Why Tajae Sharpe makes sense for AJ McCarron's Rhode Island Breakers

AJ McCarron has said where his early picks are going. That makes a veteran receiver who costs little or nothing in draft capital the most interesting kind for Rhode Island.

On The Coach JB Show with Big Smitty on November 3, the Breakers' head coach put the offensive and defensive lines, not quarterback, at the top of his draft. He also said he kept most of his receivers and has to rebuild the roster to 64.

Tajae Sharpe could complement that plan nicely. He took part in the UFL Showcase in Orlando on November 8.

The résumé

A 2016 fifth-round pick of Tennessee, Sharpe played for the Titans, Vikings and Falcons. He totaled 117 catches, 1,397 yards and eight touchdowns in 66 games, with 36 starts, and started the 2019 AFC Championship Game. At UMass, he was a 2015 Walter Camp second-team All-American and Harry Agganis Award winner, led the FBS with 111 catches, and made first-team All-MAC twice.

He also knows McCarron. After Atlanta signed McCarron in April 2021 and Sharpe that May, the two spent months together in camp and the preseason. That lasted until McCarron tore his ACL in an August preseason game at Miami.

The cost

As a 2016 entrant without recent NFL roster time, his place in the published draft pool is unclear, though the league says showcases can earn consideration for the pool. The pre-draft showcase signings are for players who never signed with an NFL team. If Sharpe goes undrafted on Nov. 18, teams can sign him outright as a free agent. Either way, he is not the kind of player a team should spend an early pick on.

The case

Rhode Island already has the model. Jaydon Mickens entered pro football in the same 2016 class and came to the UFL as a late-career veteran. He caught 9 passes for 150 yards and a touchdown in DC's 2025 title run. Then he led Birmingham with 44 catches for 587 yards in 2026. That is no promise for Sharpe, but it shows the path exists.

Sharpe would be competition, not a rescue, for a receiver room McCarron likes. There is a regional pull too: a former UMass record-holder and New England award winner on a first-year Pawtucket team. Whether that fills seats is anyone's guess, but it gives a new team a familiar name.

The risk is rust. His last NFL regular-season action came in 2021, and 2022 ended in injury settlements. We found no announced UFL signing.

If camp shows he still has it, Rhode Island adds a proven pro. If not, it loses a roster spot for a few weeks and keeps its early picks for the trenches.