I’ve been fortunate enough to have developed a good relationship with Russ Giglio and Doug Whaley of the XFL, and as a result, they’ve joined me on several Zoom sessions aimed at NFL contract advisors. The latest session was Wednesday, and it was really productive as Russ and Doug opened with remarks about the Rookie Draft set for Friday, June 16, then answered questions for the better part of an hour.

Here’s the complete recording of our session. If you don’t have time to wade through it — and if you represent a player who hopes to be drafted later this month, I think you should — here are a few highlights.

  • The actual time of the draft is not yet set. However, it will be a 10-round draft, so only 80 players will be selected. Doug and Russ didn’t expect any of the teams to pass on their later-round picks, as happened in January.
  • This will be a rights draft. Players won’t be tendered contracts after they’re selected. However, Russ and Doug said they expected them to be provided no later than August/September. The league is working on finalizing contracts for the 2024 season. 
  • One of the holdups is that players are weighing forming a union. They said they expect the union issue to be resolved by the end of the summer.
  • The draft class is made up solely of players who were NFL Draft-eligible in April. If a player has signed an NFL, CFL or USFL contract, that player is not eligible for the draft June 16. On the other hand, due to the league’s partnership with the Indoor Football League, players under contract with IFL teams will be included in the XFL June draft pool.
  • There is no player pool, per se. Players just have to be draft-eligible for 2023 and not signed with another league. 

  • Players who are bypassed in June are not shut out of the league. There will be a second draft after NFL cuts in November, and there are no restrictions on age or playing experience for that draft (exact date still TBA). 

  • After this summer’s six showcases across the country in June and July, the XFL will take the’ top performers to a two-day combine in Arlington, Texas. There are about 200 players at each of the six showcases, and the league will take the top 150-200 performers from all six of the events to the XFL combine. 

  • Agents with players interested in the June 16 Rookie Draft or the draft at the end of the summer are encouraged to send their clients’ information to fbo@xfl.com. Make sure to include player’s name and position; last school played for; draft year; last pro team (if applicable); email and cell of player; and player’s agent. 

There’s plenty more to know, so I encourage you to check out the video if you hope to play in the league next year or represent someone who does.

Need even more info? Check out the Friday Wrap, which comes out later today. You can register for it here.