XFL Annual 1st round draft review

I've been doing this for 17 seasons now and I tell everyone this draft review is meant to be fun with the opinions expressed being my honest opinion based on my player weights and how I see the game. Please don't take anything I express as a personal attack because if the check the draft history thread...I've been proven wrong just as much as I've been proven right.

Years ago, an owner quit after he selected a horrible FB with a top ten pick and I gave an honest evaluation of the pick. He quit because I was picking on him and that FB never played a down in the XFL.

Anyway, enough of this ****, let's get this party started

2037 1.1
Daytona
WLB Jamal Grubb 43/89
Vol 68
6' 1" 234 lbs
Southern California

Grubb is a solid linebacker with good speed, strength and intelligence with tackling and pass rush abilities slightly advanced and incredibly polished cover skills. He has the ability to play either inside or outside backer and in a worse case could transition to DB if he doesnt pan out at LB. If he blossoms, he could be special and his floor is solid.

Grade A+

2037 1.2
Arizona
TE Eric McFadden 45/83
Vol 32
6' 4" 241 lbs
Oregon State

Mcfadden is a cant miss pass catching talent who can play anywhere on the offense as a playmaker. He can stay at TE, has the size to become a FB or even a RB and could ultimately become a bigger WR. It's all about versatility and what plans Arizona has for him but the one constant is his golden sticky hands where he catches everything thrown to him.

Grade A+

2037 1.3
Washington
RT Wm Goff 23/96
Vol 34
6' 5" 324 lbs
Southern Mississippi

Goff is a mountain of a man with a tiny first name who can play either tackle or guard based on his combination of size, strength, speed and quickness along with his blocking abilities which are a little more advanced in pass protection. He is a safe pick which should pay dividends for the next decade.

Grade A

2037 1.4
Pittsburgh
CB Donald Anderson 43/88
Vol 92
6' 0" 180 lbs
Auburn

Pittsburgh takes a slight gamble on this smaller cornerback out of Auburn. The gamble is that his potential is thru the roof but can he learn to harness that potential? If he learns nothing and never reaches his potential, scouts still see him as someone that can play in the XFL at CB but if he develops, he could be an ALLPRO level talent.

Grade A

2037 1.5
Denver
WR Edward Zinn 49/83
Vol 62
5' 11" 208 lbs
Fresno State

This draft doesn't have a deep WR class but Denver takes one of the few that has pro talent potential. Zinn doesn't have elite high end speed but he has size, quickness, strength and great ability to catch the 50/50 ball. Scouts believe his potential as a WR is thru the roof plus his size affords him the chance to run the ball as well.

Grade A

2037 1.6
Memphis
SLB Donnie Huerta 38/77
Vol 66
6' 1" 245 lbs
Old Dominion

Memphis takes this physical specimen out of Old Dominion who scouts love his potential but debate exactly where he should play at the next level. His speed and quickness could make him a playmaker linebacker but some see him moving to defensive end where he could gain weight and be a dominant pass rusher. There are even some scouts who believe he could transition to safety with his speed and potential cover skills. It will be interesting to see what direction Memphis takes and how well Huerta transitions to that direction.

Grade A-

2037 1.7
Los Angeles
RDE Christopher Shoults 30/89
Vol 92
6' 3" 271 lbs
UMASS

The theme so far has been teams selecting raw talent players going for the homerun as only 2 picks out of 7 have been considered safer picks. Shoults is another raw talent out of a small school who has an amazing combination of size, speed and strength and if he can develop could become an ALLPRO talent. This draft so far is gonna make or break some teams because swinging for the fences can lead to striking out.

Grade A

2037 1.8
Miami
MLB Jimmie Hodgkinson 31/72
Vol 32
6' 1" 236 lbs
Michigan State

Every draft, we get a head scratcher in the first 10 picks and this is just that in the 2037 draft. Hodgkinson played LB at a big college program and has good size but scouts weren't impressed with his speed, strength or football IQ at the combine. Scouts saw him as quality depth at LB if he fully develops all his skills but there are questions about his tackling technique.

Grade C

2037 1.9
Gem City
RB John Douglas 40/85
Vol 58
5' 11" 206 lbs
Miami

This back out of Miami has a chance to be a starter in this league. Scouts love his speed and quickness and if he can develop at the next level, he could be a playmaker in both the run and pass game. Scouts love how he really goes up and attacks the football in the passing game.

Grade A

2037 1.10
Vancouver
SS Kevin Whiteman 37/77
Vol 42
6' 0" 203 lbs
California Lutheran

Vancouver takes this safety out of a small program who scouts love his elite speed. It's just a matter of how his coverage skills develop what level of play they get out of him but his speed plays at this level.

Grade A-

2037 1.11
Toronto
RB Van Gillespie 48/85
Vol 98
5' 10" 218 lbs
South Carolina

Toronto gambles on this RB out of South Carolina who has the speed, strength and intelligence to be great but will he develop to reach his potential? That seems to be the question so far for much of the 1st round but I applaud the teams at the top of the draft who are going for playmakers to improve their team.

Grade A

2037 1.12
Seattle
LDE Robert Anders 36/82
Vol 4
6' 3" 270 lbs
Marshall

Scouts believe this is one of the safest bets in the draft. His size, speed and quickness should make him an elite pass rusher in this league for years to come with solid edge setting to stop the run.

Grade A

2037 1.13
Providence
C Brandon Suzuki 21/81
Vol 16
6' 1" 296 lbs
Nebraska

Providence selects this cornhusker to man the center of their offensive line. He is an elite snapper both short and long and has great speed. He can play anywhere on the offensive line but his snapping ability means he should stay at center.

Grade A

2037 1.14
Texas
LDE Michael Stevens 30/88
Vol 12
6' 1" 269 lbs
Cal-Poly SLO

Scouts had Stevens rated the best pure pass rusher in the draft and he was considered a top ten pick. Texas must have been ecstatic to have him fall into his lap but some teams maybe were scared because his strength didn't measure high at the combine but there is no denying his speed.

Grade A+

2037 1.15
Philadelphia
TE Alfred Smith 43/76
Vol 68
6' 4" 252 lbs
Penn State

Smith is a talented route runner and great at the 50/50 ball and if he can develop the rest of his passing skills he could be an elite TE in this league. Scouts question his high end speed but he is fast enough to play the position.

Grade B

2037 1.16
Tampa Bay
WR Ryan Maldanodo 44/81
Vol 52
6' 0" 179 lbs
Southern California

Top pick Grubb's college teammate goes 16th overall. The WR class isn't deep but Tampa lands this skinny receiver who has fantastic return skills and could develop into an offensive weapon. He makes the team as a returner on special teams but could be much more.

Grade A

2037 1.17
New England
CB Keith Banks 33/78
Vol 4
5' 11" 187 lbs
Alabama

Banks was a finalist for the Jim Thorpe award in college as best defensive back but scouts wonder how this diminutive back will transition to the Pros. His speed and coverage skills are well rounded but none are elite. This may be a case of the whole being better then the individual parts but only time will tell

Grade B+

2037 1.18
Oakland
DT Sidney Nair 30/82
Vol 52
6' 3" 280 lbs
Nebraska

The 2nd Cornhusker to go in the 1st round is this college DT. He is a bit undersized to man the middle and scouts believe his speed and strength will play better at DE in the XFL. He has the potential to seal the edge to stop the run plus the speed to rush the passer.

Grade A-

2037 1.19
Michigan
WR Kelvin McMillin 49/83
Vol 52
5' 11" 199 lbs
Louisiana State

Another of the few WRs in the top of the draft goes at #19. Scouts love his combination of speed and the way he attacks the football during contested catches. He has the potential to become a well rounded receiver with near elite speed.

Grade A

2037 1.20
New Empire
C Thomas Godsey 26/85
Vol 34
6' 3" 287 lbs
Southern California

The USC Trojans won the National Championship and the draft shows why as the 3rd Trojan is taken in the 1st round. This time is the Dave Rimington award winner for best center in college Thomas Godsey. His combine numbers for power and strength were incredible and scouts believe he will start day 1 in the XFL

Grade A

2037 1.21
Zehlendorf
DT Charles Avila 30/85
Vol 84
6' 2" 300 lbs
Purdue

This Boilermaker was considered by scouts to be the best true DT in the draft. He has a good combination of size, strength and speed and is equally talented as both a run stopper and pass rusher. Off the field issues dropped his draft status but if he can focus on football, he should make the transition to the XFL.

Grade B+

2037 1.22
Montana
WR Eric Castillo 51/85
Vol 92
6' 1" 186 lbs
Southern California

Another pick, another Trojan as Montana has finally broke through to make the playoffs behind their defense and looks to upgrade their offense. Castillo had issues in college which also dropped his draft status but scouts love his speed, quickness and solid route running. He will have to prove he is willing to be coached in the XFL but if he is willing to take coaching, an issue in college, he can become special at the next level.

Grade A-

2037 1.23
Houston
RT Emmanuel Wallace 16/82
Vol 6
6' 2" 306 lbs
Southern California

The 6th Trojan taken in the 1st round which is an XFL draft record goes to Houston. This RT looks like an XFL LT due to his pass blocking being elite level because of the USC offense. Good solid pick at #23

Grade A

2037 1.24
Vancouver
RB Frank Williams 33/76
Vol 32
6' 3" 257 lbs
Carson-Newman

Vancouver takes a flyer on a big player on a small school who set all kinds of offensive school records. Listed officially as a TE, he did everything at Carson-Newman from carrying the ball out of the backfield to splitting out wide as a WR. Scouts consider him an ideal candidate due to his size, speed and overall potential to play RB in the XFL.

Grade A

2037 1.25
Vegas
CB Ulysses Rice 34/82
Vol 76
5' 11" 186 lbs
Texas

This undersized DB played big at Texas and Vegas hopes he can harness his incredible potential at the next level. His speed isn't top end but he more then made up for it by being a complete defensive player with great all around cover skills.

Grade A-

2037 1.26
Kansas City
CB Rafael Trask 37/72
Vol 10
5' 11" 189 lbs
Tennessee

Trask has elite speed and flirted with playing WR in college before settling on playing DB. He is a raw talent with limited cover skills shown to this point but scouts love his speed and high football IQ and see him as a safety in the XFL.

Grade B+

2037 1.27
Cincinnati
RT Nestor Nelson 21/90
Vol 40
6' 5" 315 lbs
Arizona

This large human being was meant to play tackle. His combination of size, power and unique speed have scouts believing he should be protecting QBs blindside in the XFL.

Grade A

2037 1.28
Carolina
LT Shane Snyder 26/91
Vol 72
6' 5" 312 lbs
Ohio State

The 6th offensive lineman taken in the 1st round is a road grating run blocker with good power and technique. His future is at guard but he has the size to play tackle if needed.

Grade A-

2037 1.29
Memphis
MLB Jeremiah Hartzell 37/75
Vol 90
5' 11" 249
Acorn State

Memphis takes a gamble on this undersized pass rusher who some scouts see the potential to become a 3 down linebacker. He is coming out of a small school and is raw but if he can develop and learn, he could be a nice steal this late in the 1st round.

Grade B

2037 1.30
Dakota
SS Jason Cox 39/83
Vol 32
5' 10" 197 lbs
Michigan

Cox has great speed and quickness with decent m2m cover skills. He had a nose for knocking the ball loose in college and scouts believe he can play either corner or safety in the XFL. A nice find this late in the 1st round.

Grade A

2037 1.31
Saint Paul
FS Anatole Diebler 38/75
Vol 32
5' 11" 223 lbs
Pittsburgh

Diebler is a underweight linebacker who can play safety with a defensive lineman mentality. Scouts want him to drop a little weight so he can use his speed to attack the football and he has decent cover skills which means he can play coverage or drop down into the box.

Grade A

2037 1.32
Texas
LDE Stephen Smith 27/80
Vol 72
6' 5" 288 lbs
Wake Forest

Smith is the last pick in the 1st round but he may be the best pure pass rushing defensive end in the draft. He has incredible size and length to gain the edge coupled with a unique combination of power and speed. If he fully develops at the next level, he could become a dominant force.

Grade A