Once again, it's time for the annual 1st round draft review!!!

I've been doing this for 20 seasons where I analyze and breakdown every 1st round selection. I base the review on my opinion, using my player weights and sometimes take some artistic license to add more realism and make it fun.

***DISCLAIMER**
I do this for fun and to entertain so despite your personal review and grade...please don't take it personal. I've been proven right and wrong so many times that my review should be taken in the way intended....entertaining and fun! I'm not here to personally attack anyone but sometimes I do give bad grades or reviews....please enjoy

2040 1.1
Memphis Maniacs
TE George Wilson 33/79
Vol 30
6' 3" 264 lbs
Texas

The draft starts off with a giant curveball as Memphis takes this John Mackey award winning TE with the #1 overall pick. In mock drafts, he was ranked the 13th best player on the board despite being the best TE in the draft. Considered a safe pick by experts but lacking the elite possibilities of the top 10 prospects.

Grade B

BEST 1ST ROUND PICK IN FRANCISE HISTORY
2021 1.1
WR Richard Gray (ALLPRO/HOF)

2040 1.2
Daytona
WR George Hobbs 41/90
Vol 12
6' 1" 196 lbs
Minnesota

Daytona gets the draft back on track with this WR ranked as the 6th best prospect and highest rated WR on the board. The only thing Hobbs lacks is elite speed but he makes up for it everywhere else where his pass catching skills all are elite.

Grade A

BEST 1ST ROUND PICK IN FRANCISE HISTORY
2025 1.17
MLB Joseph Phillips (HOF)

2040 1.3
Pittsburgh
CB Oliver Shaw 31/93
Vol 52
6' 0" 193 lbs
Stanford

Pittsburgh had to be in shock when the highest rated prospect in the draft fell to them at #3. This Jim Thorpe award winner has elite speed and scouts believe he has the potential to become an elite lockdown corner in the XFL.

Grade A+

BEST 1ST ROUND PICK IN FRANCISE HISTORY
2028 1.21  
MLB David Guzman

2040 1.4
Saint Paul
QB Stephen Gibson 31/88
Vol 42
6' 2" 229 lbs
Texas A&M

Gibson won the Heisman Trophy and the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm award as the best college QB. Considered a top 5 pick entering the draft, the question became who was looking for a francise quarterback. Gibson lands in Saint Paul, a great francise that fell on hard times recently. If Gibson meets his potential, it could mean the return to prominence for this francise.

Grade A+

BEST 1ST ROUND PICK IN FRANCISE HISTORY
2018 1.20
QB Matthew Peasley (HOF)

2040 1.5
Seattle
RDE Joseph Keeter 33/94
Vol 76
6' 3" 271 lbs

Most mock drafts had Keeter landing in Seattle and despite the early curveball with picks, it happened. Keeter is considered a can't miss physical specimen whi should be a double digit sacks edge rusher for the next 6-8 years. Some concerns about his off the field issues make this pick slightly questionable but their is no doubt he will have some level of success in the XFL.

Grade A+

BEST 1ST ROUND PICK IN FRANCISE HISTORY
2034 1.7
MLB Anton Dupree

2040 1.6
Atlanta
WR Richard Morillo 33/85
Vol 34
5' 10" 215 lbs
Jackson State

Morillo was considered the WR with the biggest upside in the draft. While he isn't as polished as WR Hobbs, he does have elite speed and despite his size, he is one of the best 50/50 ball catchers in the draft. Atlanta is in the midst of a rebuild and this playmaker is a solid step towards getting the francise back to the glory years.

Grade A+

BEST 1ST ROUND PICK IN FRANCISE HISTORY
2018 1.18
RB Kent Stolzfus (2× XFL Champ)

2040 1.7
Pittsburgh
MLB Harry Mattice 35/88
Vol 60
6' 2" 230 lbs
Clemson

Pittsburgh must feel charmed this draft as they landed the projected #1 overall pick at 3 and now the #2 overall prospect at the 7th pick. They pair a lockdown corner with an elite potential MLB and totally change a defense that finished 31st in the league last season.

Grade A+

2040 1.8
Michigan
DT John Fox 29/91
Vol 6
6' 2" 300 lbs
Washington State

Michigan lands this roadblock DT with great speed and pass rush ability from the interior of the defensive line. Fox won the Outland Trophy in college and should improve on the 12th ranked run defense from last season.

Grade A+

BEST 1ST ROUND PICK IN FRANCISE HISTORY
2034 1.25
RB Ken Ewen (ALLPRO)

2040 1.9
Miami
WR Robert Hines 34/89
Vol 72
6' 0" 198 lbs
Kansas State

Their was much debate between Morello and Hobbs being the best WR in the draft but the bigger debate was which receiver was 3rd. Hines along with David Burkhart, Raymond Conners and Sterling Harvey fell into the that tier. Hines has the elite pass catching skills matched with good speed to be in the discussion for best WR in the draft but injury concerns in college make this more of a risky selection.

Grade A

BEST 1ST ROUND PICK IN FRANCISE HISTORY
2019 1.8
SS Stanley Lowenstein (HOF)

2040 1.10
Brooklyn
DT Joseph Rodgers 26/82
Vol 26
6' 4" 306 lbs
Nebraska

Brooklyn takes the 2nd DT in the draft and it definately fills a need but scouts had him going late in the 1st round between picks 25-30. With some top 10 talent still on the board, this pick is sorta a reach. Brooklyn did have the 32nd ranked run defense last season and Rodgers should help improve that.

Grade A-

BEST 1ST ROUND PICK IN FRANCISE HISTORY
2025 1.25
QB Bobby Moreira (MVP/ALLPRO/HOF)

2040 1.11
Indiana
RB Stephen Allen 29/81
Vol 6
5' 11" 227 lbs
Notre Dame

The Golden Domer was a top ten talent who slipped to #11 in the draft. He is the Doak Walker Award  winner in college for best running back and he is a complete back with a powerful running style and elite pass catching ability with great hands. He has good, not great speed but he makes up for it with power.

Grade A+

BEST 1ST ROUND PICK IN FRANCISE HISTORY
2025 1.12
CB James Edwards (3× ALLPRO)

2040 1.12
Daytona
SS Richard Rodriguez 28/78
Vol 44
6' 0" 208 lbs
Harvard

Rodriquez was considered a possible late 1st round/early 2nd round draft prospect but Daytona takes him at 12th overall. Scouts love his near elite speed and his incredible intelligence. He cover skills are decent enough and his hard hitting style and willingness to play in the box make his upside enough to warrant a 1st round pick

Grade A-

2040 1.13
Tampa Bay
WR Raymond Conners 35/83
Vol 82
6' 0" 174 lbs
Boston College

Conners was group into the 2nd tier of WRs ranked 3rd-6th. He has great speed, quickness and receiving skills but scouts are concerned about his size and what adding some weight in the XFL will do to his speed. Some risk involved but his upside is elite.

Grade A

BEST 1ST ROUND PICK IN FRANCISE HISTORY
2032 1.17
CB Jeffrey Poison (2× ALLPRO)

2040 1.14
Texas
LDE Jonathan Leonard 33/81
Vol 18
6' 3" 280 lbs
Colorodo

Leonard was the 2nd edge rusher on the board and ranked 15th overall so he goes off the board to Texas where getting to the QB in the division with Dakota is a priority. He is considered a safer pick with less upside potential compared to DE Keeter.

Grade A

BEST 1ST ROUND PICK IN FRANCISE HISTORY
2026 1.5
RB John Taylor (XFL Champ)

2040 1.15
Kansas City
SLB Zachary Cavitt 27/80
Vol 68
6' 1" 224 lbs
Maryland

Cavitt was projected to go late in the 1st round based on being undersized at LB and having average at best speed. His linebacker skills have elite potential but his speed will limit his upside at the next level. A 1st round talent but a reach at this point of the draft with 5 other linebackers still on the board rated higher.

Grade B

BEST 1ST ROUND PICK IN FRANCISE HISTORY
2028 1.24
Kansas City 
TE Tommy Navas (5× ALLPRO)

2040 1.16
Montana
WR David Burkhart 32/85
Vol 100
5' 11" 216 lbs
Ohio State

Considered a top 10 talent based on receiving skills plus good speed and quickness but questions about his character and an off the field arrest in college scared some teams away. If he can put his legal issues behind him and focus on his development, he has a shot to be great.

Grade A

BEST 1ST ROUND PICK IN FRANCISE HISTORY
2020 1.17
RB Martin Gomez (HOF)

2040 1.17
Arizona
CB Luis Emery 28/78
Vol 84
5' 10" 178 lbs
Georgia

You can't teach speed and Emery has elite if not world class speed. Concerns about his size and the need to bulk up in the XFL means his speed may be impacted but he should retain elite speed despite gaining 10-12 pounds. He is a raw talent with a chance to be great.

Grade A

BEST 1ST ROUND PICK IN FRANCISE HISTORY
2020 1.26
WR Jose Huffine (ALLPRO/XFL Champ)

2040 1.18
Vancouver
RG William Mackin 30/86
Vol 6
6' 3" 326 lbs
Arizona

The 1st offensive linemen comes off the board as Outland Trophy winner Maxkin is selected. He has size and strength to play guard or tackle and is considered pro ready. Just suit him up, pick a position and let him play for the next 10-15 years.

Grade A+

BEST 1ST ROUND PICK IN FRANCISE HISTORY
2024 1.19
MLB Donald Kindig (2× ALLPRO/HOF)

2040 1.19
Atlanta
CB Hiram Lund 25/68
Vol 42
6' 0" 234 lbs
Boston College

Lund was a college linebacker with elite speed who Atlanta plans on converting to CB with the hopes he increases his speed and can play in the secondary or come down in the box as an undersized backer. He has a real chance to become a defensive playmaker and hopes are his coverage skills improve in camp.

Grade A

2040 1.20
Toronto
WLB Alvin Jackson 32/81
Vol 98
6' 2" 227 lbs
Boston College

The 2nd straight linebacker from the National Champion Boston College goes to Toronto. Another undersized but very fast backer with great power, intelligence and cover skills. He may remain at LB or transition to the secondary in the XFL but like his college teammate Lund, he should be a playmaker.

Grade A

BEST 1ST ROUND PICK IN FRANCISE HISTORY
2020 1.13
MLB Dwight McEwen (5× ALLPRO/HOF)

2040 1.21
Oakland
MLB Joseph Everitt 34/82
Vol 44
6' 1" 243 lbs
Penn State

The run on LBs continues as Oakland taps "Linebacker Univeristy", Penn State for the next great one to play at the next level. He has more traditional size and is a very disciplined 3 down backer who stops the run or plays great coverage.

Grade A+

BEST 1ST ROUND PICK IN FRANCISE HISTORY
2019 1.4
CB Jose Moe 89/89 (3× ALLPRO/HOF)

2040 1.22
Los Angeles
WR Sterling Harvey 29/79
Vol 62
6' 3" 197 lbs
Virginia

Another WR goes in the 1st round and he was projected 17th overall so LA gets a nice bargain with this tall lanky receiver who can go up and catch contested *****. Good speed and nice hands means he could be a playmaker for years to come.

Grade A

BEST 1ST ROUND PICK IN FRANCISE HISTORY
2027 1.8
MLB Felix Franz (ALLPRO)

2040 1.23
New England
RB Claude Crawford 29/80
Vol 84
6' 0" 218 lbs
Michigan State

Another RB goes in the 1st round who has good speed, ball carry and pass catching potential. Some questions about his work ethic dropped his draft stock but if he can take that next step and focus on his career, he has a shot to become a starter.

Grade A-

BEST 1ST ROUND PICK IN FRANCISE HISTORY
2026 1.20
MLB Matthew Garcia (ALLPRO)

2040 1.24
Gem City
WR Kenneth Gibson 30/74
Vol 26
5' 11" 210 lbs
Michigan

Gibson is one of those RB/WR tweeners who has good size and speed but concerns over his ball security may make him a better WR in the pros. Gibson and Gem City were linked in many rumors pre-draft and it seems the match was made.

Grade A

BEST 1ST ROUND PICK IN FRANCISE HISTORY
2027 1.31
C Bobby Munson (7× ALLPRO/HOF/XFL Champ)

2040 1.25
Carolina
RB Gregory Vuong 31/76
Vol 10
5' 10" 220 lbs
Boston College

The 3rd player from the National Championship team goes in the 1st round. Vuong's tangible at the combo were thru the roof except his speed which is average at best. He wasn't projected as a 1st round talent so we will see if his powerful rushing style will translate to the XFL.

Grade B

BEST 1ST ROUND PICK IN FRANCISE HISTORY
2021 1.25
CB Alexander Hopson (ALLPRO/HOF)

2040 1.26
Washington
TE Antonio Emerson 30/69
Vol 28
6' 5" 269 lbs
Georgia Tech

Another player not projected to go in the 1st round is this giant TE who scouts question his hands in the passing game plus his run blocking needs to improve in the pros. Maybe he transitions to FB at the next level.

Grade B-

BEST 1ST ROUND PICK IN FRANCISE HISTORY
2019 1.26
TE Pedro Clark (3× ALLPRO/HOF)

2040 1.27
Pittsburgh
C Phillip Young 41/90
Vol 100
6' 2" 274 lbs
Memphis

This is Pittsburgh 3rd pick of the 1st round and they land another top 10 talent in Rimington award winning Center Young. He is incredibly strong, quick, fast, highly intelligent and disciplined. He has the potential to be an ALLPRO talent if he can transition to the next level.

Grade A+

2040 1.28
Los Angeles
RDE Francis Reichenbach 34/80
Vol 70
6' 3" 261 lbs
Clemson

LA gets this edge rusher out of Clemson who played in the National Title game last season. He has the size, speed and power to set the edge and rush the passer. He should be a double digit sack player at the next level is he can make the leap from the college to the pros successfully.

Grade A

2040 1.29
Houston
WLB William Snow 29/74
Vol 6
6' 3" 236 lbs
Stanford

Snow was 1 of 8 LBs projected to go in the 1st round. Not all 8 were projected to remain at LB in the pros but Snow projects to stay at linebacker. He has great speed and cover skills and a willingness to stuff the run but scouts question his strength to play in the middle so he is seen more as an outside cover backer.

Grade A

BEST 1ST ROUND PICK IN FRANCISE HISTORY
2019 1.30
MLB Joe Davidson (2× ALLPRO/HOF)

2040 1.30
Vancouver
LDE Armamdo Bowers 29/73
Vol 50
6' 3" 281 lbs
Maryland

A surprise at the end of the 1st as this DE was selected despite being a projected 2nd rounder. He has great size, strength, intelligence and discipline but lacks great speed or quickness. He should be a decent rotational defensive end in the XFL but lacks huge upside.

Grade B

2040 1.31
Dakota
MLB Mark Goss 29/77
Vol 8
6' 1" 255 lbs
Washington

The end of the 1st sees a run on LBs as Dakota takes thus larger LB with decent speed and elite cover skills. Dakota plans on moving him to safety where he will shed some weight and be used in coverage or jump into the box to stop the run.

Grade B+

BEST 1ST ROUND PICK IN FRANCISE HISTORY
2030 1-28
WR Derek Looney (2× ALLPRO/future HOF/2× XFL Champ)

2040 1.32
Vegas
WLB William Albert 30/76
Vol 12
6' 0" 248 lbs
North Carolina

Albert is the 8th LB taken in the 1st round with 7 WRs taken the second most. Albert has good size and speed but scouts question his strength and coverage skills. He should be a solid run stuffer and used as a pass rusher on 3rd down making him a 3 down backer on the outside.

Grade A

BEST 1ST ROUND PICK IN FRANCISE HISTORY
2032 1.10
SLB Andrew Reed (5× ALLPRO/XFL Champ)

Multiple Picks
Pittsburgh x3
Vancouver x2
Daytona x2
Atlanta x2
Los Angeles x2

No Picks
Buffalo
New York
Cincinnati
Philadelphia
Providence
Zehlendorf

Your content is second to none, man. Just want you to know your hard work brings a lot of entertainment value to all of us, and I’m (we’re) really appreciative.

Thanks alot!!!

I put in a bunch of work to give you all this and my reward is the appreciation like this!

As long as the league stays full and my health remains....I will keep it up!!

CJ

Yeah.. All too often things go unsaid, and I’m just saying what everyone in your leagues think. You set the gold standard, and I know how much work goes into this stuff.

I look forward to the weekly D&D rankings just as much as games haha. It’s all great.

Thank you!