The 2024 UFL College Draft took place on Wednesday, Jul. 17, allowing each team to claim the rights to 10 players who were eligible to be selected but went undrafted in the 2024 NFL Draft. Unlike the NFL Draft, there is no guarantee that any of these players will actually sign with the UFL team that drafted them. In the Defenders’ case, they selected 10 undrafted free agents who are currently signed with an NFL team for training camp. However, most of these rookies face uphill battles in making their current team’s 53-man roster and/or practice squad.
Odds are, at least a few of these guys will be taking the field for the Defenders in 2025. The following is a breakdown of each rookie:
Round 1: OT Gottlieb Ayedze, Maryland
Ayedze was dominant at Frostburg State (D-II), starting 37 straight games over four seasons and racking up three straight First-Team All-Conference mentions. He then transferred to Maryland for his final year of eligibility, where he started nine games at right tackle and one at right guard in 2023. He earned a respectable 74.3 PFF pass-blocking grade while allowing zero sacks and just one hit on quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa on 413 pass-block snaps. He signed with the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent shortly after the 2024 NFL Draft in April.
Ayedze has excellent body control and balance that helped him stay in front of edge rushers from the tackle position in college. While he may be slightly undersized at 6-4 308 lbs, he makes up for it with his agility. Throughout college, he proved to be an effective pulling blocker in gap-run plays. As mentioned previously, he started almost every game he played at Frostburg State and Maryland at tackle. However, there were instances where Maryland moved him inside to play guard over the course of a contest, where he may be better suited with his shorter 33” arms, plus his strength that he can use to work off interior defensive linemen and his foot quickness to help him get to second-level defenders in run/screen blocking.
Round 2: Kedon Slovis, BYU
Slovis burst onto the scene as a freshman at USC in 2019, leading the Trojans to an 8-5 record as the team’s starting quarterback and breaking the NCAA Freshman record for completion percentage (71.9%). His performance yielded him PAC-12 Freshman of the Year honors and came with high expectations for the next season, which he entered on the Davey O’Brien Award (Best Quarterback) Watch List. In 2020, he started all six games of the COVID-shortened campaign, recording a 5-1 record and going 177-for-264 passing (67.0% completion) with 1,921 yards and 17 touchdowns on his way to First-Team All-Pac 12 honors. However, things took a turn after this.
In 2021, USC only won four games while Slovis started nine contests, missing three games with a leg injury. For the 2022 season, Slovis opted for a change of scenery, transferring to Pitt where he threw for 2,397 yards and 10 touchdowns, leading the Panthers to a 7-4 record as their starting quarterback. But he still just wasn’t producing at the level he was at earlier in his career. For his final year of eligibility, he transferred again, this time to BYU. With the Cougars, he went 153-for-266 passing with 1,716 yards and 12 touchdowns in eight contests before missing the last third of the season with a shoulder injury.
Slovis had a superb supporting cast during his first two years at USC that made things easier for him, with current NFL receivers like Amon Ra St. Brown and Drake London as his top targets. It really wasn’t hard for him to get the ball to his countless playmakers and allow them to do what they do best. He made some good throws here and there, but a lot of it was simply his NFL-caliber receivers coming down with 50/50 balls or bailing him out by hauling in slightly off-target throws that would otherwise be incomplete or picked off passes. While Slovis doesn’t have great arm talent for a professional quarterback and isn’t really a scrambler, he has quality field-processing ability, good pocket presence, and solid footwork, especially in play-action.
Slovis is currently rostered by the Indianapolis Colts, but if he ever comes to the UFL, I think he can be a successful game manager in the Defenders’ spread system.
Round 3: DT Leonard Taylor III, Miami (FL)
Each of Taylor’s three seasons at Miami were about equally productive, including his sophomore campaign in 2022 which saw him earn an All-ACC Honorable Mention. Overall, he racked up 64 tackles, including 23.5 for a loss and 6.0 sacks in 31 career games (19 starts) before forgoing his senior season and declaring for the 2024 NFL Draft. While his tenure with the ‘Canes was respectable, seeing him make an impact defensively in each season, many expected even more from the former five-star recruit.
Taylor was moved around a bit between the nose and 3-technique at Miami, so there’s some versatility there. He has appealing size at 6-3 303 lbs, while he also possesses a solid mix of strength and athletic ability that he uses to shed blocks. Right now, he is under contract with the New York Jets, who signed him as an undrafted free agent.
Round 4: OT Garret Greenfield, South Dakota State
Greenfield was a three-time FCS All-American at South Dakota State, starting 55 career games between left and right tackle. On 1,530 pass-block snaps, he allowed 62 quarterback pressures (44 hurries, 10 hits, 8 sacks). His 82.6 PFF pass-blocking grade was 19th best among FCS offensive tackles who played more than 400 snaps in 2023.
Greenfield has great agility for his 6-6 311 lbs frame, which he uses to his advantage in working to defenders and making blocks in open space. While he can benefit from improved lower body strength, he throws strong punches with his hands at edge rushers and has good foot quickness that helps him stay in front of his matchups in pass protection.
Round 5: Braiden McGregor, Michigan
McGregor spent his four-year collegiate career at Michigan, becoming a full-time starter in his senior season, the same one which saw the Wolverines win the CFP Championship. During his team’s national title run, he put together a career-high 26 tackles, including an impressive 9.0 for a loss and 4.5 sacks in 15 games.
McGregor is a feisty edge rusher with a good mix of explosiveness and toughness that he uses to get to the heart of offensive plays. He was utilized mostly, and most effectively, from a stand-up wide 9-technique with the Wolverines. He has great size at 6-5 257 lbs. He is currently under contract with the New York Jets.
Round 6: RB Michael Wiley, Arizona
Wiley played five seasons at Arizona, appearing in 49 career games and making 23 starts. Throughout his collegiate career, he compiled 1,712 yards and 16 touchdowns on 336 carries, plus 123 receptions for 1,150 yards and 12 touchdowns. His most impressive season came in 2022, which saw him total 1,060 yards and 11 touchdowns between the ground and air on 113 carries and 36 receptions on his way to an All-PAC 12 Honorable Mention. Unfortunately, Wiley’s senior campaign in 2023 was plagued by injury, as he only started in seven games and had about half the production from the previous year.
Wiley can be a great complement to 2023 XFL Rushing Leader Abram Smith if both are with the Defenders next season. While Smith is a big bruising back who can be used in early-down and goal-line situations, Wiley’s prowess is in outside runs and as a receiving back. Wiley can also pick up rushers in pass protection, so there’s definitely some good third-down potential. However, he had some issues with his ball-carrier vision and decisiveness throughout college which hurt his draft stock.
Round 7: LB Dallas Gant, Toledo
Gant was a two-time First-Team All-MAC selection and was Toledo’s tackling leader in back-to-back seasons—2022 and 2023—recording 116 in both. Going into his senior season, he was named a team captain for the Rockets. Before Toledo, Grant was at Ohio State for three seasons, where he logged 44 tackles in 35 games as a reserve.
At the linebacker position, Gant has good size at 6-2 224 lbs with long arms that help him wrap-up ball carriers. He can play in coverage, spy and rush the quarterback, set the edge, and tackle in run defense. His 87.0 PFF defensive grade in 2023 was the 12th highest among FBS linebackers, while his run defense, tackling, and coverage grades were 14th, 28th, and 28th, respectively, in the FBS. Gant is currently rostered by the Minnesota Vikings, who signed him as an undrafted free agent.
Round 8: LB Curtis Jacobs, Penn State
Jacobs, out of Linebacker U, started three seasons with the Nittany Lions, totaling 170 tackles, including 24 for a loss and 9.5 sacks in 45 career games. Each season that he started for Penn State yielded All-Big 10 Honorable Mentions. However, as a former blue-chip recruit, many expected him to be even more productive in college.
Jacobs has ideal strength and size at 6-1 241 lbs for an inside linebacker. The former five-star recruit plays with grittiness and physicality. He is currently under contract with the Kansas City Chiefs for training camp but if the NFL doesn’t work out, he has an opportunity to join a D.C. linebacking corps full of young talent with guys like Anthony Hines III and MoMo Sanogo.
Round 9: QB Tanner Mordecai, Wisconsin
In a rather interesting decision, the Defenders went with another quarterback in the ninth round, choosing Mordecai. Mordecai spent his collegiate career at three different schools, beginning at Oklahoma where he appeared in 12 games with zero starts over three seasons. In 2021, he transferred to SMU, where he became an immediate starter. Over the next two seasons, he compiled a 14-10 record with the Mustangs with 7,710 passing yards and 72 touchdowns thrown. He was a Davey O’Brien Award Semifinalist for his 2022 campaign before deciding to leave SMU and transfer again. For his final collegiate season, Mordecai moved to Wisconsin, where he had dealt with growing pains in a new Air Raid system. His performance turned out to be underwhelming compared to the prior two years. He went 204-for-314 passing with 2,066 yards and just nine touchdowns in 10 games, missing two games with a broken hand.
While Mordecai’s accuracy was inconsistent throughout his collegiate career, he has solid mobility and athleticism for his position. At his pro day, he ran an impressive 4.46s 40. On 238 career rushing attempts in college, he ran for 606 yards and eight touchdowns. Mordecai can make plays outside of the pocket, whether it be with his arm or legs but can sometimes be too quick to leave. In a relatively simple offensive system like D.C.’s, Mordecai definitely has potential to succeed. However, he signed with the San Francisco 49ers after going unselected in the 2024 NFL Draft and remains with the organization for training camp.
Round 10: S Omar Brown, Nebraska
Before coming to Nebraska, Brown was with Northern Iowa, where he totaled 140 tackles, 21 passes defended, and eight interceptions over three seasons. In 2019, he was named the FCS Defensive Freshman of the Year and was deemed an All-American by Phil Steele and the Associated Press. More recently, over his final two collegiate seasons, Brown appeared in 23 games with eight starts at Nebraska, where he recorded 56 tackles, four passes defended, two forced fumbles, and an interception. His final season in 2023 saw him an All-Big 10 Honorable Mention.
Brown was utilized primarily as an outside corner at Northern Iowa but was moved around at Nebraska where he mainly aligned uptop in split-field coverage and was rolled down into the slot in one/three-high coverages. He has a good mix of speed and size. His 6-0 201 lbs frame is ideal for him when going against stronger players in the box, while his speed (4.53s 40) helps him in coverage and when chasing down the ball carrier. Brown is under contract with the Baltimore Ravens.
