New football league still values experience: Five takeaways from Day 1 of first XFL draft

New football league still values experience: Five takeaways from Day 1 of first XFL draft

  • By michael@cvcteam.com
  • |

The XFL has TV deals with ESPN and Fox and eight franchises with spiffy new team logos. It has name coaches like Jim Zorn, Bob Stoops, June Jones and Kevin Gilbride, a respected administrator in commissioner Oliver Luck and a famous owner in WWE CEO Vince McMahon.

Now the XFL finally has players.

The fledgling league, scheduled to start play in 2020, held Day 1 of its two-day draft Tuesday, with eight teams drafting the first 30 of 71 players who will be on their training camp rosters.

Before the draft, the XFL assigned eight quarterbacks to teams, and then the first player taken in the draft, by the DC Defenders, was Rashad Davis, a wide receiver who earned a Super Bowl ring as a member of the Eagles’ practice squad when they won Super LII in 2018.

The XFL is breaking its draft into five phases, with players grouped by position. In essence, the XFL had separate drafts for skilled players, offensive linemen and front seven defenders on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, the XFL will have a draft phase for players in the defensive backfield. The final phase will be an open draft for kickers, punters, long snappers and anyone who hasn’t already been drafted.

Five takeaways from the first day of the XFL’s first draft:

1. Experience mattered at QB: The eight QBs assigned before the draft began, including former Steelers backup quarterback Landry Jones (Dallas Renegades), have made five NFL starts, plus Luis Perez (Los Angeles Wildcats), Aaron Murray (Tampa Bay Vipers) and Brandon Silvers (Seattle Dragons) all started games in the Alliance of American Football this season.

2. Everyone loved Nick: The Vipers made Nick Truedell the No. 5 pick overall because he was the highest-rated tight end by far. He was an impressive player in the AAF this season, registering three touchdown catches. In 2015, he had 80 catches with 23 touchdowns for Spokane in the Arena Football League. He’s 6-6, 250. No other XFL team drafted a tight end until the fourth round.

3. QB competition brewing: Though the Houston Roughnecks received former Indianapolis quarterback Phillip Walker in the assignment phase before the draft, they drafted Connor Cook with the No. 2 pick in the draft. Cook has played in one NFL game, throwing 21 passes for Oakland in 2016. No other XFL team claimed a quarterback in the first round of the skilled player phase. The St. Louis BattleHawks took Brogan Roback in the second round. He was featured on HBO’s “Hard Knocks” series when he was with the Browns in 2018.

4. Experienced, not old: Christine Michael will be 29 in less than a month, but the BattleHawks made him the first running back chosen, selecting him sixth overall. He has played for four NFL teams. His best season came in 2016 when he rushed for 583 yards in a combined season with Green Bay and Seattle. He has averaged 4.3 yards per carry in the NFL.

5. Sleeper pick? In the ninth round, the DC Defenders drafted 2018 Mid-American Conference Player of the Year Tyree Jackson. He is 21 and 6-7, 250, and he has played in every preseason game for the Bills after being signed as a free agent. He’s raw, but extremely athletic. He’s still on the NFL’s radar.

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