• Playoff-bound Renegades boast top-graded defenders: T.J. Barnes led all interior defenders in PFF grade, and Josh Hawkins did the same among cornerbacks before being placed on injured reserve.
• A.J. McCarron leads the way among QBs: Although the Battlehawks missed the playoffs with a 7-3 record, McCarron was the only XFL quarterback to finish the season with an 80.0-plus grade.
• Two elite 90.0-plus grades for the Brahmas: Edge defenders Delontae Scott and Drew Beesley both eclipsed the 90.0 mark on 300-plus snaps this season.
Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
The XFL playoffs are here, with the Renegades and Roughnecks playing Saturday and the Sea Dragons and Defenders battling Sunday. Here are PFF's highest-graded players for every team during the 2023 XFL regular season.
For more data and premium stats from the 2023 XFL season, check out PFF premium stats.
*Note: Players must have played 25% of team snaps to qualify
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Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 | Week 9 | Week 10
Arlington Renegades
- DI T.J. Barnes (89.0 — 248 snaps)
- CB Josh Hawkins (87.4 — 178 snaps)
- S Joe Powell (78.9 — 455 snaps)
- DI Tomasi Laulile (78.8 — 212 snaps)
- QB Luis Perez (78.4 — 189 snaps)
Barnes: Led all interior defenders in PFF grade, buoyed by an elite 91.6 run-defense grade.
Hawkins: Played in only three games but led all cornerbacks in PFF grade after allowing just six catches on 13 targets while notching two pass breakups.
Powell: Earned the third-highest coverage grade (81.1) among safeties after recording four interceptions and allowing no touchdowns.
Laulile: Posted a 93.4 game grade in Week 1 and went on to rank in the top 10 among interior defenders in run-defense grade (67.7).
Perez: Joined Arlington in a post-Week 6 trade and made seven big-time throws in three outings with the Renegades, bringing his season total to 15 (third most).
DC Defenders
- G Michael Maietti (85.7 — 174 snaps)
- CB Michael Joseph (83.0 — 606 snaps)
- WR Lucky Jackson (79.7 — 518 snaps)
- QB Jordan Ta'amu (77.3 — 519 snaps)
- G Liam Fornadel (75.9 — 636 snaps)
Maietti: Injuries cut his season short, but he allowed only three pressures — all hurries — across five games.
Joseph: Missed Week 10 but finished the season having faced the third-most targets among cornerbacks (51). Allowed only 30 catches and 296 yards.
Jackson: Paced the position in PFF receiving grade (79.2) and didn't drop any of his 50 targets.
Ta'amu: Finished as the second-highest-graded quarterback and posted the second-best big-time-throw-to-turnover-worthy play ratio (9-to-2) on deep passes.
Fornadel: Surrendered 11 pressures, only one of which was a sack, on 326 pass-blocking snaps. Earned the second-highest run-blocking grade among guards (70.7).
Houston Roughnecks
- EDGE Tim Ward (90.5 — 196 snaps)
- EDGE John Daka (87.7 — 328 snaps)
- RB Max Borghi (84.4 — 259 snaps)
- DI Trevon Mason (81.7 — 287 snaps)
- LB Tavante Beckett (81.6 — 455 snaps)
Ward: Spearheaded the Roughnecks' stable of elite pass rushers despite missing time due to injury. Still recorded 18 pressures (tied 11th).
Daka: Led all edge defenders in pass-rush win rate (22.7%) and ranked second in total pressures (31).
Borghi: Forced 23 missed tackles (third) on limited carries. Joined Vegas'
Rod Smith as the only running backs with 60-plus carries to not have fumbled.
Mason: Put up a 73.4 pass-rushing grade, the top mark among interior defenders. Ended the season with four straight 75.0-plus game grades.
Beckett: Was the XFL's top coverage linebacker, allowing 27 catches on 37 targets with two pass breakups and no touchdowns.
Las Vegas Vipers
- S Maurice Smith (84.8 — 297 snaps)
- S Deontay Anderson (80.2 — 640 snaps)
- EDGE Pita Taumoepenu (76.2 — 488 snaps)
- RB Rod Smith (75.9 — 225 snaps)
- CB Jamar Summers (71.8 — 244 snaps)
M. Smith: Garnered the highest grade among safeties and ranked fifth in stops (13) at the position despite playing in only five games.
Anderson: Ranked third among safeties in run-defense grade (87.3). Didn't miss a tackle across the final six games.
Taumoepenu: Led the Vipers in overall grade for most of the year before two down weeks. Paced the XFL in total quarterback pressures (38).
R. Smith: Didn't fumble all year but eclipsed 50 rushing yards only twice amid limited carries.
Summers: Signed by Vipers in the middle of the season. Forced a fumble and broke up four passes in coverage across four outings.
Orlando Guardians
- TE Cody Latimer (86.6 — 376 snaps)
- LB Terrance Plummer (84.3 — 422 snaps)
- CB Tye Smith (79.5 — 268 snaps)
- RB Devin Darrington (75.8 — 232 snaps)
- DI Caeveon Patton (72.2 — 401 snaps)
Latimer: Led all receivers in contested catches (13) and didn't drop a pass until Week 10.
Plummer: Ranked first among linebackers in overall grade and run-defense grade (90.1).
Smith: Let up 16 catches on 26 targets in coverage. Excelled in run defense with six tackles, one stop and a 90.5 grade.
Darrington: One of five XFL running backs to force 20-plus missed tackles on the season. Earned an elite 91.0 grade for his 100-yard performance in Week 9.
Patton: Missed only one tackle all year while leading the position in made tackles (22). Recorded a 10.1% run-stop rate (sixth).
San Antonio Brahmas
- EDGE Delontae Scott (90.7 — 352 snaps)
- EDGE Drew Beesley (90.7 — 345 snaps)
- CB Luq Barcoo (85.7 — 588 snaps)
- RB Jacques Patrick (77.3 — 362 snaps)
- CB Tenny Adewusi (75.1 — 558 snaps)
Scott: Notched a sack in all but two of his eight games. One of three XFL edge defenders to earn a 90.0-plus season grade, and led the position with 20 stops.
Beesley: Joined Scott with an elite grade at the position. Racked up 14 pressures from Weeks 7-9, a stretch during which his lowest game grade was a near-elite 89.9.
Luq Barcoo: Was the XFL's most active cornerback in coverage. Led the position with 11 pass breakups and allowed a catch on just 52.8% of targets.
Patrick: Closed the season with 219 rushing yards, 171 yards after contact, four touchdowns and 10 forced missed tackles in three games.
Adewusi: Faced only 19 targets, but broke up two of them and tallied another two interceptions. Let up fewer than 10 yards in coverage in seven of 10 games.
Seattle Sea Dragons
- EDGE Tuzar Skipper (89.4 — 206 snaps)
- S Qwynnterrio Cole (82.5 — 446 snaps)
- WR Josh Gordon (75.3 — 394 snaps)
- RB Morgan Ellison (74.9 — 164 snaps)
- WR Jahcour Pearson (73.4 — 525 snaps)
Skipper: Played only 116 pass-rush snaps on the season yet still recorded 14 pressures. His 19.8% pass-rush win rate ranked sixth at the position.
Cole: Finished with the lowest missed tackle rate (6.1%) among safeties. Surrendered 12 catches on 26 targets to go along with three interceptions.
Gordon: Returned to form with 2.06 yards per route run (fifth) and a 75.9 receiving grade (third).
Ellison: Didn't play after Week 5 but led the league in yards after contact per attempt (3.92) prior to being placed on the injured reserve list.
Pearson: Led the XFL in targets, catches, yards and yards after the catch. Never saw fewer than six targets in a game.
St. Louis Battlehawks
- EDGE Travis Feeney (89.6 — 347 snaps)
- S Lukas Denis (84.7 — 441 snaps)
- QB A.J. McCarron (80.8 — 549 snaps)
- S Nate Meadors (80.5 — 338 snaps)
- EDGE Elorm Lumor (74.7 — 302 snaps)
Feeney: Earned three 90.0-plus game grades over the course of the regular season. Tied for the highest pass-rush grade (91.5) among edge defenders.
Denis: Excelled in run defense (86.1 grade) and gave up only eight catches on 16 targets in coverage.
McCarron: Was the only XFL quarterback to finish the season with an 80.0-plus grade. Posted the third-lowest turnover-worthy play rate (2.6%) and earned a sub-60.0 game grade only twice.
Meadors: Tied for third in stops (14) at the position and was the only safety who faced 25-plus targets to not allow a touchdown in coverage.
Lumor: Recorded a stop (tackles that constitute a “failure” for the offense) in all but two games. Finished the year with 19 pressures (10th).
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