On Friday, the XFL held their 2023 rookie draft, consisting of 10 rounds and 80 total players joining XFL franchises. Players selected in this draft must have been eligible for the 2023 NFL Draft and not signed with another professional football team.
Sea Dragons Director of Player Personnel, Randy Mueller, commented on the team’s new additions, stating,
“We were able to add a nice group of players, who if developed, will have the opportunity to wear a Sea Dragon jersey come 2024, Our coaches are excited for this rookie class, and cannot wait to see them compete with our returning players. The selections made today, we felt were the right step in making it back to another championship season.”
Ahead of the draft, the Sea Dragons and Arlington Renegades announced a trade that sent former Toledo linebacker, Tuzar Skipper, and the 46th overall pick in the rookie draft to Arlington, in return for former Oregon offensive lineman, George Moore, and the 40th overall selection in the rookie draft.
George Moore played at the Left Tackle spot for Arlington and joins a Seattle offensive line that performed well in 2023, allowing only 11 sacks on the season. However, the Sea Dragons will need the added depth, as a few of their offensive lineman have earned opportunities at NFL training camps.
Seattle Sea Dragons Draft Selections
DT – Sam Burt – 6’4″ – 295 lbs.
College Experience: Kansas (2017 – 2022)
College Accolades: Academic All-American Second Team (2022), Academic All-Big 12 Football First Team (2020), Academic All-Big 12 First Team; Perfect 4.0 GPA (2019), Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll and Athletic Director’s Honor Roll (2019), Academic All-Big 12 Rookie Team (2018), Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll and Athletic Director’s Honor Roll (2018), Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll and Athletic Director’s Honor Roll (2017).
Sam Burt played 6 seasons at the University of Kansas, appearing in 58 games (22 starts), and totaling 50 tackles (36 solo/ 14 assisted), 3 tackles for loss, and 1.5 sacks for the Jayhawks.
Most recently, Burt was invited to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie minicamp after going undrafted.
OG/OT – Des Holmes – 6’5″ – 320 lbs.
College Experience: Penn State (2018 – 2021), Arizona State (2022)
College Accolades: Joe Moore Award Midseason Honor Roll as part of the best offensive line unit in the country at the midway point of the season.
Des Holmes played 4 seasons at Penn State before transferring to Arizona State University for his final year of eligibility. Holmes appeared in 43 games (10 starts) between the two schools, rotating at guard and tackle for a large portion of his collegiate career.
EDGE – Malcolm Lee – 6’5″ – 255 lbs
College Experience: Iowa Western CC (2018), Kansas (2019 – 2022)
College Accolades: N/A
After transferring from Iowa Western Community College, Malcolm Lee played 4 seasons at the University of Kansas. He appeared in 44 games (32 starts), and totaled 78 tackles (48 solo/ 30 assisted), 7.5 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 4 pass deflections, and an interception.
Most recently, Lee received invites to the Buffalo Bills and New York Giants training camps.
DT/NG – Wes Moeai – 6’3″ – 315 lbs.
College Experience: Utah Tech (2018), Rocky Mountain (2021 – 2022)
College Accolades: First Team All-Conference (2022), Second Team All-Conference (2021)
After a season at Dixie State in 2018, Wes Moeai took a year away from football before transferring to Rocky Mountain College to finish out his collegiate career. In his time with the Battlin’ Bears, Moeai appeared in 19 games ( starts) and totaled 114 tackles (48 solo/ 66 assisted), 24.5 tackles for loss, 6 sacks, 3 pass deflections, and a forced fumble.
Most recently, Moeai was able to show his skills in front of scouts in April at Montana State University’s pro day.
OLB – Colby Reeder – 6’4″ – 242 lbs.
College Experience: Deleware (2017 – 2021), Iowa State (2022)
College Accolades: Honorable Mention All-Big 12 (2022), Linebacker/Defensive Newcomer of the Year – Coaches (2022), Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll (Spring 2022, Fall 2022), All-CAA Third Team (2021),
Colby Reeder played 5 seasons at Deleware before transferring to Iowa State for his final year of eligibility. Reeder played in 43 games (36 starts) throughout his collegiate career, totaling 210 tackles (103 solo/ 107 assisted), 12 sacks, 27.5 tackles for loss, 12 pass deflections, 2 forced fumbles, 4 fumble recoveries, and 5 interceptions between the FCS and FBS levels.
Most recently, Reeder was invited to the New Orleans Saints rookie minicamp.
RB – Titus Swen – 5’11” – 206 lbs.
College Experience: Wyoming (2019 – 2022)
College Accolades: Second Team All-Mountain West (2021)
Titus Swen played 4 seasons at Wyoming, appearing in 34 games (14 starts), totaling 406 rushing attempts for 2,161 yards and 16 touchdowns. Additionally, he’d haul in 22 receptions for 178 receiving yards over his collegiate career and made a name for himself as a kick returner.
CB – Destin Talbert – 6’0″ – 187 lbs.
College Experience: North Dakota State (2018 – 2022)
College Accolades: MVFC Honor Roll (2018)
Destin Talbert appeared in 67 games at North Dakota State, totaling 144 tackles (104 solo/ 40 assisted), 3 tackles for loss, 25 pass deflections, 4 interceptions, and 2 forced fumbles. Additionally, Talbert was part of a Bison defensive unit that ranked 7th in the FCS allowing just 172.4 passing yards per game.
Most recently, Destin Talbert was invited to the New Orleans Saints rookie minicamp.
WR/RB – Chadarius Townsend – 6’0″ – 205 lbs.
College Experience: Alabama (2017 – 2019), Texas Tech (2020 – 2022)
College Accolades: N/A
Chadarius Townsend played 3 seasons at Alabama before transferring to Texas Tech for his final 3 years of college eligibility. In that time, he appeared in 35 games (1 start), making a name for himself primarily as a kick returner and a backup running back despite being listed as a wide receiver. He’d total 36 rush attempts for 186 yards and a rushing touchdown, also grabbing 3 receptions for 23 yards, and returning 20 kickoffs for 395 return yards over his collegiate career.
OT – Jazston Turnetine – 6’7″ – 336 lbs.
College Experience: Hutchinson CC (2018 – 2019), South Carolina (2020 – 2021), Florida State (2022).
College Accolades: Don Powell Award (2022)
Jazston Turnetine started his collegiate football journey at Hutchingson Community College before transferring to South Carolina, then transferring again to Florida State where he’d finish his collegiate career. Turnetine appeared in 30 games (18 starts) in the FBS ranks, and helped the Seminoles offense lead the ACC in third-down offense, yards gained per pass, yards gained per play, yards gained per rush, total offense per game, yards per completion, rushing offense per game and scoring offense per game.
LB – Payton Wilgar – 6’3″ – 235 lbs.
College Experience: BYU (2018 – 2022)
College Accolades: Pro Football Network Independent Linebacker of the Year (2021). All-Independent First Team Defense (2021), Phil Steele All-Independent Second Team Defense (2021), Bronco Nagurski Trophy watchlist (2021), Butkus Award watchlist (2021), and Pro Football Focus All-Freshman Team (2019).
Payton Wilgar played 5 seasons at BYU where he was a starter for 4 of his 5 years. He appeared in 45 games (40 starts) and totaled 198 tackles (103 solo/ 95 assisted), 16.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 5 interceptions, 10 pass deflections, and 2 forced fumbles for the Cougars.
Most recently, Wilgar received an invite to the Kansas City Chiefs rookie minicamp.
Unleash the Action: Sign up for XFL Insider and Fuel Your Passion for Football!
