After a successful inaugural season, the UFL is now “looking to the future” and is set to hold its first-ever college draft. For those wondering just how popular the UFL was this year, the league managed to reach 32 million unique viewers, averaging 850,000 total viewers per game. This was a 34% increase over the 2023 XFL/USFL combined season averages.
Not only was the regular season a massive success, but the playoffs provided even better numbers. The UFL Championship Game averaged 1,596,000 viewers on FOX, up 23% over last year’s average of 1,298,000 viewers for the respective XFL and USFL Championship games on ABC and NBC.
With all the momentum needed to continue asserting itself as the official spring league, the UFL will now see a fresh batch of talented players enter its system. The 2024 UFL College Draft will take place on July 17, 2024, and will give a number of players a second chance at being selected to play their sport professionally.
2024 UFL College Rules and Draft Order
The rules for the UFL College Draft are quite simple:
- Players must have been eligible to have been selected in the 2024 NFL Draft but were not selected.
- UFL teams will hold exclusive rights to the players they select in the draft until the player reports to the team or the team gives up that player’s rights.
- All players must have been out of high school for at least three years and exhausted or waived their college eligibility, with some limited exceptions.
- All players who sign a UFL contract, including players who remain under contract from the 2024 season, will have an “NFL Out” until December 31, 2024.
When it comes to the draft order, we need to revisit the UFL Championship Game. The Birmingham Stallions defeated the San Antonio Brahmas to become three-time defending spring football champions.
That being said, the draft order will be as follows:
- Memphis Showboats
- Houston Roughnecks
- Arlington Renegades
- D.C. Defenders
- St. Louis Battlehawks
- Michigan Panthers
- San Antonio Brahmas
- Birmingham Stallions
Can UFL Teams Draft Players on NFL Rosters?
Yes. As long as the player didn’t get selected in the 2024 NFL Draft, he’s eligible to be drafted by a UFL team. Several players who were selected early in the 2024 UFL Draft are currently on NFL rosters.
MORE: How Much Do UFL Players Get Paid? Comparing UFL and NFL Salaries
Why would a UFL team waste a pick on an NFL player? Because these are fringe NFL players who are on the roster bubble, UFL teams are hoping they see a bigger UFL opportunity over the outskirts of the NFL and opt to join their roster in the spring.
Here are some of the current NFL players who were drafted by a UFL team on Wednesday:
- Jason Bean, No. 1 overall to Memphis (Indianapolis Colts)
- John Rhys Plumlee, No. 3 overall to Arlington (Pittsburgh Steelers)
- Blake Watson, No. 9 overall to Memphis (Denver Broncos)
- Kedon Slovis, No. 12 overall to D.C. (Indianapolis Colts)
- Cody Schrader, No. 13 overall to St. Louis (San Francisco 49ers)
- Kalen Deloach, No. 19 overall to Arlington (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
- Emani Bailey, No. 24 overall to Birmingham (Kansas City Chiefs)
- Jalen Coker, No. 25 overall to Memphis (Carolina Panthers)
- Dallin Holker, No. 40 to Birmingham (New Orleans Saints)
- Tanner Mordecai, No. 68 to D.C. (San Francisco 49ers)
UFL College Draft Results
Round 1
- Memphis Showboats: Jason Bean, QB, Kansas
- Houston Roughnecks: Eyabi Okie, DE, Charlotte
- Arlington Renegades: John Rhys Plumlee, QB, UCF
- D.C. Defenders: Gottlieb Ayedze, T, Maryland
- St. Louis Battlehawks: Chevan Cordeiro, QB, San Jose State
- Michigan Panthers: Julian Pearl, T, Illinois
- San Antonio Brahmas: Gabe Hall, DT, Baylor
- Birmingham Stallions: Frank Crum, T, Wyoming
The highlight of the first round was obviously the first overall selection Jason Bean, the QB from Kansas. Pro Football Network’s NFL Draft Analyst Ian Cummings had this to say about Bean as he went through the 2024 NFL Draft process.
“At his size, Bean is a hyper-elite creator who can be a legitimate rushing threat for an offense, as well as evade pressure and create secondary throwing windows at a high level,” Cummings wrote. “He also has good baseline arm talent, and he doesn’t rely purely on his natural talent to a fault.”
Round 2
- Memphis Showboats: Blake Watson, RB, Memphis
- Houston Roughnecks: Tra Fluellen, S, Middle Tennessee
- Arlington Renegades: Griffin McDowell, T, Chattanooga
- D.C. Defenders: Kedon Slovis, QB, BYU
- St. Louis Battlehawks: Cody Schrader, RB, Missouri
- Michigan Panthers: Dwight McGlothern, CB, Arkansas
- San Antonio Brahmas: Gabriel Murphy, EDGE, UCLA
- Birmingham Stallions: Lorenzo Thompson, T, Rhode Island
Again, the first pick of this round was the most impressive, as the Showboats snagged a talented running back in Blake Watson out of Memphis. In his scouting report, Watson was hailed by Cummings for his tackle-breaking ability.
“At 5’9″, 195 pounds, Watson has awe-inspiring contact balance — both absorption ability at initial contact and tackle-breaking ability with his stable center of gravity, recovery feel, and leg churn,” Cummings wrote.
Round 3
- Memphis Showboats: Evan Anderson, NT, FAU
- Houston Roughnecks: Kameron Stutts, G, Auburn
- Arlington Renegades: Kalen Deloach, LB, Florida State
- D.C. Defenders: Leonard Taylor, DT, Miami
- St. Louis Battlehawks: Pheldarius Payne, DE, Virginia Tech
- Michigan Panthers: Isaac Ukwu, DE, Mississippi
- San Antonio Brahmas: Donovan Jennings, T, USF
- Birmingham Stallions: Emani Bailey, RB, TCU
Round 4
- Memphis Showboats: Jalen Coker, WR, Holy Cross
- Houston Roughnecks: Donovan Manuel, LB, FIU
- Arlington Renegades: Popo Aumavae, NT, Oregon
- D.C. Defenders: Garret Greenfield, T, South Dakota State
- St. Louis Battlehawks: Bradley Ashmore, T, Vanderbilt
- Michigan Panthers: Brian Dooley, T, Eastern Michigan
- San Antonio Brahmas: Miles Battle, CB, Utah
- Birmingham Stallions: Isaiah Williams, WR, Illinois
Round 5
- Memphis Showboats: Eric Watts, DE, UConn
- Houston Roughnecks: Hayden Gillum, OL, Kansas State
- Arlington Renegades: Amari Gainer, LB, North Carolina
- D.C. Defenders: Baiden McGregor, DE, Michigan
- St. Louis Battlehawks: Carl Jones Jr., LB, UCLA
- Michigan Panthers: Rockey Lombardi, QB, NIU
- San Antonio Brahmas: Jamree Kromah, DE, JMU
- Birmingham Stallions: Dallin Holker, TE, Colorado State
Round 6
- Memphis Showboats: Andrew Raym, C, Oklahoma
- Houston Roughnecks: Malcolm Epps, TE, Pitt
- Arlington Renegades: Bo Richter, RB, Air Force
- D.C. Defenders: Michael Wiley, RB, Arizona
- St. Louis Battlehawks: Isaiah Coe, DT, Oklahoma
- Michigan Panthers: Dayton Wade, WR, Mississippi
- San Antonio Brahmas: Lideatrick Griffin, WR, Mississippi State
- Birmingham Stallions: Trajan Jeffcoat, DE Arkansas
Round 7
- Memphis Showboats: Yvandy Rigby, LB, Temple
- Houston Roughnecks: Xavier Benson, LB, Oklahoma State
- Arlington Renegades: Taki Taimiani, DT, Oregon
- D.C. Defenders: Dallas Gant, LB, Toledo
- St. Louis Battlehawks: Jelani Baker, WR, Limestone
- Michigan Panthers: Akeem Dent, S, Florida State
- San Antonio Brahmas: Beau Brade, S, Maryland
- Birmingham Stallions: Andrew Coker, T, TCU
Round 8
- Memphis Showboats: Ja’Quan Sheppard, CB, Maryland
- Houston Roughnecks: Rayshad Williams, CB, Texas Tech
- Arlington Renegades: Spencer Rolland, T, North Carolina
- D.C. Defenders: Curtis Jacobs, LB, Penn State
- St. Louis Battlehawks: Jadon Janke, WR, South Dakota State
- Michigan Panthers: Andrew Meyer, C, Utep
- San Antonio Brahmas: Sincere Haynesworth, C, Tulane
- Birmingham Stallions: Ahmarean Brown, WR, South Carolina
Round 9
- Memphis Showboats: McCallan Castles, TE, Tennessee
- Houston Roughnecks: Malik Dunlap, CB, Texas Tech
- Arlington Renegades: Briason Mays, C, Southern Miss
- D.C. Defenders: Tanner Mordecai, QB, Oklahoma
- St. Louis Battlehawks: Myles Sims, CB, Georgia Tech
- Michigan Panthers: J.D. Duplain, OL, Michigan State
- San Antonio Brahmas: D.J. Miller Jr., CB, Kent State
- Birmingham Stallions: Sam Hartman, QB, Notre Dame
Round 10
- Memphis Showboats: Mason Tipton, WR, Yale
- Houston Roughnecks: Geor’Quarius Spivey, TE, Mississippi State
- Arlington Renegades: Drake Stoops, WR, Oklahoma
- D.C. Defenders: Omar Brown, S, Nebraska
- St. Louis Battlehawks: Myles Jones, CB, Duke
- Michigan Panthers: Isaiah Stalbird, S, SDSU
- San Antonio Brahmas: Joshua Cephus, WR, UTSA
- Birmingham Stallions: Ethan Driskell, OT, Marshall