Over the course of the USFL’s 10-round Supplemental Draft, four former HBCU players were selected with three coming from Tennessee State.
The first player selected was former Tigers wide receiver Chris Rowland who was taken with the 48th overall pick in the sixth round by the Philadelphia Stars.
Rowland played for Tennessee State from 2016 to 2019 winning the Deacon Jones trophy in his senior season. He finished the year recording 104 receptions, 1,437 receiving yards and eight touchdowns.
The former Tiger then moved on to the NFL signing with the Atlanta Falcons where he played two games as a kick returner. This past season, he was added to the Tennessee Titans practice squad.
Next was former Tennessee State offensive lineman Robert Myers who was the 56th overall pick in the seventh round going to the New Jersey Generals.
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In his time with TSU from 2010-2014, Myers was selected to two All-OVC second teams and played in the Senior Bowl in 2015. The all-conference offensive lineman was then taken in the fifth round of the 2015 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens.
Although he never played a game in the NFL, he has been on many teams’ practice squads including the Indianapolis Colts, Denver Broncos, and Seattle Seahawks.
In 2015, Myers was a part of the Denver Broncos Super Bowl-winning team as he was upgraded to the active roster but was inactive for the game.
He saw his first action on the field at the pro level as a member of the Memphis Express in the now-defunct Alliance of American Football (AAF). Then played in the XFL with the Seattle Dragons and most recently in The Spring League (TSL) with the Conquerors coached by former NFL head coach Jerry Glanville.
Capping the trifecta of Tennessee State USFL draftees is fellow offensive lineman Brandon Haskin taken with the 68th overall pick in the ninth round also by the New Jersey Generals.
Haskin played with the Tigers during the 2011 and 2012 seasons after playing two years with Independence Community College.
In 2018, as a member of the Iowa Barnstormers in the Indoor Football League (IFL), Haskin was named second-team All-IFL and the team went on to win the championship. He most recently played three games in the XFL in 2020 as a member of the Seattle Dragons.
The fourth and final HBCU player selected in the USFL supplemental draft is former Howard offensive lineman Toree Boyd who was taken with the 76th overall pick in the 10th round by the New Orleans Breakers.
Boyd played for the Bison from 2013 to 2016 being selected All-MEAC second team in 2015 and All-MEAC first team in 2016.
Toree previously played in the IFL as a member of the Arizona Rattlers Bismark Bucks
