Seven XFL Supplemental Draft takeaways

The XFL held its Supplemental Draft yesterday, allowing each team to fill the remaining slots on their 66-player training camp rosters. Those players are expected to report to Arlington for the start of camp within the next week. Here are some key takeaways from the Supplemental Draft results:

Only one quarterback added with Bryan Scott assigned to the Vegas Vipers 

The worst-kept secret in the XFL was that Bryan Scott would be headed to the Vegas Vipers once his USFL contract expired at the conclusion of 2022. The XFL wasted no time, announcing Scott’s assignment Sunday morning prior to the Supplemental Draft.

However, Scott was the only QB to be assigned. None were drafted. It was expected that Jordan Ta’amu would be assigned along with Scott, but there’s no word as to his status. It’s possible Ta’amu, or others, get assigned between now and when training camp begins.

Most teams appear ready to carry three QBs into training camp. The DC Defenders and Seattle Sea Dragons are the only teams that have only two quarterbacks currently on their rosters. Ta’amu was rumored to be heading to DC.

The Sea Dragons did not add a quarterback, perhaps anticipating the return of Steven Montez, who is currently on the Detroit Lions practice squad. If Montez is not signed to the active roster in the next week, he could opt to spurn a futures contract offer and return to the Sea Dragons. Of course, the surging Lions may end up in the playoffs, which could complicate matters.

Aside from those two teams, it doesn’t appear as if others have room to add quarterbacks prior to camp.

USFL rosters expectedly take a hit

The XFL wasn’t exactly being subtle when they planned the Supplemental Draft for January 1, the very day many USFL players would be contractually free to join the league. Of the 90 players chosen in the Supplemental Draft, over 35% played in the USFL in 2022.

Those 35% are in addition to the 23 USFL players selected by XFL teams in November’s draft. It was expected that XFL teams would concentrate on players from the USFL with their supplemental selections, and they did just that, especially early: Six of the first eight players drafted had ties to the USFL. Five of the eight second-rounders fell into that category as well.

USFL teams have continued to add quality players throughout its offseason even as the league has lost top talent to the XFL via these two drafts (six of the league’s 11 All-USFL offensive players are now in the XFL, along with five of the 11 defensive All-USFL players). As XFL teams cut down to their final rosters, we may start to see players head in the other direction, from the XFL to USFL, depending on the structure of XFL contracts.

An XFL-NFL Alumni Academy truce?

Buried in the league’s press release about the Supplemental Draft results is this nugget: “NFL Alumni Academy graduates who were not selected will be assigned to teams and instructed to report to training camp with their teammates.”

The relationship between the two entities has seemingly been a source of contention of late. An early December Tweet by Donnie Woods, brother of then-USFL President Brian Woods, was the first indication of issues between the XFL and NFLAA. After some digging, Mike Mitchell determined the issue to be the lack of available training camp roster spots for NFL Alumni Academy graduates.

When the deal was first announced last April, it was advertised that every NFLAA graduate would receive an opt-in to an XFL contract and would thus have a place in an XFL training camp. With four sessions at about 50 players each, that would be around 200 players entering the XFL through the NFLAA, if all accepted that opt-in.

Several NFLAA graduates from the first two sessions were drafted in November, but not all. Short of forcing XFL teams to draft NFLAA graduates, there was a real question as to how these players would enter into the league. The NFLAA apparently saw this too and the groups went to work trying to figure out a solution to an obvious problem.

The quote in the Supplemental Draft press release doesn’t give us a lot of information. Will the NFLAA players who get assigned to teams count against the 66-player training camp roster? Or will they be extra camp bodies, almost like tryout players at NFL minicamps? Whatever the case, hopefully this indicates a resolution has been reached between the XFL and NFLAA. The partnership can be a fruitful one, but likely not under the parameters of the initial agreement.

Offensive line a priority for teams

Even as the XFL Draft was coming into focus, the XFL’s player personnel department had concerns about the quality of offensive linemen that were in the draft pool. Senior Vice President of Player Personnel Doug Whaley and Senior Director of Player Administration Russ Giglio expressed as much on their pre-draft Inside the League Zoom call with agents, sending the Bat Signal out to attract more quality players across the line.

XFL teams apparently weren’t all that impressed with their choices in November, either, as most teams opted to pass on the final few rounds of the Offensive Line Phase. It should come as no surprise, then, that teams went for offensive linemen early and often in the Supplemental Draft.

The first five players selected were offensive linemen, four of them having played in the USFL in 2022 (the fifth, Isaiah Williams, was in NFL camp this summer). About 20% of the players taken in the Supplemental Draft were offensive linemen, with more than half of them coming in the first four rounds.

Offensive line may be second to quarterback in terms of positional importance for a league like the XFL: The offensive line has to keep the quarterback upright and healthy, and quarterbacks are the key to the success of these alternative leagues. Expect XFL’s league and team personnel departments to continue to search for offensive line help throughout training camp, with perhaps a focus on bringing in those who finish the NFL season on team practice squads and don’t sign futures contracts.

XFL able to attract current NFL free agents

About 25% of the players chosen on Sunday were what I’d categorize as active NFL free agents. In other words, they either attended an NFL training camp this summer and/or worked out for NFL teams during this season. As much as the XFL was holding this Supplemental Draft for those whose USFL contracts would expire as the calendar turned to 2023, so too did they want to attract a deeper pool of players actively seeking NFL jobs.

For example, DB Nate Meadors, drafted in the fourth round by St. Louis, worked out for the Chicago Bears last week. UTSA’s Clarence Hicks, a rookie LB who was drafted by Seattle in round five, attended a Kansas City workout last week as well. These are players who may not have wanted to commit to being a part of the XFL in the fall, but who may now realize that it could be their best way back into the NFL.

Josh Gordon the biggest name to be drafted

Former second round NFL draft pick Josh Gordon will look to revive his career in the XFL in offensive coordinator June Jones’s prolific passing offense. Gordon was a sixth round pick of the Seattle Sea Dragons in the Supplemental Draft.

In 2013, just his second NFL season, Gordon led the league in receiving yardage, appearing to be on his way to a stellar career. However, his 2014 and 2015 seasons were marred by suspensions for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. He didn’t play again until 2017 and in the ensuing years continued to yo-yo between being suspended and reinstated. Gordon’s last NFL game was earlier this season for the Tennessee Titans.

The XFL won’t be Gordon’s first foray into alternative football: He played two games for Fan Controlled Football in 2021. Gordon will be trying to show the NFL that he can keep his personal affairs in order just as much as he can still play ball on the field.

Special teams won’t be much of a competition across the league

Even on 90-man training camp rosters, NFL teams rarely bring in much competition for its specialists (kicker, punter, long snapper). It shouldn’t be much of a surprise, then, that XFL teams will go into camps with those positions pretty much set.

Only one specialist was taken in the Supplemental Draft – St. Louis selected LS Alex Matheson in round 11. The Battlehawks took rookie LS Billy Taylor out of Rutgers in the initial draft, so it’s possible Taylor will be one of the players who has decided not to report to camp. Those decisions were to be made and communicated to the league by December 26 so that teams could prepare for what positions they’d need to add in the Supplemental Draft.