ATLANTA — Bryan Randall and former Husker Eric Crouch still long to play professional football.

Though the two quarterbacks might not earn another NFL paycheck, both are grateful that the All American Football League will debut in April.

The former college standouts   were the second and third picks, respectively, in the league’s inaugural draft  Saturday, with Randall going to Tennessee and Crouch going to Texas.

Crouch, who won the 2001 Heisman Trophy, is eager to show American fans that he can still play quarterback. Drafted No. 3 overall by the Texas team, Crouch was an NFL receiver for St. Louis and Green Bay.

He was later designated to NFL Europe, where he played wideout in 2006 for Hamburg. But not long after leaving Germany, Crouch had a chance to play quarterback again when he signed with the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts.

“I love the game of football, but quarterback really is my passion,’’ Crouch said. “I can’t deny that I’d like to get another chance to play in the NFL, but the fact remains that I’m really excited to play this spring for Texas. I think the atmosphere will be great.’’

Another former Husker, center Josh Sewell, was also drafted in the first round. Alabama took him with the sixth pick overall.

Randall, a former Virginia Tech standout who spent time with the Atlanta Falcons, went to training camp last year with the Pittsburgh Steelers but didn’t make the team.

“It’s a great opportunity for me, and I can’t wait to get back on the field and compete,’’ Randall said. “I guess I’ve learned that you never get football out of your blood, or at least I haven’t been able to, over the last few months.’’

The league will fill the void created when the NFL shut down NFL Europe earlier this year after 16 seasons. That league was losing a reported $30 million a season.

With teams in Detroit; Little Rock, Ark; Gainesville, Fla.; Birmingham, Ala.; Knoxville, Tenn.; and a yet-to-be-determined city in Texas, the league hopes to build on fans’ identification with former collegiate stars.

Former Troy offensive lineman Zarah Yisrael was drafted No. 1 overall by Arkansas.

Florida picked Marshall quarterback Eric Kresser fourth overall, and another quarterback, David Koral of UCLA, went to Michigan in the No. 5 spot.

League CEO Marcus Katz, who made a fortune after co-founding a company that provided student loans, first announced plans last year for a professional league that would lean heavily on the year-round craze of big-time college programs.

So when the All American debuted its colors, logos, helmets and mascots during the draft, it was no surprise that everything was nearly identical to those used by each state’s most popular college program.

Florida, for example, will wear orange and blue and play three of its five home games at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville. Former Gators quarterback Shane Matthews is the head coach, and Kresser will face competition from Chris Leak, who helped the state’s biggest university beat Ohio State for 2006 national title.