BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Gunnar Oakes, a Swanton High School graduate who played collegiately at Eastern Michigan, was drafted with the first pick of the seventh round of the USFL draft Tuesday by the Michigan Panthers.
With the 48th pick of the 2023 USFL College Draft, we have selected TE Gunnar Oakes #LetsHunt ???? pic.twitter.com/YBC1wKjGfG
— Michigan Panthers (@USFLPanthers) February 21, 2023
The sixth-year tight end caught 27 passes for 279 yards last season. For his collegiate career, Oakes has 621 yards and two touchdowns on 56 receptions.
At Swanton, Oakes caught 51 passes for 831 yards and 12 touchdowns as a senior in 2016, receiving first-team All-Ohio honors. He finished with 15 varsity letters, topping the 1,000-point mark in basketball and qualifying for the state track and field meet three times in the high jump.
The current iteration of the USFL enters its second season this year, with games starting April 15. The league will use four sites this season, with the Panthers and the Philadelphia Stars calling Detroit’s Ford Field home. The Panthers, who were one of the four teams to compete in Birmingham last year, are coached by former San Francisco 49ers head coach Mike Nolan.
The Panthers selected Michigan State offensive tackle Jarrett Horst with the No. 1 overall pick.
First Published February 21, 2023, 11:04 p.m.
