How the UFL's top teams from 2026 can ace the draft

What happens when last year's best teams have to pick at the bottom of the board? Orlando, DC and Louisville earned their spots at the top in 2026. Heading into the November 18 UFL Draft, the draft order makes them pay for it, by design, with the goal of a more even league.

The league's official draft order is 15 rounds, set by the reverse of the 2026 standings, not a snake. In both of the first two published rounds, Orlando picks sixth, DC seventh and Louisville last. Columbus stays first, Colorado, Dallas and Rhode Island rotate the second, third and fourth spots after finishing in a three-way tie, and St. Louis stays fifth. That pins last year's strongest clubs at or near the bottom of every published round. It's a slight disadvantage, and the best fits at their need positions may already be gone by the time they're on the clock.

But the way to ace the draft doesn't change. Fill your clear needs! The UFL Blitz draft board's team ratings show exactly where those openings are.

Orlando: how the Storm ace the draft

Fix the running game first, then add front-seven depth.

Anthony Becht's Storm have the clearest first need on the board, even from the sixth slot. The board rates their running backs D, their quarterbacks A-, tied with DC for the board's top QB letter, and their receivers B+, the best in the league. Orlando led the UFL in passing at 208.4 yards per game but ranked sixth in rushing at 89.5. Storm halfbacks managed 685 yards on 212 carries, a league-low 3.23 yards per attempt, and Jashaun Corbin, who ranked third in the UFL with 438 rushing yards, has since landed on an NFL practice squad. A reliable runner is the easiest way to make 2026 MVP Jack Plummer's job easier.

The secondary target is defensive-front depth. The board's B for the defensive tackles leads the league, but Orlando finished tied for last with 17 sacks. The league's November 5 Orlando preview already flags the loss of Keshawn Banks, and rightly so. After the season, Banks signed with the Atlanta Falcons, then landed on the Minnesota Vikings practice squad. He had led the Storm's front with five sacks and finished second in the league with 11 tackles for loss, so adding more front-seven options is the right call.

DC: how the Defenders ace the draft

Reinforce the interior line on both sides of the ball: guards on offense and defensive tackles on defense.

The board rates DC's interior offensive line C and its defensive tackles C-, the lowest DT letter among the eight clubs. That's the top target. The Defenders allowed 28 sacks in the regular season, most in the UFL, so a guard who keeps the quarterbacks clean is the clearest way to protect that room.

And that quarterback room is a real strength. Jordan Ta'amu, the 2025 Championship Game MVP and a 2026 MVP finalist, threw for 1,515 yards and 14 touchdowns on 61.6% completions before a midseason injury. The league's November 4 DC preview expects him back, and Jason Bean and Spencer Sanders are next in line. And E.J. Perry, a quarterback who could probably start for some of the league's eight teams, finished last season as DC's QB4. The board rates Shannon Harris's group A-, tied with Orlando for the top QB letter in the league.

Picking seventh in both published rounds means the best guards may already be off the board, so the job is finding value and depth in the trenches. On the other side, new defensive tackles would keep a productive front from wearing thin. DC finished with 27 sacks, second in the league, and allowed 97.8 rushing yards per game (third) at 4.14 yards per carry.

Louisville: how the Kings ace the draft

Restock the defensive line first, then focus on safety.

Jamie Sharper's first season as defensive coordinator already delivered. His unit led the UFL with 17 takeaways, including 13 interceptions, and in the United Bowl it held DC to four second-half points. That's real success, and the Kings just gave him more to work with. Louisville sent quarterback Emory Jones to Dallas for All-UFL cornerback Kary Vincent Jr., a playmaker who led the league with 10 pass breakups and added two interceptions, including a pick-six, in 2026.

Now load up at a couple of spots in the draft. The league's October 30 Louisville preview puts replenishing the defensive front first, and that should be the top target. Louisville allowed 115.3 rushing yards per game, sixth in the league, and finished with 23 sacks. Cam Gill's NFL opportunity adds uncertainty up front. Gill, the 2026 Defensive Player of the Year, set the UFL sack record with 10 and led the league in tackles for loss. That's a lot to replace if he doesn't come back. Picking last in both published rounds makes value even more important, so when a defensive lineman is still sitting there, take it.

Then turn to safety. The board rates the safeties C-, and the same league preview credits the turnovers while still calling for more consistency. After that trade, and with help on the front and at safety, Sharper's defense could become the best in the league.

Fill the real holes, even when the draft has you picking last.