The United States Football League is returning for its second season this year after an exciting and impressive debut during which the Birmingham Stallions were crowned champions.
Last season, the USFL Draft was primarily used to build the entire league, which is why you saw mainly experienced guys with various professional experiences filter their way to the USFL in season one.
This year, the USFL took a proactive approach with its roster construction and held a College Draft, which essentially is a futures draft of prospects who are in the current 2023 draft class. What makes this unique is that the league is focusing on primarily the players who would be considered Day 3-to-UDFA in the 2023 NFL Draft for this draft.
If a player doesn’t get drafted or ends up getting cut from an NFL roster this season or in the future, they will revert to the roster of the USFL team that selected them.
This year’s inaugural USFL College Draft was 10-rounds long with 80 selections. Let’s see who stood out amongst the newly drafted USFL prospects.
Birmingham Stallions
Grade: A
Round 1: Kadeem Telfort, OT, UAB
Round 2: Quinton Barrow, OT, Grand Valley State
Round 3: Malik Cunningham, QB, Louisville
Round 4: Derius Davis, WR, TCU
Round 5: Zeke Vandenburgh, DE, Illinois State
Round 6: Colby Sorsdal, OT, William & Mary
Round 7: Grant DuBose, WR, Charlotte
Round 8: Mark Evans II, OL, Arkansas Pine-Bluff
Round 9: BJ Thompson, DE, Stephen F. Austin
Round 10: Starling Thomas, DB, UAB
The Stallions did a really good job in attacking the small-college prospects, landing really good point of attack players in both OL Colby Sorsdal and Mark Evans II, as well as DE Zeke Vandenburg from Illinois State.
What I liked most
QB Malik Cunningham: 6-0 187, Louisville
Landing a true dual-threat like Cunningham just enhances the Stallions offense. Last season, they were markedly better when QB J’Mar Smith took over the job, but he’s still unclear if he is going to return to the league, so the Stallions had to look toward the future with the fleet-footed, deep ball throwing Cunningham. I caught up with him back in January after one of the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl practices.
OT Quinton Barrow: 6-5 322, Grand Valley State
Barrow more than held his own at the 2023 East-West Shrine Bowl, and he will give the Stallions a significant presence up front. He is a prospect who is equally as good in pass pro as he is in the run game, and coming out of a system similar to what he’ll see here with the Stallions, the learning curve is much shorter and puts him into the “plug-and-play” territory.
EDGE BJ Thompson: 6-5 238, Stephen F. Austin
Thompson was the talk of East-West Shrine Bowl week because of the tremendous athleticism he possessed. That was practice; in the game, he finished with two QB sacks and a couple of pressures. When I tell you he is equally as athletic going backwards as he is going forward, the Stallions will have themselves a guy who could potentially be defensive player of the year when it is all said and done.
Houston Gamblers
Grade: B
Round 1: Chase Brice, QB, Appalachian State
Round 2: Justin Ford, DB, Montana
Round 3: Joseph Fisher, G, Shepherd
Round 4: Scott Matlock, DT, Boise State
Round 5: Jeffery Johnson, DT, Oklahoma
Round 6: Keenan Isaac, DB, Alabama State
Round 7: Alex Jensen, OT, South Dakota
Round 8: Brady Russell, TE, Colorado
Round 9: Jason Taylor II, S, Oklahoma State
Round 10: Colby Reeder, LB, Iowa State
If you remember last season, the Gamblers, under then head coach Kevin Sumlin, just couldn’t finish games. Mainly because they got worn down toward the backend of contests. Newly hired coach Curtis Johnson wanted to put an emphasis on improving the talent on defense, especially at linebacker with Colby Reeder out of Iowa State, to help eradicate that issue heading into 2023.
What I liked most
DB Keenan Issac: 6-2 188, Alabama State
Issac was one of the stars of the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, showcasing the length and athleticism to make things difficult for receivers and quarterbacks as well. Because of the two aforementioned elite traits he has, he’s able to shrink space between he and the football, while also being able to close potentially open windows for the quarterback in the passing game.
DB Justin Ford: 6-0 190, Montana
Ford has really good size and man-to-man skills. This was on display in every game at Montana, where he was matched up against a team’s No. 1 wideout. Also, down at the Hula Bowl, I got an up close and personal look at the matchup skills and athleticism he brings to the table. He’s got the right amount of aggressiveness and patience to make him a top-tier cover guy for the Gamblers.
Memphis Showboats
Grade: B+
Round 1: Mason Brooks, OT, Ole Miss
Round 2: Isaiah Bolden, CB, Jackson State
Round 3: Brevin Allen, DE, Campbell
Round 4: Benny Sapp III, DB, Northern Iowa
Round 5: Michael Ezeike, TE, UCLA
Round 6: Jerome Carvin, OL, Tennessee
Round 7: Nehemiah Shelton, CB, San Jose State
Round 8: Trea Shropshire, WR, UAB
Round 9: Silas Dzansi, OL, Virginia Tech
Round 10: Antonio Fletcher, S, Southern Illinois
From the looks of it, the Showboats wanted to spotlight athleticism more than anything. That’s evident by the selections of Benny Sapp III, Trea Shropshire and Nehemiah Shelton. Needless to say, there’s an influx of talent and athleticism coming to Memphis in its inaugural season.
What I liked most
DE Brevin Allen: 6-3 262, Campbell
Allen had a great week of work at the East-West Shrine Bowl, coming off of a stellar career with the Camels. What is impressive is his heavy hands combined with his ball get off. He gets up on the offensive lineman so quickly and into his chest with those hands, and is able to get significant knockback. Camels coach Mike Minter did a fantastic job with his development.
TE Michael Ezeike: 6-5 245, UCLA
At the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, Ezeike was showcasing wide receiver-like skills from the tight end position, so it is no surprise the Showboats snagged a potential matchup nightmare at the position. He spoke with us post-practice about his versatility.The United States Football League is returning for its second season this year after an exciting and impressive debut during which the Birmingham Stallions were crowned champions.
Last season, the USFL Draft was primarily used to build the entire league, which is why you saw mainly experienced guys with various professional experiences filter their way to the USFL in season one.
This year, the USFL took a proactive approach with its roster construction and held a College Draft, which essentially is a futures draft of prospects who are in the current 2023 draft class. What makes this unique is that the league is focusing on primarily the players who would be considered Day 3-to-UDFA in the 2023 NFL Draft for this draft.
If a player doesn’t get drafted or ends up getting cut from an NFL roster this season or in the future, they will revert to the roster of the USFL team that selected them.
This year’s inaugural USFL College Draft was 10-rounds long with 80 selections. Let’s see who stood out amongst the newly drafted USFL prospects.
Birmingham Stallions
Grade: A
Round 1: Kadeem Telfort, OT, UAB
Round 2: Quinton Barrow, OT, Grand Valley State
Round 3: Malik Cunningham, QB, Louisville
Round 4: Derius Davis, WR, TCU
Round 5: Zeke Vandenburgh, DE, Illinois State
Round 6: Colby Sorsdal, OT, William & Mary
Round 7: Grant DuBose, WR, Charlotte
Round 8: Mark Evans II, OL, Arkansas Pine-Bluff
Round 9: BJ Thompson, DE, Stephen F. Austin
Round 10: Starling Thomas, DB, UAB
The Stallions did a really good job in attacking the small-college prospects, landing really good point of attack players in both OL Colby Sorsdal and Mark Evans II, as well as DE Zeke Vandenburg from Illinois State.
What I liked most
QB Malik Cunningham: 6-0 187, Louisville
Landing a true dual-threat like Cunningham just enhances the Stallions offense. Last season, they were markedly better when QB J’Mar Smith took over the job, but he’s still unclear if he is going to return to the league, so the Stallions had to look toward the future with the fleet-footed, deep ball throwing Cunningham. I caught up with him back in January after one of the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl practices.
OT Quinton Barrow: 6-5 322, Grand Valley State
Barrow more than held his own at the 2023 East-West Shrine Bowl, and he will give the Stallions a significant presence up front. He is a prospect who is equally as good in pass pro as he is in the run game, and coming out of a system similar to what he’ll see here with the Stallions, the learning curve is much shorter and puts him into the “plug-and-play” territory.
EDGE BJ Thompson: 6-5 238, Stephen F. Austin
Thompson was the talk of East-West Shrine Bowl week because of the tremendous athleticism he possessed. That was practice; in the game, he finished with two QB sacks and a couple of pressures. When I tell you he is equally as athletic going backwards as he is going forward, the Stallions will have themselves a guy who could potentially be defensive player of the year when it is all said and done.
Houston Gamblers
Grade: B
Round 1: Chase Brice, QB, Appalachian State
Round 2: Justin Ford, DB, Montana
Round 3: Joseph Fisher, G, Shepherd
Round 4: Scott Matlock, DT, Boise State
Round 5: Jeffery Johnson, DT, Oklahoma
Round 6: Keenan Isaac, DB, Alabama State
Round 7: Alex Jensen, OT, South Dakota
Round 8: Brady Russell, TE, Colorado
Round 9: Jason Taylor II, S, Oklahoma State
Round 10: Colby Reeder, LB, Iowa State
If you remember last season, the Gamblers, under then head coach Kevin Sumlin, just couldn’t finish games. Mainly because they got worn down toward the backend of contests. Newly hired coach Curtis Johnson wanted to put an emphasis on improving the talent on defense, especially at linebacker with Colby Reeder out of Iowa State, to help eradicate that issue heading into 2023.
What I liked most
DB Keenan Issac: 6-2 188, Alabama State
Issac was one of the stars of the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, showcasing the length and athleticism to make things difficult for receivers and quarterbacks as well. Because of the two aforementioned elite traits he has, he’s able to shrink space between he and the football, while also being able to close potentially open windows for the quarterback in the passing game.
DB Justin Ford: 6-0 190, Montana
Ford has really good size and man-to-man skills. This was on display in every game at Montana, where he was matched up against a team’s No. 1 wideout. Also, down at the Hula Bowl, I got an up close and personal look at the matchup skills and athleticism he brings to the table. He’s got the right amount of aggressiveness and patience to make him a top-tier cover guy for the Gamblers.
Memphis Showboats
Grade: B+
Round 1: Mason Brooks, OT, Ole Miss
Round 2: Isaiah Bolden, CB, Jackson State
Round 3: Brevin Allen, DE, Campbell
Round 4: Benny Sapp III, DB, Northern Iowa
Round 5: Michael Ezeike, TE, UCLA
Round 6: Jerome Carvin, OL, Tennessee
Round 7: Nehemiah Shelton, CB, San Jose State
Round 8: Trea Shropshire, WR, UAB
Round 9: Silas Dzansi, OL, Virginia Tech
Round 10: Antonio Fletcher, S, Southern Illinois
From the looks of it, the Showboats wanted to spotlight athleticism more than anything. That’s evident by the selections of Benny Sapp III, Trea Shropshire and Nehemiah Shelton. Needless to say, there’s an influx of talent and athleticism coming to Memphis in its inaugural season.
What I liked most
DE Brevin Allen: 6-3 262, Campbell
Allen had a great week of work at the East-West Shrine Bowl, coming off of a stellar career with the Camels. What is impressive is his heavy hands combined with his ball get off. He gets up on the offensive lineman so quickly and into his chest with those hands, and is able to get significant knockback. Camels coach Mike Minter did a fantastic job with his development.
TE Michael Ezeike: 6-5 245, UCLA
At the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, Ezeike was showcasing wide receiver-like skills from the tight end position, so it is no surprise the Showboats snagged a potential matchup nightmare at the position. He spoke with us post-practice about his versatility.
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