Notable Picks From Day One Of The USFL Draft
The first ten rounds have concluded and here are some notable guys that will be playing in the USFL.
The USFL is coming back this April and the first twelve rounds of the draft have concluded so here are some notable players that will be playing this spring.
Round One, Pick One: Michigan Quarterback Shea Patterson to the Michigan Panthers
The Panthers picked Patterson one overall and he was a pretty good college quarterback. He started his career at Ole Miss in 2016 where he passed for 3,139 yards and 23 touchdowns in two seasons. After his time in Oxford, he transferred to Ann Arbor where he passed for 5,661 yards and 68 touchdowns in the 2018 and 2019 seasons.
At Michigan, the Toledo native was named Big Ten third team in 2018 and 2019. He was undrafted in 2020 and signed with Kansas City before being out of the league. He then bounced around the CFL in 2021 with Montreal and British Columbia before the USFL came calling.
I hated Patterson in college because he played for Michigan, a team in which I DESPISE, but he is a fun player to watch. It should be great to see a dynamic quarterback play again.
Round One, Pick Five: Northwestern Quarterback Clayton Thorson to the Houston Gamblers
Thorson is an Illinois native that played college ball for Northwestern from 2014 to 2018. In 53 consecutive starts, he led the Wildcats to a 36-17 record while simultaneously passing for 10,731 yards and 61 touchdowns. In 2017, Thorson was named Big Ten third team after passing for 2,844 yards and 15 touchdowns.
He was drafted in the fifth round of the 2019 draft by the Philadelphia Eagles, but didn’t make the teams final roster. He stayed in the NFC East where he signed with Dallas from 2019 to 2020 and was on the Cowboys practice squad. From 2020 to 2021, Thorson was on the Giants active roster and practice squad. Now he has a shot at running an offense for the Houston Gamblers.
Round One, Pick Seven: Richmond Quarterback Kyle Lauletta to the Pittsburgh Maulers
Lauletta was a really good college quarterback. He played at Richmond from 2013 to 2017 and in 39 games he passed for a school record 10,465 yards and 73 touchdowns. Following a great 2017 season with the Spiders, Lauletta was invited to the Reeses Senior Bowl and was named game MVP after he passed for 198 yards and 3 touchdowns.
A great Senior Bowl performance propelled Lauletta to a fourth round pick. The Giants took him and kept him on the roster for the 2018 season before releasing him in 2019. He then signed with Philadelphia from 2019 to 2020 to the teams practice squad. Following that, he bounced between Atlanta, Cleveland, and Jacksonville in 2020 and 2021.
Hopefully Lauletta can recreate some of the magic he had in Richmond and lead the Maulers to a USFL title.
Round One, Pick Eight: Northern Colorado Quarterback Kyle Sloter to the New Orleans Breakers
SLOTER HOUSE! Kyle Sloter was a cult favorite of Vikings fans even though he never panned out whatsoever. The 6’5 Atlanta native started his collegiate career at Southern Miss where he played from 2013 to 2014, but never threw a pass. He transferred to Northern Colorado and spending 2015 on the bench, he broke out in 2016. He passed for 2,656 yards with 29 touchdowns and rushed for 32 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Sloter went undrafted in the 2017 draft and was picked up by Denver and was cut before the 2017 season. The Vikings took a flyer on Sloter and bounced between the active roster and practice squad between 2017 and 2018. From 2019 to 2021, Sloter was in between active rosters and practice squads with the Cardinals, Lions, Bears, Raiders, and Vikings again.
The Northern Colorado alum is electric beyond belief and could light the USFL on fire.
Round Two, Pick One: Georgia Edge Rusher Davin Bellamy to the New Orleans Breakers
Davin Bellamy was a four star recruit coming out of high school and held offers from Oregon, Tennessee, Clemson, and Florida State. He committed to Georgia where he had a very efficient four years. As a Bulldog outside linebacker from 2014 to 2017 he tallied 135 tackles with 24 tackles for loss and 13 sacks.
Bellamy never made an active NFL roster as he was undrafted in 2018, but bounced around practice squads and training camps from 2018 to 2021. He spent short stints with the Texans, Bengals, Titans, 49ers, and Chargers. Now he has a chance to make life hell for players like Thorson and Patterson.
Round Five, Pick Seven: South Carolina Offensive Tackle Blake Camper to the Philadelphia Stars
Blake Camper is a Virginia Beach native that chose to play college ball at South Carolina over Miami, Louisville, and West Virginia. In his time with the Gamecocks, Camper played in forty games including ten starts at right tackle in the SEC. Camper also was one of four winners of the Unselfish Award at South Carolina for his selfless play.
In 2019 he went undrafted and signed with the Chargers, but never saw any real playtime. Camper is a mauler in the trenches that will be able to keep Bryan Scott upright.
Round Eight, Pick Six: UConn Cornerback Jamar Summers to the Houston Gamblers
It is nice to see Summers playing ball again because I followed his career at UConn and was one of my favorite players on dismal teams. Summers played from 2014 to 2017 where he was a really good corner in the AAC. In four seasons he made 182 tackles, 12 interceptions, and 21 pass breakups. His top season came in 2015 when he 38 tackles and a whopping 8 interceptions.
In 2018, Summers went undrafted and much like a lot of the USFL players, never made an official roster. He was cut by the Steelers in 2018, played in the AAF in 2019, and then didn’t make the Dolphins or Lions rosters in 2019. His final stint was in 2020 with the New York Guardians of the XFL. I can’t wait to watch Summers terrorize quarterbacks in the USFL.