The XFL is in full swing and unlike its 2001 predecessor, it appears here to stay. But like the 2001 version, there are actually a ton of players that will be given an opportunity to play in the NFL. Last season the Cleveland Browns gave a few Alliance of American Football stars a chance, and a couple landed on the final roster including Garrett Gilbert and D’Ernest Johnson.
The XFL looks to be full of even more talent. Here is one player from each positional group that would be a great addition to the current Cleveland roster.
Phillip Walker, QB, Houston Roughnecks, 5-11, 216 pounds
Walker went undrafted in 2017 after having an extremely productive college career at Temple and leading them to their first back to back double-digit win seasons in school history. He bounced back and forth from the practice squad to active roster for the Indianapolis Colts from 2017-2019 and after his latest release decided to take his talents to the XFL.
Most people have been focused on Cardale Jones and his season has been more statistically impressive, but Walker is younger at only 24 years old, has less talent around him and has a more similar playing style to Baker Mayfield. Walker also had an uphill battle to even start in the XFL as Connor Cook was slated to be the team’s poster boy. Through two games, Walker has completed over 60% of his passes for 449 yards, seven touchdowns and just one interception.
De’Veon Smith, RB, Tampa Bay Vipers, 5-11, 223 pounds
It was not surprising that Walker went undrafted in 2017, but Smith going undrafted was shocking. Smith has the resume of a mid-round selection as a productive back coming from Michigan and the size to take on an NFL workload, but his vision was rough. Smith was with the Miami Dolphins for a short time in 2017 and the Washington Redskins for a period in 2018, but that was the end of his NFL road. Despite being signed by the Orlando Apollos of the AAF, he joined the team deep into the season.
Smith is on one of the worst teams in the XFL and has very little help in front of him, but has managed to carry more than his share and be extremely productive with 27 carries for 125 yards and a solid average of 4.6 yards per carry.
Smith is currently second in the league in rushing and has clearly worked on his biggest weakness, which should result in an NFL team taking another chance on the 25-year-old. Cleveland should be taking a deep dive into the Ohio native’s film.
Dan Williams, WR, Tampa Bay Vipers, 6-2, 215 pounds
“Tha Threat” had a statistically spectacular collegiate career at Jackson State and followed that up with an equally impressive pro day, where he ran his forty at 4.51. However, he failed to get drafted and received a shot with the New York Jets. He likely went undrafted due to his lack of explosion in his cuts and this has also been the reason he has struggled to stick in the league.
In addition to having a cup of coffee in New York, Williams spent time in Washington and was actually in Cleveland for a month in 2019.
Like the players listed above, Williams is still young at only 25 and has obviously put in serious work to make himself a more explosive and agile weapon on the perimeter. Williams has nine receptions for 145 yards through two games and has accomplished that despite the quarterback position already in flux for Tampa Bay.