2054 1st round draft review

Welcome to the 34th annual 1st round draft review. I personally found 28 players that I gave a 1st round grade too! That means there will be at least 4 players drafted in the 1st round that aren't graded as 1st rounders (by me) and there will probably be more!

****annual disclaimer****

The draft review is 100% my opinion based on my weights and my experience playing MFN!

I don't claim to know it all and I don't consider myself the best ever or the GOAT! I just call it like I see it and try to have some fun with it.

Please don't take anything I say here as an insult! The only thing I know for sure about MFN is that I don't know much of anything! I'm often wrong and have and will share when Im completely wrong about a draft review.

Don't take anything I say personal! This is a game and the review is something I do for fun so please treat it accordingly.

****annual disclaimer****


MULTIPLE PICKS
Indiana ×4
Washington ×3
New York ×2

NO PICKS
Vancouver
Buffalo
Daytona
Vegas
Seattle
Randolph

1.1
Indiana
QB Jeffrey Lowell 30/91
Vol 2
6' 2" 221 lbs
Arkansas

Indiana has won back to back division Titles in the AXC West and they have 4 picks in the 1st round this year. That start the draft off with a bang by selecting the consensus #1 rated QB in the draft. Lovell is a true pocket passer but he has great ability to scramble within the pocket. He has elite intelligence and accuracy along with a solid arm, potentially elite vision and the ability to look off the defense. Scouts believe he will easily transition to the pro game based on his incredible work ethic. He lives and breaths football and should become the francise QB for a team poised to make a sustained run.

Great A+++

1.2
Houston
C William Martin 45/97
Vol 10
6' 3" 284 lbs
Ohio State

Houston lands the Rimington award winner in C Martin. He graded the highest among all position players in the last decade with a 97 out of 100 grade at Center. He has elite speed, acceleration, discipline, intelligence and strength for his position. While Martin is best as a Center, he could easily play either Guard or Tackle position at an elite level. He proved hus versatility in college when he played at least 10 snaps at all 5 offensive line positions in the same game versus Tulane.

Grade A+++

1.3
Brooklyn
QB Paul French 25/88
Vol 38
6' 3" 215 lbs
Dubuque

Big Poppa took back ownership of Brooklyn in 2049 after preciously owning the team from 2043-2045. Altogether, he made the postseason in 6 of 8 years as owner including 4 of 5 seasons during his 2nd stint as owner. Last season, they played 3 different QBs with John Bennett starting 7 games, John Shaver starting 8 games and Bruce Shadrick starting 1 game. Bennett retired while Shaver & Shadrick returned but neither is considered a front line starter. Brooklyn used the 3rd overall pick to select QB French who was considered by scouts either the 2nd or 3rd best QBs in the draft with QB Joe Chase being the other one. French is considered the safer takent with the higher floor but a lower ceiling. It's a great pick for Brooklyn who has proven they can win with an average QB and French should almost definately upgrade the position. He has elite vision and great intelligence, accuracy, pass release and the ability to look off defenders. The knock on French is he is a pure pocket passer who is a statue which could lead to higher sack numbers if the line isn't great.

Grade A

1.4
Orlando
LDE (WLB) Adam Robinson 28/87 (36/81)
Vol 52
6' 0" 260 lbs
Nebraska

Orlando takes a college LB who scouts view as a great edge rusher in the XFL. Robinson can remain at LB where he would be a great outside backer or he can move to the defensive line where he could become an elite pass rusher. Regardless of where he winds up on Orlando's defense, he should help improve last years 25th ranked defense. Orlando was 11th against the pass, 18th in sacks but 32nd in run defense so Robinson can quickly help improve stopping the run by playing on the edge or being off the ball.

Grade A

1.5
Washington
WR Ellis Young 39/86
Vol 90
6' 0" 195 lbs
Towson State

Slowtospeak is entering his 3rd season as owner of Washington after owning Carolina for 16 seasons from 2025-2040 where he won the 2029 XFL Title. He used the 5th overall pick to select a WR who they hope can become an elite playmaker for last season's 22nd ranked offense. Washington averaged just under 17 points per game last season and they need to get that number up over 20. Yound has just below elite speed and he also has the versatility to run the ball which could make him the teams best playmaker this season.

Grade A

1.6
New England
LDE Charles Rosales 40/90
Vol 88
6' 4" 273 lbs
Georgia Tech

Action-Jackson is back as the 4th owner in the last 7 seasons for New England after a short stint as owner of Tampa Bay (2046-2049). He will attempt to break a 16 year playoff drought for the Crusaders with his first major move being the drafting of DE Rosales. He should line up opposite of RDE Randy Newton to give them a solid player on both edges. He had immense potentially based on his size, speed & strength and he is projected to reach ALLPRO levels if he can successfully transition his college skillsos into the XFL. Comparisons to NFL Hall of Famer Miles Garrett have been talked about among scouts based on his measurables but it's the intangibles that will ultimately define his career.

Grade A

1.7
Carolina
RB Bobby Cheatwood 35/85
Vol 66
5' 11" 235 lbs
Washington State

The best all around RB in the draft goes to Carolina with the 7th overall pick in the draft. Cheatwood will pair up with Raymond Lecompte and eventually become the starter since Lecompte is entering his 9th season. Scouts love his size & speed and he could actually become faster if he loses a few pounds. Carolina had the 24th ranked rush offense last season and this addition gives them a great 1-2 punch in the backfield which should improve the overall rushing attack.

Grade A

1.8
Indiana
C Cary Wieczorek 35/90
Vol 14
6' 2" 292 lbs
Syracuse

Indiana selected their francise QB with the #1 overall pick and use their second of four 1st rounders on a Center that could be hiking him the ball for the next decade. In any other draft, Wieczorek would be the best Center available but he.is the 2nd best behind William Martin who went #2 overall and is seen as a generational talent. The reality is that while Wieczorek is a great Center, scouts actually like him better at Guard. That's 2 solid picks for the Fog with 2 more still upcoming.

Grade A

1.9
Miami
C John Clements 31/89
Vol 8
6' 2" 278 lbs
Acorn State

This draft is short on offensive guards and Tackles especially in the 1st round but there are 3 great Centers that were available and Miami takes the 3rd Center off the board with the 9th overall pick. While Martin was a tier above Wieczorek, Clements is neck.and neck with Wieczorek at Center. Scouts would argue Clements is a bit better at Center while Wieczorek has much better versatility to play other spots on the line. There is no denying Clememts work ethic, drive and leadership ability which all make him a better plug and play starter from day 1.

Grade A

1.10
New York
MLB James Weber 37/84
Vol 54
5' 11" 251 lbs
Louisiana Lafayette

New York had the 22nd ranked defense & 27th ranked pass defense last season and share the same division as offensive juggernaut Buffalo so they used their 1st rounder on a true 3 down MLB that can lead & help improve their overall defense. It's a great landing spot for Weber as New York has a rich history with 13 past ALLPROs at MLB among 5 different players. Weber has elite speed, quickness & tackling while being equally proficient at stopping the run, rushing the passer and covering the RB coming out of the backfield.

Grade A

1.11
Washington
CB Dennis Walker 32/75
Vol 52
5' 11" 191 lbs
Florida

Washington took an offensive playmaker with their first pick in the 1st round so they took a defensive playmaker with their second pick in CB Walker. He has elite speed coupled with elite potential in M2M cover skills while being a sure tackler. He struggles in both press and zone coverage so he has to be used properly but Slowtospeak is an experienced owner who will get the most out of his skill set.

Grade A

1.12
Oakland
QB David Travis 40/85
Vol 16
6' 4" 227 lbs
Washington

Datsmallboi is entering year 6 of his second stint as owner of Oakland. He owned the team originally for 9 seasons from 2036-2044 where he made 5 trips to the postseason including 3 straight AXC West division Titles. During hus second go around, the francise hasn't made the postseason or finished better then 8-8. They used the 10th overall pick on the 3rd of 4 QBs that were expected to go in the 1st round. Travis is by far the most accurate coming out of college which makes him viable as a day 1 starter but while his floor is higher then the other 3 QBs, his ceiling is probably the worst of the others (Lowell/French/Chase). Oakland is currently in a 10 year playoff drought and they need someone to step in immediately and get them to the promised land. Solid pick for a francise trying to make that next step.

Grade A

1.13
Los Angeles
MLB Paul Williams 37/84
Vol 46
6' 0" 252 lbs
Oklahoma

Los Angeles has been owned by Warthog going on a dozen seasons and they haven't made the postseason the last 14 seasons. They aren't a bad team and the owner is solid but they have simply been caught in the middle. LA has won at least 7 games in 8 of the last 10 seasons including a 10-6 record in 2052 which didn't quite get them into the dance. The had the 18th ranked offense & defense last season so they ended up drafting a MLB who is great at just about every aspect of the game except maybe his run stopping ability. His speed, pass rushing and cover skills make him ideal against the passing game and he is a sure tackler who needs to improve against the run game.

Grade A

1.14
Tampa Bay
RG James Cannon 25/87
Vol 42
6' 3" 317 lbs
Miami (Ohio)

The first player not on the 28 players listed as 1st round talents comes off the board in RG Cannon. It's not that Cannon is a bad player because he is the best non-Center offensive lineman in the draft. He just missed getting a 1st round grade and was considered an early 2nd rounder. Cannon is a potential starter on day 1 for Tampa Bay at either RG or possibly RT.

Grade A-

1.15
Washington
CB (FS) Luther Riddick 33/83
Vol 96
5' 11" 190 lbs
Miami

Washington uses their third 1st rounder on another CB in Riddick. He is a raw talent with great athleticism and if he can make the transition from college to the XFL, Washington may have found themselves a pair of lockdown corners. This TC will be BIG for Washington and if things go right, they could easily make a giant leap forward. They had the 22nd offense & 21st defense last season along with the 25th ranked pass defense so clearly Slowtospeak has filled so serious needs.

Grade A

1.16
Montana
MLB Billy Whitehead 45/79
Vol 88
6' 1" 236 lbs
Wake Forrest

Montana missed the postseason last year at 8-8 as they were trying to set a francise record with 3 straight postseason appearances. They did have the 10th ranked defense plus they are adding a MLB whose specialty is pass defense which Montana had the 17th ranked pass defense. They added to a strength by addressing a weakness which is brilliant.

Grade A

1.17
Kansas City
QB Joe Chase 23/91
Vol 100
6' 3" 232 lbs
Southern Methodist

Finally, the prodigy goes 17th overall in QB Joe Chase. The Tic Tok star with millions of followers was considered tied for the 2nd best QB in the draft along with French who was taken 3rd overall. Chase has the potential to be a superstar, ALLPRO, MVP & HOF type QB but concerns over his work ethic and commitment to the game had his draft stock drop severely. Scouts love his potential pass accuracy, vision and ability to look off Defenders but the one hundred million dollar question is: Will Chase actually Chase excellence in football or will he spend more time posting videos and engaging with all his followers. KC missed the postseason at 8-8 last season but they had the 14th ranked offense and 10th ranked pass offense so Chase is an all or nothing swing for the fences!

Grade A

1.18
Pittsburgh
C Richard Seltz 32/85
Vol 66
6' 3" 285 lbs
Purdue

Pittsburgh just missed the postseason at 9-7 last season under Ioanblood's 3rd season as owner. They had the 17th ranked offense but only the 27th ranked rush offense. Pittsburgh takes the second player who didn't have a 1st round grade in C Seltz. This feels like they wanted to fill a need and Seltz matches the teams blueprint for offensive lineman which is speed over size. Pittsburgh has 8 offensive lineman with great to elite speed (70+).

Grade B+

1.19
Texas
WLB Rodney Reyes 41/83
Vol 40
6' 1" 244 lbs
Western Michigan

Texas shocked the world last year when they snapped a 10 year postseason drought in Kidpoker's 4ty year as owner. Texas entered the season on a 34 game losing streak after going 0-16 in both 2051 & 2052. They finished 9-7 and clinched the 7th seed behind the 16th ranked defense and 9th ranked pass defense. They added LB Reyes who has elite speed & quickness for the position. He excels as a pass rusher and punching the ball loose but he can also play the run and play in coverage which makes him a 3 down backer. Quality pick by landing elite speed at pick 19.

Grade A

1.20
Memphis
RB Eliseo Simmons 33/79
Vol 38
5' 10" 209 lbs
Southern Mississippi

Timreesejr is entering season 5 as owner of Memphis after returning to the XFL where he was the original owners of Seattle from 2018-2038. He has had a winning record all 4 seasons and made the postseason 3 times. They had the 13th ranked offense and 10th ranked rush offense plus they added a RB with the 20th overall pick. Millet and Davis both rushed for over 800 yards and they add Simmons who will learn from the 2 veterans. This is a preemptive move for the future since Davis (year 7) and Millet (year 6) are in their prime.

1.21
Saint Paul
MLB Lawrence Taylor 29/69
Vol 72
6' 0" 243 lbs
Minnesota

Don't let the name fool you, this isn't the NFL HOFer or any relation despite the fact he plays LB. Taylor wasn't on anybodies radar in the 1st round and was considered by most scouts as a late 2nd or early 3rd rounder. Taylor has all the skills you want in a LB but he simply is too slow. His speed graded as below average along with his quickness. Scouts are concerned he won't be able to get to the ball in the extremely fast XFL where speed is King.

Grade B-

1.22
Gem City
WR Richard Drew 36/77
Vol 58
6' 2" 199 lbs
Southern Methodist

Gem City takes just the second true WR in this very week receiver class. Raidergreg69 has owned the Gangsters since season 4 of the XFL where he has been a longtime perennial contender and made the postseason in 24 of his 33 years as owner. That record of success includes making the postseason in 14 of the last 16 seasons and the francise is just 1 of 8 teams with at least 2 XFL Titles. The WR taken is one of the few 1st round talents at the position and he is just below elite level in speed, route running and beating press coverage. Scouts have some concerns with his hands and he needs to develop his potential in TC to become a front line playmaker on offense.

Grade A-

1.23
Indiana
CB Chris Simms 33/78
Vol 24
5' 10" 207 lbs
Louisiana State

Indiana used their first two 1st rounders to add to their 9th ranked offense and they switched gears with the third of 4 Total 1st rounders by drafting a CB to add to their 12th ranked defense. Simms is a press man cover corner with excellent speed and quickness. Indiana had the 13th ranked pass defense and had a ton of speed at CB but they lacked a true press coverage CB which should improve their ranking.

Grade A

1.24
Toronto
TE Lowell Butler 37/78
Vol 14
6' 4" 261 lbs
Kentucky

Thanos4real is entering his 11th season as owner and helped lead Toronto to at least an 8-8 record in 8 of those 10 seasons including 5 postseason appearances. Those numbers are incredible since the francise took 20 seasons to reach their first postseason and only went 8-8 or better four times in their first 20 seasons as a francise. They drafted the first TE in this draft at pick #24 and he was the only TE with a 1st round grade. Butler is known more as a pass catching TE as his run blocking is average at best but the hope is he can improve in TC and become more of a complete player at TE.

Grade A-

1.25
Philadelphia
TE Timothy Edwards 32/82
Vol 56
6' 5" 256 lbs
Mississippi State

MWD65 is entering year 3 as owner of Philadelphia and went 11-5 in year 2 to make the playoffs. With TE Butler going a pick ahead of Philly, it feels like Edwards was a plan B pick. Edwards is a complete package TE with much better run blocking skills and pass catching ability but what he lacks is speed which is why he didn't receive a 1st round grade. Once again, scouts are worried that his lack of speed will hurt him in the XFL where elite speed is all over the field.

Grade B

1.26
New York
SLB Bryant Tubbs 37/72
Vol 10
6' 1" 210 lbs
Bethune Cookman

New York is owned by Almaric7 who is entering his 7th season with the club. Amazingly, this is Amalric7's fifth team he has owned in the XFL but he has never owned any other team past 4 seasons. He uses his second 1st rounder on another LB in Tubbs. He joins Weber in the LBer room but Tubbs is more of a outside pass rusher while Weber is the more traditional MLB. Both picks should help improve on last year's 22nd ranked defense.

Grade A

1.27
Dakota
QB James Zoeller 30/79
Vol 58
6' 1" 237 lbs
Georgia

Dakota takes the 5th QB in the 1st round as they roll the dice in hopes of finding their next francise QB. Since HOF QB Robert Alvarez retired in 2049, they have used several veterans to man the position. They still have Remy Beaucamp under contract but he is a nightmare plus they have Derek Brewer who replaced Beaucamp in 2050 for 1 more season and QB Stephen Gibson retired too. The team hopes Zoeller has a great TC and gets to watch Brewer for a season before handing him the keys. It's basically a long odds gamble that they hope can pay dividends or else it's just a wasted pick.

Grade B-

1.28
Phoenix
RB Michael Schwartz 34/78
Vol 80
5' 10" 208 lbs
Vanderbilt

Armoredgiraffe sold the team and the committee in charge pending new owner approval made a pick of a RB with average speed. Schwartz has some decent skills but his speed will be better his biggest Achilles heel at his position. Phoenix has made the postseason in 14 straight seasons but the lose of their owner will have that streak in sever danger of being broken.

Grade B-

1.29
Indiana
FS Matthew McClendon 32/72
Vol 16
5' 11" 213 lbs
Penn State

Indiana spends their final of four 1st rounders on a second DB to give them.a QB, OL & 2 DBs. McClendon is a speedy DB with marginal M2M skills but he can play press and is a great run stopper which may make him a great SS or extra CB in dime. Of course, his speed plays in the XFL and is always valuable on defense. Overall, a great draft for Indiana so far which will be decided in TC just how impactful it will ultimately become.

Grade A-

1.30
Atlanta
LDE (SLB) Aaron Ross 30/78
Vol 52
6' 2" 232 lbs
Auburn

Atlanta is coming off a perfect regular season which fell short in the postseason. They selected a college LB who scouts believe should play on the edge. His elite speed and world class strength plus his pass rush & run stopping skills make him a natural at DE.

Grade A

1.31
Cincinnati
CB Everett Saucedo 33/81
Vol 62
5' 9" 198 lbs
Southern University

Cincinnati went to the Title game for the 3rd time in the last 7 seasons under 20 year owner Blondie1977. They use the 31st pick to take a CB with good speed and elite M2M cover skills. A great addition to an already potent defense which ranked 2nd overall and 7th in pass defense.

Grade A

1.32
Providence
WR Tom Buie 34/73
Vol 96
6' 0" 202 lbs
Tennessee

The XFL Champs use their 32nd pick to take a WR with good speed and elite run blocking to go along with a great ability to catch 50/50 *****. He is kinda a work in progress with his other pass catching skills but it's a solid pick at the end of the round.

Grade B+


The four remaining players with 1st round grades who are still on the board!

RB Bryant Lopez 30/77
Vol 90
5' 11" 215 lbs
Toledo

LDE Dustin Wojcik 28/86
Vol 48
6' 2" 262 lbs
Miami

DT (RDE) Ronald Church 30/82
Vol 30
6' 3" 282 lbs
Southern Methodist

CB Noel Miller 36/81
Vol 38
5' 11" 191 lbs
Kansas

[quote="Cjfred68"]1.15
Washington
CB (FS) Luther Riddick 33/83
Vol 96
5' 11" 190 lbs
Miami

Washington uses their third 1st rounder on another CB in Riddick. He is a raw talent with great athleticism and if he can make the transition from college to the XFL, Washington may have found themselves a pair of lockdown corners. This TC will be BIG for Washington and if things go right, they could easily make a giant leap forward. They had the 22nd offense & 21st defense last season along with the 25th ranked pass defense so clearly Slowtospeak has filled so serious needs.

Grade: A
I should certainly hope so. As it is, brx just ran rings around me. At least I can be on the same block as him.