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The AAF is dead, but the XFL is getting started in 2020 as Vince McMahon tries to succeed in his second attempt at the football league. The XFL had their draft this past week to fill rosters on the eight teams in the league. The draft was broken down into five phases: (1) skill players, (2) offensive linemen, (3) defensive front seven, (4) defensive backs, and (5) specialists/everyone else still available.
Prior to the draft, “Tier 1 Quarterbacks” were allocated to each team, such as Landry Jones going to Dallas, and Cardale Jones going to DC. Yes, if you haven’t noticed, we’re not exactly talking about cream-of-the-crop talent in the XFL, but I still love and fully advocate there being another league for players to build themselves up and gain more experience.
The parenthesis indicates the last year that the player was with Cleveland in some capacity. Here are the 30+ Browns affiliates who were drafted:
Dallas Renegades
- S Derron Smith (2018)
- S Montrel Meander (2019)
DC Defenders
- TE Orson Charles (2019)
- LB Scooby Wright (2016)
- CB Elijah Campbell (2018)
- S Rahim Moore (2016)
Houston Roughnecks
- WR Blake Jackson (2019)
- OL Avery Gennesy (2018)
- C Patrick Lewis (2014)
- DL Trenton Thompson (2018)
- CB Robert Nelson (2015)
- S Ed Reynolds (2017)
Los Angeles Wildcats
- OL Fred Lauina (2018)
New York Guardians
- TE E.J. Bibbs (2016)
- OL Brian Fineanganofo (2019)
- DL Jarrell Owens (2019)
- LB D’Juan Hines (2019)
Seattle Dragons
- QB Joe Callahan (2016)
- WR Kasen Williams (2018)
- TE Connor Hamlett (2017)
- CB Channing Stribling (2017)
- K Greg Joseph (2019)
St. Louis BattleHawks
- QB Brogan Roback (2018)
- WR Ishmael Hyman (2019)
- OL Matt McCants (2017)
- OL Andrew McDonald (2015)
- CB Trey Caldwell (2017)
Tampa Bay Vipers
- WR Rannell Hall (2017)
- LB Anthony Stubbs (2019)
- S Micah Hannemann (2018)
The team with the most former Browns players is Houston, who has six players, including safety Ed Reynolds, one of the players I used to rave about before he kind of just disappeared. St. Louis is also sure to draw some Browns fans, thanks to Brogan Roback from HBO’s Hard Knocks. Among the former Browns players not selected but who were in the pool of players? RB Trent Richardson.
The league is scheduled to kick off in 2020. Which players or teams do you think you might have a rooting interest in?