Three Big East Selections in the UFL Draft

Unlike the NFL with its TV cameras and hours of coverage, the UFL (United Football League) had its 2011 Draft on twitter today. No, seriously, they did the draft exclusively on twitter. There were ten rounds and 52 total selections.

Here are the big names (or at least ones you've heard of) who went undrafted by the NFL who got scooped up by the UFL: 1st overall, Jerrod Johnson, Texas A&M (Hartford Colonials), #3 Ryan Colburn, Fresno State (Sacramento Mountain Lions), #38 Jeremiah Masoli, Ole Miss (Omaha Nighthawks), #43 Derrick Locke, Kentucky (Omaha Nighthawks), #46 Mario Fannin, Auburn (Las Vegas Locos), #51 Mark Herzlich, Boston College (Omaha Nighhawks), Mr. Irrelevant #52 Jeff Maehl, Oregon (Virginia Destroyers). Cecil Newton Jr. (yes, it's the son of the Cecil you're thinking of) was also selected.

How did the Big East do in the 2011 UFL Draft? We got three selections. If you do the math, that's 5.8% of the entire class. The Big XII really cleaned up with nine selections to lead all conferences.

The Hartford Colonials coached by Jerry Glanville picked former Louisville offensive lineman Kurt Quarterman with the sixth pick of the draft. The Sacramento Mountain Lions selected Rutgers cornerback Derrick Roberson at number 13. The final pick from the Big East by the Las Vegas Locos at #31 was another Rutgers former player, quarterback Mike Teel.

Teel found out about his selection on twitter. In a response to former Rutgers teammate Courtney Greene, Teel tweeted "thanks bro. I found out on here. What's the signing bonus like??" Well, I hate to spoil the fun, but CNBC's sports business reporter Darren Rovell tweeted during the UFL draft that the 1st overall pick will make $40,000, which is more than eight times less than the NFL minimum.