Former Steelers Paxton Lynch, Cavon Walker go to Michigan Panthers in USFL Draft

Former Pittsburgh Steelers Paxton Lynch and Cavon Walker was selected by the Michigan Panthers of the USFL in the first day of the new league’s inaugural selection on Tuesday.

Lynch was taken with the eighth pick in the 12th round, which was the second round that was dedicated to quarterbacks. He will compete with former Michigan quarterback Shea Patterson for the starting job.

Walker was taken with the first pick in the third round, which was the second round that was dedicated to edge defenders. Adele Adeoye and Chase DeMoore were the other defensive ends drafted by Michigan.

A former first-round pick of the Denver Broncos, Lynch played in five NFL regular-season games in his first two seasons, but was cut by Denver in 2018. He joined the Steelers’ practice squad in 2019 after an injuries to starter Ben Roethlisberger and was promoted to the active roster after backup Mason Rudolph was also injured, but never played a game with the team.

Lynch returned to the Steelers for training camp in 2020, but was cut in favor of Joshua Dobbs and Devlin Hodges for the No. 3 and No. 4 quarterback spots. He spent time on the roster of the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the CFL in 2021, but did not play for the team.

Walker will be playing in his second spring football season. He joined the Steelers during the 2020 offseason after a successful stint in the XFL in the spring of 2020, when he led the league in sacks before the COVID-19 pandemic shut it down. Walker was released by the Steelers on Sept. 5, 2020 and has not been in professional football since. A Maryland alum, he has also spent time on the roster of the Chicago Bears and Kansas City Chiefs, but has not played an NFL game.

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