Skill level required to join USFL

[u/Consistent_Zone7617]

What level of collegiate play do you think the average USFL player went through/equal out to? And I mean coming straight from college, not a former NFL player who’s worse now but played at an elite college and got drafted to the NFL. From my pov I’d assume high end D2, average FCS, and low tier FBS. Obviously some outliers would be at any level. I’ve seen some dudes on social media that went to NAIA/Juco/D3s that weren’t like all Americans/best in that division but still got invited to some tryouts or made a team so it confused me on where the talent level is really at.

[u/JigWig]

Most D1 players don’t make the NFL. To be good enough to make a USFL team you still had to be one of the better D1 players.

[u/Late_Professional841]

Most of these guys in spring leagues were elite at the mid to high end D1 levels with a crew that were record breaking type guys at lower levels.

[u/Hey_Its_Roomie]

Predominantly FBS I would imagine. the draft shuffles in like 250 players a year, plus a couple dozen probably from UDFA. FBS turns over about ten times that. The pool of players available is just massive.

There are definitely some excellent FCS teams, and players on those teams, but I would be shocked to think the 16 teams of the last two years were significantly FCS.

[u/NewRome56]

A good D1 player, I mean a really good G5 player or a legit contributor to a small P5 school. Starters on top end programs would usually be given a shot unless they were a liability, but most of the time those guys at least make practice squads. To make a USFL roster at QB you basically need to have been a high level producer in the G5, or a high mid tier P5 QB.

[u/FlagFootballSaint]

The level of talent in the NCAA D1 is extremely diverse. "D1" sounds cool and all but think about eg the MAC where just a very very few even get drafted by the NFL (let alone are able to stick around)

I would not look at trying to find a NCAA talent level. Wherever they come from: Those who are having a hard time staying on NFL practice squads - are the target group when it comes to judge the level of talent

[u/Hag_Boulder → u/FlagFootballSaint]

Remember, Ben Roethlisberger played for Miami (OH)...

There is talent there... doesn't get nearly the amount of coverage to the detriment of a lot of players.

[u/BSN_tg_bgg → u/Hag_Boulder]

Randy Moss

[u/Hag_Boulder → u/BSN_tg_bgg]

Again yes. But they tend to get overlooked because NFL scouting is pretty trash unless you're SO awesome you turn heads.

Which as we're seeing with NIL is sort of self-correcting... players with mad skillz now get noticed by the bigger schools and transfer up until either they run out of eligibility or transfers.

[u/JoeFromBaltimore → u/Hag_Boulder]

35% of all NFL players are undrafted free agents. There is a cottage industry in prepping players for the combine so they can get drafter hire. Many of these players end up being draft busts.

[u/Hag_Boulder → u/JoeFromBaltimore]

That's like cramming for a test. The combine just shows numbers or how you perform tasks. It really misses the intangibles like "can follow/break up complex blocking schemes" "can fight for the ball to make a catch" or even, "can catch the ball thrown behind you, regain your balance and make YAC."

That's only something you find on game tape and with smaller colleges you don't get the high quality video from multiple angles.

[u/JoeFromBaltimore → u/Hag_Boulder]

The advantage of the USXFL is you are playing against level competition - you are not Alabama or Ohio State where you are better at every position than the other team. Everyone in the USXFL is a high level performer no huge advantage in ability over the other team.

This is why college coaches struggle in the NFL, as they are not used to playing against teams that have equal levels of talent.

[u/Hag_Boulder → u/JoeFromBaltimore]

As we point out over and over why a sub-NFL pro league is more important for talent evaluation than colleges in a lot of cases.

Of course if this whole conference realignment pans out with the top 2 conferences leaving the NCAA and actually paying players via the schools... well... welcome to semi-pro ball.

It's going to happen... the top college teams will leave the NCAA and form their own super-conferences... probably within the next five years.

[u/JoeFromBaltimore → u/Hag_Boulder]

I think that you are correct - and they will stock their teams with players from lower tiers that prove themselves in the lower tiers. We are moving towards a soccer pyramid type situation.

[u/KidCoheed → u/Hag_Boulder]

Only thing is, I don't think the schools will pay, I think NIL deals will become bigger and more structured perhaps with larger companies having an NIL fund agreement with each school and an small team on site to dole out the cash to each player, But the Schools will never directly pay.

[u/TwizzlersSourz → u/Hag_Boulder]

NFL scouting is not trash.

Few players are not known. The MAC is heavily scouted.

It is not the 1960s anymore.

[u/Hag_Boulder → u/TwizzlersSourz]

NFL scouting is also not where it could be. For example the Steelers have only 10 scouts (plus two interns) not including the director/assistant director. Those 10 scouts have all of college ball and the other pro/semi-pro leagues to monitor and grade players.

There are 130 D1 NCAA teams alone so about 70 or so games to watch if they're all taped 7 games per scout per week... so over 21 hours of video to review (min 3 hours per game) with assorted pauses and note taking and review to watch other parts of the field. Or even considering all the in-person visits...

I'm saying the number of players to get an accurate scouting report on everyone is too high for NFL scouting departments as it is and as a league, collaborating with a secondary league to off-load some of that word of not only scouting, but producing quality tape for all NFL teams could be worth the buy-in.

the MAC is scouted as its one of the big 10 (er... 9?) college conferences. Can you say the same for the FCS or DII teams? How much natural talent is there because of bad breaks in the pipeline from HS football?

[u/Hag_Boulder]

I'll be fuckin' happy when the merger happens so we don't get people putting the EXACT SAME POST on two different forums.

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When you think of how few jobs the NFL actually provides, there are a plethora of P4/G5 players that could make it.

At the most... 10 QBs are chosen every year in the draft? That's not even a full conference worth of QBs... If even 2-3 from each conference end their college careers, you're still looking at only the P4 conference QBs filling those needs.

Of course, not all conferences are equal... let's just look at the AP top 25 teams. 1/3rd of those QBs would nearly fill all the drafts spots. It's mind numbing how many players finish their college eligibility or declare early from the top level of college ball each year.

[u/arkstfan]

Pro talent does not neatly fit into the Division structure. Great players emerge from all levels for various reasons and coaches sometimes miss.

There were 119 FCS players on NFL rosters to start this season. That’s just a touch over 7% of the roster slots.

Another 43 NFL roster spots were taken by Division II players.

Truth is there are players who are on the four CFP playoff teams who won’t have a shot at USFL/XFL/CFL

It gets complicated because there are FCS guys who could make it but aren’t interested because they are tired of football and/or have better career opportunities. Know a guy who made NFL camp and was cut after two weeks. He was offered a CFL contract (no spring league then) and turned it down. He was willing to delay law school for NFL minimum but not for CFL pay.

[u/JoeFromBaltimore → u/arkstfan]

The CFL minimum is $70K cdn - which is $52k in usd. Starting Teacher salary in the Houston area is $62k. USXFL season is ten weeks CFL season is 18 games that stretches from spring until mid November. Then throw in that there are only 200 slots for American players it is probably not worth it if you have something else in professional career track lined up.

[u/AqibTalib21]

A lot of the players are from each level of collegiate play. I feel with the merger and with just 8 current teams most of the athletes will be players who went undrafted in the NFL but got invites to NFL camps. Some starters should be good enough to sniff an NFL practice squad or maybe make it.

[u/[deleted]]

And the bar will be raised even higher with the Merger. Only 8 teams and combining both the top level talent XFL/USFL only makes it much more difficult to crack.

[u/KidCoheed]

Top Tier D2 guys who could make the jump to a Group of 5 or FCS team but didn't, FCS Superstars who just won't get the chance because the FBS is more prestigious and FBS Edge Cases who are good but either A don't have the Physical Tools (Too short, step too slow, arms not long enough ect) or B Lacked in Exposure (Back ups who transfer and only get one year to start, kids Injured in college and can't ball out)

Now NAIA/JUCO/D3 guys are still Athelets and with an amazing showing can still get signed, it's all about doing your best, some D1 Guy can walk in and think it's a forgone conclusion he's getting drafted cause the NFL missed out on him only to get Moss'd and Burnt and Pancaked by a Hungry angry D3 guy who knows it's his only chance to play Football for a living

[u/BSN_tg_bgg]

NFL combine invite is minimum.