The St. Louis Battlehawks are returning, and in order to prepare for the upcoming season you need to know some of the more interesting players to look out for. If you are from Seattle, I have already done a Sea Dragons article, you can check it out here. And if you are a fan from another city, there are more to come!
The entire Battlehawks roster is found here.
Number 1: AJ McCarron QB
You probably recognize this name. A former backup in the NFL for the Bengals and an assortment of other teams. He played his college ball at Alabama and set records there. McCarron was a 5th round pick and won the backup job in his second year with the Bengals.
His best career year was 2015 where he started 3 games and appeared in 7. Throwing for over 800 yards with 6 touchdowns and 2 interceptions, which is definitely a respectable stat line.
Look for AJ McCarron to dominate in the XFL with many years of NFL experience, and he should be one of the favorites for MVP. Him by himself makes this team a viable contender for the XFL championship
Number 2: Austin Proehl WR
Proehl was the leader in receptions in XFL 2020. He is a reliable slot receiver, similar to the type of guys the patriots like. Think Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola type players.
He will be a great security blanket for McCarron, and look for him to be up there in receptions once again. This QB-WR duo is going to make this team very dangerous down the road.
Number 3: Mateo Durant RB
Mateo Durant, former Duke University standout, is in the XFL after a short stint with the Steelers. He was surprisingly undrafted, because in his junior and senior seasons combined, he rushed for over 2,000 yards.
Boasting 4.43 speed in the 40, and an aggressive running style, look for Durant to run wild, around and through XFL defenders.
With fresh legs at 23 years of age, he has plenty of time to prove he belongs with an NFL team.
Number 4: Steven Mitchell WR
A four star recruit coming out of high school, his career at USC was filled with unfortunate injuries. In his class, he was the 67th best player in the country. This shows us that he has some unfulfilled potential, and let’s hope for his sake he succeeds.
Steven Mitchell is 28 years old, so if he wants to get back to the NFL where he has drifted around practice squads, then he needs to take this chance.
Number 5: Shakir Soto DL
Another 28 year old who has drifted around the NFL and an assortment of other alternate leagues, this guy like everyone else, is just craving his chance. Undrafted out of Pittsburg, he has a lot of experience and should be a great addition to this Defensive Line.
Soto should be a dynamic player that can move around to different spots on the Defensive Line, a run stuffing end, or a pass rushing interior lineman.
And that’s your 5 most interesting players from the St. Louis Battlehawks. There are plenty of others with great stories, so I’m sorry if I missed any. The Battlehawks had some great talent last time around, and it is the same with this year.
I really do hope for the best for all of these players, and hope that every single one of them gets to live out their dream in the NFL. Give these players a chance by watching the XFL and keeping it afloat.