XFL Draft 2022: Houston Roughnecks take UCF running back Adrian Killins in 1st round
With former Roughneck QB PJ Walker well into his NFL career, Houston is fielding Brandon Silvers and Kaleb Eleby at the position.
LAS VEGAS, Nevada (KTRK) -- The XFL Draft got underway Wednesday in Las Vegas with each team selecting 44 players.
The Houston Roughnecks, who are returning for the league's 2023 revival, and the other seven teams made 11 selections each from four positional groupings.
The first 11 picks would be for the offensive skill positions, including wide receiver, running back, tight end, and fullback. The second 11 picks would be reserved for defensive backs, including cornerback, safety, and nickelbacks. The third 11 picks would be for the defensive front seven, which includes inside linebacker, edge rusher, defensive end, and defensive tackle. The final 11 picks are for the men in the trenches, which include offensive tackles, guards, and centers.
The Roughnecks will make 44 rounds of selections on day one and additional selections on Thursday, when specialists - including kicker, punter, and long snapper, are chosen. Detailed rules on the XFL draft, which is in a "snake" format, can be found on the league's site.
The Roughnecks select...
With their first-round pick, the Houston Roughnecks selected Adrian Killins, a running back out of Central Florida. Killins saw limited time with both the Denver Broncos and the Philadelphia Eagles.
Houston's second-round selection stayed on the offensive side with Garrett Owens, a 6-foot-3, 230-pound tight end out of Duquesne, where he was a running back. He also saw time at Mercyhurst, a NCAA Division II school in Pennsylvania. Owens has 3,756 career yards and 41 touchdowns in 45 games.
In the third round, Roughnecks head coach Wade Phillips went for some speed with Hawaii wide receiver Cedric Byrd.
Houston's "air raid" offense got additional velocity in the fourth round with another wideout: Deontay Burnett out of Southern California.
Here is the full 2022 Roughnecks draft class on day one:
- First round: Adrian Killins, RB, Central Florida
- Second round: Garrett Owens, TE, Duquesne
- Third round: Cedric Byrd, WR, Hawaii
- Fourth round: Deontay Burnett, WR, Southern California
- Fifth round: Justin Smith, WR, Norfolk State
- Sixth round: Max Borghi, RB, Washington State
- Seventh round: Jontre Kirklin, WR, LSU
- Eighth round: Aaron Nelson, WR, Delaware Valley
- Ninth round: Darece Roberson, WR, Wayne State (MI)
- 10th round: BJ Byrd, WR, Morehead State
- 11th round: Brycen Alleyne, RB, Delaware State
- 12th round: Raleigh Texada, cornerback, Baylor
- 13th round: Ajene Harris, CB, USC
- 14th round: AJ Hendy, defensive back, Maryland
- 15th round: Devin Hafford, CB, Tarleton State
- 16th round: Alexander Myres, CB, Houston
- 17th round: Kevin Toliver, CB, LSU
- 18th round: Jordan Mosley, CB, Maryland
- 19th round: Brandon Easterling, DB, Maryland
- 20th round: Michael Lawson, DB, Western Illinois
- 21st round: David Tolentino, DB, Grand View
- 22nd round: John Brannon, DB, Western Carolina
- 23rd round: Deandre Johnson, linebacker, Miami (FL)
- 24th round: John Daka, defensive tackle, James Madison
- 25th round: Tavante Beckett, linebacker, Marshall
- 26th round: Elijah Qualls, defensive tackle, Washington
- 27th round: Austin Edwards, defensive lineman, Ferris State
- 28th round: Chauncey Rivers, DL, Mississippi State
- 29th round: Tariqious Tisdale, DL, Mississippi
- 30th round: Ellis Brooks, linebacker, Penn State
- 31st round: Diego Fagot, LB, Navy
- 32nd round: CJ Brewer, DL, Coastal Carolina
- 33rd round: Jaquan Artis, DL, Lenoir-Rhyne
- 34th round: Jack Snyder, offensive lineman, San Jose State
- 35th round: Desmond Noel, OL, Florida Atlantic
- 36th round: Shamarious Gilmore, OL, Georgia State
- 37th round: Sam Cooper, OL, Merrimack College
- 38th round: Tommy Champion, OL Mississippi State
- 39th round: Kary Kutsch, OL, Colorado
- 40th round: Dareuan Parker, OL, Mississippi State
- 41st round: Dylan Pasquali, OL, Ferris State
- 42nd round: Alex Mollette, OL, Marshall
- 43rd round: Houston elected to pass on this selection
- 44th round: Houston elected to pass on this selection
The XFL draft concludes Thursday, with a total of 55 players being selected by the Roughnecks.
On Tuesday, their two quarterbacks were introduced. Troy's Brandon Silvers played for the XFL's Seattle club in 2020. Kaleb Eleby, a duel-threat quarterback out of Western Michigan, will also play for the Roughnecks.
