XFL Draft Selection Order Revealed, D.C. Defenders With First Pick

Arlington, TX (November 14, 2022) –The D.C. Defenders will receive the first selection in the XFL Draft for the 2023 Season.

XFL Draft Week presented by ZipRecruiter will be held November 16-17 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Earlier today, XFL Football Operations conducted a virtual lottery to randomly determine the order for the 2023 Draft. In addition to league personnel, each team was represented by their Director of Player Personnel.

First Round Selection Order (Offensive Skill Positions):

1. D.C. Defenders
2. St. Louis Battlehawks
3. San Antonio Brahmas
4. Orlando Guardians
5. Vegas Vipers
6. Seattle Sea Dragons
7. Arlington Renegades
8. Houston Roughnecks

Draft Selection Process:

The selection process will occur in a “snake style” format. Teams will take turns drafting players, with the pick order reversing each round.

The D.C. Defenders will have the first pick in the Offensive Skill Position draft and will select again with the 16th pick in the following round.

The grid below summarizes the pick order for each of the six draft phases:

XFL DRAFT: DAY ONE

When: Wednesday, November 16; 8:30 am PT/11:30 am ET

What: Day one will be broken into four positional groupings, with 11 rounds of selections for each grouping. The order of the other positional groupings is based on the lottery for Offensive Skill Positions.  For example, Houston will select first in the Offensive Line grouping, and DC will select last.

●      Offensive Skill positions (WR, RB, TE, FB)

●      Defensive Backs (CB, Safety, Nickel)

●      Defensive Front Seven (ILB, Edge, DE, DT)

●      Offensive Line (LT, LG, C, RG, RT)

XFL DRAFT: DAY TWO

When: Thursday, November 17; 7:30 am PT/10:30 am ET

What: Day two will feature three rounds of Specialist selections (Kicker, Punt, Long Snapper), followed by up to 11 rounds of open drafting.

A supplemental draft will be held in early 2023 for players currently under contract with another sports league.

Undrafted players from the November draft will remain in the supplemental draft pool and may be added to a team roster at a later date.

The week’s activities will kick off on Tuesday, November 15, at 11 am PT/2 pm ET with a live-streamed Quarterback Selection Show, hosted by VsIN and ESPN talent, Stormy Buonantony. During the show, XFL Head Coaches will officially announce their team’s quarterbacks. The show will air live on XFL.com.

On Tuesday at 7 pm PT/10 p.m. ET, ESPN2 will air a 30-minute, behind-the-scenes special, Drive To The XFL Draft.

The XFL-produced, can’t-miss film offers viewers unprecedented access behind the curtain as league Chairwoman and Owner, Dany Garcia, and league owner, Dwyane Johnson, work toward bringing their vision for the XFL to life.

For more information, visit XFL.com and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

The XFL will kick off on February 18, 2023, in partnership with its exclusive broadcast partner, The Walt Disney Company and ESPN. Season ticket deposits are available online for all teams at XFL.com/tickets.