The USFL Draft has kicked off!
The 35-round inaugural draft is an exciting two-day event taking place Tuesday and Wednesday in Birmingham, Alabama, home to every USFL regular-season game in the 2022 season.
The Michigan Panthers were first on the clock, and they started the show by selecting former Michigan Wolverines quarterback Shea Patterson with the No. 1 overall pick.
Day 1 will proceed by position, beginning with quarterbacks in Round 1, followed by edge rushers and defensive ends in Rounds 2 through 4, offensive tackles in Rounds 5 through 7, cornerbacks in Rounds 8 through 11 and back to quarterbacks in Round 12.
Here is the full draft order, with information on every player as they are selected.
ROUND 1 (QUARTERBACK)
1. Michigan Panthers: Shea Patterson, Michigan
A former five-star recruit who starred at both Mississippi and Michigan in a storied college career that saw him pass for 8,800 yards and 68 touchdowns, Patterson was the first QB off the board in the USFL’s first round.
Following two years at Michigan in which he finished ahead of both Tom Brady and his former head coach Jim Harbaugh on the school’s all-time passer list, the 6-foot-1, 212-pound Patterson signed with the Kansas City Chiefs and has since spent time in the CFL with the BC Lions and Montreal Alouettes. A former high school baseball star, Patterson stuck with football despite being drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 39th round in 2018.
2. Tampa Bay Bandits: Jordan Ta’amu, Mississippi
Following two flashy seasons at Ole Miss in which he passed for 5,600 yards and an impressive 30 touchdowns against just 12 interceptions, Ta’amu signed with the Houston Texans in 2019. He jumped to the now-defunct XFL a few months later, playing so well for the St. Louis BattleHawks that he has since earned shots with the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs, Detroit Lions, Washington Commanders and Carolina Panthers.
3. Philadelphia Stars: Bryan Scott, Occidental College
Tabbed as the “Aaron Rodgers of Division III,” Scott passed for 9,073 yards and 77 touchdowns in just 33 games at Occidental College. While throwing at USC’s Pro Day in 2017, the 6-1, 215-pound Scott shocked scouts with a sparkling 62-for-64 performance (including one drop), earning a spot with the CFL’s BC Lions.
Scott, 26, has had subsequent opportunities with the Los Angeles Rams, Kansas City Chiefs, Atlanta Falcons and Indianapolis Colts in between cameos with the Edmonton Eskimos of the CFL and the New Jersey Generals of the Spring League, prior to being drafted Tuesday in the first round by Philadelphia.
4. New Jersey Generals: Ben Holmes, Tarleton State
The 5-10, 200-pound Holmes initially starred at wide receiver in high school and junior college before landing at Tarleton State as a quarterback. He guided the Texans to their first outright Lone Star Conference Championship and left with a sparkling 23-2 career record as the starting quarterback. Holmes, 26, continued his playing career in the Indoor Football League, signing with the six-time champion Arizona Rattlers prior to Tuesday’s selection at No. 4 by the Generals.
5. Houston Gamblers: Clayton Thorson, Northwestern
Prior to earning a fifth-round selection by the then-defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles back in 2019, Thorson threw for 10,731 yards and 61 touchdowns with 27 more scores on the ground at Northwestern. His squad finished 36-17 during his time as a starter in the highly competitive Big Ten. Thorson, 26, also spent with time with the Cowboys and Giants before being selected by the Gamblers at No. 5 on Tuesday.
6. Birmingham Stallions: Alex McGough, Florida International
McGough was a seventh-round pick of the Seattle Seahawks in 2018, the team’s first QB draft pick since Russell Wilsonin 2012. He has also spent time in the NFL with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans. The 6-3, 214-pounder, 26, started all four years of his career at FIU, becoming the school’s all-time leader in passing touchdowns (65) and passing yardage (9,091) with another 535 yards and 16 scores on the ground.
7. Pittsburgh Maulers: Kyle Lauletta, Richmond
Lauletta was MVP of the Senior Bowl in 2018, which led to his selection in the fourth round of the NFL Draft by the New York Giants that year. The 6-3, 222-pound QB offers the prototypical size and arm talent to generate interest from fans and rival scouts, alike, completing 63.5% of his nearly 1,200 career passes at Richmond for 10,465 yards and 73 touchdowns against 35 interceptions. Lauletta has also spent time in the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles, Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars.
8. New Orleans Breakers: Kyle Sloter, Northern Colorado
Sloter initially signed with Southern Miss but transferred to Northern Colorado after the Golden Eagles moved him to receiver. Northern Colorado also played the athletic Sloter at other positions, but once he became the QB, he passed for 2,656 yards and 29 touchdowns against just 10 interceptions. That landed him a job with the Denver Broncos in 2017, who eventually cut him despite his passing for 413 yards in the preseason that year. Sloter, 28, has since spent time with the Minnesota Vikings, Arizona Cardinals, Detroit Lions, Chicago Bears and Las Vegas Raiders prior to the Breakers making him their top pick Tuesday.
ROUND 2 (EDGE/DE)
1. New Orleans Breakers: Davin Bellamy, Georgia
2. Pittsburgh Maulers: Carlo Kemp, Michigan
The nephew of Chuck Pagano and John Pagano, Carlo Kemp played in 46 games (29 starts) in five seasons at Michigan from 2016 to 2020. He was a 2019 third-team All-Big Ten selection.
3. Birmingham Stallions: Aaron Adeoye, SE Missouri State
Aaron Adeoye switched from college basketball to college football in his fifth season of eligibility. He was signed by the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2019. He has played in TSL and AAF.
4. Houston Gamblers: Chris Odom, Arkansas State
5. New Jersey Generals: Bryson Young, Oregon
Bryson Young played in 49 games in four seasons at Oregon from 2016 to ’19. He was signed by the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent in 2020.
6. Philadelphia Stars: Freedom Akinmoladun, Nebraska
A 2015 Big Ten All-Freshman Team selection, Freedom Akinmoladun has played in the NFL for the Bengals (2019-20) and Jets (2021). He switched from TE to DE during his redshirt freshman year at Nebraska in 2014.
7. Tampa Bay Bandits: Mekhi Brown, Alabama
Mekhi Brown was a unanimous four-star prospect coming out of high school. He was named to the 2018 OVC All-Newcomer Team.
8. Michigan Panthers: Adewale Adeoye, Utah State
A 2018 honorable mention All-Mountain West selection, Adewale Adeoye played in 33 games in three seasons at Utah State (2016-18). He led the team with three fumble recoveries in 2018.
ROUND 3 (EDGE/DE)
1. Michigan Panthers: Cavon Walker, Maryland
Cavon Walker played in 50 games in five seasons at Maryland (2013-17). He was signed by the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2018.
2. Tampa Bay Bandits
3. Philadelphia Stars
4. New Jersey Generals
5. Houston Gamblers
6. Birmingham Stallions
7. Pittsburgh Maulers
8. New Orleans Breakers
ROUND 4 (EDGE/DE)
1. New Orleans Breakers
2. Pittsburgh Maulers
3. Birmingham Stallions
4. Houston Gamblers
5. New Jersey Generals
6. Philadelphia Stars
7. Tampa Bay Bandits
8. Michigan Panthers
ROUND 5 (OFFENSIVE TACKLE)
1. Pittsburgh Maulers
2. Birmingham Stallions
3. Houston Gamblers
4. New Orleans Breakers
5. Michigan Panthers
6. New Jersey Generals
7. Philadelphia Stars
8. Tampa Bay Bandits
ROUND 6 (OFFENSIVE TACKLE)
1. Tampa Bay Bandits
2. Philadelphia Stars
3. New Jersey Generals
4. Michigan Panthers
5. New Orleans Breakers
6. Houston Gamblers
7. Birmingham Stallions
8. Pittsburgh Maulers
ROUND 7 (OFFENSIVE TACKLE)
1. Pittsburgh Maulers
2. Birmingham Stallions
3. Houston Gamblers
4. New Orleans Breakers
5. Michigan Panthers
6. New Jersey Generals
7. Philadelphia Stars
8. Tampa Bay Bandits
ROUND 8 (CORNERBACK)
1. Tampa Bay Bandits
2. Philadelphia Stars
3. New Jersey Generals
4. Michigan Panthers
5. New Orleans Breakers
6. Houston Gamblers
7. Birmingham Stallions
8. Pittsburgh Maulers
ROUND 9 (CORNERBACK)
1. Pittsburgh Maulers
2. Birmingham Stallions
3. Houston Gamblers
4. New Orleans Breakers
5. Michigan Panthers
6. New Jersey Generals
7. Philadelphia Stars
8. Tampa Bay Bandits
ROUND 10 (CORNERBACK)
1. Tampa Bay Bandits
2. Philadelphia Stars
3. New Jersey Generals
4. Michigan Panthers
5. New Orleans Breakers
6. Houston Gamblers
7. Birmingham Stallions
8. Pittsburgh Maulers
ROUND 11 (CORNERBACK)
1. Pittsburgh Maulers
2. Birmingham Stallions
3. Houston Gamblers
4. New Orleans Breakers
5. Michigan Panthers
6. New Jersey Generals
7. Philadelphia Stars
8. Tampa Bay Bandits
ROUND 12 (QUARTERBACK)
1. New Orleans Breakers
2. Pittsburgh Maulers
3. Birmingham Stallions
4. Houston Gamblers
5. New Jersey Generals
6. Philadelphia Stars
7. Tampa Bay Bandits
8. Michigan Panthers
Return to this developing story for more information as each pick is revealed.
For even more on the new USFL, check out our Everything You Need To Know, and make sure to follow the USFL and your favorite teams!
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