The UFL quietly held its draft today, and players were selected from a pool of more than 12,000 eligible players. The draft showed a shift in how the UFL is being viewed around the country, and it shows that the league’s future is very strong.
Historically, Spring League Players Are Unknown
In the past, whether it was the USFL, XFL, or any other spring league, the players on the teams were primarily unknown to the common fan. For example, just two years ago, some of the starting quarterbacks in the USFL were Jordan Ta’amu, Case Cookus, and J’Mar Smith. This isn’t anything against those players, but none were commonly known players in college.
Today, players like Jason Bean, Sam Harman, Kedon Slovis, and John Rhys Plumlee were selected during the NFL Draft. While not at the same player level as Caleb Williams or J.J. McCarthy, they are at least players many common fans have heard of.
Other well-known players include Missouri RB Cody Schrader, Colorado State tight end Dallin Holker, and Oklahoma wide receiver Drake Stoops.
This along with record high ratings in 2024 suggest that the UFL is becoming a very strong league that isn’t going to last only a year or two.
UFL Draft Selections
Bob Nguyen/OU Daily
ARLINGTON RENEGADES
| Name | Position | School |
| John Rhys Plumlee | QB | UCF |
| Griffin McDowell | T | UT-Chattanooga |
| Kalen DeLoach | LB | Florida State |
| Popo Aumave | NT | Oregon |
| Amari Gainer | OLB | North Carolina |
| Bo Richter | OLB | Air Force |
| Taki Taimani | DT | Oregon |
| Spencer Rolland | T | North Carolina |
| Briason Mays | C | Southern Miss |
| Drake Stoops | WR | Oklahoma |
BIRMINGHAM STALLIONS
| Name | Position | School |
| Frank Crum | OT | Wyoming |
| Lorenzo Thompson | OT | Rhode Island |
| Emani Bailey | RB | TCU |
| Isaiah Williams | WR | Illinois |
| Dallin Holker | TE | Colorado State |
| Trajan Jeffcoat | DE | Arkansas |
| Andrew Coker | OT | TCU |
| Ahmarean Brown | WR | South Carolina |
| Sam Hartman | QB | Notre Dame |
| Ethan Driskell | T | Marshal |
D.C. DEFENDERS
| Name | Position | School |
| Gottlieb Ayedze | T | Maryland |
| Kedon Slovis | QB | BYU |
| Leonard Taylor | DT | Miami (FL) |
| Garrett Greenfield | T | South Dakota State |
| Braiden McGregor | DE | Michigan |
| Michael Wiley | RB | Arizona |
| Dallas Gant | ILB | Toledo |
| Curtis Jacobs | ILB | Penn State |
| Tanner Mordecai | QB | Wisconsin |
| Omar Brown | SS | Nebraska |
HOUSTON ROUGHNECKS
| Name | Position | School |
| Eyabi Okie | DE | Charlotte |
| Tra Fluellen | S | Middle Tennessee State |
| Kameron Stutts | OG | Auburn |
| Donovan Manuel | LB | Florida International |
| Hayden Gillum | OL | Kansas State |
| Malcolm Epps | TE | Pittsburgh |
| Xavier Benson | MLB | Oklahoma State |
| Rayshad Williams | CB | Texas Tech |
| Malik Dunlap | CB | Texas Tech |
| Gero’Quarius Spivey | TE | Mississippi State |
MEMPHIS SHOWBOATS
| Name | Position | School |
| Jason Bean | QB | Kansas |
| Blake Watson | RB | Memphis |
| Evan Anderson | DT | Florida Atlantic |
| Jalen Coker | WR | Holy Cross |
| Eric Watts | DE | Connecticut |
| Andrew Raym | C | Oklahoma |
| Yvandy Rigby | LB | Temple |
| Ja’Quan Sheppard | CB | Maryland |
| McCallan Castles | TE | Tennessee |
| Mason Tipton | WR | Yale |
MICHIGAN PANTHERS
| Name | Position | School |
| Julian Pearl | OT | Illinois |
| Dwight McGlothern | CB | Arkansas |
| Isaac Ukwu | DE | Mississippi |
| Brian Dooley | OT | Eastern Michigan |
| Rocky Lombardi | QB | Northern Illinois |
| Dayton Wade | WR | Mississippi |
| Akeem Dent | S | Florida State |
| Andrew Meyer | OL | UTEP (UT-El Paso) |
| J.D. Duplain | OT | Michigan State |
| Isaiah Stalbird | LB | South Dakota State |
SAN ANTONIO BRAHMAS
| Name | Position | School |
| Gabe Hall | DT | Baylor |
| Gabriel Murphy | OLB | UCLA |
| Donovan Jennings | T | South Florida |
| Miles Battle | CB | Utah |
| Jamree Kromah | DE | James Madison |
| Lideatrick Griffin | WR | Mississippi State |
| Beau Brade | DB | Maryland |
| Sincere Haynesworth | CB | Tulane |
| D.J. Miller Jr. | CB | Kent State |
| Joshua Cephus | WR | UTSA |
ST. LOUIS BATTLEHAWKS
| Name | Position | School |
| Chevan Cordeiro | QB | San Jose State |
| Cody Schrader | RB | Missouri |
| Pheldarius Payne | DE | Virginia Tech |
| Bradley Ashmore | T | Vanderbilt |
| Carl Jones Jr. | OLB | UCLA |
| Isaiah Coe | DT | Oklahoma |
| Jelani Baker | WR | Limestone |
| Jadon Janke | WR | South Dakota State |
| Myles Sims | CB | Georgia Tech |
| Myles Jones | CB | Duke |
How Does the Draft Process Work?
Unlike the NFL or NBA drafts, the UFL draft doesn’t necessarily mean that every drafted player will join the team. Many players, particularly those toward the beginning of the draft, are currently with NFL teams.
UFL teams are allowed to draft any NFL player who was not drafted in the NFL draft. This means that players picked up on undrafted free-agent deals are eligible to be drafted. Some of these players will end up signing with an NFL team and never play a snap or even report to their UFL team.
This makes drafting players very interesting. When looking at the draft picks, one may wonder why Chevan Cordeiro (San Jose State) was drafted ahead of a player like Kedon Slovis. Part of the reason may be that Battlehawks want a sure quarterback, opposed to Slovis, who has a shot at actually making an NFL roster.
