2026 All-UFL Defensive Team: Dominant Playmakers and Top NFL Prospects

The league office has officially locked in the ballots, and the defensive side of the 2026 All-UFL Team is set. While the expansion Orlando Storm grabbed a massive chunk of the spotlight on offense, the defensive honors are heavily anchored by stalwarts like the St. Louis Battlehawks—who tied a league record with 7 total players across the board—and the physical units in Birmingham and Louisville.

Here is the deep-dive breakdown of the 2026 All-UFL Defensive Team, how they dominated tape, and who is on the fast track to an NFL training camp contract this summer.

2026 All-UFL Defensive Roster

Position Player Team Key Regular Season Stat

EDGE Derick Roberson DC Defenders7.0 Sacks (League Leader), 9 TFLs

EDGE Xavier Carlton Louisville Kings40 Total Tackles, 6 TFLs, 2.0 Sacks

DT Israel Antwine Houston Gamblers Anchored #4 Scoring Defense, 5 Hurries

DT Walter Palmore Columbus Aviators4 TFLs, Crucial interior run-stuffer

LB Tae Crowder Birmingham Stallions73 Total Tackles (League Leader)

LB Tony Fields II Columbus Aviators71 Total Tackles, 5 TFLs, 1.0 Sack

LBK yahva Tezino Birmingham Stallions62 Total Tackles, 3 TFLs, 3 Pass Breakups

CB Corey Mayfield Jr. Louisville Kings4 Passes Defended, 19 Tackles, Lockdown Tape

CB Major Burns Houston Gamblers45 Total Tackles, 5 TFLs, 4 Passes Defended

S Sam Kidd DC Defenders47 Total Tackles, 4 TFLs, 2 Interceptions

S Jordan Williams St. Louis Battlehawks45 Total Tackles, 4 TFLs, 1 Interception

Why They Made It: The Tape and Tech

The Pass Rushers & Trenches

• Derick Roberson (EDGE, DC): Roberson was a walking nightmare for spring league offensive tackles all year. He weaponized a lethal first step to completely wreck pocket depth, leading the UFL with 7.0 sacks and a staggering 62 sack yards lost by opposing quarterbacks.

• Xavier Carlton (EDGE, Louisville): A masterclass in setting the edge, Carlton combined rare discipline against the run with a heavy pass-rush engine. His 40 total tackles are an incredibly high volume for an edge defender.

• DTs Israel Antwine (Houston) & Walter Palmore (Columbus): True interior consolidators. While interior stats rarely leap off the page, Antwine’s ability to soak up double teams paved the way for Houston’s linebackers, and Palmore was a massive reason why Columbus remained highly physical in the interior run game.

The Linebackers

• Tae Crowder (LB, Birmingham): The former NFL “Mr. Irrelevant” played like an absolute superstar in the UFL this spring. Crowder was a sideline-to-sideline tracking machine, comfortably pacing the entire league with 73 total tackles to act as the heart of the Stallions’ front seven.

• Tony Fields II (LB, Columbus): Fields was a dynamic playmaker for the expansion Aviators. He sat right on Crowder’s heels with 71 tackles and added 5 tackles for loss by routinely diagnosing screen passes and outside zones before they could develop.

• Kyahva Tezino (LB, Birmingham): Partnering with Crowder to form the meanest linebacker tandem in spring football, Tezino racked up 62 stops and showed elite coverage traits with 3 pass breakups over the middle of the field.

The Secondary

• Corey Mayfield Jr. (CB, Louisville): Mayfield was the definition of an island cornerback this year. He checked the opposing WR1 weekly, allowing minimal separation and breaking up 4 critical passes without sacrificing deep leverage.

• Major Burns (CB, Houston): Burns was arguably the most physical defensive back in the UFL this season. He wasn’t just coverage-sound; he played downhill like a safety, punishing ball-carriers to rack up 45 tackles and 5 tackles for loss.

• Safeties Sam Kidd (DC) & Jordan Williams (St. Louis): The ultimate centerfielders. Kidd was a turnover magnet and defensive engine for the Defenders, posting 47 tackles and a pair of interceptions. Williams brought clinical diagnostic speed to Ricky Proehl’s secondary in St. Louis, ensuring the Battlehawks rarely gave up explosive plays over the top.

Future Prospects: Who is Going to the NFL?

Defensive standouts in the UFL are heavily coveted by NFL front offices ahead of July training camps, specifically to fill out special teams units and edge rotations.

1. Derick Roberson’s Pure Pass-Rush Value: NFL teams will pay a premium for situational pass rushers. Roberson’s tape showing him routinely turning the corner against professional-grade tackles makes him a lock to receive multiple camp invitations by the end of June.

2. The Veteran Resurgence: Tae Crowder and Tony Fields II already have extensive NFL regular-season experience. Their film this spring proved they are healthy, highly conditioned, and ready to plug directly into an NFL linebacker room requiring veteran depth.

3. Secondary Length and Versatility: Major Burns’ hybrid playstyle—showing the willingness to fit the run like a box linebacker while covering split ends—is highly attractive to modern NFL defensive coordinators who value sub-package versatility.

Conclusion

The 2026 All-UFL Defensive Team put on a clinic, demonstrating that spring football is far from just an offensive showcase. Anchored by Birmingham’s elite linebacker group and a fierce edge-rush collective, this group proved that high-level, disciplined execution can shut down even the most innovative modern spread systems. As these standouts prepare to trade their UFL gear for NFL training camp uniforms over the next month, they leave behind a definitive blueprint of what elite spring football defense looks like.