Former NFL quarterbacks Christian Hackenberg, Scott Tolzien and Zach Mettenberger were among those selected in the Alliance of American Football's inaugural quarterback draft Tuesday night.
Hackenberg, who threw for more than 8,400 yards in three seasons at Penn State before the New York Jets selected him 51st overall in the 2016 draft, went to the Memphis Express, as did Mettenberger, who previously started 10 games for the Tennessee Titans.
Tolzien, who spent most of his NFL career as a backup with the Green Bay Packers and Indianapolis Colts, was selected by the Birmingham Iron.
Among the other noteworthy names who found new homes in the AAF on Tuesday night are former Oklahoma and Texas Tech quarterback Trevor Knight (Arizona Hotshots), former Alabama quarterback Blake Sims (Iron), former Arkansas quarterback Austin Allen (Salt Lake Stallions) and former NFL backup Matt Simms, the son of CBS broadcaster Phil Simms.
Tuesday's draft was conducted as a "protect or pick" event, where teams could choose to protect a quarterback that they've been allocated — based geographically on where the player went to college — or pick from another region.
Longtime NFL backup Josh Johnson (San Diego Fleet) and former Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray (Atlanta Legends) were among those protected by their assigned teams.
"The quarterback position is critical to a team’s success," AAF co-founder and former NFL executive Bill Polian said in a statement, "so we knew the importance of making sure each Alliance team had a top-tier quarterback at the helm."
The AAF season begins Feb. 9.
Contact Tom Schad at [email protected] or on Twitter @Tom_Schad.
Source: Read Full Article