Instead of going through the trouble of re-creating the rest of the draft, I will skip ahead to a preview of each team.
1983 USFL Preview
Pacific Division
ARIZONA WRANGLERS
Quarterback Warren Moon, a five time Grey Cup champion with Edmonton, brings his talents to the desert. Former Buccaneer bench warmer Jackie Flowers will finally get a chance to blossom as a pass target. Complementing Moon and Flowers on the Wrangler offense is rookie running back Craig James. Rookies Darryl Talley and Jimmy Payne will anchor the Wrangler defense.
DENVER GOLD
Ken Johnson will compete with Jeff Knapple, Craig Penrose and Fred Mortensen for the starting job at quarterback. Meanwhile, former Bronco Larry Canada will compete with rookie Tim Spencer for the starting tailback job. After a couple years out of football, former SMU linebacker Putt Choate is a rookie at age 26.
LOS ANGELES ACTION
Frank Minnifield, a rookie out of Louisville, will anchor the Action secondary. Starting at quarterback will be former USC Trojan and Chicago Bear Vince Evans.
OAKLAND CONDORS
Former Raider Arthur Whittington hopes to make a comeback on the Condor roster. However, he will have to compete with rookie Eric Dickerson for the starting tailback job. Bart Oates, formerly of BYU, will anchor the pass protection for quarterback Fred Besana.
Central Division
BIRMINGHAM MAULERS
Rookie quarterback John Elway will have Sid Abramowitz and Jim Covert to block for him. Other than that, the Mauler is looking to build for the future through both the territorial and collegiate drafts.
CHICAGO FIRE
Quarterback Bobby Hebert and running back Gary Anderson hope to become the cornerstones for Chicago's new second football team. Selling tickets at Soldier Field will be a challenge unless the Fire can win consistently.
MICHIGAN PANTHERS
Former Buccaneer Doug Williams will start at quarterback for the Panthers. Among the many weapons available to Doug is former Wolverine Anthony Carter at wide receiver. Rookie linebacker Ray Bentley and former Oiler John Corker anchor the Panther defense.
TAMPA BAY BANDITS
Under head coach Steve Spurrier, he Bandits hope to launch an aerial assault with Trumaine Johnson, Eric Truvillion and Anthony Allen as its receiving threats. Rookie Jim Kelly will likely sit behind former Bengal John Reaves at quarterback.
Atlantic Division
BOSTON BREAKERS
Other than rookie quarterback Dan Marino, linebacker Marcus Marek and kicker Tim Mazzetti, the Breakers are severely lacking in depth on both sides of the ball.
NEW JERSEY GENERALS
Herschel Walker was drafted much later than he would've liked. Remember, this was a time when the NFL didn't draft juniors, so Walker's jump to the pros had sent shockwaves across the world of pro football. Plus, he was already an iconic player during his college days at UGA. Former Cleveland Brown quarterback Brian Sipe joins the Generals as a free agent, as does longtime Bengal linebacker Jim LeClair.
PHILADELPHIA STARS
Can head coach Jim Mora lead the Stars to the playoffs? Playoffs??? There are plenty of reasons to believe he will. Former Penn State phenom Chuck Fusina will start at QB for Philly, acquired by the Stars via the territorial draft. North Carolina standout Kelvin Bryant will start at running back. In the midst of all this star power, one lesser known player you ought to keep your eye on is free agent linebacker Sam Mills.
WASHINGTON SENTINELS
If Reggie Collier can't cut it for the Sentinels, look for Mike Hohensee to come off the bench to throw a few darts. Besides rookie linebacker Billy Ray Smith and veteran defensive lineman Coy Bacon, the Sentinel defense does not have the depth to keep their squad in tight ballgames.
See you in Spring '83!
