News Release, The XFL
The DC Defenders will make history on Saturday, Feb. 8 when they host the Seattle Dragons at Audi Field in the first game of the 2020 XFL season.
With the XFL Draft in the books and mini-camp just around the corner, it’s time to get to know the players you will be cheering for come Week 1 of the XFL season.
The Defenders’ 70-man roster is made up of National Champions at the FBS, FCS, DII and DIII levels, Super Bowl champions and Grey Cup champions — including names from 26 different states and three countries.
NFL EXPERIENCE
60 of the 70 players on the DC Defenders roster have been a part of an NFL organization. The Miami Dolphins are the only NFL team to not have a former player on the DC Defenders roster.
- 9 Giants
- 8 Bills, Browns, Eagles, Saints
- 7 Bears
- 6 Panthers, Texans
- 5 Lions, Jaguars, Packers, Patriots, Raiders
- 4 Bengals, Chargers, Chiefs, Jets, Ravens, Titans, Redskins
- 3 Buccaneers, Cowboys, Falcons, Seahawks, Steelers
- 2 Broncos, Cardinals, Colts, Rams, Vikings
- 1 49ers
- 0 Dolphins
NFL DRAFT PICKS
Of the 70 players on the DC Defenders roster, 13 were selected in the NFL Draft.
Round 1: S Matt Elam (No. 32, Ravens. 2013)
Round 2: CB Rahim Moore (No. 45, Broncos. 2011)
Round 3: DE Sam Montgomery (No. 95, Texans. 2013)
Round 4: TE Orson Charles (No. 116, Bengals. 2012), CB Doran Grant (No. 121, Steelers. 2015), RB Donnel Pumphrey (No. 132, Eagles. 2017), QB Cardale Jones (No. 139, Bills. 2016)
Round 5: None
Round 6: OT Kyle Murphy (No. 200, Packers. 2016), DT Kristjan Sokoli (No. 214, Seahawks. 2015), DT Elijah Qualls (No. 214, Eagles. 2017)
Round 7: CB Jalen Myrick (No. 222, Jaguars. 2017), WR Tre McBride (No. 245, Titans. 2015), LB Scooby Wright (No. 250, Browns. 2016)
The 70 players on the DC Defenders represent 54 different programs for all levels of collegiate football.
57 of the 70 Defenders played for FBS programs, with 39 different teams represented. The Defenders roster features 12 players from 10 different FCS (I-AA) programs, four players from four different DIII and one DII player.
COLLEGES WITH MULTIPLE PLAYERS REPRESENTED
Buffalo (4): DE Charles Harris, QB Tyree Jackson, C James O’Hagan, DT Kristjan Sokoli
Ohio State (4): OG Chase Farris, CB Doran Grant, QB Cardale Jones, DT Tracy Sprinkle
Stanford (4): OT Kyle Murphy, LB AJ Tarpley, LB James Vaughters, OT Casey Tucker
Penn State (3): LB Koa Farmer, RB John Thomas, WR De’Andre Thompkins
James Madison (3): RB Khalid Abdullah, WR Terrence Alls, WR Rashard Davids
Georgia Tech (2): DE KeShun Freeman, WR Justin Thomas
Minnesota (2): LB Jonathan Celestin, CB Jalen Myrick
Alabama (2): WR Richard Mullaney, CB Bradley Sylve
Kentucky (2): LB Jordan Jones, C Jon Toth
LSU (2): DE Sam Montgomery, OT Toby Weathersby
CONFERENCES WITH MULTIPLE TEAMS REPRESENTED
AAC: Cincinnati, Temple
ACC: Georgia Tech (2), Clemson, Duke, Louisville, Miami, NC State, North Carolina, Syracuse
Big Ten: Ohio State (4), Penn State (3), Minnesota (2), Maryland, Michigan, Northwestern
CAA (FCS): James Madison (3), Towson, William & Mary
C-USA: Marshall, UAB, UTEP
MWC: Colorado State, New Mexico, San Diego State
MVC (FCS): Indiana State, Missouri State, Northern Iowa
Pac-12: Stanford (4), Arizona, Arizona State, Oregon State, Southern Cal, UCLA, Washington
SEC: Alabama (2), Kentucky (2), LSU (2), Florida, Georgia, Missouri, South Carolina