Super Draft, Additional Player Acquisitions Ahead for UFL

Unlike the results of last week's dispersal draft, the picks made in the upcoming UFL Super Draft are expected to be made public that day.

The early word from the UFL league office is that they are going to release results of the upcoming "Super Draft" publicly on Monday after the event.

That's a contrast from the unique level of secrecy that was involved in phase one of the dispersal draft.

The UFL consciously went out of its way to handle the dispersal draft in a discreet fashion. Considering how many players from the eight dissolved teams were not going to be drafted in phase one, the league chose not to hype up the players who were drafted last Friday.

Coaches, players, personnel executives, agents and others were asked not to reveal or tip picks during the dispersal draft process.

Phase 2: January 15th ✍️#UFLDraft | #UFL pic.twitter.com/7mlRm56pJJ

— United Football League (@TheUFL) January 8, 2024

Up until this past Monday, there were players who legitimately didn't know that they had been selected until it was announced by the league. Some were looking forward to the next phase in the hopes that they could join a preferred team from another conference before finding out on Saturday that they would remain in their conference with a new team — a day after the draft had already concluded.

UFL teams are currently in that 50-60 player range in total after phase one. Teams will have 75 players for training camp, which starts in late February. The Super Draft, which is not conference-exclusive, now opens up the possibility of switching league sides for players.

There are some players who played in the XFL and USFL in 2023 who purposefully didn't sign contracts or letters of intent to free themselves up to be available for a new team from the other side.

How USFL GMs view and evaluate XFL talent (and the other way around) will make for an intriguing draft process. A year ago, other league scouting helped teams achieve success. XFL and USFL teams benefited from adding players from the other side, especially the Arlington Renegades and Birmingham Stallions.

The entire dispersal draft process is a very unique one. Condensing 16 teams into just eight will obviously strengthen each roster considerably.

But this process is not the end-all-be-all of football talent acquisition for the UFL; the potential successful recruitment of fringe NFL players could bolster UFL rosters even further.

Last year, both USFL and XFL teams signed players who had just finished the NFL season on an NFL practice squad or some who had signed futures contracts, only to be let go.

The Battlehawks led the way w/ 16 players signed for NFL training camps. We had MULTIPLE PLAYERS that passed on a reserve/future contracts and performed at a high level in 2023 w/ us and got better opportunities. Think about your options and make the BEST decision for YOU! I only…

— Anthony Becht (@Anthony_Becht) January 9, 2024

League coaches and personnel people are making the hard sell to NFL players to come to play in their league and get reps. The usual avenues are being utilized through typical football channels, but social media can also be a tool. Last year, veteran WR Hakeem Butler got his chance with the XFL by directly messaging Battlehawks coach Anthony Becht.

The second-year pro football head coach is now trying to strike gold again using that medium. 

Whether it's through the upcoming draft or good old-fashioned recruitment, the next couple of months will provide plenty of player movement to track.

UFL Dispersal Draft Results for Former XFL, USFL Teams

You can find Mike Mitchell on X @ByMikeMitchell.

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