The following is part two of my profiles of select participants from the recent UFL Orlando Showcase, featuring defensive players. Part one, the offense, can be found here.
The full roster contained nearly 200 players. From that, I whittled it down to about a dozen that I wanted to profile, either notable names or those with interesting stories.
Once again, I'm using Dane Brugler's rankings in his yearly "The Beast" draft guide in The Athletic, one of the most in-depth and respected lists out there, to give perspective on how these players were viewed by the draft community coming out of college.
*DT Matthew Alexander, Georgia Tech: After largely being a rotational reserve in three years (39 games) at Central Florida, Alexander took on a bigger role in 2025 at Georgia Tech. He started nine of 11 games there, with 21 tackles, a tackle for a loss and a sack. Alexander was among a handful of Georgia Tech prospects who worked out in front of 57 NFL scouts and personnel executives at the team's pro day in the spring. He was Brugler's 154th-ranked interior defensive lineman in The Beast. That didn't translate to any rookie minicamp tryout offers, however.
*DT Collins Arogunjo, IPP: Of Nigerian descent, Arogunjo is part of the NFL's International Pathway Program class of 2026. He attended Los Angeles Chargers rookie minicamp as a tryout player. Obviously there's not a lot of information out there, though he was listed as part of the Iowa Barnstormers of the IFL at one point this season. His Relative Athletic Score was noted as being a 6.44 out of 10, as he stands 6'4" and weights 301 pounds.
*DE Donnell Brown, Maryland: Listed as a linebacker on Maryland's website, Brown was a reserve edge player for two seasons. During that time, he tallied 8.5 tackles for loss and three sacks. Brown really made his name at the FCS level prior to Maryland, where he played at St. Francis for three seasons. While there, he was a two-time FCS All-American. In 2022, he was named Northeast Conference Defensive Player of the Year when he had 48 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks. Brown was Brugler's 81st edge player prior to the 2025 NFL Draft, though he was not on any NFL team's rookie minicamp roster.
*DE Christopher Eaton Jr., Sam Houston State: Three years at Bryant University and a season at Hampton led Eaton to Sam Houston State in 2025. He set career-highs in tackles for loss (9.5) and sacks (5.5) to go along with 28 tackles and a forced fumble. He was a 12-game starter with the Bearkats that season. At every stop, he showed the ability to affect the quarterback. Ranked 146th among edge players by Brugler, Eaton has not garnered any significant interest from the NFL to this point.
*LB Amari Burney, Florida: One of the most experienced NFL players at this Showcase, Burney has 24 games under his belt in the NFL, having made 32 tackles and one sack. All of his games were over the course of two seasons with the Las Vegas Raiders, with whom he was a 6th round pick in 2023. . As recently as this August, Burney was in training camp with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Burney began his college career as a safety. He played 58 games in five seasons, making 223 tackles, 15 for loss and seven sacks. He also picked off four passes. Burney was LB28 ranked by Brugler, who wrote of Burney, "Overall, Burney is caught in between safety and linebacker, but his speed and matchup skills in coverage are why NFL teams are taking a long look at him."
*LB Mason Cobb, USC: A tackling machine, first at Oklahoma State then at USC, Cobb broke out as a junior in 2022 with the Cowboys. He led the team in tackles (96) and tackles for loss (13) in his first taste of major playing time. It led to a selection to the All-Big-12 Second Team. In moving to USC, Cobb continued his on-field prowess, leading the team once again in tackles with 85. That year, he had seven tackles for loss. As a finale in 2024, Cobb had 72 tackles and two interceptions. The 75th linebacker in the class, Cobb didn't do much athletic testing at his pro day, though he did some of them at the Showcase, including the 40-yard dash.
*LB Mac Harris III, USF: Remaking his body while at South Florida, Harris added 15 pounds of muscle to move from safety to linebacker. A six-year player with the Bulls, Harris is experienced, playing in 59 games (a school record) and starting 34. From 2022 on, his tackle numbers increased each season, culminating with 103 in 2025. A part of that: 7.5 tackles for loss and six sacks. The sacks were a career-high, while his 7.5 TFL trailed only the year prior, in which he had 12.5. Harris was a magnet for the ball, intercepting four passes, forcing six fumbles and recovering five over his career. He capped his college time with All-Conference First Team honors in '25. Harris was Brugler's 107th-ranked LB in the 2026 class and earned a tryout at rookie minicamp with the nearby Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
*LB Shelby Lee Jr., LSU: From being a member of Fury Troop 11 in the U.S. Army to being a walk-on at LSU, Lee spent three years in the military before joining the Tigers in 2022. He was a scout team member that year, returning to the team in 2023. From what I can gather, he saw no game action either season. Nevertheless, practicing with and against some of the top players in college football can still mean valuable reps. Lee was with the Green Bay Blizzard of the IFL after exhausting his college eligibility.
*LB Marquis Waters, Texas Tech: After six years and 66 games played in college, Waters turned pro after the 2022 season. Four of those years, and 49 of those games, were spent at Duke, where he made 234 tackles, 13 tackles for a loss to go along with three interceptions. His first year at Texas Tech was cut short after four games due to injury. As a super senior in 2022, Waters played a hybrid LB/S role (he was a safety in college) and played a key role in stopping the run. In that season, he made 60 tackles with 13 for a loss. He was the 108th safety in the 2023 NFL Draft class per Brugler. He signed an undrafted free agent contract with the New York Jets. In 2024, he played for the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL and as recently as this spring, he was in training camp with the Louisville Kings, though he did not make the team.
*CB Keydrain Calligan, SE Louisiana: From the University of Louisiana-Monroe to Jackson State and then to Southeastern Louisiana, Calligan nabbed All-Southland Conference honors in his final year of 2024. That season, he made 39 tackles, 2.5 for a loss, with an interception. Calligan ran a 4.45 40 at his pro day, which opened eyes of NFL decision makers. It led in part to the Houston Texans signing him as an undrafted free agent following the 2025 NFL Draft, one in which Brugler ranked him as the 107th cornerback. He spent training camp with Houston and then Seattle, while Indianapolis later picked him up for their practice squad. He ended the season with Tennessee, with whom he went to training camp this past year before being cut at the end of August..
*CB Jalen Jones, William & Mary: Making an impact since he was a redshirt freshman, Jones made the All-CAA Second Team that year, one in which he intercepted four passes, and defensed 12. Two years later in 2024, he was honored as a First Team FCS All-American when he picked off two passes and had 22 passes defensed, ranking first nationally in the latter category. A captain in his final season, Jones again made numerous FCS All-American lists and finished tied for second in school history in pass break-ups. He played in both the FCS Bowl and American Bowl post-season all-star games. The 82nd corner in Brugler's rankings, Jones had a minicamp tryout with the Washington Commanders.
*CB Matthew McDoom, Cincinnati: Certainly a member of the "All Name" team among UFL Showcase participants, McDoom spent his one year at Cincinnati as a starter after coming over from Coastal Carolina. McDoom's 2025 highlight was a 100-yard pick six against Oklahoma. He also had 50 tackles and four pass break-ups. This all came after two years as a starter with the Chanticleers. He had back-to-back seasons of ten-plus pass break-ups while there. He was the 79th corner in Brugler's rankings, inking a free agent deal with the Baltimore Ravens. He was cut in early August and a week later he signed with the Cincinnati Bengals, where he spent the rest of camp. As a Bengal, he made three tackles in pre-season games. McDoom ran a 4.4 40 at his pro day and back that up with a time in that range at the Orlando Showcase.
*CB Amechi Uzodinma II, Ball State: In 57 games, 46 starts at Ball State, Uzodinma stuffed the stat sheet with 172 tackles, four tackles for loss, two sacks, 10 interceptions, and 44 passes defensed. His final year put him on the Second Team All-MAC team. Uzodinma was also a Second Team honoree in 2019. After the 2023 NFL Draft, where Brugler had him ranked as the 69th corner, Uzodinma signed with the Los Angeles Chargers. He was released at the end of training camp. In 2024 and 2025, he was part of the B.C. Lions in the CFL.
*S Obi Melifonwu, UConn: Melifonwu has become a pro football nomad since being a 2nd round pick of the then-Oakland Raiders back in 2017. He made heads turn at the NFL Combine when he ran a 4.40 40 at nearly 6'4" and 224 pounds. Melifonwu won a Super Bowl with the New England Patriots after the 2018 season but was never able to find a long-term home in the league. After being with four NFL teams, Melifonwu has been with squads in the USFL, XFL, UFL and most recently, the CoFL.
*S Tyree Skipper, Louisiana: Despite having his junior season of 2024 cut short due to injury, Skipper still managed to make the All-Sun Belt Conference Second Team on the strength of four interceptions in just five starts. For an encore in 2025, he tied a career-high with 55 tackles, picking off another pass, giving him eight in his career. That includes one returned for a touchdown. Skipper was ranked by Brugler as the 100th-best safety in the 2026 NFL Draft class.
*S Lento Smith Jr., Tulsa: An All-GLIAC selection in 2024 while at Ferris State, Smith brings a winning pedigree as he was part of that school's Division II National Championship-winning team that season. The next year, 2025, brought a new challenge when he transferred up a level to Tulsa. A 12-game starter at safety for the Golden Hurricanes, Smith earned All-American Conference Second Team honors. At Tulsa, he made 76 tackles in his lone season, two for a loss, with one interception and five passes defensed. Ranked the 71st safety by Brugler, Smith met with the New Orleans Saints at their local pro day prior to the draft. He then tried out at rookie minicamp with the Baltimore Ravens and New York Giants.