The first game of week 1 XFL turned into a firey performance as the Arlington Renegades battled back from a 14-3 deficit with two “pick sixes” thrown by Vegas Vipers alt-league journeyman quarterback Luis Perez. The Renegades held off a last minute drive by Perez by stopping the two-point conversion and stopping the Vipers 4th and 15 substitution for the onside kick.
If you don’t think that the NFL is watching, you’re wrong. These alt-leagues have supplied players to the NFL every year, usually sending around fifty players every year. The NFL watches these leagues carefully as an opportunity to add veteran talent.
The XFL has made it clear that it’s goal is to put people back into the NFL. That may allow more opportunities as that is the goal of the league by itself.
Let’s get into the top five standouts in the game (no particular order).
Vegas Vipers DT LaRon Stokes
3.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, 7 total tackles.
LaRon Stokes is one of the more underrated players entering the XFL, and I’m glad that he had a huge opening game. His contributions inside were spectacular in this game. Stokes is a bit of a lighter athlete for the defensive line but proved today he’s quick enough to be a nuisance. He showed up at several points of the game, including a fourth down stop and was in with Vic Beasley on the final stop during the two-point try. Stokes is still young, just a season removed from college football.
I sat down with La’Ron Stokes before the 2022 NFL Draft and we talked about his tape and the way that he see’s the game. He tested well last year during the Oklahoma pro day. Stokes could find himself in a rotation, but he needs to continue to play well throughout the season.
Dallas Renegades CB Josh Hawkins
6 total tackles.
Josh Hawkins looked like a stud nickel defender in this game, delivering some of the biggest hits along the perimeter and showing strong tackling ability as well as the trait of playing bigger than he is.
The nickel position in the NFL is changing drastically, as I wrote during the season last year here. Hawkins could potentially fit that role with the expansion of the big slot across the NFL – Hawkins showed all of that ability to play that role in the game today.
Dallas Renegades TE Sal Cannella
7 receptions, 70 yards.
Sal Cannella is a limited tight end at the NFL level because of his lack of top end speed and unwillingness to block. But, Cannella is remarkably productive as the security blanket for a young quarterback like Renegades quarterback Drew Plitt.
Cannella would be a solid practice squad veteran for a team in the AFC West who has to face Travis Kelce twice a year – that’s been Cannella’s role in this offense and I would imagine more teams will be running the Chiefs “route-less concepts” the way that Kelce runs them next year.
Vegas Vipers EDGE Vic Beasley
0.5 sacks, 1.5 tackles for loss, 3 total tackles.
One of the reasons that Vic Beasley fell out of the NFL was his lack of ability to adapt to the changes of his position in the league. He was all-pro in 2016 with 14.5 sacks with the Atlanta Falcons, but then fell into obsurity. Part of that was his lack of ability to drop into coverage.
Beasley is one of the players in this league fighting to claw his way back into another NFL opportunity, and he showed that he’s been addressing his weaknesses with an athletic play against Sal Cannella. Not just that, but Beasley was all over the backfield and almost had a sack before LaRon Stokes cleaned it up against Drew Plitt in the second quarter.
Dallas Renegades DL Tomasi Laulile
1 tackle for loss, 1 total tackle, 1 interception (touchdown).
Tomasi Laulile took back an interception for a touchdown from 22 yards out and showed awareness and athleticism that isn’t normally seen in a defensive lineman like Laulile. A former BYU defensive lineman, Laulile is just shy of 6’3″ and 300 pounds, and he was able to read the screen and jump the pass for the running back.
We’ll be interested to see how he plays the rest of the season and if he continues to show that athletic ability. Teams will be interested to see him, too.
Coming up next: The Orlando Guardians face the Houston Roughnecks on ESPN and FX.
