Colonial Athletic Association issued the following announcement on Feb. 24
Nine former CAA Football standouts were selected in the United State Football League (USFL) Draft this week.
The nine players came from seven different CAA Football programs and were chosen by five of the USFL’s eight squads.
Picked in the USFL draft were Richmond quarterback Kyle Lauletta and offensive tackle John Yarbrough, Maine cornerback Manny Patterson, Villanova offensive tackle Brandon Hitner, Stony Brook wide receiver Ray Bolden, Delaware wide receiver Vinny Papale and Towson linebacker Diondre Wallace. Two other players who began their careers at CAA schools before transferring to FBS teams were also selected: Maine offensive lineman Liam Dobson and Rhode Island offensive lineman Tyler Catalina.
The USFL, which ceased operations in 1986, returns in April. Eight teams in the new USFL will be split into North and South Divisions. Each team plays a 10-game schedule, with teams in the same division playing each other twice and teams in the other division once.
The top two teams in each division will play against each other in the semifinals followed a week later by the championship game. All regular season games will be played in Birmingham, Ala., with the championship game set for Canton, Ohio.
The 35-round USFL Draft went by position, with quarterbacks going in the first round, followed by edge rushers/defensive ends in Rounds 2-4, offensive tackles in Rounds 5-7, cornerbacks in Rounds 8-11 before returning to quarterbacks in Round 12 to close out Tuesday. On Wednesday, the draft continued with the selection of wide receivers (Rounds 13-17), safeties (Rounds 18-19), centers (Round 20), inside linebackers (Round 21), offensive guards (Rounds 22-23), defensive tackles (Rounds 24-26), running backs (Rounds 27-28), outside linebackers (Rounds 29-31), kickers (Round 32), punters (Round 33), tight ends/H-backs (Round 34) and long snappers (Round 35).
Kyle Lauletta, QB, Richmond 1st round Pittsburgh Maulers
Brandon Hitner, OT, Villanova 5th round Houston Gamblers
Tyler Catalina, OT, Rhode Island 5th round Tampa Bay Bandits
John Yarbrough, OT, Richmond 7th round Houston Gamblers
Manny Patterson, CB, Maine 10th round New Orleans Breakers
Ray Bolden, WR, Stony Brook 16th round Michigan Panthers
Vinny Papale, WR, Delaware 17th round Tampa Bay Bandits
Liam Dobson, OG, Maine 23rd round New Orleans Breakers
Diondre Wallace, LB, Towson 29th round New Orleans Breakers
Original source can be found here.
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