The Michigan Panthers made some noise during the UFL Dispersal Draft this past Friday. After protecting the players they wanted to keep on the roster, GM Steve Kazor and HC Mike Nolan picked up tremendous talent from dissolved USFL teams.
In this article, we will take a look at each draft pick for Michigan – and, overview the athletes that they protected for training camp.
QB Davis Cheek | New Orleans Breakers
Davis Cheek is an intriguing pickup for the Michigan Panthers. He spent the 2023 USFL season as McLeod Bethel-Thompson’s backup in New Orleans. Cheek is a quarterback that John DeFilippo was looking to utilize during the 2024 season, but the Breakers ended up being a shelved team in the merger.
Phoenix on the board!
After a fourth-down conversion, Davis Cheek connects with Kortez Weeks for an @ElonFootball touchdown.#CAAFB on @FloFootball:https://t.co/JHpSKo5FqR pic.twitter.com/qfpc03ULww
— CAA Football (@CAAFootball) September 25, 2021
Clearly, the Panthers organization sees something in Cheek that they want to bring to Michigan. Davis played his college ball at Elon, throwing for 2,924 yards and 17 touchdowns during his senior season. Cheek had some NFL interest this past offseason, having a workout with the Las Vegas Raiders.
RB Wes Hills | New Orleans Breakers
With one of the biggest splashes in the UFL Dispersal Draft, the Michigan Panthers snagged the modern USFL rushing record holder, Wes Hills.
Hills burst onto the scene for New Orleans in week two of the USFL season, proving himself as one of spring football’s top running backs. In nine games, Hill rushed for 679 yards – which blew away the modern record. He also posted 10 rushing touchdowns, and added 278 receiving yards to his total tally.
What a start to this game for the @USFLBreakers. Wes Hills caps off a six play, 62 yard drive with a walk-in touchdown to the left side.
This New Orleans #USFL offense under the leadership of John DeFilippo is something…