USFL Draft: Patterson Selected First, Stallions Pick McGough

BIRMINGHAM, AL — The inaugural draft for the United States Football League at Protective Stadium in Birmingham Tuesday night saw former Ole Miss and University of Michigan quarterback Shea Patterson selected as the league's first pick by the Michigan Panthers.

Patterson played at Ole Miss from 2016 to 2017 then transferred to Michigan to play the 2018 and 2019 seasons. He was not drafted into the NFL, but was on the Kansas City Chiefs practice squad in 2020 before stints with the BC Lions and Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League.

The Birmingham Stallions picked sixth overall and chose quarterback Alex McGough, who played for Florida International University and was drafted in the seventh round of the 2018 NFL draft by the Seattle Seahawks. McGough spent four seasons in the NFL but saw no game action.

The first round, which was reserved exclusively for quarterbacks, went like this:

• Michigan Panthers: Shea Patterson
• Tampa Bay Bandits: Jordan Ta’amu
• Philadelphia Stars: Brian Scott
• New Jersey Generals: Ben Holmes
• Houston Gamblers: Clayton Thorson
• Birmingham Stallions: Alex McGough
• Pittsburgh Maulers: Kyle Lauletta
• New Orleans Breakers: Kyle Sloter

"I'm excited to be here in Birmingham," new Birmingham Stallions quarterback Alex McGough said. "Football is king here, and this is a football town. This is going to be fun."

The remaining rounds for Day 1 of the USFL draft were structured as follows:

• Rounds 2-4: Edge rushers/defensive ends
• Rounds 5-7: Offensive tackles
• Round 8-11: Cornerbacks
• Round 12: Quarterbacks

The Sporting News has a complete list of the players drafted Tuesday night, team by team.

The USFL will play the majority of its games at Protective Stadium, including the league opener April 16 pitting the Birmingham Stallions against the New Jersey Generals, with some games at historic Legion Field. The USFL's agreements also provide team practice and training facilities, office space, event staff, and other amenities to operate the league from Birmingham.

NBC Sports and FOX Sports have multi-year agreements with the USFL, which position them as the league's official media partners, committed to carrying all 43 regular- and postseason games. While the league will release a comprehensive television schedule shortly, NBC Sports will present 22 USFL games in 2022 on NBC (9), USA Network (9), and Peacock (4), and FOX Sports.