame College. There, he finished his senior season with a dazzling 1,013 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns in just five games during the 2020 pandemic-shortened season. Granted an extra year of eligibility due to COVID-19, Taylor declined it and entered the 2021 NFL Draft, where he went undrafted.
At 6’1″, 225 lbs, Taylor is a downhill running back who can provide depth for Abram Smith and Cam’Ron Harris in the Defenders’ running back rotation. The chance to play in the XFL is his first-ever professional opportunity.
PK Enrique Romero
Romero joins the Defenders’ placekicking mix alongside the likes of Matt McCrane and Paxton Brooks. While he’s yet to play American football in the U.S., he and his powerful leg have quite a rich history with the sport in Mexico.
Romero played college ball for the Borregos Salvajes Toluca, where he became the all-time CONADEIP leader in punting yards. After four successful years in college, he was selected with the eighth overall pick by the Osos de Toluca in the 2019 LFA Draft. Following his rookie season, which yielded LFA all-star honors, he joined the Montreal Alouettes’ practice squad as one of the players drafted in the 2019 LFA-CFL Draft.
After rejoining the LFA, the Mexican native spent the 2020 season with the Pioneros de Querétaro before the pandemic forced the shutdown of the remainder of the season and the entire 2021 campaign. With five of nine field goals and 14 of 16 extra points made, Romero earned the 2022 LFA scoring title and his second career LFA all-star honors with the Dinos de Saltillo.
Romero has experience with both kicking and punting, as he’s drilled field goals as long as 60 yards and punted balls distances as deep as 94 yards (both the longest in LFA history). This added versatility could give him an advantage in making the Defenders’ final roster during training camp.
