Two days. Seventy-one players. One step closer to the XFL.
With the 2019 XFL Draft complete, the Tampa Bay Vipers’ roster is taking shape.
“We’ve really been in the garage, so to speak, for the last six or seven months,” head coach Marc Trestman said. “Now we’ve come out of the garage. We’ve got a place to work and to move forward.”
Seven players have connections to the Bay Area:
- Quarterback Aaron Murray, Plant High graduate
- Quarterback Quinton Flowers, USF graduate
- Quarterback Vinny Testaverde, Jr., Jesuit High graduate and former Bucs player
- Cornerback Jude Adjei-Barimeh, former Bucs player
- Punter Jake Schum, former Bucs player
- Wide receiver Freddie Martino, former Bucs player
- Defensive back Robert Prister, Robinson High graduate
“I anticipate we’re gonna have a very good quality of play here,” Trestman said. “Obviously, we’re gonna have guys that have played at a high level, a lot of ex-NFL players as well that have had their opportunities. They’re the guys that are really a credit card thin away from being in the NFL.”
Murray is a former Georgia Bulldogs quarterback who still holds the records for most passing yards and touchdowns in SEC history.
“He’s been on some of the biggest stages in the SEC against some of the best players in the country,” Trestman said. “Most of those players are now in the NFL and he did it for four years on a consistent basis. That says something. That gives him a platform.”
Murray was drafted in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs. He later spent time on the practice squads for the Arizona Cardinals, Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Rams. He also played for the Atlanta Legends of the Alliance of American Football.
“Every quarterback is on their own journey,” Trestman said. “Things happen down the road. He’s been at different places. He’s had good experiences, but it hasn’t been quite right for him. I think this is right for him.”
Even though Murray was assigned to the Vipers before the draft began, there will be competition at quarterback.
Former USF star quarterback Quinton Flowers will return to Raymond James Stadium. The Vipers drafted him as a running back, but plan to keep him in the quarterback room and give him reps under center.
“He’s a big part of our plan,” Trestman said. “We talked to him about playing quarterback…he also spent the last two years in Cincinnati as a running back. He really developed his running back skills and protection skills and blocking. He has multiple values.”
The ultimate goal is to bring victories to Tampa Bay.
“Our goal is to put a team on the field, where people can come out and be proud of the team that’s out there,” Trestman said. “I think that if you’re proud of your team, it’s gonna lead to winning.”
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