Can The NFL Benefit From Spring Football In 2023? - Defensive Focus Edition
How can professional football leagues such as USFL and XFL give the National Football League an additional resource in 2023?
The National Football League is constantly looking for young, developmental talent to add to their rosters. Since the Alliance of American Football’s epic collapse, over 200 players from leagues like the AAF, The Spring League, XFL, and the United States Football League have been signed to an NFL roster at one time or another. While some of these impressive athletes had stints in the NFL prior to signing with these various Spring Football Leagues, the sheer amount of volume they bring to the world’s premier American Football product is eye-opening.
In the second part of this two-part series, we’ll focus on defensive players from the USFL and XFL. With breakout seasons, these players could be headed to the NFL. Let’s get started with the big boys up front!
If you missed part one, click here:
It All Starts Upfront
The game of football is won in the trenches. That adage football fans constantly hear could not be more true in today’s game. Whether it’s big, physical defensive tackles, or shifty, bendy defensive ends, offenses need to contend with outstanding fronts in today’s NFL. Whether a 3-4 or 4-3 alignment on defense, getting consistent push and pressure from your front is paramount.
First, we’ll look at defensive end. The assignment of eating up blocks from offensive linemen, as well as tackling running backs and quarterbacks, DT’s have a difficult task in football. Add in the constant changing of the guard from an offensive standpoint, and you have a job that becomes increasingly more difficult with every snap.
Defensive Tackles To Watch – USFL
As we did with part one of the series, the USFL will get the nod first. Defensive Tackle Willie Yarbary is primed for a breakout season with the defending champion Birmingham Stallions. The six-foot-three, 295-pound defender burst onto the football scene in 2020 while playing in The Spring League. Playing for the Conquerors at the time, Yarbary earned massive praise from coaches and players alike for his outstanding pressures and sack numbers. Yarbary, a 26-year-old mammoth out of Wake Forest, also held a stint in the NFL with Los Angeles Chargers in 2021. Yarbary’s stat line with Birmingham in 2022 saw the defender rack up 37 total tackles and 3.5 sacks. As we fast-forward to 2023, look for Yarbary to return to that same type of form under Skip Holtz’ Stallions team.
Robert Nkemdiche is a name everyone knows, but perhaps for the wrong reasons. Nkemdiche never really found his groove in the NFL. In total, the 2015 First-Team All-SEC prospect has played for four different franchises in seven full seasons. Across those seven seasons in the NFL, Nkemdiche has played in 38 career games. A former first round draft choice of the Arizona Cardinals, he brings elite level traits to the Michigan Panthers defensive line.
The six-foot-three Nkemdiche bolsters the Panthers front line of defense that will also feature players such as Defensive End Breeland Speaks, Defensive Tackle Walter Palmore, among others. If this highly touted player can return to form in the USFL, watch out. Nkemdiche looks to show the world why he was a first round pick alongside other talented players in Michigan in 2023.
Defensive Tackles To Watch - XFL
As we shift gears to the XFL, Seattle Sea Dragons Defensive Linemen Treyvon Hester is primed for a breakout year. Originally a 2017 seventh-round draft pick of the Las Vegas Raiders, Hester is a plug-and-play starter for Head Coach Jim Haslett’s squad. Hester spent time in the NFL with six different clubs, appearing in 41 career games. Hester has made just shy of 1.7 million dollars in his NFL tenure, but is now opting for a chance to play meaningful minutes on the gridiron in the XFL. The 30-year-old from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania will bring a veteran element to the Sea Dragons. Look for Hester to anchor the Seattle defensive front in 2023.
Doug Costin is our final selection here. Costin was a UDFA with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2020. He also played for the Cincinnati Bengals in 2021. The former Birmingham Stallion traded in his red-and-gold for the powder blue uni’s the Arlington Renegades will Don in 2023. Costin, a West Chester, Pennsylvania native, looks to return to form in the XFL with other Defensive Linemen including T.J. Barnes, Bruce Hector, Glen Logan, and others. The former Miami of Ohio athlete played along the same defensive line as Yarbary in the USFL in 2022. Costin, much like Yarbary, should have an excellent year.
(Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
Edge-Rushers Galore
Defensive End is a very important position for any defense. While the big DT’s plug the middle of the trenches, defensive ends oversee sealing the rushing lanes to the outside, as well as hemming in the quarterback. If a play is executed perfectly, DE’s get a chance to sack the quarterback for massive losses. The NFL is in constant need of young, developmental edge rushers.
The USFL produced Defensive Linemen Domenique Davis, who now resides in Cincinnati with the Bengals. Following a successful season with the Houston Gamblers in 2022, Davis earned himself a futures deal.
Both the USFL and XFL have plenty of players under contract for the 2023 season looking to make the jump as Davis did this year. Here are a few that come to mind that are ready to put in the work and earn themselves a shot in the NFL.
Defensive Ends To Watch – USFL
Cavon Walker kicks off our quartet of pass-rushers who are primed for success in 2023. The 28-year-old out of Maryland is a great player who can contribute right away for the Michigan Panthers. Walker is not a newcomer to Spring Football, leading the XFL in sacks in 2020. All told, he finished with 4.5 sacks, nine quarterback hits, and five tackles for loss.
As noted above, the Panthers are loaded on their defensive line, and Walker should have no issues getting one-on-one matchups in crucial situations. Much like he did in 2020, keep an eye out for Walker to rack up sacks in the USFL in 2023.
As we move away from a veteran pass-rusher, we pivot to a player who burst onto the scene in 2022. Philadelphia Stars Defensive End Adam Rodriguez looks to become into household name in 2023. The former Weber State Wildcat finished his 2022 season in Philly with 40 tackles, nine sacks, eight tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, two pass deflections, and one safety. Rodriguez would finish second in the league in sacks behind Houston Gamblers star Chris Odom. For 2023, the six-foot-two, 245-pound defender looks to have an even better year. Philadelphia has a Star in the making in Rodriguez that fans will rally around this upcoming season.
Defensive Ends To Watch - XFL
Freedom Akinmoladun of the St. Lous Battlehawks cracks the list for XFL Defensive Ends. The former Nebraska Cornhusker comes into the 2023 season having just played in the USFL this past Spring. Akinmoladun signed as a UDFA with the New York Giants at the conclusion of the 2019 NFL Draft. Since that time, he’s played for four different teams, playing in four career games. The six-foot-three, pass-rusher now pivots to the XFL in the hopes of making a splash in St. Louis under Head Coach Anthony Becht. Akinmoladun is a rising star in the Spring Football ranks, so, don’t forget his name this year.
The second player out of the XFL is Defensive End Nick Coe. Once regarded as a mid-to-late round draft pick back in 2020, Coe would sign with the New England Patriots as a UDFA. He’d bounce around the league a bit after that, signing contracts with the Miami Dolphins, then playing in the CFL for two different clubs. Considered a bit of a tweener at six-foot-five, 286 pounds, Coe elected for the XFL via the Orlando Guardians. The Guardians clearly regard Coe as a top level player, selecting him with their second overall selection in the front-seven phase of the XFL Draft. Expect big things from the former Auburn Tiger this season.
(Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
That Second Level Though 👀
Viewed as the “Quarterback” of the defense, Linebackers play a vital role in the success of a defense. Spring Football has produced a solid group of these athletes over the years. Recently, the USFL produced two LB’s who have gone on to sign, play for, and be signed to futures deals in the NFL.
First, Linebacker DeMarquis Gates, now of the Chicago Bears, had great success for the Birmingham Stallions. Gates has been a mainstay in Spring Football. The former Ole Miss Rebel played for the AAF, XFL, CFL, and the 2022 championship team in Birmingham.
The other player that went on to sign a futures deal is Linebacker Carlo Kemp. Kemp, now suiting up for the Los Angeles Chargers, spent the 2022 season with the Pittsburgh Maulers. The young, developmental player led the Maulers in sacks during his impressive stint this past year. Who might join these athletes in making a name for themselves in 2023? Let’s dive into four Linebackers primed for success in 2023.
Linebackers To Watch - USFL
Rueben Foster sits atop the list of intriguing players to watch this upcoming season in the USFL. The former first-round pick of the San Fransisco 49ers back in 2017, Foster has chosen to use the USFL as a launching pad to get back into the NFL. Foster was a high-recruited prospect coming out of high school which helped him land with the University of Alabama. Following a successful career in college, he would be selected by the 49ers to anchor their defense. For Foster though, it did not pan out the way he hoped it would. Various off the field issues and arrests led to the 49ers releasing Foster after just his second season with the team.
Next, the Washington Football Team would claim Foster off waivers. The move was highly criticized at the time, and rightfully so. The six-foot-one, 228, pound linebacker would tear his ACL and LCL in his first practice with the team. In 2020, Foster was placed on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list while recovering from his devasting knee injury. 2022 would see Foster continuing to regain his once dominant form. He had a workout with HUB Football in the hopes of catching the eyes of scouts from both the NFL and CFL who were in attendance.
Now fully recovered from his knee injury, Foster has opted for the USFL in 2023. The talented linebacker will join the Pittsburgh Maulers as coached by Ray Horton. Horton’s son, Jarren Horton, will lead the defense with Foster as his anchor in 2023. With other players alongside him including Arnold Tarpley, Boogie Roberts, Kyahva Tezino, Bryce Torneden, and others, the Maulers will be a force this year. This is Foster’s comeback chance, and he looks to take full advantage of it in Pittsburgh.
(Photo by Leslie Plaza Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
We next transition from a player with major name recognition to one that isn’t as well known. Michigan Panthers Linebacker Frank Ginda is another player who is set to make a major impact in 2023. Originally a UDFA of the Arizona Cardinals in 2018, Ginda is a Spring Football veteran of sorts. He played in the AAF in 2019 for the San Diego Fleet. Next, he was a member of the New York Guardians in 2020. This past season he played for the USFL’s Michigan Panthers, and now sets his sights on year two with the club. At just 25 years of age, Ginda will have plenty of opportunity to both rush the quarterback as well as dropping into coverage. As mentioned previously, this Panthers defense has a chance to be elite, and Gina looks to play into a successful campaign for the Panthers this season.
Linebackers To Watch - XFL
30-year-old Vic Beasley cracks the list first for the XFL. Beasley clearly wants to keep playing football, and the Las Vegas Vipers will be giving him the opportunity to do so. Beasley was a 2015 first-round-pick of the Atlanta Falcons. Selected eighth overall that year, he spent the next six years in the NFL with three different franchises.
Beasley has not played professionally since 2020. The six-foot-three, 250-plus defender racked up 37.5 sacks throughout his career. A once dominant pass-rusher, and much like Foster, Beasley is using this platform to springboard back into the NFL. Be on the lookout for Beasley in Vegas this season creating havoc for opposing quarterbacks.
Lastly for linebackers, former Stetson Linebacker Donald Payne makes our list. Originally signed as a UDFA by the Baltimore Ravens in 2017, Payne would spend time in the NFL with five different franchises. The All-USFL athlete and Houston Gamblers star racked up 117 tackles this past season. Payne, the USFL league-leading tackler in 2022, has shifted to the XFL via the Renegades for 2023. Under Head Coach Bob Stoops, look for Payne to put up monster numbers. 2023 looks to be a breakout year for Payne in Arlington.
(Photo by Donald Page/USFL/Getty Images)
Stuck On An Island? 🏝 No Problem At All
Cornerback is a position that requires elite level athleticism and discipline. Whether one on one with an “X”receiver on the outside, or a shifty slot player, today’s defensive backs have a difficult task on the field. The 2022 USFL season produced Cornerbacks Tino Ellis and Tae Hayes. Ellis, a member of the Pittsburgh Maulers, has been signed by the New England Patriots on a futures deal. For Hayes, the same goes for him, but with the Atlanta Falcons. Who will be the next great Defensive Back making the jump to the NFL from Spring Football?
Cornerbacks To Watch – USFL
Beginning our preview of Cornerbacks ready to make an impact, Adonis Alexander is the first player that comes to mind. Alexander, a sixth-round pick in the 2018 NFL Supplemental Draft, bounced around the NFL prior to making his way to the USFL in 2022. In total, the Charlotte, North Carolina native played for four different squads leading to his arrival with the New Orleans Breakers in 2022. He finished the season with 35 tackles and two interceptions in nine games. Under new leadership in Head Coach John DeFilippo, Alexander looks to improve on a productive year. Watch out for the six-foot-three, 205-pound Swiss Army knife roaming the Breakers secondary in 2023.
The second highlighted player in the secondary is Cornerback Amani Dennis. Dennis made a name for himself in the USFL this past season with the Philadelphia Stars. Coming out of college in Wisconsin, Dennis attended minicamp with the Cleveland Browns. Prior to the USFL, Dennis had a stint in The Spring League with the Generals. This past season in Philly, Dennis racked up 42 total tackles and two interceptions. With the positional versatility Dennis has, expect an even bigger 2023 for the 25-year-old defensive back.
Cornerbacks To Watch - XFL
Kary Vincent, Jr. might be the most intriguing player on this entire list. The 23-year-old Cornerback out of LSU will get the opportunity he’s waited for via the XFL. Vincent, Jr. was a seventh-round draft choice of the Denver Broncos in 2021. He would be traded to the Philadelphia Eagles midway through the 2021 season. The Eagles would release him before the start of the 2022 league year. Since that time, Vincent, Jr. has signed contracts in the NFL with the San Fransisco 49ers, and in the XFL with the San Antonio Brahmas. Most recently, the Texas native was traded to the Houston Roughnecks ahead of the 2023 XFL season. Finally, Vincent, Jr. has landed in the H, and he’s ready to get onto the field and show why he was a draft pick in NFL just two years ago.
As we conclude the Cornerback portion of this breakdown, Renegades Cornerback Cre’Von LeBlanc might be the signing of the year. Nicknamed “Strap”, LeBlanc is an NFL veteran who will be using the XFL as a launching pad back into the NFL, as are a few other players mentioned in the article. After finishing his colligate career with FAU in 2016, the defensive back would sign with the Patriots. Bouncing around the league with the Bears and Lions after that, LeBlanc earned significant playing time Philadelphia with the Eagles in 2018. He’d spend 2018-2020 with the Eagles before being released. Since then, LeBlanc has not played meaningful football in the NFL. He’d wind up on four different practice squads from 2020-2022 before settling in on the XFL this year.
Look for Coach Stoops and company to move LeBlanc around the defense depending on the formation and situation. Another player with positional versatility, LeBlanc may end up playing a mixture of slot cornerback and safety in 2023 with the Renegades.
(Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
How About The Back End?
Many football players mention Safety as being one of the more difficult positions to play on the gridiron. Being able to run with Wide Receivers and Tight Ends coupled with stuffing the run line a Linebacker make the position envious to all. Spring Football has produced a couple of players over the years in both the XFL and USFL.
The XFL’s 2020 iteration produced Kenny Robinson, a defensive back for the St. Louis BattleHawks, Robinson elected to cash in on the XFL as opposed to the NFL Draft. The move would result in Robinson being a fifth-round-pick the following year by the Carolina Panthers.
Safety Micah Abernathy was the latest beneficiary of the USFL. now of the Green Bay Packers, had a terrific 2022 season in the with the Houston Gamblers. As a result of a great year in Green Bay, Abernathy earned himself a futures contract this offseason.
Let’s look at four players who, with great seasons, can make the switch to the NFL much like Robinson and Abernathy did.
Safeties To Watch – USFL
We kick things off with a Safety who played in the XFL in 2020. New Jersey Generals Safety Dravon Askew-Henry makes the list here. The former West Virginia Mountaineer went undrafted in 2019 and has spent time with four NFL franchises since. Askew-Henry played for the New York Guardians in 2020 where he impressed. Known as a downhill thumper, he most recently played for the Generals of the USFL this past season. Askew-Henry looks to have an even better 2023 season under Head Coach Mike Riley.
If 2022 was the year of Micah Abernathy, 2023 will be the year of Bryce Torneden. The current Pittsburgh Maulers Safety enters his second season in the Steel City, his Maulers defense is ready to rebound this year. The former Kansas Jayhawk played for the Sea Lions in The Spring League in 2021 prior to latching on in Pittsburgh. He was the lone Mauler selected to the 2022 All-USFL team. Torneden finished the season with 71 total tackles, one sack, and one interception. With a defense that has been revamped slightly, Torneden should breakout In Black and Yellow in 2023.
Safeties To Watch – XFL
As we move to the XFL, look no further than St. Louis Battlehawks Safety Nate Meadors. The former UCLA prospect has had an up and down career in the NFL. After not being drafted in 2019, he’d sign with the Minnesota Vikings. Meadors spent all of 2019 and 2020 on the active rosters for both Minnestoa, and then Jacksonville. Since then, it’s been four different NFL clubs, all with practice squad experience only for Meadors. The XFL is set to groom the 25-year-old defensive back. Meadors will be one of the starting safeties for the BattleHawks in 2023. Keep an eye out for this young, exciting player on the back end of Becht’s defense this year.
For the upcoming 2023 XFL season, Shareef Miller is a player to watch for. Miller was a 2019 fourth round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles. More of a hybrid type of player, Miller did not catch on with the Eagles despite being drafted as high as he was. He’d be released in 2020 and would spend the next two seasons on several other NFL teams. In 2022, the former Penn State Nittany Lion would find his way into the USFL with the New Orleans Breakers. Still young at just 25 years of age, the Seattle Sea Dragons of the XFL drafted Miller in the fourth round of the draft back in November. Look for this versatile defender, who, according to the team’s roster, will be playing Safety for Seattle this year, to finally get an opportunity to hit the field in 2023.
(Photo by Wesley Hitt/USFL/Getty Images)
Wrapping Things Up
The above highlighted players are hoping they can take more from that game than it will give them in 2023. A mix of young, developmental prospects and veterans looking to claw their way back back in, the USFL and XFL are providing a platform for players to showcase their talents.
The NFL chews up and spits out players left and right. If you are a fan of football and the development of talent, be on the lookout for these athletes to make a splash in their respective leagues this year!
The XFL is a Orphan Acronym, it's never stood for anything let alone "Xtreme Football League"
Great article!