In July, the UFL held its first-ever College Draft. Among the requirements to be drafted, one needed to be a rookie and could not have been drafted by an NFL team in April. Many of the players drafted into the UFL were under contract at the time with NFL teams, as that league was about to begin training camp.
Throughout the season, several of those same players were toggled on and off NFL rosters and practice squads. Several signed letters of intent with the UFL and will be appearing in that training camp in March. Now that the NFL regular season has concluded, I wanted to take a team-by-team look at those draft picks to see how they fared this fall, starting with the USFL Conference.
Birmingham Stallions
One of just two teams to not have any College Draft players on board for 2025, head coach Skip Holtz spoke this off-season about his philosophy of drafting for the long-term, retaining these players’ rights for the future even if it means foregoing any immediate contributions. Four players ended the NFL season on 53-man rosters, including first-round OT Frank Crum (Broncos). Crum was on the team all year after making the squad out of training camp. He played in six games, getting in six snaps on offense. Another offensive tackle, OT Ethan Driskell (Chiefs), similarly saw limited time, playing two games.
WR Isaiah Williams (Bengals) and TE Dallin Holker (Saints) were the other two rostered players at the close of week 18. Williams began with Detroit, playing two games before being claimed off waivers by the Bengals on November 8. He saw more playing time with them, getting in six games. Williams caught two passes for six yards, both with the Lions, both in his first NFL game. While with the Bengals, he added return duties, totaling 11 punt returns for 93 yards (8.5 avg.) and five kick returns for 169 yards (33.8 avg.)
Holker saw the most extensive playing time of any Stallion draft pick. He played 12 games, catching three passes for 21 yards, playing 73 snaps on offense. Second-round pick OT Lorenzo Thompson (Browns) spent the entire year on Cleveland’s practice squad. RB Emani Bailey(Panthers) was a highly-touted undrafted signing by Kansas City. He was on their practice squad until getting cut in November. A month later, he signed with Carolina’s practice squad. After being released at the end of training camp by the Raiders, OT Andrew Coker (Bengals) was signed in October to Cincinnati’s practice squad.
One of the more intriguing draft picks, QB Sam Hartman (Commanders), spent about a month on Washington’s active roster but was on the practice squad for the bulk of the season. Injuries stymied the rookie season of DE Trajan Jeffcoat (Saints). He was placed on injured reserve before the end of training camp, and was then signed to the Saints’ practice squad when he got healthy in November. Two weeks later, he found himself on practice squad injured reserve, where he spent the rest of the season.
After going to camp with the Browns, WR Ahmarean Brown signed with the Bills’ practice squad in September. He was later cut. Brown worked out for the Colts and Steelers during the season but is the only Stallions player to not be on a team for the final week of the regular season.
Houston Roughnecks
In desperate need of a talent influx, Houston chose to focus on selecting players that could help them immediately and who were not under NFL contracts at the time of the draft. That paid off as they’ve agreed to terms with eight of their 10 draft picks. One of those players, their second round pick, S Tra Fluellen (Saints) was injured throughout the pre-draft process and was not ready to attend NFL training camps this summer.
However, once he became healthy, he was signed to the practice squad of the Saints, which is where he finished the season. Fluellen signed his letter of intent with the UFL and is the only Roughneck draft pick currently on an NFL team. Not only did just one player finish the season on a practice squad, no other Roughneck draft pick was on a team at any point during the season.
Memphis Showboats
Holding the number one overall pick in the draft by virtue of their final week victory over the Roughnecks, Memphis took QB Jason Bean (Colts) with that pick. Bean spent all year on the Colts’ practice squad after attending training camp with them, including a stint on practice squad injured reserve. He was one of the first players announced to have signed a reserve/futures contract at the conclusion of the season, taking him off the board for the Showboats in 2025.
With their next pick, Memphis selected RB Blake Watson (Broncos). Watson made the Broncos as an undrafted free-agent, but was released in October. He was back with the team, on the practice squad, two days later. On Christmas Eve, Watson was promoted to the active roster for the final two games of the season. He had four carries for 10 yards (1.8 avg.) and one reception for 13 yards in two games (11 total snaps).
Four other Memphis draft picks finished the year on active rosters, making it the most prolific draft class in the league (ironic, given the change in leadership at the head coach and general manager positions that would later take place with the team). Among them, third round DT Evan Anderson (49ers) was added to the San Francisco active roster from the practice squad in October. He played in 12 games, starting one, making 24 tackles, two tackles for loss, a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
Elsewhere, WR Jalen Coker (Panthers) had a heck of a rookie year in Carolina. In 11 games (four starts), Coker had 32 catches for 478 yards (9.6 avg.) and two touchdowns, playing 66% of the team’s offensive snaps in games he played. And this from someone who began the year on the team’s practice squad. In the Big Apple, DE Eric Watts (Jets) played 14 games and had 13 tackles. WR Mason Tipton (Saints) started one of 11 games played, catching 14 passes for 99 yards (7.1 avg.) He played a hair over 50% of the team’s snaps on offense.
While C Andrew Raym (Panthers) made the 53-man roster out of camp, he was waived in October and quickly re-signed to the practice squad, where he spent the rest of the year. He saw action in one game. TE McCallan Castles (Chargers) found himself on the transaction wire often: Initially signed by the Philadelphia Eagles, he was placed on IR in early August. Waived in September, he found a home with the Chargers on October 15. He was released on November 6 and re-signed November 9. Waived again on the 20th, Castles was re-signed on the 26th and there he stayed. The only two Showboats draft picks not to be on an NFL team have signed letters of intent with the team. LB Yvandy Rigby, one of those players, did spend two weeks on the practice squad of the New England Patriots in-season.
Michigan Panthers
All four of Michigan’s draft picks that are not under contract in the NFL have agreed to join the Panthers in the UFL. One of those players, S Akeem Dent tried out for four teams during the season, but never found a home. An impressive preseason led CB Dwight McGlothern (Vikings) to make the team out of training camp. He found himself on the weekly inactive list often, however, playing in just five games and 19 defensive snaps.
In Miami, C Andrew Meyer (Dolphins) took what amounted to a redshirt year. He was kept on the 53-man roster all season but was inactive for every contest. New Orleans elevated S Isaiah Stalbird (Saints) three times throughout the year, then brought him up from the practice squad permanently before week 17. In the five games he played, Stalbird did not play on defense, but was on the field for 67% of special teams snaps, accounting for three tackles.
A favorite of the workout circuit this year was OT Julian Pearl (Browns), when he wasn’t on a team that is. After being waived by Baltimore at final cuts, Pearl signed with Minnesota’s practice squad in late October and was let go a month later. Cleveland scooped him up in December, where he lasted the rest of the year. Another preseason star was DE Isaac Ukwu (Lions). He was signed to Detroit’s practice squad after camp and was elevated for two games – starting one – making three tackles in the process. Finally, WR Dayton Wade (Ravens) was on Baltimore’s practice squad all season, though he was never elevated for game day.
