Crop of Mississippi players selected in USFL Draft headlined by QB Ta’amu

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - The United States Football League is gearing up for an April 2022 kickoff, with their inaugural draft on Tuesday and Wednesday.

It took little time for Mississippi talent to be showcased in the draft.

Ole Miss fans will certainly remember the top overall pick Shea Patterson, but it was Jordan Ta’amu as the second pick who was the first to represent the school.

Ta’amu was selected by the Tampa Bay Bandits to be their quarterback.

After a big season starting for the Rebels in 2018, Ta’amu went undrafted but has spent time on a handful of NFL practice squads since. He also showed promise in the 2020 XFL season for the St. Louis BattleHawks before the season was cut short due to COVID-19.

In round 7, Mississippi Valley State’s Joshua Taylor was selected by the Michigan Panthers.

Taylor is a big offensive lineman who starred with the Delta Devils and is able to play anywhere on the line.

Later in round 9, two former Ole Miss cornerbacks went off the board.

Derrick Jones was selected by the New Orleans Breakers.

Jones is a former NFL Draft pick from Eupora, Mississippi, who has bounced around several teams since 2017, including the XFL’s Seattle Dragons.

Trae Elston was selected two picks later to the New Jersey Generals.

The former Sports Illustrated cover star has seen some NFL action since going undrafted in 2016, and was most recently signed to the CFL’s Calgary Stampeders.

Ole Miss and Mississippi State each saw a former wide receiver taken in the draft.

In round 13, it was ex-Ole Miss star Quincy Adeboyejo to the Michigan Panthers.

Since going undrafted, the wideout has spent time on the practice squad for the Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets and New England Patriots.

Osirus Mitchell from Mississippi State was taken in round 15 by the Birmingham Stallions.

The former Bulldog wide receiver spent 2021 on the Dallas Cowboys practice squad after going undrafted.

Another Mississippi Valley State offensive lineman was drafted in round 20.

Center Sean Brown was selected by the Philadelphia Stars. Brown has spent time with the XFL’s Los Angeles Wildcats and AAF’s Salt Lake Stallions.

Former Mississippi State linebacker Beniquez Brown went to the Houston Gamblers in round 21.

Brown had a brief stint on the Green Bay Packers before playing with the AAF’s Birmingham Iron and the XFL’s Houston Roughnecks.

Another Bulldog went off the board soon after: Defensive tackle Cory Thomas was selected in round 24 by the Houston Gamblers.

Thomas saw action in four seasons in Starkville and after a brief stint with the Miami Dolphins, has served as a coach for Chilton Prep Academy in Alabama.

In round 29, former Ole Miss linebacker DeMarquis Gates was selected by Birmingham.

Since going undrafted, Gates led the short-lived AAF in tackles in 2019 and played for the Houston Roughnecks in the XFL, and more recently the Saskatchewan Roughriders for the CFL.

In round 31, Philadelphia selected former Alcorn State linebacker Solomon Wise.

Wise spent his 2021 season in Lorman after several seasons with UTSA.

Then in round 34, former Southern Miss tight end Julian Allen went off the board to Houston.

The former Golden Eagle and Temptation Island star has spent time with the Cleveland Browns and the XFL’s Dallas Renegades.

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