Tag: USFL

Former Raiders practice squad QB Kyle Sloter selected in first round of USFL Draft

The USFL is holding its draft. And former Raiders practice squad QB Kyle Sloter was just selected in first round

You may or may not know this, but the USFL is back. Yes, THAT USFL. The one that originally formed in 1985 and lasted just one season before folding is making another run at it 37 years later.

Their inaugural draft is currently being held and is in day two.

Day one began with, as you might expect, quarterbacks. With all eight teams making their selection for who they hope will be their starter.

The number one overall pick by the Michigan Panthers was former Michigan QB Shea Patterson. And the final pick of that first round was recent Raiders practice squad QB Kyle Sloter.

The 6-5 Sloter went undrafted out of Northern Colorado in 2017. Initially he was signed by the Denver Broncos. After being signed to various practice squads over a four-year period, including the Vikings, Cardinals, and Bears, he was signed by the Raiders to a reserve/future contract in January of 2021.

Sloter was released in April, but brought back once the team formed their practice squad in September and remained on the practice squad most of the season until the Vikings signed him to their active roster on December 29 only to waive him five days later.

Now, starting in April, he will have the opportunity to show his skills in actual games to try to prove to NFL clubs that he deserves another shot.

Former Tiger signs with new team

A former Clemson Tiger was drafted by a professional team on Wednesday. The Philadelphia Stars of the new USFL spring football league selected former Clemson wide receiver, Diondre Overton, with the first pick in the 16th round on the second day of …

A former Clemson Tiger was drafted by a professional team on Wednesday.

The Philadelphia Stars of the new USFL spring football league selected former Clemson wide receiver, Diondre Overton, with the first pick in the 16th round on the second day of the inaugural USFL draft.

Overton, 23, played 51 games over four seasons at Clemson from 2016-20, winning national championships with the Tigers in 2016 and 2018.

During his college career, the 6-4, 210-pound native of Greensboro, North Carolina recorded 52 receptions for 777 receiving yards and seven touchdowns.

Overton signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the Canadian Football League this past summer but was released by the team shortly after. He was most recently with the Vienna Vikings of the European League of Football.

The USFL is scheduled to kick off on April 16.

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Ex-Broncos DB Orion Stewart was the 3rd safety picked in USFL draft

Orion Stewart, a former Broncos college free agent signee, was the third safety selected in the USFL draft.

Former Denver Broncos defensive back Orion Stewart was selected by the Michigan Panthers in the 18th round of the USFL draft on Wednesday (the first round dedicated to safety selections).

Stewart, 28, was the third safety picked, behind Shalom Luani (New Jersey Generals) and Jack Tocho (Philadelphia Stars). In Michigan, Stewart will reunite with former teammate Paxton Lynch, who was selected by the Panthers as their No. 2 quarterback.

Stewart signed with the Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2017 after recording 12 interceptions and earning two first-team All-Big 12 honors in four seasons at Baylor. Stewart failed to make Denver’s 53-man roster as a rookie as Will Parks and Jamal Carter secured the final two safety spots.

After playing in preseason with the Broncos, Stewart went on to spend time with the Buffalo Bills, Washington Football Team, New York Giants and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He never appeared in a regular season game in the NFL, but he’ll have a strong chance to start in the USFL.

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Son of legendary former Eagles WR Vince Papale selected in the USFL draft by Tampa Bay Bandits

Vinny #Papale, the son of legendary former #Philadelphia #Eagles WR Vince #Papale was selected in the 17th round of the #USFL draft by #TampaBay #Bandits

Philadelphia is the town of blue-collar workers and the rags to riches story of Rocky Balboa, or even a Vince Papale.

During the 1976 season, a then 30-year-old Papale earned a spot on Dick Vermeil’s Eagles roster with no prior NFL experience.

That story turned into a Hollywood movie centered around Papale’s journey, and now decades later, his son is writing his own story.

Vinny Papale played wide receiver at the University of Delaware, and after a solid senior season, the Eagles invited him to their local Pro Day back in 2019.

Now Papale is taking his talents to the USFL, becoming the final pick of the Tampa Bay Bandits in the 17th round on Tuesday.

The clubs which reside in NFL cities like Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Houston, will begin their inaugural 10-game regular season in Birmingham, with the playoffs set for Canton, Ohio.

As a Senior, Papale Jr. had 36 catches, for 618 yards and six touchdowns.

In May 2020, he signed with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL), but his initial season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and he was released in October.

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Ex-Broncos DB De’Vante Bausby was the 3rd CB picked in USFL draft

De’Vante Bausby, who played in 15 games for the Broncos from 2019-2020, was the third cornerback selected in the USFL draft.

Former Denver Broncos cornerback De’Vante Bausby was selected by the New Jersey Generals in the eighth round of the USFL draft on Tuesday evening (the first round dedicated to cornerback selections).

Bausby was the third cornerback to go off the board, behind Channing Stribling (Philadelphia Stars) and Delrick Abrams (Tampa Bay Bandits).

Bausby, 29, has had quite the football journey. After playing college football at Pittsburg State, he joined the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2015. After two years in Chicago, Bausby went on to have brief stints with the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles from 2017-2018.

In 2019, Bausby played for the San Antonio Commanders in the Alliance of American Football. He played so well in the AAF that Bausby caught the eye of the Broncos, who signed him after the AAF shut down.

Originally signed merely as a depth player, Bausby ended up being a key member of Denver’s secondary due to injuries at cornerback. He appeared in 15 games over two seasons in two different stints with the Broncos, breaking up eight passes.

Bausby also spent time with the Arizona Cardinals, Las Vegas Raiders and New England Patriots before landing in the USFL.

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Ex-Broncos OLB Ahmad Gooden selected in USFL draft

Ex-Broncos OLB Ahmad Gooden was selected by the Houston Gamblers in the third round of the USFL draft on Tuesday.

Former Denver Broncos outside linebacker Ahmad Gooden was selected by the Houston Gamblers in the third round of the USFL draft on Tuesday evening. Gooden (26) was the 13th edge defender to go off the board.

Gooden (6-2, 245 pounds) signed with the Broncos as a college free agent out of Samford following the 2019 NFL draft. The edge defender totaled 53 tackles and four sacks in his final season with the Bulldogs.

In the NFL, Gooden made Denver’s 53-man roster as a rookie and appeared in three games that season, totaling one tackle and one quarterback hit. He was cut by the Broncos late in the 2019 season and then finished the year with the New York Jets.

After failing to make the Jets’ final roster in 2020, Gooden had a brief stint with the Buffalo Bills. Last year, Gooden played for the TSL Conquerors in The Spring League. He’s now set to play in the USFL this spring.

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9 USFL Day 1 draft picks who used to play in the NFL, including Paxton Lynch

Some names you might recognize!

The USFL is back! And after we got a look at the eight teams’ uniforms and helmets, the franchises in the rebooted United States Football League, those squads are getting a roster.

Day 1 of the USFL draft is done, and there were a few recognizable names on the list for NFL fans — as you saw in the headline, Paxton Lynch (the former first-round QB taken out of Memphis by the Denver Broncos in 2016) is on a roster. He’s now a member of the Michigan Panthers, who made him the last pick of Round 12, which was all quarterbacks.

Who else might you recognize? Here you go:

3 ex-Broncos QBs selected in USFL draft

Former Broncos quarterbacks Kyle Sloter, Paxton Lynch and Case Cookus were selected in the USFL draft.

When Paxton Lynch was cut by his CFL team, we thought the quarterback’s football career might be over. That speculation proved to be premature.

After selecting former Michigan quarterback Shea Patterson with the first overall pick of the USFL draft on Tuesday evening, the Michigan Panthers later added Lynch in the 12th round (the second round dedicated to QBs).

Lynch, a former Denver Broncos first-round draft pick, now appears poised to serve as Patterson’s backup in the new league this spring.

Another former Broncos quarterback, preseason fan favorite Kyle Sloter, was picked by the New Orleans Breakers in the first round. Kyle seems to be the early favorite in New Orleans to start over 12th-round pick Zach Smith.

A third ex-Denver QB, Case Cookus, was drafted by the Philadelphia Stars in the 12th round after Philly picked Bryan Scott in the first round. Cookus had a cup of coffee with the Broncos last May.

The USFL will wrap up its inaugural draft on Wednesday.

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Ex-Giants Clayton Thorson, Kyle Lauletta selected in USFL draft

Three former New York Giants quarterbacks, including Clayton Thorson and Kyle Lauletta, were selected on Day 1 of the USFL Player Draft.

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The 35-round inaugural USFL Player Draft kicked off on Tuesday night in Birmingham, Alabama with 12 rounds — each specific to a single position — completed.

First up were the quarterbacks and at No. 5 overall, former New York Giants backup Clayton Thorson got the nod. He is headed to the Houston Gamblers.

The 26-year-old Thorson was originally signed by the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2019. The former Northwestern star then spent two seasons with the Dallas Cowboys before joining the Giants in 2020.

Thorson spent two years with the Giants, but never appeared in a regular season game.

Two picks later at No. 7 overall, the Pittsburgh Maulers drafted ex-Giant Kyle Lauletta.

Lauletta was a fourth-round pick of the Giants in the 2018 NFL draft, but his career in East Rutherford was short-lived. He was waived as a part of final roster cuts in 2019 and went on to play for the Philadelphia Eagles, Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars.

In two career games, both with the Giants, Lauletta went 0-for-5 passing and compiled -2 yards rushing (kneel down).

In addition to Thorson and Lauletta, former Giants quarterback Case Cookus (2020) was also selected by the Philadelphia Stars in Round 12.

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Former Ohio State receiver joins USFL

Former Ohio State receiver joins USFL #GoBucks #USFL #USFLDraft

We are now in day two of the United States Football League draft and the USFL is starting day two off with the receiver group and technically the first former Buckeye off the board was Jonathan Newsome, who played sparingly and was better remembered for his time at Ball State, but the second day we see a more memorable face in Johnnie Dixon.

Dixon was selected by the New Orleans Breakers with the sixth pick in the 14th round. Now it needs to be noted that the USFL Draft designates their draft rounds to specific positions for some silly reason. Dixon was a former four-star recruit that struggled with injuries, but played well and went undrafted in 2019. He had cups of coffee with the Houston Texans, Arizona Cardinals, and Dallas Cowboys and is now ready to dominate the USFL.