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Wednesday, June 2, 2010 – The United Football League teams preparing for the 2010 season each added 12 players to their respective rosters through the 2010 Player Draft on Wednesday, June 2.
With the first selection of the 2010 UFL Draft, head coach of the expansion Omaha Nighthawks head coach Jeff Jagodzinski selected defensive end Dewayne White, a former second round NFL Draft pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers out of Louisville. The Nighthawks then added a second defensive end in ten-year NFL veteran Chike Okeafor with the first pick of the second round.
“I am really excited about the guys that we’ve picked and feel that we are putting together a good team of youth and experience,” said coach Jagodzinski. “These are guys that can make a difference and rush the passer in the case of Dewayne and Chike.”
In the third round, the Nighthawks selected a former first round NFL Draft pick in offensive tackle Shawn Andrews, who was taken 16th overall in 2004 by the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Nighthawks earned the first selection in the opening six rounds by virtue of being an expansion team and were followed in order by the Hartford Colonials (0-6 in 2009 as the New York Sentinels), Sacramento Mountain Lions (2-4 in 2009 as the California Redwoods), Florida Tuskers (6-0 in 2009, losing Championship Game finalists) and Las Vegas Locos (4-2 in 2009, UFL Premiere Season Champions). Rounds seven through 12 followed a waiver wire selection system.
With the second overall selection, first year Hartford Colonials head coach Chris Palmer selected a local favorite in Connecticut running back Andre Dixon, who earned Second Team All-Big East honors both his sophomore and senior years. His 33 carries for 126 yards and a touchdown in the 2009 Papajohn.com Bowl earned him the game MVP title.
Coach Palmer explained: “He went down to Danbury for our tryouts and had an excellent workout and I was very pleased with what I saw. I talked to the people at UConn and they told me he was a guy who caught the ball extremely well. You don't see that on film because they don't throw ball that much. He has great hands.
“We selected players who had attended all three of our workouts in Berlin, Danbury and Virginia, which shows just how worthwhile those tryouts are.”
With his first round pick, Sacramento Mountain Lions head coach Dennis Green selected quarterback Justin Goltz, who was in training camp with the Detroit Lions in 2009 having been a three-year starter at Occidental.
“He came to two of our camps and was very impressive,” said Green. “He was a two-sport athlete in college and is a big tall guy with a really strong arm.
“We needed a couple of things and drafted two big offensive linemen in Tavita Thompson and Carl Spitale so that worked out for us. We got two good cornerbacks in Tim Clark and Willie Glasper, who both have exceptional speed. We feel very excited about the 52 players we have.”
Jay Gruden and the Florida Tuskers selected a pair of linebackers with the fourth and ninth picks overall in Weston Dacus from Arkansas and Arnold Harrison, who won a Super Bowl ring with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“We are excited,” said Gruden. “Dacus is an athletic linebacker who was with Kansas City and everyone I spoke to there had positive things to say about him. We need to get more speed and athleticism at the linebacker spot and these are two players who will have an immediate impact. Harrison was a big time player at Georgia and can play all three linebacker positions.”
The reigning UFL champion Las Vegas Locos made two defensive selections with the final picks of the first two rounds in linebacker Dominic Payne and cornerback Michael Ray Garvin.
“We thought Dominic was a tremendous athlete who will give us a lot of versatility,” said Locos head coach Jim Fassel. “Michael Ray was the fastest guy I have ever seen run a 40. He is lightning fast and quick and he has a great attitude. He went to same high school as my son Mike and was a teammate of one of our linebackers, Brian Toal, so we had him in for a workout. At one time he was the leading kickoff returner in NCAA.
“Overall from the draft, we thought we needed a guy here and there to round out the team. We weren’t depleted and we did a lot of research and most every one of the players we picked we had worked out. It is down to the character of a player and his attitude. We need a mix of pros with leadership qualities and young developing players.”
The Omaha Nighthawks spent the 60th and final pick overall on former Denver Broncos and New York Jets safety Nick Ferguson. The former Georgia Tech star also won a World Bowl ring with the Rhein Fire of NFL Europe.
The drafted players will join players already protected by their 2009 clubs, or selected in the expansion draft by the Nighthawks, taking each team’s provisional roster to the maximum of 52 allowed. From June 3 onwards, teams may increase that number to 70 players who can participate in forthcoming Mini Camps.
Players selected in the draft shall remain on each team’s Reserved Unsigned List until formally added to the roster by virtue of a negotiated contract. Each team’s roster will be released next week as they prepare to enter mini camps.
With the first selection of the 2010 UFL Draft, head coach of the expansion Omaha Nighthawks head coach Jeff Jagodzinski selected defensive end Dewayne White, a former second round NFL Draft pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers out of Louisville. The Nighthawks then added a second defensive end in ten-year NFL veteran Chike Okeafor with the first pick of the second round.
“I am really excited about the guys that we’ve picked and feel that we are putting together a good team of youth and experience,” said coach Jagodzinski. “These are guys that can make a difference and rush the passer in the case of Dewayne and Chike.”
In the third round, the Nighthawks selected a former first round NFL Draft pick in offensive tackle Shawn Andrews, who was taken 16th overall in 2004 by the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Nighthawks earned the first selection in the opening six rounds by virtue of being an expansion team and were followed in order by the Hartford Colonials (0-6 in 2009 as the New York Sentinels), Sacramento Mountain Lions (2-4 in 2009 as the California Redwoods), Florida Tuskers (6-0 in 2009, losing Championship Game finalists) and Las Vegas Locos (4-2 in 2009, UFL Premiere Season Champions). Rounds seven through 12 followed a waiver wire selection system.
With the second overall selection, first year Hartford Colonials head coach Chris Palmer selected a local favorite in Connecticut running back Andre Dixon, who earned Second Team All-Big East honors both his sophomore and senior years. His 33 carries for 126 yards and a touchdown in the 2009 Papajohn.com Bowl earned him the game MVP title.
Coach Palmer explained: “He went down to Danbury for our tryouts and had an excellent workout and I was very pleased with what I saw. I talked to the people at UConn and they told me he was a guy who caught the ball extremely well. You don't see that on film because they don't throw ball that much. He has great hands.
“We selected players who had attended all three of our workouts in Berlin, Danbury and Virginia, which shows just how worthwhile those tryouts are.”
With his first round pick, Sacramento Mountain Lions head coach Dennis Green selected quarterback Justin Goltz, who was in training camp with the Detroit Lions in 2009 having been a three-year starter at Occidental.
“He came to two of our camps and was very impressive,” said Green. “He was a two-sport athlete in college and is a big tall guy with a really strong arm.
“We needed a couple of things and drafted two big offensive linemen in Tavita Thompson and Carl Spitale so that worked out for us. We got two good cornerbacks in Tim Clark and Willie Glasper, who both have exceptional speed. We feel very excited about the 52 players we have.”
Jay Gruden and the Florida Tuskers selected a pair of linebackers with the fourth and ninth picks overall in Weston Dacus from Arkansas and Arnold Harrison, who won a Super Bowl ring with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“We are excited,” said Gruden. “Dacus is an athletic linebacker who was with Kansas City and everyone I spoke to there had positive things to say about him. We need to get more speed and athleticism at the linebacker spot and these are two players who will have an immediate impact. Harrison was a big time player at Georgia and can play all three linebacker positions.”
The reigning UFL champion Las Vegas Locos made two defensive selections with the final picks of the first two rounds in linebacker Dominic Payne and cornerback Michael Ray Garvin.
“We thought Dominic was a tremendous athlete who will give us a lot of versatility,” said Locos head coach Jim Fassel. “Michael Ray was the fastest guy I have ever seen run a 40. He is lightning fast and quick and he has a great attitude. He went to same high school as my son Mike and was a teammate of one of our linebackers, Brian Toal, so we had him in for a workout. At one time he was the leading kickoff returner in NCAA.
“Overall from the draft, we thought we needed a guy here and there to round out the team. We weren’t depleted and we did a lot of research and most every one of the players we picked we had worked out. It is down to the character of a player and his attitude. We need a mix of pros with leadership qualities and young developing players.”
The Omaha Nighthawks spent the 60th and final pick overall on former Denver Broncos and New York Jets safety Nick Ferguson. The former Georgia Tech star also won a World Bowl ring with the Rhein Fire of NFL Europe.
The drafted players will join players already protected by their 2009 clubs, or selected in the expansion draft by the Nighthawks, taking each team’s provisional roster to the maximum of 52 allowed. From June 3 onwards, teams may increase that number to 70 players who can participate in forthcoming Mini Camps.
Players selected in the draft shall remain on each team’s Reserved Unsigned List until formally added to the roster by virtue of a negotiated contract. Each team’s roster will be released next week as they prepare to enter mini camps.