The 2022 USFL Draft is well underway, with Tuesday kicking off this iteration of the USFL’s inaugural player draft. The 35-round lottery draft will conclude Wednesday once the eight USFL squads come together.
The draft pool is comprised of roughly 500 players who have already put their names in the ring. Any player who graduated high school in 2020 or earlier is technically draft-eligible.
The season is about two months away, giving these teams a short timeframe to truly come together before we get into the action. Instead of a traditional draft style, the 2022 USFL Draft rounds are broken up by position, beginning with quarterbacks. Let’s dive into the signal-callers each team chose to lead them to glory this season.
USFL Round 1 Results
| Pick | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shea Patterson | Panthers |
| 2 | Jordan Ta'amu | Bandits |
| 3 | Bryan Scott | Stars |
| 4 | Ben Holmes | Generals |
| 5 | Clayton Thorson | Gamblers |
| 6 | Alex McGough | Stallions |
| 7 | Kyle Lauletta | Maulers |
| 8 | Kyle Sloter | Breakers |
The Michigan Panthers selected Shea Patterson with the first overall pick. Patterson, who played at both Ole Miss and Michigan, passed for 8,800 yards and 68 touchdowns to just 27 interceptions during his college career.
Jordan Ta’amu, who graduated from Ole Miss in 2018, will lead the Tampa Bay Bandits after they selected him second overall. Ta’amu only saw action during two seasons but still boasts 5,600 career pass yards, as well as 30 touchdowns to 12 interceptions.
Bryan Scott, who played at the Division III level at Occidental College, was taken third by the Philadelphia Stars. With 9,073 career pass yards, Scott holds both the SCIAC conference record and an Occidental record.
When Does the USFL Season Start?
New Jersey and Birmingham meet in the campaign’s opening contest, on April 16.
Each team gets 10 games, with half of the clubs receiving playoff berths. All contests are held in Birmingham, Ala.
USFL head coaching staffs are littered with notable names, including Jeff Fisher (Panthers), Kevin Sumlin (Gamblers), Todd Haley (Bandits) and Skip Holtz (Generals).
Recently, the league announced a partnership with Sportradar, which will serve as the league’s official integrity partner and data provider.
In regards to sports betting markets, the USFL must receive approval from regulators. Once added to the approved events list in states, books can begin offering odds on the USFL.
