In preparation for the upcoming XFL Rookie Draft, I’m reflecting back on the first draft, held last November, where teams began to build their rosters. This is part four, analyzing the Defensive Backs Phase. Part one, analyzing the Skill Position Phase, can be found here, while part two, the Offensive Line Phase, is available here. The Defensive Front Seven Phase can be found here.
Draft analysis and rankings are ultimately subjective, but to add a little but more objectivity to the exercise, I decided to rank each team by the number of snaps played by draftees of that team in that particular phase. Obviously not all snaps are created equal, but I do think this pretty accurately reflects how well each team did.
1. Vegas Vipers (2,465 snaps)
Vegas showed director of player personnel Joey Clinkscales has an eye for defense, as they finished first in snaps played in both phases on that side of the ball. NFL Alumni Academy graduate Keylon Kennedy was the first pick. It was a selection somewhat off the beaten path, especially for Vegas, a team that showed a penchant for desiring NFL experience. Kennedy played more than 600 snaps at cornerback, starting all 10 games. Second round pick Jameson Houston was a bust, released in early February along with sixth rounder Nick Pickett. Maurice Smith missed the first half of the year with an injury, but came back and was the team’s highest-graded defender per Pro Football Focus. Deontay Anderson and Adam Sparks proved to be nice value picks later in the Phase.
2. DC Defenders (2,313 snaps)
The Defenders rank second despite getting nothing out of their first round pick, Parnell Motley. Motley did not sign an XFL contract. His football odyssey took him to the USFL for one day in April, then to the CFL where he was released again. After using the USFL as a springboard to the NFL in 2022, DeJuan Neal opted for the XFL in 2023 and the second round pick led the defensive backfield in snaps. Seventh rounder Santos Ramirez was the best pick, finishing third on the team in tackles. Kentrell Brice and Anthoula Kelly were the other starters drafted here. This was top-heavy phase as after Ramirez, none of the late-round picks panned out.
3. Orlando Guardians (2,203 snaps)
Jackson State’s CJ Holmes was the first overall pick in this Phase. After missing the first three games due to injury, he returned to start four of the next seven contests. However, he was not a major factor defensively when on the field. Javaris Davis, the second round pick, was injured in game one and landed on IR soon after. You have to go down to the fourth round and Mike Lee to find someone who had some impact moments. The real value was in the late rounds, where the final three selections all played 380+ snaps each in 2023, with 11th rounder Matt Elam pacing the group with 491.
4. Seattle Sea Dragons (2,198 snaps)
Just five measley snaps separate third and fourth place in this Phase. Chris Jones started all 10 regular season games and though he didn’t pick off a pass, provided solid coverage on the back end. Antoine Brooks and Linden Stephens, the second and third round picks respectively, also earned a lot of playing time in the defensive backfield. There was a steep drop-off in production after the first three rounds, however: From round four, Shabari Davis played one snap on defense. Fifth rounder Reggie Robinson was dealt to DC in training camp. Only Qwynnterrio Cole in the seventh round was a key player out of the rest of this group. Reserve Mykael Wright, chosen in the final round, ended up starting in the playoffs against DC and acquitted himself well in that game.
5. St. Louis Battlehawks (2,123 snaps)
A healthy Ben DeLuca could’ve made the difference in St. Louis making the playoffs; he missed the back half of the year with an injury. Both second and third round picks spurned the XFL to return to the USFL in 2023, a calculated risk by the Battlehawks that didn’t pay off. That’s part of the reason they appear so far down this list. Fourth rounder Brandon Sebastian paced this group in snaps, starting all 10 games at corner. He also led the team in interceptions. Evan Fields and Jonathan Alexander were two safeties released during camp but later brought back during the regular season for depth purposes. Lukas Denis and Mike Hampton were two nice finds in the later rounds.
6. San Antonio Brahmas (2,010 snaps)
The second overall pick in this phase, Luq Barcoo, made the All-XFL Team and certainly lived up to the lofty expectations that come with a high draft pick. Kary Vincent, Jr., a former NFL draft pick, was traded to Houston in the preseason, while third rounder Bubba Bolden signed with the Cleveland Browns between November’s draft and January’s camp report date. Their fourth and fifth round picks were released before the season began. It was the back half of this phase that propped things up for San Antonio, as they hit on Terrell Bonds, Ryan Lewis, Tenny Adewusi and Jack Koerner all after round five. Koerner in particular turned out to be a great pick in the last round.
7. Houston Roughnecks (1,917 snaps)
Houston’s first three picks played in 33 out of 33 possible games, including the postseason. Second rounder Ajene Harris ended up leading the XFL in interceptions. The other eight picks played a combined 25 games, with seventh rounder Jordan Mosley leading the way with 10. Fifth rounder Alexander Myres was injured for much of the season, while David Tolentino, who received attention from the league’s “Player 54” program on ESPN2, was cut before the season began but brought back mid-season. The snaps are low here but they weren’t spread around among a large swath of players like other teams; their top three selections played the bulk of these snaps.
8. Arlington Renegades (1,599 snaps)
De’Vante Bausby was the first pick of the Renegades and also the player from the phase who played the most snaps for the team in 2023. He carried over his strong performance in the USFL in 2022 to the XFL. Second rounder Josh Hawkins returned to Arlington after playing with the team in 2020. Sadly, he tore his Achilles in the third game and was lost for the season. Third rounder Will Hill was a key contributor at safety. Fifth rounder Shakur Brown started 10 of the team’s 12 total games. After Brown, however, Arlington got nothing: Rahim Moore, Abu Daramy-Swarmy and Donatello Brown were released during training camp; Cameron Lewis was traded to DC prior to the regular season; Delonte Hood is in the NFL with the Denver Broncos; and TJ Green opted to sign with the USFL.
