Select Player Capsules from the 2025 Arlington UFL Showcase (part two)

This is part two of my look at players from the UFL Arlington Showcase who made their participation public, or who reached out to me privately. Part one, posted last week, can be found here.

A reminder: If you are a player or you know a player attending a future Showcase, DM me on social media @gregmparks (Twitter/X), @gregmparks.bsky.social (Bluesky) or @g_man9784 (Instagram) to be profiled in a future article.

QB Draylen Ellis, Tennessee State: Austin Peay’s loss was Tennessee State’s gain. After playing at APSU for his freshman and sophomore seasons, Ellis transferred to TSU for his last three. An OVC Co-Freshman of the Year honor saw him follow it up with a Second Team All-OVC selection. In those two seasons, Ellis threw for 33 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, completing just over 53% of his passes. His success continued at Tennessee State, though it took him until the 2024 campaign to really get unleashed. That season, he threw 26 touchdown passes to just eight interceptions, ending his time at TSU with 40 TD passes and an additional 12 touchdowns rushing. Ellis was selected to play in the HBCU Legacy Bowl all-star game in preparation for the NFL Draft. He was the 52nd ranked QB in the 2025 class per The Athletic’s Dane Brugler.

CB Donte Martin, New Mexico: The Lobos’ career leader in pass break-ups (passing former NFL player Glover Quin), Martin basically locked down one side of the field for New Mexico during his final season in 2023. He only recorded two interceptions during his time in the southwest in part because teams stopped throwing his way. Despite measuring under 5’9″ and running a 4.62 40 at his pro day, Martin’s change-of-direction speed was on display at the Showcase, where he led DBs in three-cone drill time at 6.84, shaving more than two-tenths of a second off his pro day time. Even with his accolades, he was the 171st-ranked corner by Brugler in his draft guide.

WR Ja’Juan Mason, Midwestern State: In four seasons, Mason caught double-digit passes just twice, even though he started a host of games at Midwestern State. Part of that was by design of the offensive: In 2023 for example, the team ran the ball twice as many times as they passed, limiting Mason’s production. He worked on special teams as well, occasionally returning punts and kicks. You can bet Mason has a lot of experience as a blocker on the perimeter given his team’s penchant for running the ball. In the two seasons he did reach double-digit receptions, he also averaged over 20 yards per catch.

WR Vinson Miller, Oklahoma Baptist: A jack-of-all-trades in college, Miller began his career as a linebacker, even getting in a tackle against Northwestern back in 2021. As a junior in 2023, he made the rare position switch from linebacker to wide receiver. That only resulted in one catch for 13 yards in his career, however, and in total he played in only 16 games in four years. Miller was selected as one of 20 college seniors to participate in OBU’s prestigious “Hanging the Green” ceremony.

S Johnathan Mosley, Central Oklahoma: The stat line for Mosley’s college career arcs a bit differently than others. Never a full-time starter in college, Mosley did start four games out of 11 as a junior and registered 40+ tackles in his sophomore and junior seasons. He totaled four interceptions and 13 pass break-ups during that time as well. Then came his senior year where one would expect his stats to explode. Instead, in nine games, Mosley made 11 tackles and did not have any ball-related numbers (INTs or PDs).

RB Jeremiah Nelson, Kutztown: A bulldozer at 5’9″ and 254 pounds, Nelson went the JUCO route to start at Nassau Community College in New York, scoring 10 rushing touchdowns in 2018. He moved up to Temple in 2019 but did not play. After the COVID season of 2020, Nelson found himself at Kutztown in 2021 (as a teammate of St. Louis Battlehawks WR Jerome Kapp), playing 10 games and averaging 5.7 yards per carry on 98 rushes. He did not play at Kutztown in 2022 but was part of the 2023 NFL Draft Class, where Brugler had him ranked as the 111th running back with a 40-time of 4.84 seconds (the same as Oklahoma’s Bentavious Thompson that year, who is dwarfed by Nelson at 186 pounds). Nelson suited up for the Ohio Valley Ironmen of the International Football Alliance (IFA) this summer.

WR Money Parks, Utah: No relation to the author of this article, Parks (real name Monterren) was a standout at Utah for a number of seasons. A two-year starter, Parks finished his career with the Utes catching passes in 32 straight games. An injury limited him to eight games in his final year of 2024. For his career, he caught 79 passes for a tick over 1,000 yards and eight touchdowns. The 163rd receiver on Brugler’s list for the 2025 NFL Draft, Parks was a late add to the East-West Shrine Bowl roster, the second-most prestigious post-season all-star game leading into the draft. Though he was not signed as a free agent after the draft, he did attend rookie minicamp with the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers as a tryout player.

CB Kendall Paul, East Texas A&M: Though his size will disqualify him from some schemes – he measured in at 5’8″ and 162 pounds – his speed (4.41 – led DBs at the Arlington Showcase) will intrigue teams. The 4.41 isn’t a one-off either, as he timed at 4.38 at his pro day. Paul ended his career as a senior with 57 tackles and perhaps most impressively for a DB of his stature, 7.5 tackles for loss. While he picked off only one pass, he knocked down 12 (21 for his career). Perhaps unsurprisingly, Paul was a track star in high school in addition to his football exploits, specifically in the relay events. Brugler labeled him the 58th-best corner in the 2025 NFL Draft and he has a pre-draft write-up on NFL.com, but no NFL team signed him after the draft or even worked him out as a tryout player at minicamp.

DL Shemar Pearl, SE Louisiana: Another player with JUCO experience, Pearl left Garden City Community College after 28 games and 13 tackles for loss. Pearl redshirted in 2022 before joining Southeast Louisiana as a starter in 2023. A key contributor to the defense for two years, Pearl capped off his college time with 37 tackles, seven tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. He showed a nose for the ball with three fumble recoveries in two years there. Pearl has good size on the edge at 6’3″ and 255 pounds, running a 4.69 40 in pre-draft workouts. That earned Pearl a spot in Brugler’s rankings, coming in at edge rusher 165.

WR Samario Rudolph, Jacksonville State: Nicknamed “Flip,” Rudolph attended UAB for a number of years before using his final year of eligibility at Jacksonville State. With the Blazers, Rudolph caught 45 passes for 545 yards and five touchdowns. Primarily a special teamer in 2024, Rudolph played in all 14 games. His main contribution came as a punt returner, with 17 attempts for 79 yards. He ran the ball twice and also caught nine passes for 74 yards. Rudolph is yet another where size has played a part in holding him back from pro opportunities, standing under 5’9″.

TE Tommy Smith, Rhode Island: Teams like to utilize the modern football player any way they can, and sometimes that can mean at multiple positions. Smith exemplified this by playing receiver, tight end, fullback and halfback in college. Perhaps most importantly, though, was Smith’s skills on special teams, where he tied for second in tackles in 2022 and then led the team in that regard in 2024 with nine stops. Smith had five rushes for two touchdowns in college, collecting 28 passes for 417 yards and three TDs (27 of those catches came in his final year). He also returned seven kickoffs and one punt. The 62nd-ranked TE in the 2025 draft by Brugler, Smith tried out at Pittsburgh Steelers minicamp, then showcased his athleticism at the Arlington Showcase, pacing his position in broad jump (10’1) and three-cone (6.71).

TE Dimitrios Tsesmetzis, Western Connecticut State: Selected in the Open Phase of the XFL Draft back in 2019 by the D.C. Defenders, Tsesmetzis attended training camp only to be released at final cuts. That’s as high as he’s reached in the world of professional football since his last year of college ball in 2017. In 2021, Tsesmetzis got some playing time with the Aviators of The Spring League, catching seven passes including a touchdown. Second-team All-Conference while at Western Connecticut, Tsesmetzis’s calling card is his size at 6’6″ and 250 pounds. Have to give him credit for still grinding away at the pro dream.

TE Tristen Tewes, Northern Illinois: An Academic All-MAC selection for four seasons as a Husky, Tewes was utilized predominantly for his blocking prowess. He started his career as a linebacker and played special teams for two years before moving to tight end and seeing time on offense. Still developing as a pass-catcher, Tewes caught 34 balls at NIU, never more than 15 in a season. He did score four touchdowns of those 34 catches. This is an experienced player (56 games played) with special teams skills and upside as an in-line tight end. He ranked as the 67th tight end in the draft according to Brugler.

LB C.J. Tillman, Campbell University: Limited to just one season of double-digit games played, his freshman year of 2021 (when he was named Freshman All-American by Phil Steele), Tillman nevertheless showed tackling aptitude when he was on the field. He averaged nearly eight tackles per game in his career, including 17.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks. Even in limited action, he finished fourth in the conference in tackles in 2023. Tillman also intercepted two passes and forced four fumbles in four seasons.

CB Giovanni Waller, East Central: Limited playing time at Bluefield State led Waller to eventually settle in at East Central in Oklahoma. There, he played in 22 games over two seasons, with 70 tackles, 8.5 for loss, 17 pass break-ups and three interceptions. His 2024 performance landed him on the All-GAC Third Team. After he worked out for NFL scouts at Tulsa’s pro day, Waller was Brugler’s 164th-ranked corner ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft. Waller was credited with the best broad jump among defensive backs at the Arlington Showcase with a jump of 10’7.

S Austin White, Kennesaw State: Starting eight games out of 37 at Virginia Military Institute, White intercepted four passes and totaled 87 tackles in four years at the FCS level. In his final year of eligibility, he transferred to Kennesaw State. However, he never played a down for the team in 2024 due to unknown reasons. At 5’11” and 190 pounds, White played receiver in addition to defensive back in high school.

OL Cor’Darius Wright, Avila University: Though he has played several positions along the offensive line in 25 games at Avila University, Wright profiles best on the interior. He has the requisite size to play at the next level. After exhausting his college eligibility with the close of the 2024 season, Wright found a home with the Huntsville Astros of the International Football Alliance in 2025.