193 Orlando showcase participants, and the 6 players UFL teams should watch for draft night

Showcase players can be claimed by any team 10 business days after their showcase, and a claiming order settles it if more than one team wants the same player. Earlier this fall, teams signed showcase participants before the draft, including players from the 2026 NFL Draft class who never signed with an NFL team. Orlando was Nov. 8, and the draft is Nov. 18, so it isn't clear whether those participants can be signed the same way before draft night. The league lists the whole 2026 class as draft-eligible, so waiting means someone else could take them on Nov. 18.

Here are six players from Sunday's UFL Showcase in Orlando worth watching. We found no NFL contract for any of them. If a pre-draft signing is possible, they're worth grabbing now. If not, they're names to target on Nov. 18. Each one is paired with the team he fits best. The fits are our analysis, not reported interest. Other Orlando participants with recent NFL roster time are in the draft pool instead.

RB Curtis Allen, Virginia Union: Orlando

Allen won the 2025 Harlon Hill Trophy, the first HBCU player to do it, after running for 2,386 yards and 30 touchdowns. He also won the Deacon Jones Trophy. He tried out at Seattle and Atlanta rookie minicamps, and we found no NFL signing.

Orlando ranked sixth in rushing, and leading rusher Jashaun Corbin is on the Cowboys' practice squad. Anthony Becht needs a back, and Allen is the most productive back in this group.

DB Justin Payoute, Ferris State: Colorado

Payoute won the Cliff Harris Award as Division II's top defensive player. A consensus All-American, he led every college division with nine interceptions for the national champions.

Rick Neuheisel's Stampede inherited the old Dallas roster and has already signed six showcase players from earlier events. A ball hawk like Payoute would fit that pattern if a pre-draft claim is available, or he'd be an early-pick target on Nov. 18 if it isn't.

CB Jalen Jones, William & Mary: DC

Jones was a first-team AFCA FCS All-American in 2024 and a three-time first-team All-CAA pick, with 51 career passes defended. After a Commanders minicamp invite, he spent part of the summer with the CFL's Ottawa Redblacks, who released him in August.

DC's secondary leans on veterans Deandre Baker and Gareon Conley. The league's preview says the Defenders want a younger, ball-hawking defensive back, which is Jones's game.

LB Martavius French, Colorado: Louisville

French was second-team All-AAC at UTSA in 2024, leading the team with 80 tackles and 17 tackles for loss, before finishing at Colorado.

The champion Kings ranked sixth against the run, and Cam Gill's return is uncertain. Chris Redman's front needs a linebacker who makes plays behind the line.

Hometown bonus: French finished his college career at Colorado, so the in-state Stampede, who play at Weidner Field in Colorado Springs, would be a local tie of their own.

WR Geoffrey Jamiel, Lehigh: Rhode Island

Jamiel led the Patriot League with 73 catches and 1,067 yards in 2025. He was first-team All-Patriot League and a third-team FCS All-American, and he also returned punts.

AJ McCarron has said his early picks are for the lines and that he kept most of his receivers. A slot receiver and returner is a sensible add for a team that kept its receiver room, whether that's before the draft if a signing is available or with a later pick if it isn't.

Hometown bonus: Jamiel grew up in West Yarmouth, Mass., on Cape Cod. Signing with the Breakers would bring him home to New England at Pawtucket's Centreville Bank Stadium.

S JoJo Evans Jr., Louisville: St. Louis

Evans was first-team All-Conference USA at FIU in 2024 with 93 tackles. He then played 2025 at Louisville after earlier stops at Marshall and Kent State.

St. Louis lost safety Trey Dean III to Green Bay. Ricky Proehl could use a tackling safety with four schools' worth of experience.

Hometown bonus: Evans played his final college season at Louisville, home of the champion Kings, so a stay in town would be a natural local tie too.

See all six, and the rest of the draft pool, on the UFL Blitz scouting board.

For each of the six, a pre-draft signing would cost only a camp spot if that route is open for Orlando participants. If it isn't, Nov. 18 is the first clear chance to land them, and waiting could mean the player is already gone.

Every Orlando showcase participant

This list comes from the Nov. 8 showcase participant sheet; participation was subject to change. Positions and schools are as the sheet lists them, unless we verified a player's last school.