He bounced around practice squads in the NFL before getting to the USFL. Is the team any good? Taamu gained some traction during his time with the St. Louis BattleHawks, as he became one of the best quarterbacks the XFL had to offer. Head coach Skip Holtz is his own offensive coordinator (with longtime SEC assistant John Chavis running the defense) and that decision has paid off. The former Memphis Tiger phenom is the only NFL first-round selection (Denver, 2016) who was chosen in the USFL Draft. 1 overall selection in the inaugural USFL Draft. Once the USFL playoffs are over, players in the four-team tournament should be able to target NFL contracts as well. In his final two seasons at Michigan, Stribling recorded 15 pass deflections and 6 interceptions. He would go on to be selected in the third round of the 2017 NFL draft by the Tennessee Titans, and traded to the Cleveland Browns two years later. Still only 24 years old, Taamu could make sense as a developmental QB for a number of NFL clubs. You can read his other work here and follow him on Twitter: @dallasdrobinson. A year later, he became the XFLs rushing yards leader as a member of the Tampa Bay Vipers. Odom most recently played for the CFLs Calgary Stampeders in 2021, where he recorded 5 tackles in 3 games. (Ryan Gonzalez/USFL). And hes done it on just 81 attempts, which is 34 fewer than the USFLs No. In 2018, he won the Senior Bowl MVP, and would go on to be a fourth-round draft pick by the New York Giants. Defensively, former Ole Miss linebacker DeMarquis Gates has five sacks in seven weeks, along with two forced fumbles, an interception and two pass breakups. Pittsburghs head coach infamously released running back DeVeon Smith when Smith asked for pizza instead of chicken salad at a team meal. Odom didnt play at a large college football program like some other players on this list, but that didnt stop him from making as many plays as possible. Taywan Taylor, WR: Taylor played for the Browns and the Tennessee Titans from 2017 to 2020. Davin Bellamy had three sacks in the opener and has been a presence on the edge. But Scarbroughs addition to a backfield that already included ex-Coastal Carolina running back CJ Marable gives Birmingham playmaking options outside of the QB spot (which has featured both JMar Smith and Alex McGough). In 2019, Smith had 6 rushing touchdowns in the AAF. At 6-foot-4, 230 pounds, he averaged 16.8 yards per catch in three years at Texas. The second overall pick in the USFL draft, Taamu has NFL practice squad/offseason roster experience with the Chiefs, Lions, Commanders, and Panthers. Blair Brown, LB: Brown was a linebacker and played in 28 games for the Jaguars in 2017 and 2018. 
He appeared in 20 games and had six total tackles. Channing Stribling may have more experience in professional football leagues than any player in the country. In a game against Memphis, Lynch tied the FBS record for passing TDs in a half with seven against Southern Methodist, hitting nine of 14 passes for 222 yards. These players have shown enough to earn deals with NFL teams. Tae Hayes, CB: Hayes played six games in the NFL with the Dolphins, Jacksonville Jaguars and Minnesota Vikings in 2019 and 2020. Badet's quarterback, Baker Mayfield, won the Heisman Trophy that season. He was with the Arizona Cardinals when he was suspended for gambling on NFL games in 2020. He appeared in nine games and had four tackles. Undrafted in 2017, Stribling spent time on five different NFL rosters before spells in the AAF, XFL and CFL. Smith may be exiting his prime at the age of 27, but still appears to have enough gas left in the tank to be at the top of USFL leaderboards. Welcome to the Breakers, Taywan Taylor #GeauxBlueWave pic.twitter.com/AgTmm4VMYz. JMar Smith delivers! He had one catch for two yards. He was reinstated in 2021.
It is not. With the inaugural 2022 USFL season upon us, I decided to look at the 10 most exciting players selected for the inaugural season. Pittsburgh has failed to score 20 points in five of its seven games.
Story tips can be sent to Ryan.Gaydos@fox.com. He had 76 combined tackles and a sack. Plus, hes still only 22 years old, so he has youth on his side. Chris Orr, LB: Orr was signed as a linebacker in 2020 for the Panthers. or redistributed. (Ryan Gonzalez/USFL). Adams might be the guy to watch down the road. John Franklin III, WRUSFL: Tampa Bay BanditsCollege: Florida Atlantic. Sloter can be viewed as somewhat of a sleeper pick, since he was the last quarterback taken in round one. Ahmad Dixon, S: Dixon played in the NFL in 2014. He had nine sacks in 68 games. Nick Rose, K: Rose has made some appearances in NFL games. The championship game is slated for July 3 (7:30 p.m., Fox). Hes been on offseason/practice rosters with the Texans, Bengals, Titans, 49ers, and Chargers, but hes yet to play an NFL snap. Corbin, though, has emerged as the leagues leading rusher through seven games (513 yards). In the final regular-season game of his career against Ohio State, Patterson topped Tom Bradys career passing yard total, and then he passed UM coach Jim Harbaugh in the Citrus Bowl against Alabama. Luis Perez, QB: Perez played in the XFL for the New York Guardians in 2020 before the league shut down because of the coronavirus. Weve seen kickers like Younghoe Koo and Nick Folk use spring league success as a springboard to an NFL opportunity, and Cole Murphy could be next on that list. He even took over punting duties for one game, so hes versatile too. JMon Moore, WR: Moore also played for the Packers for a short time. Bryan Scott of the Philadelphia Stars throws a pass. Still, his shot in the NFL would likely come on special teams. Lauletta was one of the best quarterbacks at the FCS level for three seasons (2015-2017) throwing for over 10,000 yards and accounting for almost 90 total touchdowns. Dating back to his days at Illinois, Corbin has been a patient runner with good vision and feet. He was in The Spring League and the Canadian Football League before getting to the USFL. Then, this past weekend, Wilson benched starting quarterback Vad Lee late in a close game after commenting while micd up about Lees body language. 10 top USFL players that could land NFL contracts, Victor Bolden Jr., WR, Birmingham Stallions, Marlon Williams, WR, Birmingham Stallions, Davin Bellamy, EDGE, New Orleans Breakers, Channing Stribling, CB, Philadelphia Stars, use spring league success as a springboard to an NFL opportunity. He finished his career ranked seventh at Michigan in career passing yards, with 5,661. This is, of course, the only team in the league with any type of home-field advantage. New Orleans is 5-2. Rogers should have an immediate impact in Tampas offense, especially with Jordan Taamu throwing in his direction. The quality of football is certainly going to be great, but the technology were going to be bringing football fans is off the charts. After playing at Michigan, Stribling bounced around the NFL with the Browns, Colts, 49ers, and Chargers. Nate Holley, S: Holley played three games for the Miami Dolphins in 2020 and had three total tackles. Tampa has given Taamu some great weapons to work with, and it will be exciting for all fans to see him on the football field again. He signed with the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent in 2017, but didnt see much action until he landed with the Washington Redskins (now Commanders) in 2019. 2 and No. The Tampa Bay Bandits selected Rogers in the 13th round of the USFL draft. Every day, get free NFL updates sent straight to your inbox! He had 78 catches for 822 yards and four touchdowns from 2016 to 2018 with the Steelers. "Its even more than that. Copyright 2019-2022. After starting the year off right with three sacks in the season opener, Davin Bellamy cooled down over the rest of the season and finished with only 5 1/2 total sacks. If youre doing the math on Corbins line, hes popping at a ridiculous 6.3 yards-per-carry clip. Wright will be a familiar face to both teammates and fans, and perhaps there will be flashes of the potential seen eight years ago. Were gonna have a drone flying over the field. Both the playoff round and the title game will be held in Canton, Ohio. He had a 12-game run in 2018, mostly returning kicks. Sal Cannella was a wide receiver for Auburn from 2017-19, but he never topped 12 receptions or 200 yards in a single season. Youre going to be able to watch this sport that we all love in a totally different way. Follow him on Twitter at @RJ_Young, and subscribe to "The RJ Young Show" on YouTube. Is the team any good? Eli Rogers is reunited with Todd Haley. He signed a six-year contract with a $25,000 signing bonus. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions.
Tampa Bay Bandits quarterback Brady White owns the school record at Memphis for passing TDs in a career, with 90. After beginning his college football career as a running back and special-teams player and winning the 2014 indoor and outdoor Big 12 Conference title in the 60-meter and 110-meter hurdles at Texas Christian, he transferred to LSU, where he won the 2016 indoor and outdoor titles (60-meter, 110-meter hurdles). It will be a surprise if Odom is not in an NFL camp this summer. Its been more of a struggle of late, and the offense even with weapons like Corbin and wide receivers Lance Lenoir and Devin Ross hasnt been able to finish off enough drives. 2 overall USFL pick by the Tampa Bay Bandits, from his time as a member of the St. Louis BattleHawks in the XFL. Chris Odom, DE: Odom played for Washington and the Green Bay Packers from 2017 to 2019. "I think what people will understand when they see these players play is that COVID really messed up the transition from college to the NFL. Depending on health, dont be surprised to see Bolden who has also been one of the leagues top kick/punt returners in a camp again this summer. Dallas Robinson is a Writer and News Editor at Pro Football Network. This type of versatility was demonstrated with the XFLs New York Guardians, as he recorded the most sacks in the league (4.5). Market data provided by Factset. The Stallions will help him do just that, and it could give the team (and the league as a whole) some serious credibility in the future. Lynch left Memphis ranked fourth all time, with 59. Jordan Taamu, QBUSFL: Tampa Bay BanditsCollege: Ole Miss. With a plan so simple it just might work, Mike Rileys team has produced the leagues top offense via an efficient run game built by offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Steven Smith. He played in 14 games and had 22 tackles. Hes got NFL size at 63, 214 pounds. If nothing else, Stribling probably has a great jersey collection. He would end up being taken with one of the final picks in the seventh round, but still managed to stay on rosters through 2019. Moore is a four-time Power 5 hurdle champion. Terry Poole, Robert Myers and Evan Heim have also made contributions here. Vadal Alexander, G: The offensive lineman played for the Raiders in 2016 and 2017.