Columbus Aviators Position-By-Position Draft Analysis

This is part two of what will be an eight-part, position-by-position review of each UFL team’s roster after the draft. The previous parts of this series can be found at the links below:

Birmingham Stallions

Quarterbacks

Jalen Morton, Jalan McClendon, Clayton Tune

Analysis: Waived by the Green Bay Packers after starting an NFL game mere days before the draft, Tune is an intriguing prospect if his lack of NFL success hasn’t negatively affected his confidence. McClendon was just coming into his own in Houston’s offense last year and now he’s starting from square one. Can he continue on that upward trajectory? An emergency signing by the Stallions last year when injuries struck, Morton makes the perfect #3 QB candidate in a league like the UFL.

Running Backs

Toa Taua, ZaQuandre White, John Lovett, Tyreik McAllister, Raheem Blackshear

Analysis: Taua and White both had strong seasons for their respective UFL teams last year, with Taua becoming a great story for the league. Though he didn’t play in a game this season, Blackshear was a part of four different NFL teams during the 2025 calendar year. Lovett was injured and ineffective with San Antonio but if healthy, still has value. McAllister is a RB/WR hybrid, giving Columbus the option to run some gadget plays with him lined up all over the field.

Wide Receivers

Devin Ross, Jaylon Moore, Amari Rodgers, Keke Chism, Landon Parker, Roc Taylor, Tay Martin, Easop Winston Jr.

Analysis: A former wide receiver himself, head coach Ten Ginn Jr. certainly knows what he’s looking for when it comes to this position group. Rodgers has indicated he’s retired, meaning there may be room to add another player or two here before camp. Chism brings size to this group and Taylor is maybe the most interesting to me of the new additions to the UFL.

Tight Ends

Alize Mack, Gunnar Oakes, Briley Moore, Gee Scott Jr.

Analysis: Averaging nearly 250 pounds per man, there are no Kyle Pitts-style players here. All known more for their blocking prowess than their receiving, Ginn’s style of offense comes into focus with these acquisitions, combined with the hard-running style of Taua and Lovett. Though they won’t do a lot of damage down the seam, all have proven to be reliable outlets to bail their QBs out of trouble.

Offensive Line

Tackles: Juwann Bushell-Beatty, Ryan Nelson, Caleb Jones, Bless Harris

Guards: Noah Atagi, Chuck Filiaga, Aaron Monteiro, Matthew Jones, Chris Glaser

Centers: Cohl Cabral, Matt Farniok

Analysis: Despite the offensive line being a strength for Michigan much of the last few seasons, Columbus protected just two players from that unit. They passed on offensive tackles in the UFL portion of the draft, perhaps acknowledging that is a long-standing positional weakness in spring football. Nelson and Bushell-Beatty should be penciled in as day-one starter on the outside, with Cabral at center. The guard battle will be interesting to track in camp.

Defensive Line

Edges: Kenny Willekes, Ron Stone Jr., Nelson Ceaser, Amare Barno, Khris Bogle, Isaiah Thomas

Interior: Walter Palmore, Caeveon Patton, Prince Emili, Olive Sagapolu

Analysis: There will be a lot of beef in the middle of the line with the 320-pound Palmore and the 330-pound Sagapolu. There’s not much pass rush juice there, but there is plenty on the edges with Willekes, a terror last year, and Ceaser. Stone was also a nice rotational end for the Panthers. Bogle and Thomas don’t have athletic testing numbers that will blow you away, but they were nice college players who were worth a shot here.

Linebackers

Jailin Walker, Noah Dawkins, Storey Jackson, Xavier Benson, J.B. Brown, Amari Burney, Anthony Butler

Analysis: Walker, a territorial selection, ran a 4.41 40 at his pro day last spring. Benson was a nice find for the Roughnecks last year as a College Draft selection in 2024. Jackson should reprise the role of core special teamer that he played with Arlington and San Antonio last year, though he saw more time on defense with the Brahmas. Butler was taken in the free agent phase; he played parts of the last two seasons with the Showboats. It’s interesting that Ginn and company thought he was better than any other available free agents out there.

Defensive Backs

Corners: D.J. Miller, Kyree Woods, Nehemiah Shelton, Shyheim Carter, Cam Smith, TreVon Jones

Safeties: Kedrick Whitehead Jr., Akeem Dent, Shawn Preston Jr., Henry Black, Josh Thompson, Israel Mukuamu, Marcus Barnes

Analysis: With Whitehead and Storey Jackson, Columbus has two of the best special teams coverage players in the league. The Aviators drafted two members of Memphis’s defensive backfield that gave up a league-best 160 passing yards per game. The team went off the board with the Jones and Barnes picks, two rookies who didn’t even get minicamp tryouts with NFL teams last spring. A 4.60 40-yard dash at his pro day torpedoed Jones’s pro prospects, while Barnes was discovered at a UFL Showcase.

Special Teams

LS Payton Bunch

Analysis: Columbus will be on the lookout for kicking talent over the next month. They have two spots open on their training camp roster so they won’t need to cut anyone to add them. Bunch must have impressed at a Specialist Showcase as he too was not in an NFL camp as a rookie out of Virginia this past season.