A day after the folks in Omaha, Nebraska welcomed a UFL franchise, the to-be-named franchise has landed its initial group of players.
The team announced that it has acquired 20 players via an expansion draft by pilfering them from the rosters of the four 2009 teams.
Including in the crop of players is defensive tackle Wendell Bryant, a first-round pick in the 2002 NFL draft. Also, former NFL receiver (and charter member of the All-Time All-Name team) Craphonso Thorpe is headed to Omaha. Thorpe, a candidate for the 2009 UFL Player of the Year award, caught 26 passes for 275 yards and a touchdown in the inaugural six-game season.
The others are linebacker Adrian McCovy, guard Adam Speer, cornberback DeJuan Tribble, defensive end Josh Savage, safety Willie Andrews, defensive tackle Willie Williams, guard P.J. Alexander, guard Fred Matua, running back Shaud Williams, tight end Ryan Neufeld, receiver Frank Murphy, defensive tackle Ross Kolodziej, linebacker Gary Stills, guard Martin Bibla, cornerback Terell Maze, tackle Michael Fladell, tight end Christen Hopkins, and receiver Ryan Hoag.