Last winter, two players who were eligible for the 2023 NFL Draft attended XFL training camps: QB Harrison Frost with the Seattle Sea Dragons, and LB Willie Taylor with the Arlington Renegades. Both made their respective teams, and in the case of Taylor, became a key contributor during the regular and post-season. While neither was drafted by an NFL team, Taylor signed as a rookie free agent with the Jacksonville Jaguars after the draft, and Frost had the opportunity to attend rookie minicamp with the New Orleans Saints. Taylor has returned to the Renegades for 2024.
This year, the UFL again has two players in camp that are eligible for the upcoming NFL Draft next month. LB DeGabriel Floyd signed with the Michigan Panthers on February 26, and S Jamari Brown inked a deal with the Houston Roughnecks earlier this month. The pair survived first cuts on their respective teams.
Floyd’s route to the pro game has been filled with twists and turns. A consensus top-10 linebacker in the nation coming out of high school, Floyd committed to the University of Texas for the 2019 season after also receiving interest from prized programs like Michigan, Georgia, Notre Dame and USC. Once he arrived on campus, medical checks revealed an injury that had plagued him for years, and he was unable to participate in fall camp. That December, he announced his retirement from football due to a diagnosis of spinal stenosis.
Floyd resurfaced two-and-a-half years later, ready to resume his on-field career, this time at Alabama A&M. Listed as a safety instead of a linebacker despite putting on five pounds since his Texas days, Floyd finally made his collegiate debut, making 16 tackles in nine games for the Bulldogs in 2022.
A native of Los Angeles, Floyd found his way to East Los Angeles College for the 2023 season. There, Floyd played in all three phases. He ran the ball 23 times for 132 yards (5.7 yards per carry) and scored nine touchdowns. He caught 16 passes for 190 yards (11.9 yards per reception) and another four TDs. He averaged 20.1 yards per kick return on 11 returns, and 23.2 yards per return on 11 punt returns, taking three to the house. Defensively, he made 37 tackles, intercepted a pass, and broke up four others.
Floyd got down to 235 pounds at his final college stop and was listed as a DB/LB. He’s listed among the linebacker group with Michigan, one of seven remaining on the roster. Whether he makes the team or not, he’s already made history as the first ELAC player to jump from college to the pros, and just the second to do so in California JUCO history.
Brown comes to the Roughnecks from Gardner-Webb, an FCS school, where he spent all five years. Experience at both corner and safety could help Brown secure a spot in Houston’s defensive backfield. Currently listed as a safety, he’s one of five on the team as of March 12.
Playing in 46 games at G-W, Brown intercepted eight passes, returning two for touchdowns. He made 197 tackles over the course of his career, recovering two fumbles and knocking down 19 passes. As a senior, Brown was Second Team All-Conference, following a First Team All-Conference selection in 2022.
Floyd and Brown are unlikely to be drafted by an NFL team in April. For small school players not wanting their efforts to get lost amid all of the other pre-draft workouts and hoopla, agreeing to play in the UFL and putting together real, pro game tape could be a way to stand out among their fellow draft-eligible brethren. Time will tell if others follow suit in the coming weeks and years.
