Top 10 UFL Players Who NFL Teams Should Sign in 2026

The UFL championship has been awarded (congratulations to the Louisville Kings!), so let’s give our newly merged spring league some love! Think of this league as the minor leagues of football. Veterans and UDFAs who don’t make NFL rosters or practice squads can gain experience and put plays on tape. Dallas has struck gold here: returner KaVontae Turpin and K Brandon Aubrey were both USFL players before becoming All-Pros with the Cowboys. I see no reason more players can’t follow this path, so we’re going to look at the top 10 UFL players who should be signed by NFL teams in 2026!

Note: This list does not include players who had already signed with NFL teams at the time of writing.

RB/KR Xazavian Valladay, DC Defenders

We’re starting at RB because I didn’t have a QB to recommend this time around. The Defenders had 3 quality backs, but I want with Valladay because of his added value in the return game. On offense, he ran for a solid 4.4 YPC while breaking off a few big runs. He led the league with 552 return yards, and special teams will be his best shot at making a roster. The one thing he lacks is breakaway speed, as he doesn’t possess a second gear. Still, he’s can play on all 4 downs (his pass blocking is good), and that’s important. These guys are fighting for the bottoms of rosters, making the adage “the more you can do” prescient.

WR/KR/PR Chris Rowland, Orlando Storm

Speaking of do-it-all guys, don’t let Rowland’s size fool you. Yes, at 5’8″, he’s strictly a slot receiver. But if you get the ball in his hands, he instantly becomes a major threat. Surprisingly, he breaks out of tackles as well as he avoids them. Rowland brings good acceleration (which really helps in the return game) and change of direction, making him hard to bring down. I don’t know what the guy has to do to get noticed, as he was among the league leaders with 530 receiving yards and had over 1000 all-purpose yards. Rowland isn’t quite 29 yet, so his prime is not over. Someone should see what he can do at the next level.

WR Elijhah Badger, Orlando Storm

Orlando was quite simply spoiled at the receiver position. I listed Badger as a good draftable returner last year, though he appears to be moving away from that part of his game. He’s a plenty good receiver though, with some of the best open-field moves I saw in the UFL this year. Badger took his 36 receptions for 588 yards (2nd in the league) and 5 scores, often breaking big plays when none seemed available. For a methodical offense, the Storm had some chunk gains, and those almost all came from Badger. With just 1 year of pro experience, Badger is a young, moldable talent with considerable upside.

WR Tyler Vaughns, Dallas Renegades

Following a blistering start to the year, Vaughns cooled off considerably. That wasn’t his fault though; Dallas’ QB play had a meltdown, and the team collapsed. Regardless, he finished 5th in the league with 527 receiving yards and first with 7 TDs. The 29-year-old has plenty of size at 6’2″ and the versatility to play both outside and in the slot. His best skill is getting open and presenting a friendly target to his QB. He does so with quick feet and excellent route running. Vaughns could’ve had a monster season if his team kept up with him, and the USC product would be a really good WR3 in the NFL in my opinion.

C Mike Panasiuk, St. Louis Battlehawks

I’m as shocked as you probably are to see a lineman on this list. The NFL can’t even collect enough quality blockers, yet the UFL managed to snag one? That seems to be the case with Panasiuk, who just became an All-UFL team selection for the second consecutive season. He got a brief shot with the Saints last year, but he wasn’t NFL-ready yet. That’s because Panasiuk was a defensive lineman in college and only switched to offense once he joined the Battlehawks. Now that his technique is better, his physical skills can shine. I expect him to excel in his next opportunity should an NFL team come calling this year.

DE Malik Fisher, Houston Gamblers

Though Houston did not excel as a team, Fisher did his absolute best to make the defense look respectable. Third in the UFL with 7.5 sacks, Fisher possesses good size for the DE position (6’4″, 265 lbs). That length and power also helped him defend the run well (39 tackles) and key a defense that greatly outperformed the Gamblers’ offense. Every time I watched a Houston game, Fisher was the player who popped off the screen. Whether he was throwing a blocker like a ragdoll or bending around the edge, he made plays. As an FCS player (Villanova), maybe he just needed more seasoning. He’s got it now!

OLB Cam Gill, Louisville Kings

I’ll always save a spot for the Defensive Player of the Year! Like Malik Fisher, Gill was an FCS player (Wagner), but he actually saw some NFL action in 4 years with the Buccaneers. He never made much of an impact, but that changed in his debut season with the UFL. Gill led the league with 10 sacks while earning 37 tackles. His problem is that he’s a bit undersized as a DE (6’3″, 240 lbs) but too big to be a true LB, making him a classic tweener. Louisville showed that if you deploy him properly though, he can star. His relatively extensive NFL experience may keep teams away, but I think he earned himself another chance.

LB Tae Crowder, Birmingham Stallions

When looking at off-ball linebackers, I like players who can cover in space while also excelling against the run. If you’re deficient in either of those areas, you’re not a 3-down player. Crowder led the league with 80 tackles, but he also earned 2 INTs (most among LBs) while playing solid coverage. Crowder has serious pedigree, having played at Georgia and making 31 NFL starts. He has 2 INTs each in college, the NFL, and the UFL, so his coverage is no fluke. Based on his size (6’3″, 235 lbs), he profiles more as a run-stopper (he had 130 tackles in 2021 with NYG). Still, there should be room for a player like him all across the NFL.

CB DJ Miller Jr, Columbus Aviators

I’m happy to say I got all 8 UFL squads represented on this list! Miller has now played 2 UFL seasons, and he has been great in both of them. In 2025, he picked off 2 passes, and he increased his output to 3 INTs this year. A couple of players had more interceptions, but they either already signed or weren’t as stout in coverage when they weren’t taking the ball away. Miller is unique among the UFL’s ballhawks in that he doesn’t tend to blow coverages or lose badly in 1-on-1s. Solid cover men are in demand in the NFL, so a team should kick Miller’s tires, most likely in the slot due to his height (5’10”).

K Matt McCrane, DC Defenders

As always, we finish with a special teams player because those are the guys from the UFL who tend to stick on NFL rosters. Tanner Brown of Louisville was my initial pick here, but he signed with New Orleans already. McCrane didn’t have quite the same accuracy that Brown demonstrated, but he showed off the biggest leg. He converted the UFL’s first ever 60-yard FG, and he finished with 4 makes from that distance or longer. McCrane needs to be more consistent in the 40-49 range, as that would make him an excellent kicker. With his leg strength though, several teams might be intrigued by his potential.