The 2026 UFL Draft took place at UFL HQ in Arlington, Texas on Jan. 13 and 14, roughly two and a half months before the regular season is set to kick off on Friday, March 27.
Head coaches made selections by position group, not individuals, starting with the UFL Players Draft (returning players) on Tuesday and the Free Agents Draft (players not under contract in another league) on Wednesday.
The draft was broken into six positional groups: offensive linemen, running backs/tight ends, wide receivers, defensive front seven (linebackers, defensive ends, defensive tackles), defensive backs, specialists and an “open” group that allows a team to select any player regardless of position to backfill the roster.
The UFL Players Draft (Day One) included all players who finished the 2025 UFL season on an active roster or on IR. The UFL Free Agents Draft (Day Two) included both 2026 and 2025 NFL draft-eligible players and 2025 NFL training camp players, as well as 2025 UFL Showcase attendees, players who signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) and did not finish the 2025 season on a UFL roster and other free agents.
[MORE: 2026 UFL Regional College Allocation: Every Player Selected by All 8 Teams]
Teams could select 60 to 62 players in the draft. The training camp roster limit is 64 players.
Here are some notable takeaways from the draft.
A virtual lottery randomly determined the order for the draft, and the Stallions had the No. 1 pick. Defensive tackle Amani Bledsoe was taken first overall of the one hundred forty players who were selected on the first day.
First-year Stallions head coach AJ McCarron, a former quarterback for the St. Louis Battlehawks (2023–24), snagged one of his former teammates in All-UFL offensive lineman Steven Gonzalez to set the tone. Another notable selection was standout wide receiver Daewood Davis, who caught five touchdowns in 2024 with the Memphis Showboats.
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Columbus Aviators zero in on offense
First-year Aviators head coach Ted Ginn Jr. also got a stud wideout, selecting Keke Chism in the first round. Chism shined for the Houston Roughnecks last season, hauling in four touchdowns to put him at seven total in his spring football career. The Aviators notably brought in another former Roughnecks star to bolster the backfield, selecting running back ZaQuandre White, who scored four touchdowns last year.
Dallas Renegades go big
First-year Renegades head coach Rick Neuheisel came out swinging with his opening pick, taking offensive tackle Chukwuma “Chim” Okorafor, formerly of the Michigan Panthers. Okorafor will be a key factor in protecting the Renegades’ star quarterback, Luis Perez, along with Austin Reed, under center.
[MORE: 2026 UFL Quarterback Draft: Every QB Selected by All 8 Teams]
DC Defenders make moves to run it back
Returning head coach Shannon Harris and the defending UFL champions — who were already off to a stellar start after retaining their entire quarterback room, including 2025 Championship MVP Jordan Ta’amu — bolstered their defense by adding playmakers in safety Kai Nacua (All-UFL) and defensive back Leon O’Neal (All-UFL).
Houston Gamblers’ pick hit close to home
Legendary Houston and Texas A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin had a personal tie to one of the Gamblers’ picks in standout defensive lineman Kyon Barrs, whom he originally recruited to play college football at Arizona in 2019; Sumlin was the head coach of the Wildcats from 2018-2020.
The Roughnecks were rebranded back to the Gamblers for the 2026 season, reverting to their original name.
Louisville Kings load up on weapons
First-year Kings head coach Chris Redman fueled up on the offensive front, adding veteran wideout Isaiah Winstead to the receiving corps and Kalen Ballage, who has also spent time in the NFL, to the backfield.
Orlando Storm make a statement
Head coach Anthony Becht, who spent the past few seasons at the helm in St. Louis, drafted several players from his 2025 Battlehawks roster (offensive tackle Teton Saltes, defensive end Isaiah Mack, safety Nate Meadors, cornerback Micah Abraham and wide receviers Jerome Kapp and Sam Wiglusz). Teams could include a maximum of twelve players from their 2025 rosters on a reserve list, and any player included on that list wasn’t exposed to the draft.
The most notable addition, hands down, was star receiver Chris Rowland, who caught three touchdowns in each of the past two seasons and won a championship with the Defenders last year.
First-year Battlehawks head coach Ricky Proehl focused heavily on the defensive front during his inaugural draft, selecting lineman Carlos Davis (All-UFL) and linebacker Jordan Williams (All-XFL) to headline his star-studded crew.
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