The UFL season is fast approaching! On Monday, the league held the final phase of their dispersal draft, where teams could add any available player who played in the league last year. This is the final step in the XFL-USFL merger before the season begins. Here are the results for the Arlington Renegades dispersal draft.
Arlington Renegades Dispersal Draft Results
The Arlington Renegades selected five players in the dispersal draft on Monday, January 15th.
- TE Jared Scott
- WR Calvin Jackson
- CB Nasir Greer
- LB B.J. Bello
- WR Juwan Manigo
The Arlington Renegades did not choose too many players in the dispersal draft. One of the challenges of a draft like this is that, at some point, a team may decide there isn’t a player worth spending the pick on.
Arlington Renegades Dispersal Draft Analysis
Unsurprisingly, the Renegades didn’t do much in the dispersal draft. They were the champions of the XFL last year and have a roster ready to win again. Arlington had the luxury of being able to try and find talent around the edges of the roster. There is not a position the Renegades are awful in, so the draft was all about building depth and possibly finding a hidden gem.
Player To Know: Calvin Jackson
One way the Renegades were lacking was speed. Jackson spent time with the New York Jets before coming to Arlington, where he didn’t play much. In 2021, while at Washington State, he recorded 66 receptions for 987 yards and seven touchdowns. His speed allows him to get behind any defender and explode for big plays. We haven’t seen him lately because he didn’t play much, but the raw potential exists.
A handful of players who were drafted are in a similar position. They spent time on practice squads in the NFL before heading to either the XFL or USFL. Once the merger happened, these players had to convince other teams of their skills without having on-field stats to back it up. It’s been a couple of years since Jackson has seen consistent playing time, but the Renegades are banking on his potential.
Player To Know: Juwan Manigo
With their last pick, the Arlington Renegades took Manigo in the dispersal draft. He has a skill set similar to Jackson’s, and the team hopes he can become the downfield threat. Manigo played for a team in Mexico last season, putting up 1,015 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. There is an open competition for the wide receiver position this season, and the Renegades are hoping someone steps up and grabs the top spot.
Overall, the Arlington Renegades took a lot of chances on potential in the dispersal draft. The aforementioned receivers could fail to perform in February’s training camp, but the potential is undeniable. This draft was about finding a player to make a good team even better.
2024 Outlook
The first game of the season will give us a look at how good this team is. While we do not know the schedule, we know the opening game. The Renegades will face off against the USFL champions, the Birmingham Stallions. They will be eager to show they can dominate not just one league but two. The league made a great move to have these two face-off to kick off the season.
Spring football found a following last year. The quality of the play was better than in past years, and the increased exposure through ESPN and FOX helped even the casual fans catch on. Fans may also become more interested because a fair amount of spring football players made it on NFL rosters. This is what the UFL wants: to be a development league for the NFL. This season will be highly anticipated, and it is great that spring football is coming back in full force.
For More Great Sports Content
Matt has been following sports since he was a kid. While football is his primary focus, Matt can talk about any sport anytime. He is a banker in Wisconsin and hosts two podcasts, Beers and Ears & Discontinued on Display.
Follow him on Twitter at @sorcerermatt, and follow us @TotalApexSports. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL sports, click here!