This was the season from hell for a Birmingham Stallions team that has historically never had a bad time. Injuries and inconsistent play took the best team on paper at the beginning of the season and put them through the ringer. It sounds bad but then you zoom out and realize their “nightmare” season was a 7-3 year and a playoff loss to the hottest team in the league. The Stallions have been the best team at getting guys to the NFL and I don’t think that’ll change as they still have a bunch of NFL talent on this team. Last year they had 15 NFL signings with a bunch that are still in the league like QB Adrian Martinez (Jets), WR Kevin Austin (Saints), G Zack Johnson (49ers), ED Dondrea Tillman (Broncos), and ED Jonathan Garvin (49ers). Let’s see who might be the next Stallion to make it to the NFL.
Methodology
For the record, this section is the same for every article so feel free to skip it if you have already seen it. The first piece to explain is the tier system. There are 5 tiers a player could land in, tiers 1-5. Tier 1 is NFL bound, basically I’m almost 100% sure that this player will go to the NFL (by signing an NFL contract at some point in the 2025 NFL season), Tier 2 is decent chance, I’m more sure than not that this player will go to the NFL which is about 75% chance, Tier 3 is maybe, flip a coin 50% chance, Tier 4 is outside possibility, which is about 25% chance, and Tier 5 is all the players that have flaws that make me think there isn’t a chance they make it to the NFL. I haven’t included the Tier 5 players but any player not listed is in that tier.
This is also only counting players that ended the season rostered by a UFL team. For example, last year the Commanders signed Ramiz Ahmed who was on the Stallions before being cut midseason, he doesn’t count and won’t be listed. This is also a good time to also mention that any reported workouts that might be released before this publishes won’t affect the grades.
The reasons that players end up in a given tier is an unscientific combination of 4 factors: quality of play in the UFL, recency of NFL experience, age, and positional value. If you check off all three of these boxes you are going to rate highly but you don’t need all three. For example last season Marcus Simms was a Tier 2 despite being 5 years out of the NFL thanks to great play and still being only 26. I’m relying heavily on PFF grades to get an opinion on every player but I have watched every game and my personal opinion can influence that too. Lastly, age is a factor that is going to hurt a lot of good players in the UFL and keep players that if they were younger would have been Tier 1s and Tier 2s but there is a sharp fall off when a player reaches 28 that will affect how players are graded. 77% of players that sign out of these leagues since 2022 are 26 or younger and that number climbs to 89.7% if you more it to 27 or younger. Then finally with positional value, it is clear there are some positions the NFL is more interested in than others. Positions that are valued above average are WR (19.7%), DL (13.2%), and CB (11.1%). Positions that are valued below average are TE (5.8%), SAF (2.9%), and P/LS who are both (2.1%). Some of this is because of quantity, with more receivers and corners rostered than tight ends and Specialists but some of it is quality with positions like safety being at a surplus of talent at the NFL level. If you have any other questions about how I came to specific grades or put the whole thing together, you can reach out to me at Nicholas_Thorn2 on Twitter or in the PFN discord to ask me whatever I missed here.
Last year my stats were as follows:
Tier 1: 12 total, 92% signed, 100% tried out
Tier 2: 38 total, 45% signed, 68% tried out
Tier 3: 71 total, 28% signed, 46% tried out
Tier 4: 156 total, 14% signed, 26% tried out
Tier 5: 144 total, 3% signed, 6% tried out
QB and Weapons
Tier 1: None
Tier 2: WR Deon Cain
Tier 3: RB Ricky Person Jr, WR Cade Johnson
Tier 4: QB Andrew Peasley, QB J’Mar Smith, QB Matt Corral, WR Jalen Camp, WR Davion Davis, WR Amari Rodgers, WR Marlon Williams, TE Jace Sternberger, TE Jordan Thomas
The story of this group was the lack of continuity at Quarterback. Having 5 QBs take snaps will hurt not just that room, but also the skill positions too. One player was able to rise above all of that though in Deon Cain who has been a nice player for a couple year but was able to be a more consistent threat and with his big play ability, was able to be one of the best receivers in the UFL. Cain’s only downside is being older at 28 but even with that, I think he’ll be getting some NFL looks this summer. After Cain, 2 players were able to get to Tier 3 with Ricky Person Jr who got an opportunity with the Seahawks after last season and Cade Johnson who was also on that Seahawks team. Both guys weren’t quite All-UFL but had nice seasons that could get on the radar. Then there are a ton of names in Tier 4. 3 of the 5 QBs are here with Andrew Peasley, J’Mar Smith, and Matt Corral having flashes but none were able to put together a complete season due to injury or getting buried in this room. Then there are a ton of pass catchers here too. At receiver guys like Davion Davis, Amari Rodgers, and Marlon Williams were nice rotational pieces and Jalen Camp on paper has the best shot of them all after being on the Browns last year. The last guys to mention are the Tight Ends Jace Sternberger and Jordan Thomas who both were already hurt by age but also split time on the field and made both not quite have the stats to make me forget the age. Overall, it’s not the flashest group but thanks to their approach, there are still a bunch of guys that could get looks this summer.
Offensive Line
Tier 1: None
Tier 2: G Deonte Brown, G Barry Wesley, C Cole Schneider
Tier 3: T Armani Taylor-Prioleau, G Keaton Sutherland
Tier 4: None
The offensive line at times struggled in 2025 but that doesn’t mean there wasn’t a good amount of talent on the roster. The interior of the line was up there with some of the best in the league with 3 Tier 2 guys and another Tier 3 guy. The first guy to mention is Barry Wesley who in the writing of this got a workout with the Saints (I promise it didn’t sway my opinion). Wesley was able to have a multiyear stint in the NFL after playing for the Sea Dragons and showing that he was also useful as a Guard on top of Tackle makes him one of the better bets for an IOL. Deonte Brown was the other guard for most of the year and he was as advertised. Brown was very hyped up coming into last season but missed the majority of the time with injury. This year he’s come in and had an All-UFL caliber season and could put him back on the radar. Cole Schneider and Armani Taylor-Prioleau both have already gotten looks from their time with the Stallions and good seasons make them a legit candidate once again. Last player worth mentioning is Keaton Sutherland who was a long time NFL vet and was a nice depth piece getting reps at 4 of the 5 spots. Next year the Stallions hope to build the depth, but the top end was very good for Birmingham this season.
Front 7
Tier 1: ED Bradlae Anae
Tier 2: DL Perrion Winfrey, ED Ronnie Perkins, LB Tae Crowder
Tier 3: DL Marvin Wilson, ED Myjai Sanders, LB DeMarquis Gates, LB Kyahva Tezino
Tier 4: DL Carlos Davis, DL Willie Yarbary, LB Chapelle Russell, ED Steve Linton
The defensive front is always the strong suit for the Stallions with 2 players in the NFL just from last year and that trend continued into this season. The crowd jewel is Bradlae Anae who was one of the best pass rushers in the league this season and for that got the only Tier 1 grade for any edge rusher. It doesn’t stop there though. Ronnie Perkins would’ve been a 1 as well if not for injury and 2 other NFL vets in Perrion Winfrey and Tae Crowder get into Tier 2 off the back of excellent seasons. After those heavy hitters, there are a few other nice pieces with Marvin Wilson, DeMarquis Gates, and Kyahva Tezino returning for solid years and newcomer Myjai Sanders also getting into that tier. Tier 4 had some more contributors with most notably my only Tier 1 DL last year in Carlos Davis who wasn’t able to repeat the ridiculous production he had a year ago. There isn’t a ton to say about this group except that it was one of the most talented front 7s in the league and we will see many player from this group get rewarded for that.
See also
Secondary
Tier 1: CB Steven Gilmore
Tier 2: None
Tier 3: CB Mario Goodrich, SAF Tre Norwood, SAF AJ Thomas
Tier 4: CB Madre Harper, SCB Daniel Isom, SCB Shyheim Carter, SAF Kenny Robinson
The Stallions had a familiar name leading their secondary this year. Steven Gilmore is the brother of former NFL DPOY Stephon Gilmore and he was one of the best corners in a year where there was a ton of talent at corner. Locking down receivers seems to run in the family and Gilmore will likely get another crack at it in the NFL. Once you get past Gilmore, there isn’t as much to get excited about in this room. Guys like Mario Goodrich, Tre Norwood, and AJ Thomas had solid seasons but either positional value or Injuries (or both) hurt them being in the top tiers. Then there’s a bunch of players in Tier 4 that have been out of the NFL for other a year but the one to watch from the group is Shyheim Carter who finished the season strong but lacked to reps to get any higher.
Specialists
Tier 1: K Harrison Mevis
Tier 2: None
Tier 3: None
Tier 4: None
The Stallions have 2 of their 3 specialists for 4 seasons which makes their NFL chances slim but that final third more than makes up for it. Harrison Mevis was undeniably one of the 2 best kickers in the UFL this season and both of them are Tier 1s for me. Mevis already has workouts with both New York teams and watch out if he signs with the Jets cause he has a great chance to be the next spring league NFL kicker to follow guys like Jake Bates, Brandon Aubrey, and Younghoe Koo to name a few. Excited to see where they land.
Conclusion
Overall, despite the injuries, the Stallions had a good year even if they weren’t able to complete the 4peat. Just like they have been historically, they are set up to have a great year for NFL opportunities as well with guys like WR Deon Cain, ED Bradlae Anae, CB Steven Gilmore, and K Harrison Mevis all safe bets for NFL looks. The Stallions have always done things the right way and we’ll see that pay off once again this summer.
What are your thoughts on these potential UFL to NFL signings from the Birmingham Stallions? Let us know down in the comments below, or join the conversation on Discord!
