UFL Completes 2011 Draft
Published on May 2, 2011 under United Football League (UFL 1) News Release
JACKSONVILLE, FL ¬" Monday, May 2, 2011 ¬" Hartford Colonials head coach JERRY GLANVILLE made Texas A&M quarterback JERROD JOHNSON the first overall selection of the 2011 United Football League Draft.
¬ÅOur league is all about a second chance, and we talked to a couple kids about a second chance, ¬Â said Colonials head coach and general manager JERRY GLANVILLE. ¬ÅIf Jerrod didn ¬â¢t get hurt, we wouldn ¬â¢t have had a shot at him. He would have been gone (in the NFL Draft).
¬ÅIf he ¬â¢s healthy, we got an outstanding quarterback. He can run and he ¬â¢s got a great mind, a great thinking. He can throw deep, make all the throws, run the quarterback draw and he ¬â¢s hard to sack. ¬Â
As a junior in 2009, Johnson started all 13 games and earned All-Big 12 Second Team honors and set single-season school records in passing yards, completions, attempts, passing touchdowns, 300-yard passing games and total offense.
The third annual UFL Draft featured a total of 52 picks by the five UFL clubs, as Commissioner MICHAEL HUYGHUE and the head coaches created social media history by announcing their selections on Twitter.com. Nebraska and Oregon led the way with three players selected in the 2011 Draft.
With the second overall selection, Omaha Nighthawks President and Head Coach JOE MOGLIA chose experienced cornerback REYNALDO HILL, who made 26 starts and played in 48 NFL games with the Tennessee Titans.
¬ÅI ¬â¢m just ready to play, ¬Â Hill told The Football Post. ¬ÅI ¬â¢m ecstatic about it. I ¬â¢m just looking forward to showing them that I can still be the player I was. I just ran into some injuries. I ¬â¢m healthy now. I ¬â¢m ready to prove to everybody that I can play at a high level again. ¬Â
Later in the draft Moglia stayed closer to home, picking up two players from Nebraska, where he was Executive Advisor to head coach Bo Pelini for the past two years. Offensive tackles MIKE SMITH and D.J. JONES were taken in the fifth and sixth rounds respectively.
¬ÅMike is a great example of a player that can really benefit from the UFL, ¬Â said Moglia. ¬ÅA really good player early in his career at Nebraska, but has struggled with injuries as of late. This is an opportunity for Mike to showcase his abilities at the pro level. ¬Â
A second quarterback was selected in the first three picks when Sacramento Mountain Lions Head Coach DENNIS GREEN chose Fresno State signal caller RYAN COLBURN, who threw for 2,817 yards and 23 touchdowns while completing 63.1 percent of his passes in 2010 and also ran for three touchdowns.
The first two Draft picks of Virginia Destroyers Head Coach MARTY SCHOTTENHEIMER were defensive linemen as he took MARTAIL BURNETT of Utah with the fourth pick overall and then added North Carolina tackle RYAN SIMS in the second round. Burnett has spent time with the Minnesota Vikings and San Francisco 49ers, while Sims is a nine-year NFL veteran who was the sixth overall selection of the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2002 NFL Draft.
The defending champion Las Vegas Locos made Furman offensive tackle JOEL BELL their first round selection as head coach JIM FASSEL selected the former Saskatchewan Roughriders starter, who played in the Canadian Football League 2009 CFL Grey Cup.
¬ÅWe drafted our type of players - passionate and those who want to come to Vegas and win, ¬Â explained Fassel. ¬ÅThose are the qualities we look for first; then comes speed, agility and strength. We got those types of guys.
¬ÅWe filled some holes on our roster and wanted to find players who can help us win our third consecutive title. We got eight of our top nine players on the board. At the end of the day, it was a very successful draft. ¬Â
Draft Notes: 43 schools were represented in the 2011 UFL Draft, including one from north of the border when the Omaha Nighthawks selected DT AKIEM HICKS of the University of Regina in Canada; Nebraska and Oregon provided three players; There were two players selected from Florida, Fresno State, Hawaii and North Carolina; Third round Hartford Colonials pick CECIL NEWTON JR. (11th overall) is the brother of former Auburn QB CAM NEWTON, who was selected first overall in the 2011 NFL Draft by the Carolina Panthers on April 29; Virginia RB selection ADRIAN PETERSON played in 106 games for the Chicago Bears and in college won the Walter Payton Award, Division I-AA's equivalent to the Heisman Trophy, in 1999 as a sophomore; QB MIKE TEEL, who recorded back-to-back 3,000-plus-yard passing campaigns at Rutgers in 2007 and 2008 was drafted by the Las Vegas Locos to compete with UFL Championship Game MVP CHASE CLEMENT and original 2010 starter TIM RATTAY; The Omaha Nighthawks got a steal in the eighth round when they picked up Mississippi QB JEREMIAH MASOLI. In 2010, he played for the Running Rebels, passing for 2,039 yards and 14 touchdowns and running for 544 yards and six touchdowns. In two seasons with Oregon (2008-2009), Masoli passed for 3,891 yards and 28 touchdowns and ran for 1,386 yards and 23 touchdowns; DARREN ROVELL of CNBC was a guest Tweeter announcing the Hartford Colonials ¬â¢ final pick and tenth round selection (51st overall) LB MARK HERZLICH of Boston College.
Full UFL Draft list by selection, team and school:
http://www.ufl-football.com/sites/default/files/UFL%20Draft%20selections.pdf
Hartford Colonials UFL Draft selections and player mini-bios:
http://www.ufl-football.com/news/colonials-draft-day
Las Vegas Locos UFL Draft selections and player mini-bios:
http://www.ufl-football.com/news/locos-draft-day
Omaha Nighthawks UFL Draft selections and player mini-bios:
http://www.ufl-football.com/news/nighthawks-draft-day
Sacramento Mountain Lions UFL Draft selections and player mini-bios:
http://www.ufl-football.com/news/mountain-lions-draft-day
Virginia Destroyers UFL Draft selections and player mini-bios:
http://www.ufl-football.com/news/destroyers-draft-day
Players selected in the draft shall remain on each team ¬â¢s Reserved Unsigned List until formally added to the roster by virtue of a negotiated contract. Each UFL team already had an opportunity to protect a maximum of 40 players from 2010 rosters and added a further 10 street free agents by submitting a Reserved Unsigned list.
A period of free agency now begins on Tuesday, May 3 the 2011 UFL Draft, allowing teams to bring rosters up to a maximum of 70 players heading into training camp.
United Football League Stories from May 2, 2011
- Sacramento Mountain Lions Draft Nine Players - Sacramento Mountain Lions
- Omaha Nighthawks Head Coach Joe Moglia Goes For Experience And Huskers In 2011 Draft - Omaha Nighthawks
- UFL Completes 2011 Draft - UFL 1
- Hartford Colonials Select QB Jerrod Johnson with Top Pick in 2011 UFL Draft - Hartford Colonials
- UFL Draft on Twitter - UFL 1
- United Football League To Hold Player Draft Today - Sacramento Mountain Lions
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