The UFL held its first College Draft last July, wherein teams could select from players who were eligible for the 2024 NFL Draft. The caveat was, the only players eligible for the UFL’s draft were ones not drafted by the NFL. Those signed as rookie free agents, or who did not sign with a team after the draft, were all fair game.
It is expected that the same parameters will be in place next month when the UFL once again holds its College Draft, though nothing official has been announced by the league. In this column, I’ll take a look at last year’s draft results, what teams got the most out of their draft capital, and what teams could reap the fruits of last year’s draft in the upcoming season(s).
Players are listed by the round and overall selection in which they were drafted; those in bold appeared either in training camp, the regular season, or both for the UFL in 2025.
Arlington Renegades
1 (3) QB John Rhys Plumlee, UCF
2 (11) OT Griffin McDowell, Chattanooga
3 (19) LB Kalen DeLoach, FSU
4 (27) NT Popo Aumavae, Oregon
5 (35) LB Amari Gainer, North Carolina
6 (43) LB Bo Richter, Air Force
7 (51) DT Taki Taimani, Oregon
8 (59) OT Spencer Rolland, North Carolina
9 (67) C Briason Mays, Southern Miss.
10 (75) WR Drake Stoops, Oklahoma
Analysis: Given the first-round pedigree, you have to imagine Arlington drafted Plumlee with the intention of playing him at quarterback, perhaps developing him as Luis Perez’s successor. Alas, Plumlee is a QB no more, having transitioned to wide receiver in the NFL. He returned kicks in the pre-season with the Pittsburgh Steelers and is now listed as a receiver by the Seattle Seahawks.
Neither Mays nor McDowell made it out of training camp, particularly disappointing for McDowell as a second-round pick. Rolland too was released in final cuts but was re-signed at the end of the year when OT Adrian Ealy went on injured reserve. For a while, DeLoach was the only UFL draft pick not signed to the NFL that did not enter the UFL, until doing so at the end of April. That late start relegated him mostly to special teams, but he’s a player to watch for increased playing time if he returns in 2026.
Birmingham Stallions
1 (8) OT Frank Crum, Wyoming
2 (16) OT Lorenzo Thompson, Rhode Island
3 (24) RB Emani Bailey, TCU
4 (32) WR Isaiah Williams, Illinois
5 (40) TE Dallin Holker, Colorado State
6 (48) DE Trajan Jeffcoat, Arkansas
7 (56) OT Andrew Coker, TCU
8 (64) WR Ahmarean Brown, South Carolina
9 (72) QB Sam Hartman, Notre Dame
10 (80) OT Ethan Driskell, Marshall
Analysis: Birmingham head coach Skip Holtz, on a local radio show following the draft, revealed a little bit about his draft philosophy: He noted the team isn’t so concerned about getting production from their draft picks right away; rather, they often draft for down the road when these players may become available, as teams retain the rights to the players drafted while they’re in the NFL. So for the Stallions, 2026 is the season to look at for some of these players, none of whom wore Birmingham red-and-white in 2025.
The only two not currently under NFL contracts are DE Trajan Jeffcoat (ended NFL season on practice squad IR of the New Orleans Saints, then not offered a futures deal) and WR Ahmarean Brown (tried out at Philadelphia Eagles minicamp last month). A name to watch: QB Sam Hartman, now QB4 in Washington with the arrival of Josh Johnson. He’ll likely have to beat out Johnson to make the practice squad again.
D.C. Defenders
1 (4) OT Gottlieb Ayedze, Maryland
2 (12) QB Kedon Slovis, BYU
3 (20) DT Leonard Taylor, Miami (Fla.)
4 (28) OT Garrett Greenfield, South Dakota State
5 (36) DE Braiden McGregor, Michigan
6 (44) RB Michael Wiley, Arizona
7 (52) LB Dallas Gant, Toledo
8 (60) LB Curtis Jacobs, Penn State
9 (68) QB Tanner Mordecai, Wisconsin
10 (76) S Omar Brown, Nebraska
Analysis: D.C. managed to win the UFL Championship without getting any contributions from their 2025 College Draft class. If they’re able to add even one or two of these players next season, it will greatly enhance the team’s depth. D.C. is in an odd spot at quarterback, as they now have the rights to three QBs in the NFL: These two draft picks as well as Emory Jones, who they signed last year before Jones ended up being added by the Atlanta Falcons.
There are largely unproven players behind current starter Jordan Ta’amu; the Defenders would likely feel a lot more comfortable if Slovis, Mordecai, or Jones were to suit up for them. All 10 Defenders draft picks are currently on NFL rosters.
Houston Roughnecks
1 (2) DE Eyabi Okie, Charlotte
2 (10) S Tra Fluellen, Middle Tennessee State
3 (18) G Kam Stutts, Auburn
4 (26) LB Donovan Manuel, FIU
5 (34) OL Hayden GIllum, Kansas State
6 (42) TE Malcolm Epps, Pittsburgh
7 (50) LB Xavier Benson, Oklahoma State
8 (58) CB Rayshad Williams, Texas Tech
9 (66) CB Malik Dunlap, Texas Tech
10 (74) TE Geor’Quarius Spivey, Mississippi State
Analysis: Houston zigged when everyone else zagged: The team that finished 1-9 in 2024 desperately needed depth everywhere, so the majority of players they drafted were not signed after the NFL Draft, making it more likely they’d end up in the UFL. And that’s exactly what happened.
Eight of the 10 players signed UFL contracts or letters of intent. A few of them didn’t make it to camp: S Tra Fluellen was signed by the New Orleans Saints after signing his Houston LOI (though he was recently released); LB Donovan Manuel was waived in January after signing in October, part of Houston’s significant off-season roster movement; and CB Malik Dunlap was placed on the reserve/did not report list after signing but apparently opting not to attend training camp.
The talented but troubled Okie took the fall for Houston’s porous week one defensive showing: He played 12 snaps against St. Louis and was then waived. TE Malcolm Epps was a roster cut at the end of camp. Three of the last four picks played significant roles for a team that scratched and clawed its way to a .500 record in 2025.
LB Xavier Benson averaged over 30 snaps per game on defense in nine games at middle linebacker. CB Rayshad Williams started four games and played in 10, credited by Pro Football Focus with 27 tackles, giving up a passer rating of just 67.8 when QBs threw his way. TE Geor’Quarius Spivey took over as starter when Josh Pederson got injured and on the season, caught seven passes. He parlayed his work in the UFL into a contract with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Memphis Showboats
1 (1) QB Jason Bean, Kansas
2 (9) RB Blake Watson, Memphis
3 (17) DT Evan Anderson, FAU
4 (25) WR Jalen Coker, Holy Cross
5 (33) DE Eric Watts, Connecticut
6 (41) C Andrew Raym, Oklahoma
7 (49) LB Yvandy Rigby, Temple
8 (57) CB Ja’Quan Sheppard, Maryland
9 (65) TE McCallan Castles, Tennesssee
10 (73) WR Mason Tipton, Yale
Analysis: Despite what you may have read in UFL season preview articles, QB Jason Bean was not a part of the Memphis team – he’s with the Indianapolis Colts. Good. Glad we have that cleared up once and for all. Memphis was a team in transition in the off-season: The John DeFilippo-Dennis Polian regime drafted these players, though the two departed in the month following the draft. Temple’s Rigby made the initial 50-man roster out of training camp but after being a healthy scratch the first three weeks, was cut prior to week four.
Sheppard too was waived, in late April, after playing in two games. He was picked up by the Roughnecks and played extensively for them down the stretch. One player who won’t be a Showboat any time soon: WR Jalen Coker, who outperformed fellow rookie receiver – and first round draft pick – Xavier Legette with the Carolina Panthers. This despite Coker entering the league as an undrafted free agent.
Michigan Panthers
1 (6) OT Julian Pearl, Illinois
2 (14) CB Dwight McGlothern, Arkansas
3 (22) DE Isaac Ukwu, Ole Miss
4 (30) OT Brian Dooley, Eastern Michigan
5 (38) QB Rocky Lombardi, Northern Illinois
6 (46) WR Dayton Wade, Ole Miss
7 (54) S Akeem Dent, Florida State
8 (62) C Andrew Meyer, UTEP
9 (70) G J.D. Duplain, Michigan State
10 (78) S Isaiah Stalbird, South Dakota State
Analysis: For a team with an already stacked roster, Michigan got above average contributions from their College Draft class, which had a distinctly Michigan flavor. Dooley was frequently active as the team’s swing tackle over veteran Keith Russell. He played just 99 offensive snaps in eight games, with nearly half of those coming in the last two games of the regular season once the Panthers’ playoff spot had been sewn up.
Lombardi was QB3 on the year and started in the Week 10 loss against Houston, which had no bearing on Michigan’s playoff seeding. He showed flashes but eventually got pulled, replaced by Danny Etling. Dent saw the fourth-most special teams snaps for Michigan, finishing second in tackles on that unit. He struggled when pressed into duty on defense. Duplain was cut at the end of training camp. With the increased competition from rookies in NFL training camp this summer, it’s possible a few other draft picks will be available to the Panthers next winter.
San Antonio Brahmas
1 (7) DT Gabe Hall, Baylor
2 (15) DE Gabriel Murphy, UCLA
3 (23) OT Donovan Jennings, USF
4 (31) CB Miles Battle, Utah
5 (39) DE Jamree Kromah, James Madison
6 (47) WR Lideatrick Griffin, Mississippi State
7 (55) S Beau Brade, Maryland
8 (63) C Sincere Haynesworth, Tulane
9 (71) CB D.J. Miller, Kent State
10 (79) WR Joshua Cephus, UTSA
Analysis: Leave it to a defensive minded head coach like Wade Phillips to draft defensive players with four of the team’s first five selections. The only player the Brahmas drafted to play in the UFL this year was D.J. Miller – but with the Panthers. For reasons unexplained, the Brahmas forfeited his rights at some point after the draft, and Michigan scooped him up. He became a starter for the USFL Champions and played the fourth-most defensive snaps on the team.
San Antonio sure could’ve used someone like that during their disappointing 2025 campaign. In fact, they could’ve used any of their drafted players. The only player right now not with an NFL team is Lideatrick “Tulu” Griffin, who was released by Green Bay in May. The speedster could help whoever ends up coaching San Antonio next year.
St. Louis Battlehawks
1 (5) QB Chevan Cordeiro, San Jose State
2 (13) RB Cody Schrader, Missouri
3 (21) DT Pheldarius Payne, Virginia Tech
4 (29) OT Bradley Ashmore, Vanderbilt
5 (37) LB Carl Jones, Jr., UCLA
6 (45) DT Isaiah Coe, Oklahoma
7 (53) WR Jelani Baker, Limestone
8 (61) WR Jadon Janke, South Dakota State
9 (69) CB Myles Sims, Georgia Tech
10 (77) CB Myles Jones, Duke
Analysis: The team that signed the second-most draft picks from their class, St. Louis was also one of just two teams that was able to get contributions out of their first-round selection. The decision to take a quarterback fifth overall raised questions about A.J. McCarron’s status for 2025. In the end, McCarron was cut which allowed Cordeiro to find a spot on the team. He spent a portion of the season on injured reserve and otherwise used this as a developmental year.
Ashmore picked up a couple starts, one at right tackle and one at left, in the second half of the season when injuries struck. He showed the ability to be a competent backup. Coe was waived just before training camp began and Baker was a victim of cut-down day. The Myles brothers were pressed into action when corners Brandon Sebastian and Chris Payton-Jones both went down with season-ending injuries. Jones started five regular season games and the playoff tilt against D.C.
