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Shea Patterson, Paxton Lynch top list of USFL's 10 most exciting players
By RJ Young
FOX Sports Writer
With the inaugural 2022 USFL season upon us, I decided to look at the 10 most exciting players selected for the inaugural season.
Here are my picks.
Shea Patterson, QB
USFL team: Michigan Panthers
College: Michigan
Patterson was the No. 1 overall selection in the inaugural USFL Draft.
As a former five-star prospect, he led IMG Academy to its first undefeated season as a senior in 2016.
He started games at Ole Miss and Michigan, earned All-Big Ten honors twice at the latter and finished No. 1 in Wolverines history in passing yards per game in a career (217.7).
In 2018, he was selected by the Texas Rangers in the MLB Draft. He signed a six-year contract with a $25,000 signing bonus.
In 2019, he became just the third Michigan quarterback to pass for 3,000 yards in a season, finishing with 3,061, second-most in program history. He finished his career ranked seventh at Michigan in career passing yards, with 5,661.
In the final regular-season game of his career against Ohio State, Patterson topped Tom Brady’s career passing yard total, and then he passed UM coach Jim Harbaugh in the Citrus Bowl against Alabama.
Patterson was signed by the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2020.
NFL comp: Russell Wilson
RJ Young's five most exciting USFL players
Paxton Lynch, QB
USFL: Michigan Panthers
College: Memphis
The former Memphis Tiger phenom is the only NFL first-round selection (Denver, 2016) who was chosen in the USFL Draft. His 6-foot-7, 244-pound frame makes him an intriguing player to watch, especially as he battles for the starting job with Patterson.
He left Memphis with the school record for total offense in a season (4,015 yards). It has since been broken by Riley Ferguson (4,279 in 2017).
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. Each of his seven TDs went to a different receiver.
Tampa Bay Bandits quarterback Brady White owns the school record at Memphis for passing TDs in a career, with 90. Lynch left Memphis ranked fourth all time, with 59.
NFL comp: Drew Bledsoe
John Franklin III, WR
USFL: Tampa Bay Bandits
College: Florida Atlantic
Franklin starred in the Netflix series "Last Chance U" and won a Bowl Championship Series national title at Florida State (2013) and a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2020).
A legitimate downfield threat, Franklin ran 4.40 in the 40-yard dash at FAU’s Pro Day in 2018.
NFL comp: Stefon Diggs
Jordan Ta’amu, QB
USFL: Tampa Bay Bandits
College: Ole Miss
After beginning his career at the New Mexico Military academy, Ta’amu transferred to Ole Miss, where he backed up Patterson until Patterson suffered an injury in 2017.
Ta’amu started the final five games of the 2017 season. The Rebels went 3-2 in that stretch, with a win in the Egg Bowl against rival Mississippi State. Compared to Patterson, Ta’amu finished averaging more yards per pass attempt (9.7 vs. 8.7), a better passer efficiency rating (164.5 vs. 151.5), a better completion percentage (66.5 vs. 63.8) and a better TD-INT ratio (11:4 vs. 17:9).
As a senior in 2018, Ta’amu ranked second in the SEC in passing yards (3,918) behind former Alabama signal-caller Tua Tagovailoa.
NFL comp: Josh Allen
Jordan Ta'amu's XFL highlights
Bryan Scott, QB
USFL: Philadelphia Stars
College: Occidental
Scott won a gold medal and the Most Valuable Player Award as quarterback on the U-19 U.S. International of American Football in 2014. He became one of the most accomplished players in the history of Occidental College, where the play-by-play announcer, Mike Wells, nicknamed him "Division III Aaron Rodgers."
At Occidental, Scott was named to the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference First Team twice (2015, '16) and won SCIAC Newcomer of the Year (2013) and Player of the Year (2016). He also earned the MVP award in The Spring League in 2018 and '20 and led the Generals to The Spring League title in 2020.
NFL comp: Aaron Rodgers (obviously)
Bryan Scott's highlights in the TSL
Mike Weber, RB
USFL: New Jersey Generals
College: Ohio State
Weber rushed for 1,096 yards as a spell back on the 2016 Buckeyes squad behind first-round selection and current Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott.
He averaged nearly six yards per carry while No. 2 on the depth chart behind J.K. Dobbins in 2017 and '18 and accounted for more than 1,000 yards from scrimmage in two of his three years in Columbus. In 2018, Dobbins rushed for 1,053 yards on 230 rushes. Weber rushed for 954 yards on just 172 rushes.
Weber ran 4.47 at the 2019 NFL Scouting Combine and was selected by the Cowboys in the seventh round of the NFL Draft. He won a Super Bowl ring as a member of the 2019 Chiefs.
NFL comp: Clyde Edwards-Helaire
RJ Young's 10 most exciting USFL players
Scooby Wright, ILB
USFL: Birmingham Stallions
College: Arizona
Wright is one of the best collegiate linebackers of the past decade. In 2014, he recorded one of the best linebacker seasons of the century, with 164 tackles, including 31 tackles for loss, 15 sacks and five forced fumbles.
For that 2014 performance, Wright earned recognition as a unanimous All-American and finished ninth in Heisman voting. He also won the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, the Chuck Bednarik Award (both awarded to the nation’s best defensive player) and the Lombardi Award (player who best embodies the values and spirit of legendary coach Vince Lombardi).
NFL comp: Luke Kuechly
Jordan Moore, OLB
USFL: Philadelphia Stars
College: University of Texas-San Antonio
Moore is a four-time Power 5 hurdle champion. 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).
Then he grad-transferred to the University of Texas-San Antonio to play football for former LSU coach Frank Wilson. There, he became a safety. At 6-foot-3, 227 pounds, he ran 4.41 in the 40-yard dash at a regional combine in 2017 after running 4.37 as a high school senior nearly 20 pounds lighter.
He was selected seventh among outside linebackers in the 29th round — the first round OLBs were available for selection — in the USFL’s unique snake draft.
NFL comp: Jamal Adams
Jeff Badet, WR
USFL: Michigan Panthers
College: Oklahoma
After a standout career at Kentucky, Badet became a graduate transfer to Oklahoma, where he played for Bob Stoops. He caught 26 passes for 400 yards with three touchdowns during the 2017 season, which ended with OU securing the Big 12 title and an invitation to the College Football Playoff. Badet's quarterback, Baker Mayfield, won the Heisman Trophy that season.
At OU’s pro day in 2017, Badet turned heads with a 4.27 40-yard dash. Had he run that time at the NFL Combine, he would’ve been the second-fastest human in Indianapolis — faster than wide receiver Curtis Samuel and cornerback Marshon Lattimore.
Badet has played for four NFL teams since graduating from Oklahoma.
NFL comp: DeSean Jackson
Brennan Eagles, WR
USFL: Philadelphia Stars
College: Texas
Eagles is a big target capable of big plays. At 6-foot-4, 230 pounds, he averaged 16.8 yards per catch in three years at Texas.
In Bart Andrus' offense, in which the quarterback will throw the ball between 30 and 40 times per game, I’m interested to see if Eagles becomes one of QB Scott’s preferred targets.
NFL comp: Tee Higgins
RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports and the host of the podcast "The No. 1 Ranked Show with RJ Young." Follow him on Twitter at @RJ_Young, and subscribe to "The RJ Young Show" on YouTube. He is not on a StepMill.
