The XFL, if you haven’t heard, is a league that played its first and last season in 2001 and is trying to revive itself and play again in 2020. It seems to be a smart decision being that the NFL ratings are going down rapidly due to the anthem protests. Luckily for the fans and anybody who wants to see football instead of a “political rallies” like the NHL commissioner Gary Bettman says, founder Vince McMahon won’t allow protests. Here are a list of prospects for the XFL.
1. Jalen Hurts: Hurts, if he went to the XFL, would probably be one of the greatest, if not the greatest, player in the XFL. His mobility allows him to win games with his legs and Jalen’s also a perfectly capable passer to get a starting job.
2. Tua Tagovailoa: If a new league like the XFL is willing to reject a national championship winner from Alabama then they lost their mind. Jalen Hurts led Alabama to the title game and Tua finished off the great season with a beautiful throw to DeVonta Smith for the game winning touchdown against Georgia in overtime.
3. Tim Tebow: Heisman, 2 National Championships, extremely popular among the fans, what else does he need? He has mobility and can lead teams to victory. The way I see it is that whoever gets Tebow is going to have the most fans and is going to win the championship at least once.
4. Arvell Nelson: This guy can play any position. He can play Quarterback and also run for a few touchdowns. He has played Linebacker and Safety. He is an Arena Football League star. In 1 season he threw for 61 touchdowns and ran for 12.
5. Usain Bolt: Fastest man on the planet. I remember watching him last Olympics. I had heard of him and wanted to see why everybody thought he was so great. Well, I soon learned why everybody thought that. He zoomed ahead of everyone leaving them no chance. Then I watched his relay. The Jamaicans, his country, were barely ahead of everyone else until the last person came. Usain Bolt. Nobody was even close. I think he could play Running Back or Wide Receiver or maybe even Linebacker.
6. Tommy Grady: Another AFL star. Grady once threw for 142 touchdowns in 1 season (AFL Record). In that same season he also ran for 7 touchdowns. Grady has had 3 100+ passing touchdown seasons. Twice with the Utah Blaze and once with the Pittsburgh Power. In 7 seasons in the AFL he threw for 701 touchdowns and ran for 15 touchdowns. Tommy Grady has made it to the playoffs multiple times.
7. Roger Jackson: The AFL plays 20 games and in only 11 games Jackson broke the VooDoo’s single season rookie record for receiving yards record with 924 yards.
8. Cam Newton: Super Bowl appearance, 2 time National Champion(1 as a starter), NFL MVP. He’s probably not coming to the XFL, but there’s still a chance. Newton is known for his speed, strength, passing skills, and flips. Having people like Newton is a key to success. Why? Because, with a new league, the fans don’t care who wins as much as they want good football. They want to see flips, celebrations, and other things to make the game fun to watch.
9. Rashard Mendenhall: Star RB, Super Bowl Champion, 2 Super Bowl appearance. Mendenhall has the stats and skill to be the greatest RB in the XFL history. Rashard is really fast and is physical. I don’t see why he won’t come to the XFL.
Photo By: Phillip Hendon
#6 in the photo is QB Blake Sims
10. Blake Sims: Led Alabama to the playoffs in the first playoff season. Blake Sims played QB in college but was signed in the NFL as a RB. He’s a free agent now. He’s the perfect fit for a new league. I think Sims could play QB or RB, but I think he should play both.
11. Zach Mettenberger: Mettenberger is an alright QB who could, maybe, possibly do well in the XFL. Mettenberger did well with LSU but then threw more interceptions than touchdowns in the NFL.
12. Derrius Guice: Two in a row seasons with 1000+ running yards, only player in SEC history to run for 250+ rushing yards in a game 3 times. Guice was clearly the best player for LSU this season and would be great in the XFL.
13. Damien Harris: In the 2017 season Harris ran for exactly 1000 yards with an average of 7.4 yards per carry and 11 touchdowns. He is also a 2 time National Champion. The XFL would be a great place for Damien Harris.
14. Royce Freeman: Ran for 5621 yards and 60 touchdowns with the Oregon Ducks. Royce Freeman is a bigger Running Back, almost 240 pounds. I think Freeman, if there’s a draft, would probably go in the top 5.
15. Minkah Fitzpatrick: 2 time National Champion, Winner of the Jim Thorpe Award and the Chuck Bednarik Award. Fitzpatrick caught 2 interceptions for 2 touchdowns in 2015. In 2016 He caught 6 interceptions for 2 touchdowns. In 2017 Fitzpatrick caught 1 interception for 0 touchdowns.
16. Dylan Moses: 5 star recruit and 1 time National Champion. Against Mercer Moses caught 1 interception and had 10 solo tackles. Against Moses got 6 solo tackles.
17. Lamar Jackson: Heisman, fun player to watch. Lamar Jackson is a great player who probably isn’t going to get a shot in the NFL. He’s probably better than most of the QBs in the NFL, but still, I don’t think he’ll get to be a starter in the NFL. So he should go to the XFL. I like to watch Jackson because even though he doesn’t always win, he always makes the game fun to watch.
18. Saquon Barkley: In 3 seasons Barkley racked up 5038 yards from scrimmage and 51 touchdowns, 43 of them were on the ground. Saquon Barkley is a great RB who would do great in the XFL. He’ll probably not go to the XFL but it would be cool if he did.
19. Chris Johnson: Great runner and former 40-yard Dash record holder. He will be 34 in 2020. Since he isn’t going back to the NFL in his 30s, he probably would be a good fit for a new league. He’s a popular player he could a lot of fans to the XFL.
20. Heath Miller: 2 time Super Bowl Champion, caught 592 passes for 6569 yards and 45 touchdowns as a Tight End. He’s the only TE I put in this article and he might be the best ever so far. Heath Miller is a leader. He will be 37 years old in 2020.
I will update this article tomorrow with new prospects.
21. A.J. McCarron: 3 time National Champion and has a great arm. McCarron isn’t getting a chance in the NFL and that might be good. If he comes to the XFL he wouldn’t only get a chance to be a starter but he would also have a lot of fans. In the NFL he’s backup in a league that is losing tons of fans, while in the XFL he would be a starter in a league that is probably gaining fans.
22. Najee Harris: 1 time National Champion, led Alabama in rushing yards in the CFP Championship with 64 yards on 6 carries, 5 star recruit. He was a freshman this year and he didn’t get used much considering Alabama had Damien Harris, Bo Scarbrough and Jalen Hurts ran a lot. Damien Harris is staying his last year and Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa will still run some, but Bo Scarbrough will be gone so that leaves at least 7 carries a game to Najee Harris and maybe 1 or 2 targets which is enough to make him noticed.
I will update this post on Saturday.
23. Troy Polamalu: 2 time Super Bowl Champion, 3 Super Bowl appearances, NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award winner in 2010. Polamalu is a hard-hitting, smart player and a good leader. Troy caught 32 interceptions for 3 touchdowns during his career. He also racked up 576 solo tackles and 770 total tackles.
24. Calvin Ridley: 2 time National Champion, caught 224 passes for 2781 yards and 19 touchdowns in 3 seasons with Alabama. If Ridley catches the ball and there’s a foot race to the endzone, no matter who the CB is, Ridley always wins. Ridley has great hands for catching and he would be great in the XFL.
I will update this post later today.
25. Robert Griffin III: Heisman, 2012 Offensive Rookie of the Year Award winner, 2 overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft. Griffin, for some reason, isn’t getting singed by an NFL team any time soon, even though he is better than most of the NFL Quarterbacks. He would be a sure starter in the XFL. Griffin ran the 40-Yard Dash in 4.41 seconds. He was also a track and field athlete, which help his running ability.
