- Phase 1: Skill positions. In a snake draft, each of the eight teams will draft any combination of 10 players who play quarterback, running back, wide receiver, or tight end. (Draft order: DC, HOU, NY, DAL, TB, STL, SEA, LA)
- Phase 2: Offensive line. In a snake draft, each of the eight teams will draft any combination of 10 players who play center, guard, or tackle. (Draft order: LA, SEA, STL, TB, DAL, NY, HOU, DC)
- Phase 3: Defensive front seven. In a snake draft, each of the eight teams will draft any combination of 10 players who play defensive end, defensive tackle, or linebacker. (Draft order: TB, STL, SEA, LA, DC, HOU, NY, DAL)
- Phase 4: Defensive backfield. In a snake draft, each of the eight teams will draft any combination of 10 players who play cornerback or safety. (Draft order: DAL, NY, HOU, DC, LA, SEA, STL, TB)
- Phase 5: Open draft. In a snake draft, each of the eight teams will draft 30 players. They can play any position the team wishes. (Draft order: STL, NY, SEA, LA, TB, HOU, DC, DAL)
The XFL player draft will take place Tuesday, October 15 and Wednesday, October 16. Player selections will be announced on XFL.com, @xfl2020 on Twitter, @xfl on Instagram, and through the social media channels of the eight XFL teams.Over the two-day draft, each XFL team will populate a 71-man roster by selecting players from a set of positional groupings. One quarterback will be assigned to each team prior to a five-phased draft, phased as follows:
- Skill Players (QB, RB, WR, TE)
- Offensive Line (OT, OG, OC)
- Defensive Front Seven (DL, LB)
- Defensive Backfield (CB, NB, SS, FS)
- Open Draft (all remaining players after positional drafts, in addition to P/K/LS)
The draft pool will include approximately 1,000 professional football players, all of whom accepted a Commissioner’s Invitation and passed a standard background check. In Phases 1-4, each team will choose ten players for a total of 40 players. In Phase 5, each team will choose from the pool of remaining players to complete its initial roster.
Using a “snake” format, the selection order within each phase reverses after every round: the team selecting first in the first round will pick eighth in the second round, first in the third round, eighth in the fourth round and so on. The order of selection was determined by lottery under the supervision of Commissioner Oliver Luck.
The grid below summarizes the pick order for each of the five draft phases:
The coaches and scouts for each XFL team will gather in their local markets to draft their initial rosters. Teams will be given 90 seconds to make a selection and declare their picks through a video conference with the XFL home office in Stamford, Connecticut.
Today, the XFL will begin to reveal, through XFL.com and the league’s social channels, the players entering the draft, with additional groups to be announced regularly leading up to the draft. The entire draft pool will be revealed by October 11.
XFL team Twitter and Instagram handles are the same for both platforms and as follows:
Dallas Renegades @xflrenegades
DC Defenders @xfldefenders
Houston Roughnecks @xflroughnecks
Los Angeles @xflwildcats
New York Guardians @xflguardians
Seattle Dragons @xfldragons
St. Louis BattleHawks @xflbattlehawks
Tampa Bay Vipers @xflvipers