Neil Stratton of Inside The League (ITL) recently got some questions answered by XFL Senior Vice President of Player Personnel Doug Whaley, including when the XFL Draft will take place, news about the player draft pool, and showcases.
Whaley tells Stratton the XFL Draft will take place in November of 2022. Novak Kicking & Consulting will be running a specialist showcase in San Diego, California, on Sunday, October 23, 2022. We expect the Draft to take place in early November. The XFL 2020 draft took place on October 15–16, 2019.
The plan is for XFL training camps to begin on January 4, 2023. In 2019 mini-camps for individual teams at their home locations took place in December. Then all teams traveled to Houston for camp. There is no word on whether the XFL 3.0 era will do the same or have camp only in Dallas in January.
Whaley also says that XFL player personnel will not only be using the player showcase to evaluate talent but will also be at NFL training camps.
“With the help of our scouting consultants, Inside the League and FBXChange, we are able to identify the top free agent players for inclusion into the Player Draft Pool. XFL league and team personnel executives have been evaluating players for months via college/pro game video. Our personnel team will also attend NFL training camps to evaluate players who may be released in early September. Furthermore, as is customary in football scouting, our personnel team monitors the waiver wire of other leagues as players are released. With all that being said, in-person evaluations at the Showcases remain a critical component of building a robust Player Draft Pool.”
They also talk about multiple Supplemental Drafts taking place before the XFL season begins.
“The Player Draft Pool will be completed a week before the Draft. We are planning to hold a Supplemental Draft(s) as more players become available in December and January.”
Whaley also says where the player played his college ball has no bearing on what team he would be on.
“There are no territorial or college rights in the XFL. Agents may contact team personnel and coaches directly to discuss their players. “
They go on to discuss if players need an agent, CFL players, the size of the draft pool, and more.
