Former NFL first-round pick Paxton Lynch taken in USFL draft; ex-Michigan QB Shea Patterson goes No. 1

Former Michigan Wolverines quarterback Shea Patterson was the No. 1 pick in the 2022 USFL draft by the Michigan Panthers.

The first round of the USFL draft was held Tuesday night with each of the league's eight teams selecting a quarterback.

Patterson, a five-star quarterback prospect in high school, was the top-rated QB in his recruiting class and ranked No. 4 overall, according to 247sports. Patterson played two seasons at Ole Miss before transferring to Michigan for the 2018 season. Patterson participated in the 2020 Senior Bowl, as well as the NFL scouting combine, but went undrafted and was signed as a rookie free agent by the Kansas City Chiefs. He was waived by the Chiefs on July 10, 2020. After stints with two Canadian Football League teams, Patterson now finds himself in the upstart USFL.

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With the No. 2 pick, the Tampa Bay Bandits selected former Ole Miss QB Jordan Ta'amu, who has prior experience in upstart spring football leagues having played for the St. Louis BattleHawks of the XFL in 2020.

With the final selection Tuesday night, the Michigan Panthers took quarterback Paxton Lynch, who was a first-round selection (No. 26) overall in the 2016 NFL draft. Lynch played two seasons with the Denver Broncos, making four starts. Lynch's last NFL opportunity came in 2020 with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who made Lynch one of their final cuts in as the team trimmed the roster down to 53 players.

Round 1 (quarterbacks)

1. Michigan Panthers — Shea Patterson, Michigan

2. Tampa Bay Bandits — Jordan Ta'amu, Ole Miss

3. Philadelphia Stars — Bryan Scott, Occidental College

4. New Jersey Generals — Ben Holmes, Tarleton State

5. Houston Gamblers — Clayton Thorson, Northwestern

6. Birmingham Stallions — Alex McGough, Florida International

7. Pittsburgh Maulers — Kyle Lauletta, Richmond

8. New Orleans Breakers — Kyle Sloter, Northern Colorado

Round 2 (edge/DE)

1. New Orleans Breakers — Davin Bellamy, Georgia

2. Pittsburgh Maulers — Carlo Kemp, Michigan

3. Birmingham Stallions — Aaron Adeoye, SE Missouri State

4. Houston Gamblers — Chris Odom, Arkansas State

5. New Jersey Generals — Bryson Young, Oregon

6. Philadelphia Stars — Freedom Akinmoladun, Nebraska

7. Tampa Bay Bandits — Mekhi Brown, Alabama

8. Michigan Panthers — Adewale Adeoye, Utah State

Round 3 (edge/DE)

1. Michigan Panthers — Cavon Walker, Maryland

2. Tampa Bay Bandits — Michael Scott, Oklahoma State

3. Philadelphia Stars — Gus Cumberlander, Oregon

4. New Jersey Generals — Kolin Hill, Texas Tech

5. Houston Gamblers — Ahmad Gooden, Samford

6. Birmingham Stallions — Chauncy Haney, North Greenville

7. Pittsburgh Maulers — Nasir Player, East Tennessee State

8. New Orleans Breakers — Anree Saint-Amour, Georgia Tech

Round 4 (edge/DE)

1. New Orleans Breakers — James Folston Jr., Pitt

2. Pittsburgh Maulers — Eric Assoua, Western Michigan

3. Birmington Stallions — Seth Thomas, Northern Iowa

4. Houston Gamblers — Drequan Brown, Central Oklahoma

5. New Jersey Generals — Malik Hammer, Jackson State

6. Philadelphia Stars — Carroll Phillips, Illinois

7. Tampa Bay Bandits — Adam Shuler, Florida

8. Michigan Panthers — Chase DeMoor, Central Washington

9. New Orleans Breakers — Nigel Chavis, Norfolk State (Breakers will pass on pick in future round as a result of extra pick)

10. Birmingham Stallions — Jonathan Newsome, Ball State (Stallions will pass on pick in future round as a result of extra pick)

Round 5 (offensive tackles)

1. Pittsburgh Maulers — Chidi Okeke, Tennessee State

2. Birmingham Stallions — Darius Harper, Cincinnati

3. Houston Gamblers — Brandon Hitner, Villanova

4. New Orleans Breakers — Paul Adams, Missouri

5. Michigan Panthers — Keith Williams, Colorado State

6. New Jersey Generals — Garrett McGhin, East Carolina

7. Philadelphia Stars — Blake Alan Camper, South Carolina

8. Tampa Bay Bandits — Tyler Catalina, Georgia

Round 6 (offensive tackles)

1. Tampa Bay Bandits — Corbin Kaufusi, BYU

2. Philadelphia Stars — Michael Rodriguez III, Louisiana Tech

3. New Jersey Generals — Calvin Ashley, Auburn

4. Michigan Panthers — Teton Saltes, New Mexico

5. New Orleans Breakers — Donnell Greene, Minnesota

6. Houston Gamblers — Avery Gennesy, Texas A&M

7. Birmingham Stallions — O'Shea Dugas, Louisiana Tech

8. Pittsburgh Maulers — Isaiah Battle, Clemson

Round 7 (offensive tackles)

1. Pittsburgh Maulers — Charles Baldwin, Youngstown State

2. Birmingham Stallions — Justice Powers, UAB

3. Houston Gamblers — John Yarbrough, Richmond

4. New Orleans Breakers — Marquis Lucas, West Virginia

5. Michigan Panthers — Joshua Dunlop, UTSA

6. New Jersey Generals — Terry Poole, San Diego State

7. Philadelphia Stars — Jacob Paul Burton, Baylor

8. Tampa Bay Bandits — Juwann Bushel-Beatty, Michigan

9. Birmingham Stallions — Matthew Snow, Pace (Stallions will pass on pick in future round as a result of extra pick)

10. Michigan Panthers — Joshua Taylor, Mississippi Valley State (Panthers will pass on pick in future round as a result of extra pick)

Round 8 (cornerbacks)

1. Tampa Bay Bandits — Delrick Abrams, Jr., Colorado

2. Philadelphia Stars — Channing Stribling, Michigan

3. New Jersey Generals — De'Vante Bausby, Pittsburgh State

4. Michigan Panthers — Tino Ellis, Maryland

5. New Orleans Breakers — Adonis Alexander, Virginia Tech

6. Houston Gamblers — Jamar Summers, UConn

7. Birmingham Stallions — Brian Allen, Utah

8. Pittsburgh Maulers — Ajene Harris, USC

Round 9 (cornerbacks)

1. Pittsburgh Maulers — Terrell Bonds, Tennessee State

2. Birmingham Stallions — Tae Hayes, Appalachian State

3. Houston Gamblers — Will Likely, Maryland

4. New Orleans Breakers — Derrick Jones, Ole Miss

5. Michigan Panthers — Jameson Houston, Baylor

6. New Jersey Generals — Trae Elston, Ole Miss

7. Philadelphia Stars — Marcus Lewis, Maryland

8. Tampa Bay Bandits — Davante Davis, Texas

Round 10 (cornerbacks)

1. Tampa Bay Bandits — Christian Campbell, Penn State

2. Philadelphia Stars — Mazzi Wilkins, South Florida

3. New Jersey Generals — David Rivers, Youngstown State

4. Michigan Panthers — Dominique Martin, Tarleton State

5. New Orleans Breakers — Manny Patterson, Maine

6. Houston Gamblers — Howard Wilson, Houston

7. Birmingham Stallions — Bryan Mills, North Carolina Central

8. Pittsburgh Maulers — Prince Robinson, Tarleton State

Round 11 (cornerbacks)

1. Pittsburgh Maulers — Jaylon McClain-Sapp, Marshall

2. Birmingham Stallions — Lorenzo Burns, Arizona

3. Houston Gamblers — Jerry Cantave, William Jewell College

4. New Orleans Breakers — Ja'Len Embry, Northern Illinois

5. Michigan Panthers — Jalin Burrell, New Mexico

6. New Jersey Generals — DeJuan Neal, Shepherd

7. Philadelphia Stars — Bradley Sylve, Alabama

8. Tampa Bay Bandits — Rashard Causey Jr., Central Florida

9. New Orleans Breakers — Isiah "Ike" Brown, Florida International (Breakers will pass on pick in future round as a result of extra pick)

Round 12 (quarterbacks)

1. New Orleans Breakers — Zach Smith, Tulsa

2. Pittsburgh Maulers — Josh Love, San Jose State

3. Birmingham Stallions — J'Mar Davis-Smith, Louisiana Tech

4. Houston Gamblers — Kenji Bahar, Monmouth

5. New Jersey Generals — De'Andre Johnson, Texas Southern

6. Philadelphia Stars — Case Cookus, Northern Arizona

7. Tampa Bay Bandits — Brady White, Memphis

8. Michigan Panthers — Paxton Lynch, Memphis

Wednesday's draft schedule

Rounds 13-17: Wide receivers

Rounds 18-19: Safeties

Round 20: Centers

Round 21: Inside linebackers

Rounds 22-23: Offensive guards

Rounds 24-26: Defensive tackles and nose tackles

Rounds 27-28: Running backs and fullbacks

Rounds 29-31: Outside linebackers

Round 32: Kickers

Round 33: Punters

Round 34: Tight ends/H-backs

Round 35: Long snappers

The reimagined USFL is scheduled to begin play on April 16 when the Michigan Panthers and Birmingham Stallions kick off the season. The USFL will play its 2022 season in Birmingham.

The original United States Football League played three seasons in the spring (1983-85) before an ill-fated decision to move its season to the fall to compete with the NFL led to its ultimate demise.