Brahmas Upcoming UFL Rookie Draft and Team Strategy
The September 23rd UFL rookie draft is approaching fast. UFL teams will no doubt be looking at college players who went undrafted and are now free agents (UDFAs), players released from NFL camp rosters on August 27, or any available UFL free agents and players on their rosters in 2025. In this article, we will dig into the Brahmas’ Draft strategy and share a couple of players that could help the Brahmas in positions of need. To see a top 5 list of players the Brahmas need to resign, feel free to look back at our article entitled “Top 5 Players the Brahmas Need to Re-sign in 2026.”
Marc Lillibridge
In the past, the Brahmas’ General Manager Marc Lillibridge has focused on NFL-experienced players and UDFAs, like Greedy Williams on defense and Jacob Harris on offense. Lillibridge will be the San Antonio Brahmas ‘sole representative during the rookie draft. Drafting players without a coaching staff has been normalized since the USFL pre-merger days. Bridge said, to the best of his knowledge, “No league coaches are under contract in UFL,” and he thinks all GMs will handle it when speaking of the upcoming draft.
The Brahmas GM did mention that if a team were set on who its head coach would be, “such as the Panthers head coach Mike Nolan, then he would likely be part of the process and assist the Panthers GM Steve Kazor.” In response to my email about the Brahmas 2026 coaching staff and their draft plans, he stated, “I don’t know when the San Antonio Brahmas head coach will be named, so I am heading up the draft on September 2.” His goal in the draft isn’t necessarily position-driven, but his approach is to “Draft the best 10 players available.” It sounds like the Brahmas’ draft strategy will be to take the best guy on the board and work the game plan to fit the players next season.
Armchair QB
Of course, no draft article would be complete without some armchair QB or weekend warrior GM giving their highly educated opinion of potential new additions to the Brahmas roster, so here are a couple of players I think could help fill a role with the Brahmas in 2026.
Under GM Marc Lillibridge, the Brahmas are usually known for having a strong defensive front. In 2024, when the team was ranked first in almost every major statistical category, they recorded 42 sacks. In 2025, the team ranked at the bottom of the league in most stats and posted 15 total sacks. I do not think it will be that big of a stretch to assume that Bridge would use one of his drafts to boost the D-Line.
Brahmas D-Line
So, the first player I think we may see in a Brahmas uniform in 2026 is JMU D-Lineman Jamree Kromah. Kromah was drafted by the Brahmas in 2024 and has been on the Bears camp roster. According to heavy.com, he is likely on the cut list, and since the Brahmas already have the rights to him, it only seems natural to bring him in to help out the D-Line. He adds versatility to the D-Line and may be able to play inside or serve as an edge rusher, and flexibility has always been a key metric for Spring leagues.
https://www.whsv.com/2024/07/18/kromah-selected-by-san-antonio-brahmas-ufl-draft
Brahmas TE’s
Another position the Brahmas will need to address is TE, particularly that hybrid receiving type of TE. Steven Stilianos stepped in admirably and helped fill the void left by Cody Latimer’s retirement when he transitioned to the Brahmas coaching staff. But the good and bad news is that Stilianos has signed with the Detroit Lions; the bad news is that the team has a need to fill. So, hear me out. Brant Kuithe out of Katy, Texas, is an excellent option as a pure pass-catching TE. He is a COVID-19 super senior who played for 6 years at Utah. He has 184 catches, 2,387 career receiving yards, and 22 TDs. He probably went undrafted due to a couple of factors. Maybe he is 26 and has had some injuries during his career. Kuithe fits the Cody Latimer type of TE and could help the Brahmas’ TE room.
Brahmas QB’s
Lastly, let’s tackle the elephant in the room. The Brahmas need some help at quarterback. I would love to see Kellen Mond return in 2026, but we need some more quarterback competition in the room. I would not mind seeing a more mobile option in the Brahmas’ backfield. Kellen is a good runner but has never been known as a dual-threat quarterback. I like to call him a threat and a half.
Thinking outside the box, I will throw a Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR, Garrett Greenes’ name into the hat. He is transitioning from QB to WR, and camp reports say he is “making the transition look seamless. During the first week and some change of fall camp, Greene pulled down a pair of impressive catches, one of which he was covered tightly, the other being a one-handed snag.” “Callihan, 2025)
Coach Pardee
In my opinion, once a QB, always a QB, and Greene is definitely a QB. He passed for 5,356 yards and 36 TDs at West Virginia and may want to try his hand at QB again. Even though he is in camp as a receiver, there is a better-than-average chance Brahmas interim HC Payton Pardee has seen Greene in action since he has been on the Bucs camp coaching staff during training camp.
Couple that with the fact that most NFL teams carry about six receivers on their active roster. Spots are already locked up for Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Emeka Egbuka, Tez Johnson, and Jalen McMillan, which likely leaves one spot open. It’s difficult to see him stealing a place from a veteran like Sterling Shepard or Ryan Miller, who is now in his third year with the organization. Former Maryland product Rakim Jarrett is another young receiver they also like a lot, so Greene would need some things to happen outside of his play to make the cut.” “Callihan, 2025)
Call me crazy, but if Pardee returns as head coach next season, I wouldn’t be surprised to see some players who don’t make the Tampa Bay roster wearing Yellow and Black in the Alamodome.
Let me know who I missed, and keep an eye on Brahmabullpen.com as we monitor the August 27th NFL camp cuts and the September 23rd Brahmas rookie Draft for future Brahmas players.
References
Callihan, S. (2025, August 10). Garrett Greene Impresses in NFL Debut, Helps Buccaneers to Preseason Win. Retrieved from West Virginia Mountaineers on SI: https://www.si.com/college/westvirginia/mountaineers-in-the-pros/garrett-greene-impresses-in-nfl-debut-helps-buccaneers-to-preseason-win