The Memphis Showboats, under former New Orleans Breakers HC John DeFillipo and new GM Dennis Polian, continued adding to their roster ahead of training camp with Monday’s Super-Dispersal Draft, selecting 14 players in total.
With the draft, the Showboats now have 76 players on their roster. They have until Feb. 14 to get their rosters set for training camp, meaning they’ll have to release one player to comply with the 75-man training camp roster limit.
The following is a player-by-player breakdown of each of the Showboats’ selections from Monday’s draft:
OC Jared Thomas
The Showboats selected Jared Thomas with their first-round pick to help enhance their interior offensive line for the upcoming season. Thomas joins Memphis from the Seattle Sea Dragons, where he allowed zero quarterback hits as a starter in ten games last season. Before that, he was the starting center for the Breakers in 2022.
Thomas spent his collegiate career at Northwestern from 2016 to 2019. He became a full-time starter during his junior season and allowed just one sack over 26 games to close out his career with the Wildcats.
Thomas certainly has the talent and size (6-4 320 lbs) to be a starter with the Showboats this upcoming season. His main competition during training camp will be Jordan McCray, last year’s starting center for Memphis.
P Matthew White
The Showboats selected Matthew White with their second-round pick. White represents one of the 17 former Breakers players selected by former HC John DeFillipo during the player allocation process. White spent the past two years with New Orleans as the team’s starting punter.
White will go against Brandon Wright – a returner for the Showboats – in the punter competition during training camp.
S Christian McFarland
The Showboats chose Christian McFarland with their third-round pick in Monday’s draft. McFarland was the leading tackler for the Birmingham Stallions last season – recording 53 tackles in all 10 games. His production on the Stallions’ championship-level defensive unit was similarly high during the 2022 season, which saw him amass 43 tackles.
McFarland, a former JUCO standout, excels as a reliable open-field tackler and is adept at changing directions quickly. He ran a 4.48 40-yard dash at a HUB Football Camp in 2021. Like the two players drafted in front of him, he has a good chance to make an immediate impact as a starter with the Showboats this upcoming season.
OLB Max Roberts
Max Roberts was utilized primarily as an edge rusher with the Vegas Vipers last season and can be used in that same role for the Showboats. He recorded 26 tackles, including five for a loss and four sacks in 10 appearances last year.
Roberts landed with the Los Angeles Rams in 2021 as an undrafted free agent out of Boston College, where he spent one season to close out his collegiate career after transferring from the University of Maine. He had spent three seasons at Fordham before that.
WR Lee Morris
Lee Morris represents another former Breakers player selected by the Showboats during Monday’s draft. Morris logged 23 receptions for 339 yards and three touchdowns last season with the Breakers. He joins a stacked receiving corps featuring the likes of Derrick Dillon and Jonathan Adams – one of Morris’ teammates from last year.
Morris was initially a walk-on at Oklahoma but ended his career as a key contributor to the Sooners’ offense – totaling 41 catches for 848 yards and 11 touchdowns in 54 career games (eight starts). He is a terrific route runner who can line up either in the slot or as an outside receiver. This added versatility could help give him an edge over some of his competition during training camp.
OT Salesi Uhatafe
Saleshi Uhtafe has been part of numerous professional football leagues since the beginning of his football career. As an undrafted free agent out of the University of Utah, he signed with the Atlanta Falcons in 2018 – where he spent training camp that year. After getting released, he had stints with the Salt Lake City Stallions (AAF), Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Dallas Renegades (XFL 2020), and most recently, the Breakers. He appeared in five games as a newcomer in 2023 with New Orleans – making two starts.
Uhatafe adds depth to the Showboats’ offensive line as a tackle, helping to address the struggles the line faced in protecting the quarterback and creating holes for an effective rushing attack last season.
CB Will Likely
Will Likely is another guy with a good chance of becoming a starter with the Showboats – and can contribute on both defense and special teams. Likely had 29 tackles and two fumble recoveries in eight starts with the Houston Roughnecks (XFL) last season. His impact on the Houston Gamblers in 2022 was even greater as he earned 2022 All-USFL cornerback honors.
Out of Maryland, Likely signed with the New England Patriots after going undrafted in 2017 and has also spent time with the Toronto Argonauts (CFL), Hamilton Tiger-Cats (CFL), D.C. Defenders (XFL 2020), and Jousters (TSL). He broke multiple program records as a kick returner with the Terrapins, including the single-game kickoff return yardage record (228 yards) and single-game punt return yardage record (233 yards). He earned First-Team All-Big 10 honors as both a defensive back and return specialist in 2015.
WR Damion Willis
Damion Willis joins the Showboats from the Sea Dragons, where he appeared in all 10 games last season. Willis began his collegiate career at East Mississippi Community College before transferring to Troy University for his final two seasons. He earned First-Team All-SBC honors for his senior-year performance, which saw him catch 56 passes for 876 yards and a conference-best 10 touchdowns. The speedster ran a 4.48 40-yard dash at Troy’s pro day.
Willis signed with the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent in 2019. He showed some flashes during his rookie season – racking up nine receptions for 82 yards in nine games (two starts). But he has not seen action in an NFL regular-season contest since.
LS Turner Bernard
As some other teams did, the Showboats used one of their late-round picks to draft a long snapper. Turner Bernard was with the Breakers during the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
CB Tye Smith
Tye Smith signed with the Orlando Guardians midway through the 2023 season and worked his way into a starting role by the end of the season. Smith, a fifth-round draft pick in 2015, has been with four different NFL teams throughout his professional football career. His most productive stint came with the Tennessee Titans from 2017 to 2020, which saw him record 45 tackles, one pass defended, and one interception in 23 games.
Smith, the 30-year-old football veteran, can become a rotational piece in a crowded Showboats’ secondary this upcoming season.
K Matt Coghlin
Matt Coughlin was with the Breakers in 2023 – drilling 18 of 19 field goals and going 25 for 25 on extra-point attempts. Coghlin will go against Alex Kesselman – a returner for the Showboats – in the kicker competition during training camp.
CB Antoine Brooks
Antoine Brooks was the third-leading tackler for the Sea Dragons – with 44 tackles last season. Brooks earned Second-Team All-Big 10 honors two years in a row to close out his collegiate career at Maryland. He was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the sixth round of the 2020 NFL Draft and stuck around on their practice squad for his rookie season before being waived the following year.
Brooks is another talented addition to the Showboats’ secondary who can compete for a starting job during training camp.
CB Michael Stevens
Michael Stevens has recorded 42 tackles and one interception over two seasons with the Breakers. Before the USFL, Stevens was with the Los Angeles Wildcats of the XFL 2020 – where he logged 16 tackles, two interceptions, and two passes defended as a starter in all five games. He was a two-year starter at North Carolina State but never signed with an NFL team out of college, although he did get a shot at the Carolina Panthers rookie minicamp.
DT Willie Henry
The Showboats wrapped up Monday’s draft by selecting Willie Henry with their fourteenth-round pick. Henry has a starting pedigree from his time with the Stallions over the past two seasons. He was a three-year starter at Michigan and opted out of his fifth-year season to enter the 2016 NFL Draft – where he was selected in the fourth round by the Baltimore Ravens.
Through two years with the Ravens after missing his rookie season due to an injury, Henry recorded 36 tackles and 4.5 sacks. Unfortunately, he couldn’t stick around in Baltimore any longer. After getting waived, He bounced around a handful of NFL practice squads before landing in the USFL in 2022. He’s a run-stopper who takes up a lot of space on the defensive line at 6-3 295 lbs.
