After the first week of the 2023 XFL season, people thought the games would be boring, and that there wouldn’t be enough offensive talent. But as the weeks went on, there were a few players who really stood out as the best and excelled in their roles and helped their teams succeed. These 4 skill position players proved in the XFL that they deserve to end up on NFL rosters this fall.
AJ McCarron
AJ McCarron was in a class of his own in the XFL. He made his mark instantly, leading the Battlehawks back from a 15-3 deficit. Starting with this TD throw with 1:25 to go on a perfectly placed ball to Hakeem Butler. Then on the three point conversion, he found austin proehl. After getting the 3 point conversion, they went for the 15 yard onside kick alternative. Then with 19 seconds left on the clock, he found proehl again blanketed by defenders, but still manages to fit it in where only his receiver could get it.
Difficult throws like these were routine for McCarron. Despite not making the playoffs, he stood apart from the pack with 24 touchdowns to only 6 picks. After starting the season with a bang, in a crucial week 10 game, he threw 6 touchdowns against the Orlando Guardians. This cemented himself in XFL history, and proved that he is the best QB in the league, and I wouldn’t say that its particularly close either.
Abram Smith
Abram Smith got off to a slow start with only 28 yards on 11 carries in week one versus the Seattle Sea Dragons. Against the vipers in week 2, he put together 2 carries that would put his potential on the map. With big gain of about 30 yards, he then ran in a 9 yard touchdown. After a few average weeks, he EXPLODED against STL for the tune of 218 yards and 3 TDs. For the season he averaged exactly 5 yards a carry, which is actually incredibly remarkable compared to his peers.
He led the DC Defenders feared rushing attack, and helped in other ways, such as throwing a key block on this QB keeper. In their only loss of the season, Smith put together another incredible performance. Honestly, if this guy isn’t on an NFL roster next fall, there is something seriously wrong with NFL scouts. Because only great players can dominate professional talent the way that Abram Smith did.
Jachour Pearson/ Cody Latimer
To be honest, I couldn’t decide with this one. Two XFL players dominated in different ways. The first being the fastest guy in the XFL, so fast nobody could catch him. Jachour Pearson, winner of Deestroying 1v1s, and now the leading receiver in the XFL. This long TD catch and run demonstrates his shiftiness and insane speed that dominated XFL teams all season. He had average hands, but got a lot of targets, for example, he hauled in quite a few catches against the defenders week one, demonstrating his ability for the first time.
The Second guy is Cody Lattimore. I felt like he kind of got cheated as a tight end, but he finished second in the receiving yards race. He was an absolute monster, especially in a takeover game against the then undefeated Defenders in an upset win. He’s another player that will definitely get calls from NFL teams, because of his absolute domination. I think Jahcour was better this season, but he was a lone bright spot on his team, and may have been cheated out because he was a tight end.
So what did you think? Are these 4 players going to make it to the NFL rosters in the fall of 2023? Or will they be back in the XFL next spring? Check out the video here.