Revisiting the USFL 1ST Round QBs Midway Through Year 1
By Pat Rifino
The 2022 inaugural USFL had a lot of surprises. A lot of names were called that surprised a lot of people, while the USFL did see a return of several “usual” spring league suspects. One such position group that comes under a multitude of criticism is the Quarterback position. On February 22nd the USFL had its day one of players being selected with the first round being allocated for eight quarterbacks being drafted and were in attendance. Though these quarterbacks were supposed to be the “face” of the franchise, it doesn’t always work out like that. Below are the first 8 quarterbacks selected and reviewing their performance so far this year.
Michigan Panthers 1st Overall- Shea Patterson
944 Passing Yards 4 TDs 5 Ints 33 Rushing Attempts 170 Rushing Yards 2 TDs
An extremely surprising pick as many people thought Jordan Ta’amu would be the 1st overall pick for the Panthers, Patterson has been frustrating to watch. While he has been extremely entertaining and has shown extreme potential Patterson has not been able to string enough consistent passing performances for the Panthers to be in position for a playoff berth. I will say that Patterson hasn’t received much help from his supporting cast. Though the rushing attack has been dynamic, the Panthers haven’t been able to consistently provide an adequate pass protection for Patterson. That and the receiving corps has been plagued in drops (The USFL doesn’t track drops) and injuries. Overall, Patterson has been extremely middle of the pack, however, the Panthers are needing someone a little bit more than that. On the 24th of May Patterson was cut by the Panthers.
Tampa Bay Bandits 2nd Overall- Jordan Ta’amu
1,167 Passing Yards 9 TDs 5 Ints 35 Rushing Attempts 204 Rushing Yards 1 TD
Ta’amu joined the USFL after his stint in the XFL, and several stops on NFL practice squads. Ta’amu was viewed as the overall top QB and it was extremely surprising to many that he wasn’t selected number one overall. Ta’amu has had some ups and downs this season but currently ranks second in passing yards and passing touchdowns. His bandits currently rank in 3rd place in the southern division only trailing the breakers by one game for a playoff berth. With Ta’amu at the helm the Bandits are in a solid position to challenge the rest Breakers for the second playoff spot, especially with someone like Ta’amu who just came off his best game of the season in Week 6.
Philadelphia Stars 3rd Overall- Bryan Scott
558 Passing Yards 5 TDs 2 Ints 9 Rushing Attempts 23 Rushing Yards 1 TD
Scott was one the most exciting Quarterbacks to watch this year and began the season off with a bang. Scott and Head Coach Bart Andrus have a history that went back to the spring league in which Scott won Two Spring League MVPs. Scott was a league leader in touchdowns and passing yards before getting hurt. The Stars are 3-3 now despite losing Scott who is still on the team and the Stars have not re-signed another quarterback.
New Jersey Generals 4th Overall- Ben Holmes
No Stats
Holmes' career in the USFL ended before it took off. After injuring his toe, Holmes was released, and replaced by Luis Perez and De’Andre Johnson. Since his time in the USFL, Holmes has joined the Montreal Alouettes and is currently in camp with them.
Houston Gamblers 5th Overall- Clayton Thorson
917 Passing Yards 10 TDs 7 Ints 14 Rushing Attempts 66 Rushing Yards 1 TD
Thorson currently leads the USFL in passing touchdowns and is 5th in passing yards. Thorson at times has strung together extremely competent quarterback play however, remaining extremely inconsistent as well. The Gamblers who are in last place in the Southern Division are definitely a lot better than their record indicates and have lost multiple games in a heartbreak fashion. Thorson has definitely proven that he can be a successful quarterback in the USFL and though might not be making a leap to the NFL anytime soon is definitely someone the Gamblers or any USFL team can utilize going forward and help build this league.
Birmingham Stallions 6th Overall- Alex McGough
277 Passing Yards 2 TDs 2 Ints 21 Rushing Attempts 83 Rushing Yards 2 TDs
McGough was originally supposed to be the starter coming into the 2022 USFL season and due to injury and the emergence of J’Mar Smith has been regulated to a back-up role. With that being said McGough has been serviceable when called upon, and was able to lead the Stallions to a win in week 5, when Smith was out with an illness. Though the Stallions seemed to have found their “guy” in J’mar Smith, McGough remains a vital part of the team especially with them making their championship run right now.
Pittsburgh Maulers 7th Overall- Kyle Lauletta
269 Passing Yards 0 TDs 0 Ints 3 Rushing Attempts 18 Rushing Yards 0 TDs
Lauletta at one point was viewed as a Top-5 QB coming out of the 2018 draft with the Giants before bouncing around 5 NFL teams prior to him coming to the USFL. Lauletta was not able to beat out Josh Love (who was released and signed by the Panthers recently) and was released by the Maulers with the signings of Vad Lee and Roland Rivers III. Lauletta was definitely a disappointment coming into the USFL as someone who had a lot of pro potential was not able to capitalize on the opportunity when given.
New Orleans Breakers 8th Overall- Kyle Sloter
1,318 Passing Yards 7 TDs 7 Ints 13 Rushing Attempts 64 Rushing Yards 1 TD
Sloter came to the USFL as a pre-season legend and has continued to dominate through the air since getting an opportunity. Sloter leads the league in Passing Yards and is fourth in Passing Touchdowns. Sloter is on pace to best Tommy Maddux for the most passing yards in a spring/alt football season and is currently on pace for the most attempts as well. Sloter has done exactly what is needed of him for the Breakers and right now they sit at 4-2 and a one game lead over the Bandits in the Southern Division. Sloter has played so well despite being injured that it is not an outlandish thought for him to be on many teams NFL short-list.
The USFL has had Four of their Eight 1st round QBs take the majority of snaps for their respected team. That number is likely to be altered as with Shea Patterson being released, the Panthers will likely turn to Josh Love and Eric Bairrere to finish the season. Out of the Eight teams Three of them released their QBs (Generals, Panthers, Maulers) going forward into week Seven. With the league projected to come back next year many questions arise with the consistency of these players and these teams.
As we have seen so far the slow start to the league was partly a result of below average QB play and now in mid-season form we as fans have benefited from consistent play of these QBs. Regardless of the future of the league it is clear to see that the USFL overall did get it wrong with some of these picks and hopefully moving forward the league is able to continue to evaluate talent in an attempt to build a stronger league for the fans.
