The San Antonio Brahmas took Donovan Jennings in the third round of the UFL’s rookie draft.
After the 2024 NFL Draft concluded, the Green Bay Packers made a move that was unlike what they have done in the recent past: They gave an undrafted offensive lineman $110,000 in guarantees to sign with their squad as a rookie free agent. To put that dollar amount into perspective, that’s more guaranteed money than two of the Packers’ 2024 draft choices received this offseason.
Now, that lineman — former South Florida left tackle Donovan Jennings — has options. On Wednesday, the UFL hosted its rookie draft, where the eight teams in the league were able to call dibs on prospects, regardless of whether those players were on NFL rosters or not.
With our third round pick in the UFL College Draft, we have selected OT Donovan Jennings from USF pic.twitter.com/0hFJzSYWXg
— San Antonio Brahmas (@XFLBrahmas) July 17, 2024
The San Antonio Brahmas, who longtime NFL head coach Wade Phillips leads, ended up selecting Jennings in the third round. If you’re wondering how irregular it is for a UFL team to draft an NFL player, all but one first-rounder in the 2024 draft was already under contract with an NFL club.
Should Jennings ever play in the UFL, he could join other former Packers, as the Brahmas currently have tight end Alize Mack and pass-rushers Delontae Scott and Tim Ward on their roster.
While full pads have yet to come on in Green Bay, Jennings received a decent amount of snaps with the second-team offense during spring practices, leading many to believe that he has a real chance at sticking on the Packers’ roster. Even if he drops down to the practice squad, players typically tend to go that route over playing in a spring league. UFL players are paid a salary of $50,000 a year, compared to $216,000 for an NFL practice squad player, assuming both players hold that seat for an entire season.
Beyond Jennings, draftniks will recognize several other names drafted into the UFL this week. For example, three defensive backs (Ja’Quan Sheppard, Akeem Dent and Omar Brown) that the Packers brought in on pre-draft visits, presumably for free-agent recruiting pitches, were allocated to UFL squads. Some of the bigger names who slipped out of the NFL draft, like Missouri running back Cody Schrader, UCLA pass-rusher Gabriel Murphy, Miami defensive lineman Leonard Taylor III, Maryland safety Beau Brade and Penn State linebacker Curtis Jacobs were also taken by UFL teams.
Heck, even former Wisconsin quarterback Tanner Mordecai, currently a San Francisco 49er, was taken in the ninth round by the DC Defenders. One round later, in the final round of the draft, former Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops drafted his son — former Sooners receiver Drake Stoops.
Who knows if Jennings will ever suit up in the UFL? If he does, though, San Antonio has already picked up his rights. That’s probably the last thing on Jennings’ mind a week before his first NFL training camp, but it’s good to know the Packers have a lineman who is piquing the interest of evaluators elsewhere in pro football.
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