The Philadelphia Stars and the other seven teams in the United States Football League have completed the 2022 Draft and filled their rosters. Two days and thirty-five picks later, Bart Andrus has his team ready to get to work and take the field. The USFL Draft took place over two days and flew at a rapid pace. The USFL’s draft had 12 rounds in the first segment. In these 12 rounds, we saw quarterbacks, defensive ends, offensive tackles, and cornerbacks get drafted exclusively, as each round consisted of only a specified position group. The second segment of the USFL draft consisted of wide receivers, safety, centers, guards, linebackers, kickers, punters, defensive tackles, and long snappers.
Exclusive SGPN Content
All USFL Roster Analysis Articles
What Kind Of Team Will Bart Andrus Run
One of the biggest questions when looking at the Philadelphia Stars’ roster is what type of offense coach Bart Andrus will run. Andrus usually runs an offense with 1 Running Back, 1 Tight End, and 3 Wide Receivers. Andrus most recently ran that set with the Generals of the TSL. It will be interesting to see if Andrus will stick with that formation while having most of his key players from his time with the Generals or if he will switch it up.
Quarterbacks
Bryan Scott
Case Cookus
Scott was taken in the first round of the Philadelphia Stars draft, third overall. Scott is a 2-time TSL MVP, a 1-time TSL champion, and won Championship MVP in 2020, all with the Generals. Scott also has multiple Division 3 and school records during his time at Occidental College. Scott has had multiple NFL tryouts but has yet to sign a contract. After a very impressive 2020 season with The Spring League Generals, Scott looks to continue his legacy with the Stars. It is also worth noting that Bart Andrus, his coach during his time with the Generals, is also the HC of the Stars. A dangerous combination to watch out for
Likely backing up Scott, The Stars selected Case Cookus out of Northern Arizona in the 12th Round. Unlike Scott, Cookus has NFL experience, spending time with the New York Giants in 2020, and multiple teams this summer with the Minnesota Vikings, Los Angeles Rams, and Las Vegas Raiders. Cookus also had a short stint with the Edmonton Elks of the Canadian Football League in October.
Running Backs
Darnell Holland
While I think both of these guys will see plenty and equal time of action, I would rank Darnell Holland as the lead back. Holland came undrafted out of Kennesaw State where he’d sign with the New Orleans Saints. After his stint with the Saints. Holland signed with The Spring League Generals, where he was Andrus and Scott’s lead back. While being used as both a power and pass-catcher back, Holland rushed for 149 yards and one touchdown, while hauling in six receptions for 144 yards and two touchdowns during the four-game season with the Generals. Holland will get another chance to prove himself again at the professional level.
Taken eight picks after Holland, Matthew Colburn II was selected by the Stars. Colburn is a former three-star recruit out of Dutch Fork High School in Irmo, South Carolina, where he committed to play at Wake Forest. During four years at Wake Forest, Colburn rushed for 2550 yards, and 15 touchdowns, while also catching 30 passes for 306 yards. After graduating from Wake Forest, Colburn went undrafted in 2019 and has since spent time with the Los Angeles Rams of the NFL, and most recently with the New York Guardians of the XFL.
Wide Receivers
Jordan Suell
Diondre Overton
Maurice Alexander
The Philadelphia Stars started their wide receiver class off by drafting Devin Gray, a former three-star recruit out of Edward C. Reed High School in Sparks, Nevada where he would eventually commit to Cincinnati. After going undrafted in 2018, Gray signed with the Atlanta Falcons, where he spent three years bouncing on and off the active roster. Gray most recently was a member of the Baltimore Ravens Practice Squad in 2021 where he was eventually released.
The Stars WR draft was followed by Jordan Suell, one of Bryan Scott’s wide receivers with the Generals, Brennan Eagles, a former Texas Longhorn and Dallas Cowboy, Diondre Overton, a former Clemson Tiger, and Maurice Alexander, a former FIU Panther.
Tight End
Bug Howard was the only tight end selected by the Philadelphia Stars. A converted wide receiver to tight end, Howard was a three-star recruit coming out of Wilcox County High School in Rochelle, Georgia, where he would eventually commit to North Carolina. Howard spent four years at North Carolina, where he caught 146 passes for 2,048 yards and 18 touchdowns. After going undrafted in 2017, Howard signed with the Indianapolis Colts, where he was released during final roster cuts. Since being released by the Colts, Howard has spent time with five NFL teams and had a short stint with the Atlanta Legends of the AAF in 2019, where he had 17 receptions for 220 yards.
Offensive Line
(OT) Blake Camper
(OT) Michael Rodriguez III
(G) Jackson Brown
(G) Paul Nosworthy
(C) Sean Brown
My first impression of the Philadelphia Stars offensive line is the amount of size that they have. The one who stands out the most is offensive tackle Blake Camper from South Carolina, who stands at 6’8″ 315 lbs. Camper has spent time with a couple of NFL and CFL teams, and most recently with the TSL Generals, being the left tackle for Bryan Scott. The next two tackles are Jake Burton out of Baylor, and Michael Rodriguez III out of Louisiana Tech. Burton stands at 6’6″ 312 lbs while Rodriguez III stands at 6’6″ 300 lbs. Burton was most recently with the New York Giants of the NFL while Rodriguez was recently with The Spring League Alphas.
At guards, you have Paul Nosworthy out of Buffalo and Jackson Brown out of Northern Iowa. Nosworthy stands at 6’4″ 320 lbs while Brown is at an impressive 6’3″ 320 lbs. At center, you have Arena Journeyman Sean Brown out of Mississippi Valley State. Brown stands at 6’4″ 320 lbs and has spent time in the AAF, XFL, and most recently with the TSL Generals.
Defensive Line
(DE) Gus Cumberlander
(DT) Chris Nelson
(DT) Jerome Johnson
The Stars EDGE Draft started with DE Freedom Akinmoladun. Akinmoladun went undrafted in 2019 out of Nebraska and has spent time with the Cincinnati Bengals, New York Giants, Tennessee Titans, and the New York Jets. Akinmoladun has played four NFL games and has two career tackles with the Bengals. The Stars EDGE Round was followed by Gus Cumberlander out of Baylor and NFL veteran Carroll Phillips. Phillips has spent time with four NFL teams and three active 53 man rosters. Phillips had five career NFL tackles with the Indianapolis Colts.
On Day 2 of the USFL Draft, The Stars Defensive Tackle Draft started with Former Georgia Bulldogs and New England Patriots defensive tackle Michael Barnett. Barnett had 47 tackles and 0.5 sacks during his four years with the Bulldogs. Barnett was followed by Chris Nelson out of Texas, and Jerome Johnson out of Indiana.
Linebackers
(OLB) Solomon Wise
The Stars only had one selection during the Inside Linebackers Round, where they selected LB Josh Banderas out of Nebraska. Banderas has spent time in the AAF, CFL, and NFL. During the Stars OLBs Round, they started off selecting CFL Veteran LB Jordan Moore, which was followed by Former Notre Dame LB Te’von Coney. Coney in his four years with Notre Dame had 328 tackles and seven sacks. Despite being ranked high in the 2019 NFL draft, Coney went undrafted and signed with the Las Vegas Raiders, where he was released on August 26th. The Stars’ last LB selection was used on LB Solomon Wise out of UTSA.
Defensive Backs
(CB) Marcus Lewis Jr.
(S) Cody Brown
(S) Ladarius Wiley
Philadelphia started their Cornerbacks Draft drafting former NFL vet and Michigan Wolverine Channing Stribling. Stribling went undrafted in 2017 and has since bounced around four NFL teams, The Canadian Football League, The Alliance of American Football, and the XFL. The Stars followed the round by taking former Florida State Seminole Marcus Lewis Jr, NFL veteran Mazzi Wilkins, and former Alabama Crimson Tide Bradley Sylve Jr. The Stars started their Safety Round drafting former NFL draft pick Jack Tocho out of NC State. Since being drafted in the seventh round in 2017 by the Minnesota Vikings, Tocho has spent time on three NFL teams, The Birmingham Iron of the AAF, and the Los Angeles Wildcats of the XFL. The Stars continued their safety round by drafting former Miami safety Cody Brown and XFL safety Ladarius Wiley.
Special Teams
(K/P) Matt Mengel
(LS) Ryan Navarro
The Philadelphia Stars selected kicker Matt Mengel and LS Ryan Navarro to lead their special teams. Mengel is a CFL and TSL veteran, while Navarro has spent time on multiple NFL teams, The Los Angeles Wildcats of the XFL, and Memphis Express of the AAF. An interesting note here is that Mengel can play both punter and kicker.
