Top 10 XFL Quarterback Prospects – Ahead of the Draft

| American Football | 11/14/2022

The reiteration of the XFL will officially begin on Tuesday, November 15, at 11 am PT/2 pm ET with a live-streamed Quarterback Selection Show, hosted by ESPN’s Stormy Buonantony. 

During this event show, XFL Head Coaches will officially announce their team’s quarterbacks. The show will air live on XFL.com.

However, many quarterbacks’ destinations have already been decided. XFL Newsroom reported that several quarterbacks such as D’Eriq King, Brandon Silvers, and Deondre Francois have already been assigned to their respective teams across the league.

According to XFLnewsroom and XFL analysts, there are around 20 quarterbacks that have been added to the XFL player pool. While some of the standouts of the group will certainly be assigned to XFL teams others will likely be picked up as free agents or at the end of the quarterback selection show.

Let’s take a look at the XFL’s top 10 passers projected for next season:

10. Brandon Silvers – Houston Roughnecks

A familiar name to spring football fans, Silvers has seen it all playing in the AAF, the 2020 XFL, the TSL, and even the Fan-Controlled football league. Originally a product of Troy University, Silvers has been playing solid football in the alternative pro football scene since 2019. The 28-year-old threw for over 10k yards at Troy and spent time with the New York Jets in 2019. Silvers threw the first XFL touchdown in 2020 and is looking to make history in the league once again.

9. Deondre Francois – Orlando Guardians

The former highly recruited Florida State quarterback transferred out of the powerhouse after league trouble in Tallahassee. Afterward, the talented former Seminole went on to play for Hampton University and then the Fan-controlled Football League. Fancois is a mobile quarterback who has time and time again flashed big play potential in his career.

8. Kelly Bryant – unassigned

Bryant is a former Clemson and Missouri quarterback who might be considered for the upstart league. The 25-year-old was benched for future number one NFL draft pick Trevor Lawrence in college. He then went on to play at Missouri. Since his college days Bryant has signed with the CFL and played Arena Football and the Fan-Controlled-Football League alongside Francois.

7. Kaleb Eleby – Unassigned

A three year starter at Western Michigan, Eleby took strides as a passer each season throwing for 3,277 yards and 23 touchdowns his senior season. He finished his career throwing for 45 touchdown and only 11 interceptions while adding 13 more scores on the ground. 

6. Cole Mcdonald– Unassigned

The former Hawaii quarterback threw for 8,032 yards and 70 touchdowns on the island, breaking several conference passing records in the process. Mcdonald was drafted by the Tennesse Titans in the 7th round of the 2020 NFL Draft after an impressive combine and a 4.68 40-yard dash. The 6’4 220 passer spent time with the Arizona Cardinals in 2021 before playing for the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL in 2021. Up north, Mcdonald has 45 yards passing and 1 interception in limited play.

5. Khalil Tate – Unassigned

The 23-year-old played four seasons with the Arizona Wildcats, posting 6,318 passing yards with 58% completion, 2,285 rushing yards and 75 total touchdowns to 31 interceptions.

Tate burst on the scene in 2017 when starter Brandon Dawkins was injured in a game against Colorado. Tate came in and set an FBS quarterback record of 327 rushing yards.

Tate was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2020 with the intent of turning him into a wide receiver. He last was a part of the Edmonton Elks and Toronto Argonauts in the CFL but did not appear in a game.

4. Carson Strong– Unassigned

Strong is coming off a phenomenal career at Nevada where he excelled in coach Matt Mumme’s air raid offense. The 6’4 passer threw for 9,368 yards and 74 touchdowns in a record setting NCAA career. However, lingering knee issues scared off several NFL teams as Strong went from a potential first round pick to undrafted. The prolific Nevada Wolfpack passer signed with the Philadelphia Eagles in May but did not make the final roster.

3. Ryan Willis – St. Louis Battlehawks

Willis is coming off of a MVP season in the The Spring League where he was the league’s leading passer by a wide margin. The 25-year old guided the Lineman to the Mega Bowl championship under air raid inventor Hal Mumme and offensive guru Stan Bedwell. The Virginia Tech product spent the second half of the NFL season as a member of the Chicago Bears practice squad and eventually active roster in 2021. However he was waived from the Bears this spring leading him to the XFL.

2. Bryan Scott – Unassigned

Scott recently played for Philadelphia Stars and head coach Bart Andrus in USFL and The Spring League last summer and the year prior. Scott was at times the USFL’s most efficient passer before injuries derailed his season. In limited action he threw for 558 yards and five touchdowns, completing 71% of his passes.

The 27-year-old threw for 9,073 yards and 77 touchdowns at the D3 level during his college days. Scott was a mainstay in TSL playing there for the 2018, 2020, and 2021 seasons. His status as a USFL quarterback leaves him in a sticky situation contract wise, so as a result his XFL destination is a mystery for now.

1. D’Eriq King – DC Defenders

The 5’9″ dual threat quarterback has been one of college football’s most dynamic weapons since 2018. The Texas high school football legend started his NCAA career at Houston putting up 4,925 yards and 50 touchdowns through the air while adding 1,421 yards on the ground.

King then transferred to Miami where he threw for 3,453 and 26 touchdowns and rushed for 634 yards and six scores in only 14 games. He spent this past pre-season with the New England Patriots but failed to make the final roster. However, he might become a star for the XFL’s DC franchise.

While it’s hard to speculate which gunslingers will be most successful in the XFL, these 10 passers give fans a reason to be excited for their respective teams as the XFL returns this spring. As spring football has shown before, quarterbacks like the PJ Walker and Taylor Heineke were able to propel their careers into the NFL, while other passers faded into obscurity.

Read more about the rest of the XFL’s quarterbacks here, and get ready for all the XFL draft details this week with a full rundown of the event here.

Alex is a former NCAA and semi-pro American football player who is now located in London, where he works in digital marketing. His goal in writing for AFI is to stay involved with the game that has given him so much. Alex enjoys covering leagues and