USFL Draft 2022: Tampa Bay Bandits take QB Jordan Ta'amu
With the second pick of the 2022 USFL Draft on Tuesday, the Tampa Bay Bandits selected quarterback Jordan Ta’amu from Mississippi.
In the inaugural draft's unique format, each round is dedicated solely to one position group, and the first round featured only quarterbacks. The Bandits selected Ta'amu from the available passers.
Here's a look at Ta'amu's background and a detailed scouting report from FOX Sports Draft Analyst Rob Rang:
Background: Following two flashy seasons at Ole Miss, in which he completed 64.5% of his passes for 5,600 yards and an impressive 30 touchdowns against just 12 interceptions (with another 507 yards and 10 scores as a rusher), Ta’amu signed with the Houston Texans in 2019. He jumped to the now-defunct XFL a few months later, starring for the St. Louis BattleHawks.
Ta’amu’s flashy play in St. Louis earned him another shot in the NFL with the Kansas City Chiefs adding him to their roster in April 2020. He has spent time with the Detroit Lions, Washington Commanders and Carolina Panthers, showing the skills that helped make him the No. 2 pick by Tampa Bay.
Scouting Report: It is easy to see why so many NFL teams have had interest in Ta’amu, as he possesses an intriguing combination of size, athleticism and arm talent.
The 6-foot-3, 221-pound QB has an athletic frame with excellent size and better football speed than his 40-yard dash of 4.77 suggests, getting to top speed quickly with his long strides that make him a legitimate dual-threat nightmare for defenders.
As a passer, Ta'amu, 24, displays effortless velocity and good accuracy on a variety of throws, consistently placing the ball away from opponents and leading his receivers to daylight. Can feather the ball over the top, as well as hang it on a line, demonstrating the pure passing talent needed to make every throw in the playbook.
