Notable Players Names From XFL Draft Pool, Group #4

We’ve been digging through the latest XFL releases to find names of interest to fans. The first, second, and third are available here on XFL News Hub, and today we have even more exciting talent coming in.

Matt Elam: S-Florida

Matt Elam had a fantastic career as an All-American at Florida and was picked in the first round of the 2013 Draft by the Ravens. He was outstanding in his rookie year and started 15 games with 77 tackles, 3 passes defensed and an interception.

He had some growing pains in his sophomore season, and an untimely injury coupled with an arrest in 2016 meant that his time in Baltimore was over. He tried to catch on in the CFL, but never saw the field.

At 28 years old, he’s got plenty left in his prime and is eager to flash that first-round potential once more.

Andre Williams: RB- Boston College

Andre Williams was a Heisman finalist in his senior year. Looking at his play, it’s not hard to see why. After splitting carries his whole college tenure, he finally became the guy in 2013, and promptly put up 2177 rushing yards at a 6.1 average for 18 scores. He won the Jim Brown award that season for his efforts, and was selected in the 4th round by the Giants.

In his rookie year, he was the Giants’ leading rusher with 721 yards and 7 TDs. After such a breakout season, it was surprising to see him lose ground in the backfield to Rashaad Jennings in the following years.

Williams eventually moved to the Chargers for a couple of seasons as a reserve but a broken wrist in 2017 ended his tenure there. He has over 1000 yards rushing and 8TD’s in the NFL.

After taking a couple of years to rest his body, the 6’0″ 220 lb back is ready to reignite his career.

Rahim Moore: FS-UCLA

Rahim Moore was a 2nd round pick out of UCLA and had a really solid run in Denver. He was a staple in the defensive backfield throughout the Peyton Manning Era, and in 9 years in the league, caught 9 interceptions, 22 passes defensed, 1 sack, 2 forced fumbles, and 179 tackles.

He was a good player until a freak case of Acute Compartment Syndrome nearly cost him his leg. This condition happens when too much pressure builds up in the nerves, blood vessels, and muscles, and while his case was a rare one-time thing, it could’ve resulted in amputation.

Moore told doctors there was no chance they were taking his leg, and rehabbed furiously to get back in the league. However, after playing with the Texans and stopping with the Browns and Giants, he hasn’t caught on anywhere and was most recently playing in the AAF.

The condition that affected his leg back in 2014 isn’t chronic, and any XFL team would be lucky to have an established force like him in their secondary.

Matt Jones: RB-Florida

Another talented rusher who’s been proven in the NFL, Jones is a bruiser. At 6’2″ and 239 pounds, he’s a force to be reckoned with. In two years of action in Washington, he put up 947 yards and 6 scores. He’s not just a one-dimensional, between the tackles guy either as he logged 27 receptions for 377 yards and a score.

When asked about what types of players would end up in the league, XFL commissioner Oliver Luck stated that someone could have “ended up on a team with four or five really good running backs. They’re all players that we believe can play quality football.”

Well. This is exactly what happened to Jones. He was behind starter Alfred Morris, and after hurting his knee watched Rob Kelley and Chris Thompson take the field in his absence. By the time he was healthy, he was the odd man out.

After stints in Indianapolis and Philadelphia, he’s hungry for the rock and ready to punish defenses again.

Tyree Jackson: QB-Buffalo

The monstrous (6’7″ 249) quarterback was a polarizing prospect going into the 2019 NFL Draft. Many thought that his elite athleticism and arm were enough to push him to the next level. Others were concerned about his throwing motion and accuracy. The 10th ranked passer heading into the draft, he actually went undrafted, ending up with the Bills as a UDFA.

In the preseason, he led the Bills with 315 yards through the air and a TD, but also threw a pick. He contributed in the run game as well, putting up 110 yards and a TD.

Former NFL QB Jordan Palmer has been coaching Jackson on his technique, and the raw prototypical QB could dominate if developed properly.

Sammie Coates: WR-Auburn

Coates has a great size/speed combo at 6’1″ with a 4.43 40 time. At Auburn, he hauled in 82 receptions for 1757 yards and 13 TDs. His college performance merited him a 3rd round pick in 2015 by the Steelers.

Despite competing for limited snaps with Antonio Brown, Markus Wheaton, Martavis Bryant, Juju Smith-Schuster and Derrius Heyward-Bey, he had 29 catches for 446 yards and 2 TDs. A knee procedure in 2017 put him behind in camp, and he ended up spending time in Cleveland, Houston and Kansas City.

A talented wideout who’s learned from elite WR’s like AB, Juju, and DeAndre Hopkins, he’s got all the skills and measurables to take the field in the XFL.

Brandon Oliver: RB-Buffalo

Brandon Oliver had a great run with Buffalo in college. He had 4704 yards from scrimmage and 34 TD’s, and though he didn’t end up getting drafted in 2014, he signed with the Chargers as a UDFA.

He proved to be a versatile piece in San Diego and ran for 773 yards and 3 scores. He also pulled in 55 receptions for 409 yards and a score as well. Though he didn’t catch on after the emergence of Melvin Gordon and Austin Ekeler with the Chargers, he had solid numbers in his limited playing time, and at 28, has plenty of tread on his tires.

Freddie Bishop III: LB-

He’s a bit of a sleeper, but I fully expect Freddie Bishop III to have a big showing in the XFL. The 29-year-old outside linebacker has been putting quarterbacks in the dirt his whole life, with no intention of stopping.

At Western Michigan, he racked up 15 sacks and 31.5 tackles for loss (172 total). He went undrafted in 2013, but caught on with the Detroit Lions and ended up in Canada. In Calgary, he earned more playing time from 2013-2014 and got a chance as a starter in 2015. He had 11 sacks that year, good for 4th in the league.

After that performance, he got a chance with the New York Jets, notching 19 tackles and a fumble recovery before playing with Memphis in the AAF.

When the AAF folded, he moved back to Canada, playing for the Toronto Argonauts, where he has 4 sacks already this season.

Bringing him the XFL is a steal.