In an ideal world, XFL coaches are going to be making decisions so that they could potentially get jobs that are more prestigious than this. That means getting your offense to be slinging the ball left and right, trying to put up numbers that look good. That would mean that the defensive secondary is going to be put under a lot of pressure. Like, yeah, they’re already put under a lot because that’s the nature of the position, but again, ideally, we’re going to see them get put through some tough stuff. Hopefully (fingers crossed), that means we get to see some DB play that looks good too.
Tim Harris
Cornerback
27 years old
6’ 1”
205 lbs
I like it when a cornerback is over both 6 feet tall and 200 lbs and you should too.
Harris’ game is dependent on his physical traits. He uses his long body to his advantage, he has body control that helps him wrap up, he has quick feet, and he can get bursts of speed when he changes direction.
Unfortunately, his body’s also given him issues. He was a 6th-year senior coming out of college and he missed 2 years because of injuries. Then he got drafted by the 49ers and got injured for another season again. Not great.
Hopefully Tim Harris’ body does that thing where it stays in one piece, as it should do.
Mike Hampton
Cornerback
6’ 1”
190 lbs
Hampton kind of plays like he wants to be a safety. He’s a physical tackler and aggressive against the run game. Against the passing game, he can recognize route combinations and break toward to ball quickly.
He’s just pretty raw when it comes to coverage. Hampton can get burnt when he tries to hide and he’s not quick enough to catch up with a receiver when they get past him.
The human body craves contact and Hampton is all for it, but it’d be a lot cooler if he was more than 190 lbs.
Elijah Hamilton
Cornerback
24 years old
6’ 2”
212 lbs
Nothing really stands out about Hamilton. He’s got good size and he’s quick. He was an Undrafed Free Agent for the Dolphins, but he didn’t make it out of training camp.
I don’t know, man... Finding information on cornerbacks that played college ball in LA Tech is hard to do.
Lavert Hill
Cornerback
24 years old
5’ 10”
190 lbs
So, I said I like corners that are over 6 feet tall and 200 lbs.
Lavert is not. Which sucks.
He’s got skills to… well… maybe not necessarily be a starter in the NFL, but to at least be a backup that a team can not have to worry about.
He presses well, and if he gets beaten he can make up the ground. He reads receivers, sticks to them, and can smother them in space. He makes plays on the ball. It’s all great.
He’s just small and that sucks.
Brandon Sebastian
Cornerback
24 years old
6’ 0”
178lbs
When Sebastian is on, he’s on. When he’s not it can be tough.
He’s got a long body and can cover well. He’s got a small frame for his size, but plays and hits like it’s bigger than it is. He’s got the speed to break on short routes and has the arm length to make plays on the ball.
Unfortunately, his confidence doesn’t make up for his lack of size. He can hit hard, but he doesn’t always finish his tackles which can make him a liability against the run game. He’s not exactly the guy you want to be relying on the stop a big run.
Lukas Denis
Safety
25 years old
5’ 11”
190 lbs
Luka is a wide receiver turned safety and he plays like that. He had 7 interceptions in 2017, and while that maybe be on the right side of the bell curve, he certainly has the potential to get turnovers and turn them into big returns. He’s smooth, agile and can cover deep.
It’s the underneath that can be an issue for him. He misses tackles and he’s not exactly a threat to lay the lumber on tight ends and running backs. He’s got trouble on intermediate routes and has had a little trouble on digs and crossing routes.
Otherwise, he should be a fun safety to have.
Nate Meadors
Safety
26 years old
5’ 11”
189 lbs
Meadors has been around. He’s been on 6 different NFL teams. Some of those stops were just as a practice squad guy and some were as a starter. Even after the was drafted by the Battlehawks, the Titans picked him up. Luckily for the Battlehawks and unluckily for Meadors, that didn’t turn into anything and he was able to return to St. Louis.
He’s able to play all over the field, make tackles, and he can be a ball hawk as well.
For Meadors, this opportunity in the XFL is something that he’ll be using to make it back onto an NFL roster.
Ben DeLuca
Safety
24 years old
6’ 1”
202 lbs
DeLuca can hit. He’s more than capable and willing to throw his body into tackles and smash guys. It’s what he does, and it’s paid off for him because he’s been able to force a lot of fumbles and broken-up passes with the power of how he hits.
It’s the coverage part that is tough. He’s not the fastest guy on the field in a couple of ways. He’s not quite there on top speed, breaking on routes, and closing in on a scrambling quarterback.
The dude can straight-up drop a hammer though.
Chris Cooper
Safety
28 years old
5’ 10”
200 lbs
Chris Cooper was a stud who played for Stony Brook in college. That’s just about what you can find about him.
We know that he’s another guy who’s bounced around from NFL practice squad to practice squad, but he’s never really stuck anywhere.
He played in 3 preseason games for the Buccaneers in 2021 and got 7 tackles and 1 quarterback hit.
I learned that Stony Brook is a college today.