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The inaugural USFL draft began Tuesday in Birmingham, and the first two picks were both quarterbacks who have ties to Ole Miss.
The first overall pick was Michigan quarterback Shea Patterson to the Michigan Panthers. Patterson began his college career with the Rebels for two seasons before transferring to the Wolverines. He is a former five-star recruit who had some flashes of talent while at Ole Miss, and most fans will remember the comeback he led at Texas A&M as his biggest accomplishment over two seasons.
The second overall pick was our handsome Hawaiian son Jordan Ta’amu who racked up 5,600 passing yards in two seasons at Ole Miss. Ta’amu has been on the edge of making NFL rosters since leaving the Rebels, but he hasn’t been able to stick just yet in the league.
The “Throwin’ Samoan” was drafted by the Tampa Bay Bandits, and this won’t be the first time he has been a starter in a professional league as he previously played for the St. Louis Battlehawks in the now defunct XFL.
Love the move the #Chiefs made to bring on @xfl2020 (@XFLBattleHawks) QB Jordan Ta’amu.
— Trevor Sikkema (@TampaBayTre) March 24, 2020
Fearless deep ball passer who showed a lot of confidence in the #XFL. Love the idea of Ta’amu getting to work with Andy Reid while backing up Patrick Mahomes. pic.twitter.com/dMzcgfXKfJ
Once the 35-round (sheesh) draft is complete, we’ll update with where former Rebels landed in the new league. The USFL is expected to play a 10-week regular season with every game played in Birmingham, Ala.