UFL Players Who Might be Good Fits for New York Giants

Will the New York Giants look to add players from the UFL after the season?

Quarterback Adrian Martinez could be a player to watch from the UFL for the Giants. / Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

The XFL and USFL merged in December 2023 to form the UFL, a consolidated spring league whose goal is to serve as a developmental league for the NFL.

So it should be no surprise that scouts from the New York Giants and the other 31 NFL teams are regular attendees at these games, looking for potential talent akin to late-round draft picks.

Looking at the UFL rosters, six players jump out as potentially interested candidates for the Giants’ attention once the UFL season ends later this month.

QB Adrian Martinez

I won’t quit on Adrian Martinez, and you can’t make me. Martinez was a multi-year starting quarterback for the Nebraska Huskers and Kansas State Wildcats before going undrafted in 2023 and signing with the Detroit Lions. 

Quarterback Adrian Martinez / Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

As the Birmingham Stallions' starting quarterback this season, Martinez led the entire UFL in rushing yards while also having the third-most passing yards in the league. Martinez's dual-threat ability has always been his calling card, and he played this season in the UFL with more confidence than he showed throughout his college career.

Martinez was named to the All-UFL First Team this season and will lead the 9-1 top-seeded Stallions into the playoffs this weekend. After just turning 24 years old, NFL teams should call Martinez after the season to see if he can make an NFL roster.

TE Jace Sternberger

Jace Sternberger is an interesting case because he was in the NFL from 2019 until 2022 and even had a preseason stint with the Buffalo Bills in 2023.

Jace Sternberger / Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

Sternberger was the leading receiver for the Birmingham Stallions with Adrian Martinez this year after leading the USFL in receiving touchdowns in 2023.

The Giants might be looking to replace Darren Waller if he retires. Sternberger is a move tight end who will be 28 years old at the start of the season and has NFL experience. 

RB John Lovett

Another player who had a brief stint in the NFL during the preseason is running back John Lovett of the San Antonio Brahmas. Lovett played his college career at Baylor and then Penn State before spending the preseason with the Panthers and Steelers.

Running back John Lovett (37) runs the ball during the second half against the Buffalo Bills at Bank of America Stadium. / Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

Running back isn’t a major need for the Giants, but Lovett’s skillset is one only Devin Singletary has on the roster right now. Lovett's inside rushing ability allows the Giants to pick up tough yardage. Lovett also brings pass-blocking ability that no other back on the roster has.

Edge Breeland Speaks

Few edge rushers in the UFL have found success like Breeland Speaks for the Michigan Panthers. Speaks was a second-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft but never panned out after a .

Linebacker Breeland Speaks / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Over the past two seasons for Michigan, Speaks has picked up 74 pressures total, with . Speaks’ size and skill set allow him to move around the defensive front from a 3-tech out to the wide-9 - making him a fit for defensive coordinator Shane Bowen’s scheme.

LB Mike Rose

Dating back to his college days at Iowa State, Mike Rose has been playing in zone-heavy defenses that require him to work in coverage underneath consistently. 

Jul 27, 2022; St. Joseph, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Justin Watson (84) runs the ball as linebacker Mike Rose (48) defends during training camp at Missouri Western State University. / Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Rose went undrafted in the 2022 NFL Draft before signing with the Kansas City Chiefs and just turned 24.

At 6-4 and 245 pounds, Rose has the size to play any of the linebacker spots for Bowen’s system.

DB D.J. Daniel

Former Georgia Bulldogs cornerback D.J. Daniel can play as an outside cornerback for a Giants team that could use some help there. The Giants are in a spot where they’ve got a plethora of slot cornerbacks that they try to force outside.

Nov 5, 2022; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles tight end DJ Daniels (30) celebrates after a touchdown by running back CJ Campbell (not pictured) during the fourth quarter against the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium. M / Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

Daniel could come in and compete for a spot as a depth cornerback immediately and has experience playing coverages similar to what Bowen called at Tennessee with quarters coverage.

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