Former Houston Roughnecks Edmond Robinson is now part of a deep Arlington Renegades linebacker corps.
This is the second part of a two-part series, ranking 1-8 the position groups of each XFL team. These are the defensive rankings. The offensive rankings can be found here.
Defensive Line
Arlington Renegades – The Renegades went heavy at defensive tackle, signaling the likelihood of a 3-4 defense. Doug Costin and Bruce Hector are solid players with NFL backgrounds. TJ Barnes and Davonte Lambert played in the XFL in 2020. Josiah Coatney and Tomasi Laulile also had recent NFL opportunities.
St. Louis Battlehawks – Two highly-regarded 2022 NFL rookie free agents made the Battlehawks in Damion Daniels and Kevin Atkins. Freedom Akinmoladun comes off a 3.5 sack season with the Philadelphia Stars of the USFL. Gelen Robinson played college football at Purdue, then tried his hand at rugby before coming to St. Louis.
Seattle Sea Dragons – Head coach and defensive stalwart Jim Haslett has some quality players to work with in what will likely be a 4-3 alignment. PJ Hall is a former second round NFL draft pick. Niko Lalos signed with the New Orleans Saints after being drafted by Seattle, then returned to the XFL following the NFL season. Former Buffalo Bill Daniel Joseph is another name to watch.
DC Defenders – DC has All-USFL DE Davin Bellamy as their starting EDGE player, a combination OLB/DE. They have a strong NT spot with veterans Caraun Reid and Gabe Wright. This is a deep group.
San Antonio Brahmas – The Brahmas have some potential at this spot, but not a lot of pro production thus far. Kobe Smith spent most of 2022 on the practice squad of the Atlanta Falcons. Mike Tverdov and Drew Beesley are two youngsters out of the Big Ten (Rutgers and Michigan State respectively). Javier Edwards and Matthew Gotel appear to be the nose tackles.
Houston Roughnecks – Houston looks poised to run a 4-3, long a staple of Wade Phillips defenses. Jack Heflin, CJ Brewer, and Glen Logan are likely key contributors at tackle. Trent Harris is a veteran EDGE player and Super Bowl champion. That experience and leadership will come in handy.
Orlando Guardians – Orlando has 10 players listed at DL, though a few, like Josh Harvey-Clemons, are more of a fit at linebacker. Like at most places on their roster, the Guardians feature unproven talent along the D-Line. Stansly Maponga has been around the block in the NFL and Gerald Willis was once a high-level recruit who played at Florida and Miami (FL.)
Vegas Vipers – There’s less of a gap in the rankings between teams at this position than maybe any other; 1-7 are all very close, but there’s a pretty clear delineation between that and the eighth team, the Vipers. Perhaps the player with the most potential, Robert Windsor, once retired from the NFL due to injuries.
Linebackers
Arlington Renegades – Say this about Bob Stoops: The man knows defense. Donald Payne and Edmond Robinson are active playmakers in the middle. Nick Temple had 26 tackles in five games for the Dragons in the XFL in 2020. Willie Taylor, Otaro Alaka, and Isaiah Graham-Mobley all have breakout potential.
St. Louis Battlehawks – The star here is Mike Rose, who was so well thought-of as a prospect last year that he was invited to the Senior Bowl. Lakiem Williams has the size of a modern-day OLB and can be effective in the throw game as a pass rusher and in coverage.
Vegas Vipers – Led by former NFL first-round draft pick Vic Beasley, the Vipers have an interesting mix of youth and experience. PJ Dawson joins Beasley as a fellow 2015 NFL draft selection. CJ Avery and Max Roberts are among those who will provide youthful legs for the Vegas defense.
Seattle Sea Dragons – Seattle has just five linebackers on its roster, but there’s quality there. I’d expect Jordan Evans to start in the middle, with fellow former Cincinnati Bengal Clarence Hicks on the outside. Tuzar Skipper, a three-time Pittsburgh Steeler, could be the other OLB. They’ll have two backups who will likely play a big role on special teams coverage units.
San Antonio Brahmas – San Antonio has two former college team captains as part of its LB crew in Riko Jeffers and Joel Dublanko. De’Sean Downey, a college defensive end, will be tasked with getting after the quarterback. Drew Lewis out of Colorado has the ability to play inside or outside at the second level.
DC Defenders – Another team carrying just five linebackers. Reggie Northrup was largely a backup for the Tampa Bay Vipers in 2020. He joins DC this season. Ferrod Gardner was recently with the Washington Commanders in the NFL, so he gets to play in the same city in the XFL. Francis Bernarnd saw time on special teams with the Dallas Cowboys in recent years.
Houston Roughnecks – Tavante Beckett stands out to me among Houston’s LB corps. The former Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year could lead the Roughnecks in tackles. Deandre Johnson, Nate Wieland, and Duke Ejiofor will all vie for time on defense.
Orlando Guardians – Tegray Scales is the most well-known name in Orlando’s LB group, and could end up being the leader of the defense as a whole. Terrance Plummer is in his second go-round in Orlando – he played for the AAF’s Orlando Apollos in 2019. Jeremiah Gemmel is another potential leader for this group, a high-IQ player out of North Carolina.
Defensive Backs
Arlington Renegades – Arlington makes it a clean sweep on defense, coming in at number one for all three levels. Josh Hawkins was one of the best CBs in the XFL in 2020, and De’Vante Bausby parlayed his play in the USFL in 2022 into an NFL contract last summer. There are several other NFL veterans among the cornerbacks and safeties for Arlington.
Houston Roughnecks – Houston’s defensive backfield got deeper when they acquired CB Kary Vincent, Jr., from the Brahmas during training camp. AJ Hendy and Ajene Harris return to the XFL from 2020, with Harris back in Houston. Sean Davis and Will Likely, two former Maryland Terrapins, retunite with the Roughnecks.
San Antonio Brahmas – It was touch-and-go whether or not Sean Williams would get clearance from the U.S. government to play, as he comes to San Antonio from the US Naval Academy. The fact that he made the final roster indicates he’ll be eligible to play. Ryan Lewis, Luq Barcoo, and Terrell Bonds are among those who’ve played in the NFL, while Jack Koerner is a safety to watch.
DC Defenders – Two former Seattle Dragons from XFL 2020 will vie for starting safety jobs in Santos Ramirez and Kentrell Brice. Michael Joseph out of Dubuque was one of the key training camp additions for the Defenders. DeJuan Neal and Cam Lewis provide additional corner depth.
St. Louis Battlehawks – The safeties seem to be stronger than the corners in St. Louis. Chris Cooper and Nate Meadors have been in and out of the NFL since 2018 and 2019 respectively. At corner, recent signee Lavert Hill could end up shooting to the top of the depth chart there.
Seattle Sea Dragons – 255-pounder Shareef Miller has consistently been listed as a safety on XFL.com rosters and on the final roster posted on social media, but he’s been a DE/OLB during his career. However, he’s one of only two safeties listed for Seattle. Former Pittsburgh Steeler draft pick Antoine Brooks is a safety listed as a corner. We’ll have to see when the depth charts are released where everyone shakes out.
Orlando Guardians – Beyond former NFL first rounder Matt Elam, there are questions at safety – and Elam is 31 years old. Jackson State’s CJ Holmes was a top HBCU prospect in 2022 until he ran a 4.78 40 at pro day. As with the rest of their roster, the Guardians have players from other leagues like the IFL and ELF in their defensive backfield.
Vegas Vipers – Hard to believe Hall-of-Fame DB Rod Woodson’s DBs are so far down this list, but here we are. Marwin Evans may end up starting at safety and he didn’t even make the Dallas Renegades out of camp three years ago. Smaller schools are well-represented with players from Virginia State, Delaware, and Garden City Community College.
Special Teams
Arlington Renegades – Yet another number one spot claimed by the Renegades. Punter Marquette King and kicker Taylor Russolino were arguably the best at their positions in the XFL in 2020. Long snapper Antonio Ortiz has been to numerous NFL tryouts and has the ability to snap in that league. Without depth charts to show returners, I can only rank kicker, punter, and long snapper here.
Seattle Sea Dragons – Thomas Fletcher was the rare long snapper drafted into the NFL back in 2021. Kicker Dominik Eberle kicked in one game for the Detroit Lions in 2022. Cameron Nizialek punted well for the Atlanta Legends in the AAF in 2019 and has been in several NFL camps since then.
Orlando Guardians – All is not lost Orlando fans – they have a top-tier kicker/punter combo in Jose Borregales and Johnny Townsend. Townsend replaced Andrew Anckle in camp; Anckle was drafted by Orlando in November but released in January. The Guardians appear to be going with TE Ryan Becker as their long snapper, which is a risk not to have someone specialized at that spot.
San Antonio Brahmas – Kicker John Parker Romo was in camp with the New Orleans Saints this summer. Punter Brad Wing has played in the NFL but has been out of the game for four years. Long snapper Rex Sunahara battled former XFL 2020 long snapper Christian Kuntz in Pittsburgh Steelers camp in 2021.
St. Louis Battlehawks – Sterling Hofrichter, the team’s punter, is the only proven commodity here. He was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in 2020. St. Louis initially drafted LS Billy Taylor in November, but he did not report to camp, so they took Alex Matheson in the Supplemental Draft. Kicker Donny Hageman has played in the AFL and AAF.
DC Defenders – DC curiously released LS Brett DioGuardi, who The Athletic’s Dane Brugler had as the eighth-ranked snapper in the 2021 NFL Draft, and will instead move forward with TE Trae Bery snapping. Kicker Matt McCrane is excellent. Punter Daniel Whelan recently spent some time with the New Orleans Saints.
Houston Roughnecks – Brian Khoury is one of the best long snappers in the league. He played for DC in 2020. Punter Race Porter is young but had an excellent collegiate career at Washington. Kicker Hunter Duplessis holds several UTSA single-season records.
Vegas Vipers – Bailey Giffen and Michael Carrizosa are both two-way players, but Giffen is expected to kick and Carrizosa will punt. Carrizosa comes off a run in the USFL. Adam Higuera was the number two long snapper in the nation coming out of high school according to Kohl’s Scouting.
Final tally
Arlington Renegades (21 points)
DC Defenders (31 points)
St. Louis Battlehawks (34 points)
San Antonio Brahmas (35 points)
Seattle Sea Dragons (35 points)
Vegas Vipers (40 points)
Houston Roughnecks (40 points)
Orlando Guardians (52 points)
Of course, these rankings are all based on paper – we’ve yet to see any of these teams take the field. As ESPN’s Chris Berman would say, “that’s why they play the games.” And, hard to believe, those games begin in less than a week.
