Guess who’s back, back again? Another experimental football league is back, tell a friend!

After the original United States Football League (USFL) folded in 1990, it looked like all of the experimental spring football leagues were done for once and for all. For a while, that remained true. It wasn’t until the American Alliance of Football (AAF) took the reins of this business opportunity in early 2018 that we got to experience the joy of more football while the NFL was in its offseason. This would not last long, however, as the league would go bankrupt and fold after just a few months in existence. Many of the other experimental football leagues would do the same (partly due to COVID-19). However, the USFL is back with no connection to the past ownership that led to its downfall. 

The USFL held a supplemental draft for all of the eight teams that will spearhead this league. The most exciting of the 35 rounds (with each round representing a position) of this draft was the first, the quarterback round, as many former NFL quarterbacks that did not pan out were selected to take charge of their new franchises in the USFL. The results follow (FoxSports.com): 

1. Michigan Panthers: Shea Patterson
2. Tampa Bay Bandits: Jordan Ta’amu 
3. Philadelphia Stars: Bryan Scott
4. New Jersey Generals: Ben Holmes
5. Houston Gamblers: Clayton Thorson
6. Birmingham Stallions: Alex McGough
7. Pittsburgh Maulers: Kyle Lauletta
8. New Orleans Breakers: Kyle Sloter

While the expectations for the USFL Draft were not exactly high, it is surprising that the talent level is this low. While the AAF and Xtreme Football League (XFL) did not have nearly the same amount of talent as the NFL does, there were still many recognizable names for fan to watch out for. 

On the other hand, the USFL has recognizable names but it is clear that there is a massive drop off in talent compared to that of the XFL and even the AAF. 

Shea Patterson had a solid career at the University of Michigan and, in my opinion, is the second best quarterback in the draft behind Ta’amu. Scott, Holmes and Sloter all will not pan out to be great, in my opinion, and Thorson, McGough and Lauletta are only slightly better than them.

Overall, the new quarterback group for the USFL is not that enticing and I can’t see major success coming for the league. On the other hand, it is great to see additional minor-league football leagues beginning to take their chance at helping to develop players that want to still live out their dreams. Who knows, maybe Patterson or Ta’amu will wind up back in the NFL and bring home a Super Bowl ring.