On Day One of the new USFL Draft, or USFL 2.0 if you like, three players who spent time recently with the New England Patriots were selected to play in the rebooted league. One of which might be familiar as he took the postseason field out of desperation.
Remember De’Vante Bausby? He was signed by the Patriots the week prior to their thrashing at the hands of the Buffalo Bills n Super Wild Card Weekend. The Pats were extra thin at corner with Jalen Mills on the COVID list at the time, though Bausby only saw the field for three snaps that night. The veteran corner out of Pittsburgh State has had stops with over a half dozen NFL teams, and now gets a chance to be a starter for the New jersey Generals (an original USFL franchise).
Likely to be a name you don’t remember, Likely had a very brief stint with the Patriots during the 2017 preseason before being released. Interestingly enough he arrived on a similar track to star corner JC Jackson, both being undrafted out of the University of Maryland. Likely, who’s seen time in the NFL, XFL and CFL, arrived and was dismissed a year prior, whereas Jackson became one of the NFL’s best corners in New England.
Some in Pats Nation will remember Davis-Smith as one of the two undrafted free agent QBs signed by the Patriots in the first offseason post-Tom Brady in New England. Alongside Michigan State’s Brian Lawerke, Smith-Davis was signed in 2020 but was released before the COVID-19 altered season began. Whereas Lawrke caught on with the New York Giants, Smith-Davis, the son of former Kansas City Chiefs defensive lineman Kenny Smith, caught on in the CFL. Now he gets a chance to get back under center in a pro league in the states.
The original USFL, a promising venture that was riddled with dysfunction and debt, kicked off in 1985 but later closed operations in 1987. This new iteration of the upstart competitor, with eight teams, begins their season April 16th from Birmingham, AL.