![]() “That’s a place where I really started to learn about myself,” said Butler.Īs soon as his pro career began, it all but closed on him after suffering an avulsion fracture in his hand during a preseason game and ended his rookie season. It is what it is.”īut back to Arizona, where the weight of doubt, pressure and a hand injury pulled Butler’s grip from the slopes at an avalanche’s speed. “When I got here he said a couple things about that, but, yeah, obviously they went a different route that year. “Oh yeah, I met with Tomlin and he said he wanted to draft me,” Butler said. Playing alongside now-New York Jets wideout Allen Lazard, Butler gained 2,015 yards and scored 16 touchdowns in his final two seasons.Įven Mike Tomlin showed interest in the 6-5 speedster. Serving in Matt Campbell’s slow tempo, tight end-heavy passing game at Iowa State, Butler, sixth all-time in receiving yards at ISU, emerged as “the featured” receiver in that offense. “I thought I should have went higher than that, to be honest,” Butler said about being the 103rd overall pick in 2019. That swirl of skepticism began swarming around Butler when he made the jump from Iowa State to the pros via a fourth-round draft pick by the Arizona Cardinals. “That s*** got in my head, man, (expletive) me right up.” People I never even heard of just telling me I wasn’t a good receiver, I was worthless,” said Butler. It’s a whole other thing when humans do it, and for Butler that public scrutiny has been a good piece of the weight strapped to the 27-year-old’s shoulders on his treacherous climb up the professional football mountain.īut who doubted Hakeem, a journeyman speedster on his seventh pro football team split between the NFL, CFL and XFL? “For me, how it was, you hear enough doubt about you, you start to believe it.”Ī skeptical search engine is one thing. At the very least, the experience these players gained during the XFL season could prove to provide more depth to rosters that are lacking.That’s the first listing Google’s algorithm spits back after looking up the receiver’s name. It will be interesting to see if the players who received tryouts can stick around on a roster for the upcoming NFL season. It highlights that success within the minor league will not always translate to NFL success. With 670 yards on the season, Pearson leads the league in receiving and has become a certified superstar within the XFL. One of the most notable players who did not receive a tryout for the league is the Seattle Sea Dragons’ explosive wide receiver, Jahcour Pearson. ![]() We could see a direct talent pipeline expand further with the success the league has experienced. With the success of former XFL players such as Philip Walker, who saw action in six games last year, it has further opened the door for NFL teams to take notice of their smaller league counterparts. Former Texans tight end Jordan Thomas, who has been out of the NFL since 2020, but has major athletic potential, will work out for the Carolina Panthers. Former Cardinals wide receiver Hakeem Butler, who leads the XFL in receiving touchdowns, will work out for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Former Cowboys quarterback Ben DiNucci, who leads the XFL in passing, will work out for the Denver Broncos. Some of the more notable names receiving invites include ![]() With the season under wraps for the rest of the league, multiple players find themselves on the fringes on a NFL roster spot thanks to their play within the league. In what has been a hugely successful season for the rebooted ‘XFL’ league, it is coming to a head on Saturday, May 13, as the DC Defenders will face off against the Arlington Renegades to for the championship game. ![]()
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