The XFL held their Supplemental Draft on New Year’s Day, allowing the eight franchises to further add talent to their rosters ahead of the upcoming season. The Supplemental Draft allowed teams to draft players that were either passed over in the XFL Draft or were ineligible for selection in November.
The Orlando Guardians drafted with the sixth overall pick, they made six total selections, and they kicked off their draft board with a big piece for the offense:
Round 1, Pick 6: Eli Rogers, WR, Louisville
Rogers is a 30-year-old receiver that has spent a good deal of time at the highest level in the NFL. He signed on with the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent and had a brief playing career. He caught 78 balls for 822 yards and four touchdowns. He’ll look to give the Guardians a legit downfield threat and a boost to the passing offense. He had a short career in the last edition of the XFL in 2020, but he saw that cut short when the league suspended operations thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Round 2, Pick 11: Trevon Sanders, DT, Troy
The second pick the Guardians opted to round out the trenches, taking the South Carolina native in Trevon Sanders. Sanders racked up 108 tackles and six sacks in his collegiate career, earning All-Sun Belt first team in 2018, and second team in 2017. He was signed by the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent, and he played in the XFL’s last rendition for the Los Angeles Wildcats. After the league shut down he opted to become a police officer for the North Charleston Police Department. Orlando hopes he can patrol the trenches like he’s patrolled his community since his playing career was cut short by COVID.
Round 3, Pick 22: Tegray Scales, OLB, Indiana
Scales was a four-star recruit coming out of his high school in Cincinnati, Ohio. He had received tons of offers before settling on the University of Indiana. In his four years with the Hoosiers, Scales sacked the quarterback 17 times, making 46 tackles for loss on 324 tackles total. He was even productive in pass defense, intercepting opposing signal callers eight times.
He’s spent time on six different NFL teams but only appeared in four games for the Steelers in 2020 and didn’t produce any stats. He’s also spent time in the CFL with the Saskatchewan Roughriders practice team, and the USFL’s Houston Gamblers.
Round 4, Pick 27: Josh Harvey-Clemons, S, Louisville
Another Louisville alumni have found their way to the Guardians roster. Harvey-Clemons is another player with NFL experience, drafted by the now-Washington Commanders in 2017. He played three seasons for the team, before opting out of the 2020 season (he and his two sons have asthma) and he was cut in 2021. He was picked up and dropped by the Dolphins after that, then played special teams for the Montreal Alouettes last year. He’ll look to fight his way back to the main defensive roster. With his versatility as a safety and a linebacker, he’ll have plenty of opportunities to shine.
Round 5, Pick 38: Aaron Dilworth, WR, Texas A&M (Kingsville)
Another receiver for this Orlando squad. Dilworth is 6’3, 190lbs, and has participated in both the Indoor Football League and the Canadian Football League. He also participated in the arena football circuit in Texas shortly after his collegiate career which produced 73 receptions for 867 yards and 10 touchdowns. A shot in the dark prospect, with some real potential to boom for the Guardians as they try to keep up with their divisional rivals in Dilworth’s home state of Texas.
Round 6, Pick 43: Darius Clark, RB, Newberry
The Guardians round out this draft on offense with another playmaker in Clark. He played D-II Collegiate ball at Newberry, rushing for 384 yards and two touchdowns before signing up with the Carolina Panthers in 2021. In his limited preseason action, he rushed for just 29 yards on 15 carries. He was released shortly after the 2021 NFL pre-season in the final roster cutdowns. He’ll look to get his young career back on track with the XFL this season and Orlando might just be the place to do it.
The XFL season kicks off on February 18. Training camps have already begun. It is worth noting that the Guardians could add more players to their now that the NFL regular season has ended and players are released from practice squads.
