ST. LOUIS – The United Football League (UFL) held its college draft Wednesday, July 17, and the St. Louis Battlehawks selected ten players, including one star who played for the Missouri Tigers in 2023.
Round 1: Chevan Cordeiro, Quarterback, San Jose State. Cordeiro played in six seasons between four years with Hawaii and two years with San Jose State. In each season since 2020 his quarterback rating and touchdown to interception ratio improved.
Round 2: Cody Schrader, Running back, Missouri. Schrader lead the SEC in rushing yards last season. He took home the 2023 Burlsworth Trophy, an award for the most outstanding player who began as a walk-on. He also was a finalist for the Doak Walker Award. Schrader is currently a member of the San Francisco 49ers but the Battlehawks own his rights if he joins the UFL.
Round 3: Pheldarius Payne, Defensive line, Virginia Tech. Payne played for Nebraska for two seasons before his final year with Virginia Tech where he started two games. He found opponents in the backfield 14 times last season, four of which were sacks. Payne is currently a member of the Houston Texans.
Round 4: Bradley Ashmore, offensive line, Vanderbilt. Ashmore started at right tackle for Vanderbilt for three and a half years. He was a team captain for his senior season.
Round 5: Carl Jones Jr., linebacker, UCLA. Jones Jr started four games last season but appeared in all thirteen for the Bruins. He holds the school-record 57 career games played. Jones Jr. is currently a member of the Chicago Bears.
Round 6: Isaiah Coe, defensive tackle, Oklahoma. Coe spent three seasons with the Sooners tallying three sacks, 15 tackles for a loss, and 55 total tackles. He started more than 50% of the 2023 season and half of the 2022 season.
Round 7: Jelani Baker, wide receiver, Limetone. Baker was the only receiver from Limestone to score double digit touchdowns (14). He also was the only receiver to receive for more than 600 yards, Baker had 1,089. Baker was first team ALL-South Atlantic Conference.
Round 8: Jadon Janke, wide receiver, South Dakota State. Janke lead the Jackrabbits in receiving yards and touchdowns last season. He helped the Jackrabbits on their undefeated way to win their second consecutive NCAA Division I Football Championship over Montana. His twin brother Jaxon also put-up impressive yardage. Both players are members of the Houston Texans. Jaxon was not drafted in the UFL.
Round 9: Myles Sims, corner back, Georgia Tech. Sims appeared in six college seasons. Briefly he was with Michigan in 2018 but then spent five years as an active contributor for the Yellow Jackets. He was a consistent tackler with a career-high 10 tackles in a September win over Wake Forest.
Round 10: Myles Jones, corner back, Duke. Jones spent last season at Duke and multiple previous years with Texas A&M. He was very active throughout the first four years with the Aggies with many tackles each season and four total interceptions. Last season he only played in four games but tallied an interception in two of them. Jones is currently a member of the New York Jets.
Last month, the UFL announced eight players reached deals with NFL teams. UFL teams retain the rights to players from their end of season roster if they return to the UFL. On social media, excitement burst with the news of Schrader potentially coming to the Battlehawks.