USFL College Draft: New Orleans Panthers select DJ Ivey with No. 20 overall pick

The New Orleans Breakers selected former Miami cornerback DJ Ivey with the No. 20 overall pick in the 2023 USFL Draft. He just finished his redshirt senior season with the Hurricanes, finishing the season with 38 tackles, two interceptions, seven passes defended and two forced fumbles.

Ivey was the No. 327 overall high school recruit in the 2018 cycle, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He spent five seasons with Miami and played in at least 11 games all five seasons, starting games in four different campaigns.

He joins Cincinnati wide receiver Tyler Scott and former Virginia and North Carolina linebacker Noah Taylor as the Breakers draft picks.

With the 20th overall pick in the 3rd round of the 2023 USFL College Draft, the Breakers have selected @CanesFootball CB @divey8_ #GeauxBlueWave 🌊 pic.twitter.com/TnBQqGm7hZ

— New Orleans Breakers (@USFLBreakers) February 21, 2023

More on the state of the USFL

Last year was the initial season for the USFL, which also resulted in some history for spring football. The USFL was the first league in 40 years to have a successful inaugural season and then come back for a second season.

All eight USFL teams are remotely participating in this year’s draft, drafting the rights to 80 players who are eligible for the draft from a pool of 3,000 players. In order to be eligible for the USFL Draft, athletes must be out of high school for at least three years and either used all of their college eligibility, or waived it. Junior college players can request eligibility after being out of high school for two years and not be enrolled in a four-year school.

“We are building the USFL for long-term success and our first-ever College Draft demonstrates our clear focus on building winning teams for Season 2, Season 3, and beyond,” Daryl Johnston, the USFL’s Executive Vice President of Football Operations, said. “The USFL will continue to search for and evaluate the best players to join our league. We are excited to see who the next KaVontae Turpin will be to turn an opportunity with the USFL into a springboard for success in the NFL. Conducting our inaugural College Draft shows that the USFL is committed to providing these talented players an alternative route to pursue their professional football dreams.”