D.C. Defenders Select 10 NFL Rookie UDFAs in 2024 UFL College Draft
The D.C. Defenders, under General Manager Von Hutchins, are taking the lottery ticket strategy, acquiring rights to players who may never step onto a UFL Field. Hutchins used all 10 college draft selections on undrafted players signed onto teams after the 2024 NFL Draft.
The kicker is that the Defenders already got a jump on signing undrafted NFL players during the 2024 UFL season. The Defenders have signed four rookies from the 2024 NFL Draft Class. Among them were Cal wide receiver Monroe Young, Stonehill center David Satkowski, North Carolina offensive lineman William Barnes and quarterback Mike DiLiello. Each player spent time in an NFL team rookie minicamp before signing on with D.C.
With its 10 draft picks, D.C. doubled up at quarterback, offensive tackle, defensive line and linebacker. The question is, will any of these players don a Defenders uniform in 2025?
D.C. DEFENDERS 2024 COLLEGE DRAFT CLASS
Round 1: Maryland T Gottlieb Ayedze
Round 2: BYU QB Kedon Slovis
Round 3: Miami (FL) DT Leonard Taylor III
Round 4: South Dakota State T Garret Greenfield
Round 5: Michigan DE Braiden McGregor
Round 6: Arizona RB Michael Wiley
Round 7: Toledo LB Dallas Gant
Round 8: Penn State LB Curtis Jacobs
Round 9: Wisconsin QB Tanner Mordecai
Round 10: Nebraska S Omar Brown
T, Gottlieb Ayedze, Maryland
- Currently signed with the Philadelphia Eagles
- Played in 11 games for the Terps at right tackle, starting the final 10 games of the season
- Blocked for the fourth-ranked overall offense in the Big Ten (387.3 ypg) and the top-ranked passing offense (278.9 passing ypg)
- Was the sixth-highest-rated pass-blocking tackle in the Big Ten (over 500 snaps) with a 76.5 grade via Pro Football Focus
- Participated in the 2024 East-West Shrine Bowl
- Transferred to Maryland after spending 2019-22 at Frostburg State, where he was selected to the All-MEC First Team three times
QB, Kedon Slovis, BYU
- Currently signed with the Indianapolis Colts
- Spent one season at BYU, throwing for 1,716 yards, 12 touchdowns and six interceptions in eight games
- Spent time at USC and Pitt before transferring to BYU
DT, Leonard Taylor III, Miami
- Currently signed with the New York Jets
- Totaled 65 tackles (26 solo), one pass defended, six sacks and one interception in three seasons at Miami
- Had his best statistical season during the 2022 season, tallying 24 total tackles, three sacks and an interception, scoring an 87.3 defensive grade and an 85.5 pressure grade, according to Pro Football Focus
T, Garet Greenfield, South Dakota State
- Currently signed with the Seattle Seahawks
- Helped the SDSU capture an FCS Championship while earning his third All-American honor and received an invite to play in the East/West Shrine game in 2023.
- Broke out during the 2020-21 season by earning All-American honors as a right tackle for the Jackrabbits
DE, Braiden McGregor, Michigan
- Currently signed with the New York Jets
- Honorable mention all-Big Ten selection in 2023 after starting all 15 games for the national champion Michigan Wolverines, recording 26 tackles and 4.5 sacks
- Was a part-time starter in his first two years at Michigan
RB, Michael Wiley, Arizona
- Currently signed with the Washington Commanders
- Played five seasons at Arizona, running for 1,712 yards and 16 touchdowns and averaging 5.1 yards per attempt.
- Appeared in 10 games in 2023 for the Wildcats, rushing 70 times for 311 yards and three touchdowns, also making 28 receptions for 306 yards and five touchdowns
LB, Dallas Gant, Toledo
- Currently signed with the Minnesota Vikings
- Finished his college career with 286 total tackles, 17 tackles for losses, five forced fumbles, eight passes defended, one interception and two and a half sacks at Toledo and Ohio State
- First-Team All-MAC member in 2022
- Career totals of 233 tackles, 14.5 tackles-for-loss, one sack, one interception, eight passes defensed and three forced fumbles at Toledo. The Rockets also made the Mid-American Conference title game in both years he anchored the defense, taking the crown in 2022.
- Established himself as a key reserve linebacker and core special teams player in four years at Ohio State, with 54 career tackles and 3.5 tackles-for-loss.
LB, Curtis Jacobs, Penn State
- Currently signed with Kansas City Chiefs
- Played 13 games in 2023, tallying 49 tackles and 2.5 sacks
QB, Tanner Mordecai, Wisconsin
- Currently signed with the San Francisco 49ers
- Completed 65% of his passes for nine touchdowns and four interceptions in 2023
- Spent his first three years of college at Oklahoma but threw only 70 passes
- Spent two seasons as a starter at SMU, attempting 897 passes and completing 66.4% and throwing 72 touchdown passes to 22 interceptions
S, Omar Brown, Nebraska
- Currently signed with the Denver Broncos
- Played in all 12 games with eight starts in his final season, tied for second on the team with 51 tackles while adding three tackles for loss, three pass breakups, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and one interception
- Honorable-mention All-Big Ten selection and a key member of a “Blackshirt” unit that posted Nebraska's best rushing defense (92.9 yards per game), total defense (303.5 yards per game) and scoring defense (18.3 points per game) since the Huskers joined the Big Ten in 2011, ranking in the top 20 nationally in each of those three categories
- First spent three seasons at Northern Iowa, where he was the FCS 2019 Freshman Defensive Player of the Year and a Third-Team FCS AL-American selection
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MIKE MITCHELL