With the 2023 NFL Draft in the rearview mirror and a spring football season drawing to a close, all 32 NFL teams are doing their homework on undiscovered free agents and other players they might want to extend a minicamp invite to. The Pittsburgh Steelers are flying a kite on a striking XFLbecause they invited wide receiver Hakeem Butler to camp.
This year for the St. Louis Battlehawks, Butler caught 51 passes for 599 yards and a league-leading eight touchdowns. You may recognize Butler’s name, as he was a former Arizona Cardinals fourth-round pick from Iowa State in 2019. , but it didn’t happen that way.
Butler did not play in a game for the Cardinals and was cut before the start of his sophomore season in 2020. He spent a very short time on the Carolina Panthers’ practice team, before being signed by the Philadelphia Eagles. In Philly, Butler was converted to a tight end and played in his first career NFL games. However, he was waived ahead of the 2021 season.
Butler spent some time in the Canadian Football League before eventually making his way to the Battlehawks of the XFL. Butler hasn’t recorded a catch in the NFL, but his performance in the XFL certainly turned heads. He turns 27 later this month and gets a second chance with the NFL.