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Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson's XFL had what many would call a fantastic first season. Seen as an alternative to the NFL and a stepping stone to the league, the XFL gives players who are undrafted or get overlooked by NFL teams another chance to play football.
With the Arlington Renegades winning the first edition by beating the DC Defenders 35-26, the season is now officially closed. But that also means something else... the XFL rookie draft.
So, what exactly is the XFL rookie draft? Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team posted a tweet about what the draft is and it continues along the lines of Johnson's want for his new league to be one of opportunity.
Meirov tweeted:
"The XFL announced that they will have their Rookie Draft on June 16th. The draft is for all undrafted players from the 2023 NFL Draft who are still unsigned. XFL team rosters will be expanded from 51 to 90 during the offseason to make room."
As we know, the XFL's whole premise is to give players who haven't been picked up by NFL teams or who still have that ambition to make it.
Now, with the new draft format, all players who weren't picked in the NFL Draft a few weeks ago get a second chance. While it isn't the glitz and glamour of the NFL, having another chance to potentially make it to the NFL via the XFL is something players previously haven't had.
Dwayne Johnson's XFL had great first season
Given it was the first season, not much was expected of the XFL, but it definitely delivered. The average tv audience for games was a tick over 622,000 people per game, per The Athletic, with games broadcast on the ABC averaging just over 1.13 million.
While that isn't the best when we are comparing that to the NFL, what was also great about the league is that several players have now gone on to sign contracts with NFL teams.
Players such as Ben Dinucci (Denver Broncos), Alizé Mack (Tennessee Titans), and Hakeem Butler (Pittsburgh Steelers) are all now living their dream.
It was a superb first season for the league and now with the upcoming rookie draft, it promises to get even better.
