Former Mainland stars Adrian Killins, Keylon Kennedy, Marcus Tatum selected in XFL draft

Three former Mainland High football stars were selected Wednesday in the XFL draft.

Running back Adrian Killins, a four-year star at UCF, went off the board in the first round — eighth overall — by the Houston Roughnecks during the offensive skill position portion. Not long thereafter, the Vegas Vipers chose defensive back Keylon Kennedy, the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference's Defensive Player of the Year in 2021 during his sophomore season at Garden City.

Rounding out the trio of Buccaneers is offensive tackle Marcus Tatum, who started 29 games for Tennessee and UCF in his six-year college career. He was chosen in the fourth round among offensive lineman by the San Antonio Brahmas.

Killins, who turns 25 in January, saw action in one NFL game after being signed by the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent. He caught one pass for 2 yards and logged one carry for minus-12 yards.

The 5-foot-8, 164-pound Killins, a 200-meter track champion at Mainland, was regarded as one of the fastest players in college football and played a significant role in UCF's 25-game winning streak between 2017 and '18.

He rushed for 2,459 yards and accounted for 4,361 all-purpose yards during his four-year career with the Knights, one which spanned 51 games. Killins averaged 6.1 yards per carry and scored 34 total touchdowns.

Killins was not invited to the NFL combine, nor did he work out in front of scouts at UCF's pro day since it was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He did, however, participate in the 2020 East-West Shrine Game in St. Petersburg.

"We're running an Air Raid offense, and he's got great speed," Roughnecks coach Wade Phillips said during the XFL's draft broadcast. "He's a dynamic player that is really exciting, but he is really fast — I mean, really fast."

Kennedy, an All-Area honorable mention at Mainland in 2016, began his college career at Division II Fort Hays State and started all 12 games at cornerback for the Tigers as a redshirt freshman during the 2018 season.

He transferred the following spring to Garden City and quickly blossomed into one of the top DBs at the JUCO level, garnering 16 Division I offers, according to 247Sports. He initially committed to Jackson State and later signed a letter of intent with West Florida, but never enrolled.

Kennedy recently attended a three-week camp at the NFL Alumni Academy, an in-season training program in Arlington, Texas, for active free agents. According to Antonio Banks, the NFL Alumni Academy's defensive backs coach, Kennedy was the youngest athlete in the field.

Kennedy said he received the phone call Wednesday during a work shift for a moving company in Pensacola. In being drafted to Vegas, Kennedy will play for head coach Rod Woodson and defensive coordinator Cris Dishman — a pair of former All-Pros in the secondary.

"This opportunity means so much to me. Those guys have done everything that I want to do. I'm just going to take everything in," Kennedy said.

"My road, I would say I had a lot of trials and tribulations. Everything I went through built me into the man I am today. … Once I got the phone call, I just felt blessed. I couldn't do nothing but send up a prayer to have the opportunity to chase my actual dream, the NFL. I'm at a loss for words."

Tatum spent four years at Tennessee, appearing 21 times for the Volunteers at both left and right tackle. He played a further 23 games for UCF, starting all 13 last season as the Knights won the Gasparilla Bowl and earning honorable mentions from the American Athletic Conference's coaches and Pro Football Focus.

The 6-foot-6, 300-pound Tatum participated in rookie minicamp with the Jacksonville Jaguars but was waived in mid-May.

"Hines Ward called me, and I said, 'Oh crap, here we go,'" Tatum said. "The NFL was really the first time I felt unwanted. It sucked. I feel like every man should go through that 'No' phase. Probably the most constructive criticism I got was getting cut. I wasn't good enough to make the team.

"I'm ready to go to San Antonio and have some fun. Life isn't as fun without sports. I don't think of this as a stepping stone. I'm focused on the now, and ready to play in the XFL."

Menendez also had an esteemed football alumnus chosen in the XFL draft, linebacker Willie Harvey Jr., who was picked in the third round among front-seven defenders by the St. Louis Battlehawks.

Harvey, 26, made two tackles across four games for the Cleveland Browns — two apiece in the 2019 and '21 seasons. The 5-foot-11, 230-pounder was named All-Big 12 honorable mention in each of his last three years at Iowa State.

The XFL, now under the ownership of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Dany Garcia and RedBird Capital Partners, plans to re-launch in February 2023 with eight franchises — Houston, the Arlington Renegades, the Vegas Vipers, the Orlando Guardians, the St. Louis BattleHawks, the San Antonio Brahmas, the Seattle Sea Dragons and the D.C. Defenders.

Several pros with ties to Volusia-Flagler-St. Johns high schools and nearby colleges have shined in spring football leagues in recent seasons.

In the last XFL's last campaign in 2020, former Stetson tight end Donald Parham parlayed his individual success with the Dallas Renegades into a multi-year contract with the Los Angeles Chargers.

Donald Payne, Parham's former teammate with the Hatters, led the USFL this spring with 117 total tackles, adding six tackles for loss, three interceptions and two sacks as a member of the Houston Gamblers. Paxton Lynch, who attended Trinity Christian Academy in Deltona, threw for 550 yards with five touchdowns and four interceptions while playing for the USFL's Michigan Panthers.

Former UCF wide receiver Marlon Williams finished the USFL season third in receiving yards (474), helping the Birmingham Stallions win the inaugural championship.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: XFL draft: Daytona Beach Mainland, UCF star Adrian Killins picked by Houston Roughnecks