1986 USFL Draft Recap

USA Today, January 20, 1987

Just over a month after the USFL Territorial and Open Collegiate Drafts and the league’s 20 teams have been working overtime to sign their picks. This year’s draft saw an aggressive push for top tier talent as USFL teams did not shy away from players projected to be top NFL Selections. All in all the USFL has signed a whopping 28 players who were projected as NFL Round 1 or Round 2 selections, and while to date the league has not been able to come to terms with the recent Heisman Winner, QB Vinnie Testaverde of the U. of Miami, a lot of big name talent has opted to join the spring league.

But let’s start with Testaverde. While Vinny and his agent have stated that they are open to either league, the Orlando Renegades expansion team opted not to use a Territorial Draft pick on the QB, having recently dealt with Washington to bring Reggie Collier to Orlando. Instead, the Jacksonville Bulls, who desperately need help at QB, drafted Testaverde in the 5th round of the open draft, and have been negotiating with his agent ever since. It seems unlikely that Testaverde will pass up on a shot to remain in Florida, but he does not need to go to Jacksonville to do so, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have the first pick in the NFL Draft and they too are looking to upgrade at the position. Jacksonville management seems to have acknowledged this, signing another big name rookie QB in Oregon’s Chris Miller just 2 days ago, having obtained the rights to him from the Oakland Invaders.

Perhaps the biggest signing for the USFL is that of Oklahoma LB Brian Bosworth by the new Tulsa-based Oklahoma Outlaws franchise. The Outlaws badly needed a boost for ticket sales as the sense that this could be a short stay in the Sooner state has depressed ticket sales. Signing Bosworth is clearly a move designed to boost interest in the club and to get the support of local football fans. It will also, undoubtedly help a team that is cobbling together a roster for this season. Reports are that the deal was for well over $15 Million for 4 years, making Bosworth one of Oklahoma’s cap exempt players for certain.

Other prospective first round NFL picks who have joined the USFL and who will be reporting to USFL camps within the month include Colorado State QB Kelly Stouffer (heading to Arizona), Auburn HB Brent Fullwood (Birmingham), Duke LB Mike Junkin (Memphis), Miami DT Jerome Brown (Washington) and Temple RB Paul Palmer (Oakland).

Looking over the draft, we see that this year’s rookie crop serves two purposes, the usual development of depth on USFL rosters, but also the replacement of players lost to both the NFL and the league’s own Expansion Draft, as the 16 continuing franchises all lost key players to the 4 expansion clubs. Looking at the high impact picks from each team, we can see how these players fit into the gaps left by attrition over the offseason:

ARIZONA: QB Kelly Stouffer will back up Robbie Bosco, but may get a chance to start if Bosco struggles. The Colorado State product has eyes on being a starter and chose the USFL over the NFL because there simply seems to be more fluidity among league teams and their QB positions. The recent trade of Rick Neuheisel from Arizona after being one of the league leaders in QB Rating is a clear sign of this. Stouffer is clearly counting on the fluid situation in the Wranglers' roster as a chance for him to shine. Beyond the Wrangler QB situation, other potential first year contributors include CB Nate Odomes from Wisconsin, DT Dan Saleaumua from Arizona State, and WR Bruce Hill, also from the Sun Devils.

BALTIMORE: The most interesting pick for the Blitz was a late round pick on NC State QB Erik Kramer. With Vince Evans reaching a contract year, Kramer may act more as incentive than on-field performer. We like Baltimore’s selection of Penn State FB Tim Manoa as a blocker for Tim Spencer, but Baltimore mostly built depth with their picks.

BIRMINGHAM: The Stallions lost all their halfbacks except starter Joe Cribbs, so they went out looking for rushers. We are a bit surprised they spent what they had to in snagging a top choice such as Auburn’s Brent Fullwood, but then to also sign Terrance Flagler from Clemson as well seems overkill. We would not be surprised if after camp one of these 2 backs is traded for a position of greater need. With Bob Lane aging as a backup to Cliff Stoudt, we believe the mid-round selection of Iowa’s Mark Vlasic was a shrewd move.

CHICAGO: The first of our four expansion clubs, the Machine had a lot of positions open, so they could consistently shoot for the best player available. We love the pick of Nebraska DT Danny Noonan with their first pick. Chicago would also add LSU DE Karl Wilson and fellow Cornhusker LB Marc Munford to help shore up the defense. On offense their biggest signing was Notre Dame QB Steve Beurlein, who may start the year competing with Chuck Long for the starting spot. Center Frank Winters and Golden Domer, kicker John Carney, should also be immediate contributors for the expansion Machine.

DENVER: Denver’s personnel last year was not a good match for their run & shoot offense, so we are not shocked that the Gold used two early draft picks on receivers to bolster their spread style. Nicholls state receive Mark Carrier may push to start right away, while NW Louisiana’s Odessa Turner may need time to develop, though he has speed to burn. Denver also finally addressed the backup position to Bob Gagliano, signing Baylor QB Cody Carlson. We also like the pick of versatile HB Timmy Smith from Texas Tech.

HOUSTON: We are not sure what Houston’s draft strategy was. Yes, we like the signing of LB Johnnie Holland from A&M, and tackle Harris Barton looks like a plug and play guy, but the Gamblers lost 2 of their top 4 receivers and did not pick any wideouts in this draft. Either they are going to move away from multiple receiver sets, or they are going to need to look deep into the free agent pool for help. One last note, while not a big name, Alabama A&M tackle Howard Ballard impressed us at the Senior Bowl, and may have a shot at making the Gamblers.

JACKSONVILLE: As we stated earlier, Jacksonville drafted both Vinny Testaverde and Chris Miller in hopes that one of the two would sign with the Bulls. It looks like Miller will be that player. With Ed Luther as the supposed opening day starter, we have to expect that the pressure is on to either win early or start setting Miller up to play. Other Bulls’ picks we like to get some early action include ASU DE Jim Raynosa, Oklahoma HB Spencer Tillman and Miami guard Paul O’Connor.

LOS ANGELES: The Express lost bruising back Kevin Mack to the NFL, so what do they do, they go out and sign the biggest back in the draft, Christian Okoye from tiny Asuza Pacific University, right in their back yard. Okoye will likely be the thunder to Tony Boddie’s lightning, serving as a short yardage and goalline back. He is raw, but the power is there. The Express also signed defensive help in DT Jerry Ball (SMU), DE Steve Roberts (Washington) and LB Sam Anno (USC).

MEMPHIS: Memphis’s defense has to be more than Reggie White, so the Showboats shelled out some cash to sign Duke LB Mike Junkin. We were surprised that Junkin signed, and that Memphis has been unable to sign any of their other defensive picks. They fared better on offense, where they had focused their draft on improving their line, signing two territorial picks from Rocky Top in tackles Bruce Wilkerson and Daryle Smith. They also added Sacramento State guard John Gesk and a good blocking TE in Colorado’s Jon Embree.

MICHIGAN: After signing former Rams QB Jeff Kemp from the NFL, we wondered whether the Panthers would make a push for a QB or wait a year and see if the combo of Kemp and Jack Trudeau could keep the league champions at the top of their game. Replacing Hebert will be a tough task, but the Panthers are not throwing a rookie into that fire. What they chose to do is find replacements for the linebackers from their #1 defense who were lost this offseaon. With the 20th pick, they missed out on a few big names, but chose ASU linebacker Scott Stephens with their first pick. Two rounds later they took a flier on a raw, but talented backer in California’s Hardy Nickerson. They also used the territorial draft to sign a couple of need positions, CB with Michigan’s Garland Rivers, and backup HB with MSU’s Bobby Morse.

NEW JERSEY: It seems that the new leadership of the Generals are not going to try to make a huge splash with their draft as we saw in the first few years of the team when they signed both Herschel Walker and Doug Flutie. This year they clearly decided to focus on need, signing potential starters in WR Scott Schwedes, safety Tim McDonald, CB Cliff Hicks, and tackle Harry Swayne. That so many positions on the Generals roster are open for a rookie starter says a lot about why they were 5-11 last year, but this draft could help them mend the leaks in their roster.

NEW ORLEANS: The Breakers had their best season yet in 1986 and fared relatively well in the offseason, so this draft is a depth and fortification draft rather than a reinvention draft. We like their use of the territorial draft to sign LB Michael Brooks, and the signing of two guards to fortify their run game was also shrewd. USC guard Jeff Bregel could fit right in at RT from day one, while Georgia Tech’s John Davis will provide depth.

OAKLAND: As with Birmingham, Oakland saw their backfield depth disappear, losing key contributor Albert Bentley, so we are not surprised that they signed two backs to try to fill in. The likely backup to Whittington will be Temple’s Paul Palmer, while former Georgia Southern back Tracy Ham may act as a 3rd down back. If DT Reggie Rogers is all that is advertised by his play at Washington, he could also quickly find a spot in the starting lineup.

OKLAHOMA: Our second expansion team had no doubts at QB or HB, having completed a sign & trade deal with Jacksonville to obtain Doug Williams, and pulling Stump Mitchell away from the NFL’s St. Louis Cardinals, but every other position on the team was on the draft day plan. Of course their big move was signing Brian Bosworth, a surefire starter and fan-favorite in Tulsa. Beyond Bosworth, we love the pick of Louisville tackle Bruce Armstrong to protect Williams’s blind side, and we also think they may have hit with their pick of Utah State DE Mark Mraz.

ORLANDO: The third of our expansion clubs passed on Vinnie Testaverde, and did not pick a QB in the draft, after acquiring both Reggie Collier (WSH) and Jimmie Jordan (TBY) prior to the draft. In the draft they hope they found some defensive starters in cornerbacks Ricky Reynolds (Wash St), Kirby Jackson (Miss St) and Melvin Jenkins (Cincinnati). They also may have found a gem in U. of Miami LB Winston Moss.

PHILADELPHIA: Another baffling draft for another team that lost several wideouts. The Stars, like the Gamblers, eschewed the position in the draft, focusing instead on defense and the line. We expect instant production from LB Danny Lockett and CB Lorenzo Lynch, but don’t be surprised if LB David Brandon from Memphis State also gets some playing time this year. On offense, the only skills pick was a flyer on HB Jamie Mueller from Benedictine.

PITTSBURGH: The Maulers focused on defense and the line in particular with their picks of Boston College DE John Bosa and Grambling’s lanky Sean Smith. They also worked on their O-line, selecting and signing two tackles, Pitt’s Randy Dixon and Cal’s Doug Riesenberg. The Maulers chose only one skill player, South Carolina receiver Raynard Brown, which for a team lacking firepower seems a bit problematic.

SAN ANTONIO: Our last expansion club, the Gunslingers, traded away so many picks to acquire LB Putt Choate and QB Rick Neuheisel, that they did not have a draft pick until the third round of the Open Draft. Predictably, in that position, they went heavy on the offensive line picks, signing Baylor center John Adickes and Wake Forest guard Paul Kiser. They may have found a steal in the 7th round in QB Mike Shula.

TAMPA BAY: Tampa retained nearly all their big playmakers, so this draft was a nice one to try to build up their defense, signing DE’s Fred Stokes from Georgia Southern and Skip McClendon from Arizona State. We like the pick of CB Milton Mack out of Alcorn State, and snagging a solid TE in Akron’s Chris Kelley does not hurt either.

WASHINGTON: Having busted free agency wide open by signing NFL QB Neil Lomax, we were surprised to see the Federals draft a QB in the Territorial Draft, but the signing of Virginia gunslinger Don Majkowski as a backup to Lomax, who has a similar style, seems like a prudent way to build depth for the most important position on the team. We also like the selection of HB Alfred Jenkins out of Arizona. A shifty back with good hands, Jenkins’ style is very different from lead back Craig James. Finally, the pick of DT Jerome Brown is a home run. The Miami DT is a monster and should radically alter the way teams need to block the Washington D-line.