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*S36 Draft - Team Grades & Analysis - Printable Version

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*S36 Draft - Team Grades & Analysis - DREAMSLOTH - 06-22-2022

Hey there, party people! I am finally returning to work from paternity leave, which means I'll probably never be able to write something of this magnitude again. So I guess this is my media magnum opus -- a comprehensive look at the picks and the winners of the S36 ISFL draft. This is a big piece, so I'm going to break it up into a few parts: Team Grades and Draft Analysis, Pick Grades - Part 1, and Pick Grades - Part 2.

A few disclaimers at the top:

1. Any critique of a player or team is not a personal slight. I considered my grades solely based on my own analysis of needs and what was available on the draft board.
2. Some of my analysis may just be straight up wrong. For example, I know there were some position swaps completed immediately after the draft; I'm aware of a few swaps but not all. Also, I am not a math expert, so you may see things missing like weighted grading.
3. All grades are assigned using the American A-F system. It makes no sense and whoever invented it should be buried in the annals of history. Nonetheless, it's what we know. This country is very broken.
4. I don't understand why the forums always mess with spacing in formatting after you edit a post. If the spacing looks off, I blame the site.
5. This is solely for entertainment purposes and I thought it'd be a fun exercise. I hope you enjoy!

PICK GRADES

If you only want to check out pick grades, you can view those here:

Part 1
Part 2


DRAFT ANALYSIS

First off, let's get a foundation for what the prospect class looked like:

Position Overview

Code:
  # Players | Avg. TPE | Avg. Draft Rank

DE    7    215    33
S    8    209    26
TE    6    208    43
LB    7    207    33
CB    8    197    39
WR    11    194    37
QB    2    188    58
RB    10    182    45
DT    11    178    46
OL    6    177    45
KP    3    131    55

[Image: EMb8Qi3.png]

DSFL Draft Performance

Avg. Player Pick in Draft

Code:
           Avg. Player Pick No.

Norfolk Seawolves    27
Minnesota Grey Ducks    33
Kansas City Coyotes    36
London Royals            38
Portland Pythons    43
Bondi Beach Buccaneers    44
Dallas Birddogs            47
Tijuana Luchadores    53

[Image: rVOjGoD.png]

By all accounts, if you were a safety or a Seawolf, you absolutely won the day. This is especially the case considering safeties were selected at picks 1, 7, 8, 11, and 16 (31% of the first 16 picks), and Norfolk had the T-2nd most drafted players in the S36 draft.

Minnesota, KCC, and LON were pretty close together at #2, #3, and #4. Tijuana had 6 players drafted in Round 5, significantly dropping their average selection position -- it probably doesn't help that they had the overall lowest average TPE for their draftees (158). Norfolk (220), Kansas City (216), and Minnesota (207) top that particular list.


Selections by Position

Code:
    BBB    DAL    KCC    LON    MIN    NOR    POR    TIJ

CB    2                1    3    1    1
DE        1    2    2    2            
DT    2    1    2    1        1    2    2
KP    1            1                1
LB    2        1    2            1    1
OL            1    1    1    1        2
QB        1                1        
RB    2    1    1    1    2    1    1    1
S        1        2    2    1    2    
TE    1    1                1    2    1
WR    1    1    4        1    1    1    2

[Image: LtTYbA4.png]

Norfolk and KCC are the outliers here with their respective 3 CBs and 4 WRs. Amazingly enough, all but one of those players went in the first three rounds in the draft, and all 7 players were gone by midway through Round 4.


Drafted Players by Round

Code:
Round   BBB    DAL    KCC    LON    MIN    NOR    POR    TIJ
1    1    1    2    3    1    4    1    1
2    1        3    2    3    2    2    1
3    3    2    2    1    3        2    1
4    4    1    1    1    1    3    2    1
5        1    2    2    1    1    1    6
6    2    2    1    1            2    1

[Image: 3ZQNaUY.png]

I found this data to be particularly interesting. When looking at the Position Overview and DSFL Team Performance for this draft, it's hard not to see a correlation between defensive talent and early selections.

Norfolk and Minnesota led the pack here, each with the highest avg. draft position for their players (27 and 33, respectively). Minnesota's first five players taken off the board were all defenders, as were four of Norfolk's first six.

WR made up the difference here on the offensive side. By all accounts, Norfolk, London, Kansas City, and Minnesota straight up crushed the draft, with the majority of their players being taken in the first 2-3 rounds.

Also worth noting is that four of the five highest average TPE positions are all defensive roles, the only exception being DT which seemed to have a spell of IA players toward the end of the draft.


ISFL Draft Performance

Drafted Positions by Round

Code:
Round    CB    DE    DT    KP    LB    OL    QB    RB    S    TE    WR
1    1    1    1        2    1        1    4        3
2    2    3    1    1    1            2    1    1    2
3    2    1    3        2    2        1        2    1
4    1    1    2        1    1    1    2    2    1    2
5    1    1    2    1    1    1    1    3        2    1
6    1        2    1        1        1    1        2

[Image: IXNckaw.png]

It was a good draft to be a defender or receiver. Of the 42 picks in the first three rounds, an astounding 31/42 (73.8%) of all picks were a defender or receiver. In the first round, the only two non-defender/receiver selections were J.T. Kurbis (1.09 - Yellowknife) and Sconnie McSix (1.14 - Baltimore), though technically McSix swapped to receiver immediately after draft so I guess Jarvis Harbinger-Marjin was indeed the first RB selected after all muahahahahahahhahahahah..

..sorry, blacked out again. I want to give a special shoutout to Savathûn T. Witchqueen (2.8 - Arizona) for defying the odds and getting drafted in the second round, taken before some absolute heavy hitters throughout the rest of the draft.


TPE of Drafted Players

Code:
             Avg. Draftee TPE

Chicago Butchers    224
Arizona Outlaws            211
Berlin Fire Salamanders    208
Baltimore Hawks            198
New York Silverbacks    197
Yellowknife Wraiths    194
New Orleans Second Line    193
Colorado Yeti            192
Austin Copperheads    191
Philadelphia Liberty    187
Sarasota Sailfish    184
Honolulu Hahalua    182
San Jose Sabercats    175
Orange County Otters    164

[Image: Qa5TX8M.png]

Look, I get it.. it's not all about the TPE. But it kind of is a little bit? As we all know, the sim cares for no man in particular, and having a higher TPE mitigates the amount of black magic fuckery the sim imposes in any particular game.

Going by raw TPE numbers alone, Chicago and Arizona drafted the highest-caliber players. Arizona made all five of their selections count (Reilly, Witchqueen, Rodman, Akayre, Chrundle), as did Chicago who landed a 150+ TPE active LB as late as Round 5 (5.03, KingOfTheOzone/Walter McKinley).

On the other side of the list, OCO rounds out the bottom with a whopping 60 average TPE differential compared to the Butchers. In fairness, Orange County had as many picks in Rounds 5-6 (3) as they did in 1-3 (3).


No. of Drafted Players by Position

Code:
Pos.    ARI    AUS    BAL    BER    CHI    COL    HON    NOLA    NYS    OCO    PHI    SJS    SAR    YKW

CB        1    1    1        1            1    1        1    1    
DE        1                        1    1            1    3    
DT        1        2    2    1        1        1        1        2
KP    1                                    1    1            
LB    3        1    2    1                                    
OL    1    2                1            1                    1
QB                1                                    1    
RB            1            1    1    1        1    3    1    1    
S        2            1                2    1    1    1        
TE                1        1        1            1            2
WR        1            1    1    2    2    1    1    1    1

[Image: 5uXNaL8.png]

Even being one of the three RBs taken by Philly, I still have a hard time wrapping my mind around the decision. Though I'm sure it will become clear over time. Maybe we have the future Busch Goose + Dante King + ? trio. It should be exciting. Some other callouts here are Sarasota's three DEs, YKWs two TEs, and Arizona's three LBs (two of which were over 240+ TPE, holy moly). Picks were relatively balanced across defense and offense with most other teams. In my view, this indicates either a continuation of rebuilding (e.g. Colorado, New York) or bolstering strength for a near-term Ultimus run-up (Baltimore, Honolulu, Chicago).


No. of Drafted Players by DSFL Team

Code:
DSFL TEAM            ARI    AUS    BAL    BER    CHI    COL    HON    NOLA    NYS    OCO    PHI    SJS    SAR    YKW

Bondi Beach Buccaneers        1    1    2            1                3    1    1    1
Dallas Birddogs                1        2        3    1                    
Kansas City Coyotes        2        2    1        1        1    1    1        1    1
London Royals            2    1            2                1    2    1        1    
Minnesota Grey Ducks        2                1        1    2            1    2    
Norfolk Seawolves            1    1        3                1    1    2    1    
Portland Pythons    1    1        1    1            1        2    1    1        1
Tijuana Luchadores    2    1    1        1        1    1    1            1        2

[Image: Fi6XEwS.png]

I was curious to see if there was any kind of pipeline between the DSFL and ISFL rosters. The closest thing I could observe was Norfolk <> Colorado, Dallas <> Honolulu, and Bondi Beach <> Philadelphia, each having three draft selections from a single DSFL team. I'm still fairly new to the league so I'm not sure if there's fire where there's smoke in this particular instance, but I thought the outliers were worth noting at least.


TEAM GRADES

Alright, so with our foundational understanding of the draft out of the way, let's get to the part everyone actually cares about -- somewhat arbitrary grades assigned by a single judge!

This class was loaded with talent. As a result, I believe no team in particular did an especially poor job of drafting. That said, there are definitely some individual picks that are better than others, and some teams that are clear winners in this draft.

Here we go:

ARI Arizona Outlaws | A

1.12 - Ignatius Reilly, LB // @yesboom
2.8 - Savathûn T. Witchqueen, KP // @sathona
3.12 - Dennis Rodman, OL // @PBS
3.13 - Akaki Akayre, LB // @Ulaire
4.12 - Emerson Quinn, LB // @Chrundle

Let there be no doubt -- Arizona is going to make another Ultimus run this year. With the vast majority of their S35 roster in as good or better shape heading into S36, I believe this is the team to beat. With no glaring holes in the roster, Arizona was able to start planning for the future. They got incredible value in their late-round picks in one of the top OL (Dennis Rodman) and LBs (Akaki Akayre), not to mention a strong first round pick in Ignatius Reilly. Witchqueen was by far the best kicker on the board, but Arizona may have been able to watch them drop a bit before taking the pick. Regardless, this draft for Arizona netted them at least four users that will maintain career active players.

AUS Austin Copperheads | A

1.2 - Zaphod Beeblebrox, WR // @Mooty99
2.2 - Nate Winter, S // @TwoSocks
2.11 - Jean-Ralphio Saperstein, DE // @Fordhammer
3.2 - Raffaele Tommasi, CB // @enigmatic
3.14 - Jimmy Holding, OL // @TheDangaZone
4.2 - Roma Amir-Kani, S // @dallasrogue21
5.2 - Sexy Wilfork, DT // @wuma
6.2 - Trigger Robinson, OL // @Thegreatbambino

Austin had plenty of needs this draft, and they certainly made the most of the picks they had available. They managed to get two of the top defensive players near the end of Round 2 and beginning of Round 3, plus a massive steal with Roma Amir-Kani in Round 4. Their Round 5/6 selections are a bit of a toss-up, but Austin more than makes up for that in the rest of their draft. It's possible they just drafted six players that will be active for their entire careers; I wouldn't be surprised to see at least one or two All-Pros from this group in a few seasons.

BAL Baltimore Hawks | A-

1.14 - Sconnie McSix, RB // @g2019
2.13 - Bruce Buckley Jr., LB // @NicholasTheGreat
5.13 - Mabel Pines, CB // @dude_woman

Baltimore had limited draft capital to work with, owning only two non-GM picks. Somehow, they still ended up with the top RB of the draft (now a converted WR) and a 213 TPE CB in the 5th round. I imagine their GM won't be lacking in TPE forever. Great draft for the Hawks all things considered, though they definitely missed out on some quality talent by not having more selections.

BER Berlin Fire Salamanders | A+

1.6 - Kevin McThumper, LB // @Chucky
2.6 - Tae Dawson, CB // @Gage2
3.6 - Fred Edison, LB // @Liter
4.6 - Nathan Meagher, DT // @Nathan
4.9 - L F.T, TE // @C9Van
5.6 - Roque Santa Cruz, QB // @Air Crou
6.6 - Smitty Oom, DT // @smitty_oom

What an absolute haul for the Fire Salamanders this draft. Berlin's newcomer QB Bageshwari Singh will be entering their first season after being called up from Bondi Beach, but that didn't stop Berlin from taking one of the top QB prospects late in the draft, Roque Santa Cruz. Will Singh be the Aaron Rodgers to Brett Favre, or will they be the Jordan Love to Aaron Rodgers? Only time will tell.

In addition to Santa Cruz, Berlin landed quite possibly the biggest steal of the draft in Nathan Meagher in the fourth round, a leading TE shortly after, and three of the top defensive players in the first three rounds. This defense is going to be capital-s Scary in a few seasons.

CHI Chicago Butchers | A+

1.5 - Xavier Valorian, DT // @XaveValor
1.11 - Quendyn Quarterstorm, S // @Twenty6
2.5 - Austin Morley, WR // @soevil
3.11 - Joseph Reed, DT // @Reedy0rNot
5.3 - Walter McKinley, LB // @KingOfTheOzone

Chicago shows why they remain a top competitor in the ISFL with this draft class. They appear to be one of the best scouting/drafting teams in the ISFL today, landing a winning group comprised of some of the top defensive players from the DSFL, a top high-potential late pick, and one of the best receivers of this class. As Vincent Sharpei Jr. starts their final overture, Austin Morley should be able to pick up the mantle right where they left off. soevil, Twenty6, Xave, and Reedy have all shown themselves to be highly involved members of the community, and KingOfTheOzone has shown flashes of the same. I wouldn't be surprised if Chicago's defense competed with Berlin for the top spot in 2-3 seasons.

COL Colorado Yeti | B+

1.1 - Graham Harper, CB // @PurpleReign
3.1 - Mister Hogmally, TE // @iStegosauruz
3.8 - Ceti Pyxis, RB // @belowavgg
4.1 - Effoff IamYeti, DT // @SDCore
5.1 - Orlando Doom, OL // @Bunny
6.1 - Rerry Jice, WR // @CJ_the_M16

The perpetual rebuild continues! The Yeti grab a fairly balanced haul, picking up weapons along their offensive line and backfield and taking the top cornerback for two consecutive drafts, Graham Harper. Mister Hogmally was my #1 TE this draft, so getting Steg in the third round feels like a huge win especially since they weren't the first TE taken. I like Ceti Pyxis going in the third round as well, though there were higher TPE options available. (Good job though, Slate Wink ). Effoff IamYeti is a quality meme pick, though with better selections on the board it's hard not to wonder when exactly this rebuild will end. Getting Bunny in the fifth could end up being a big steal for Colorado.

HON Honolulu Hahalua | C+

2.4 - Octavio Pérez, WR // @Raven
4.4 - Bean Delphine Jr, RB // @SeymourSnatches
5.14 - Drew Stowe, WR // @drewlikesthepanthers

Honolulu was even more scarce on draft capital than their Ultimus opponents, the Baltimore Hawks. With picks in Rounds 2, 4, and 5, there wasn't much Honolulu could do. They were able to pick up some new weapons for Dexter Zaylren in Octavio Pérez -- who is coming off a solid year in Kansas City -- and the leading back for Bondi Beach, Bean Delphine Jr. That said, Delphine Jr is a questionable long-term replacement for the now-retired Cobra Kai, though we'll see if they can complement Buffalo Hunter in the HON backfield. Besides the selection of Raven's player, the rest of this group is a mixed bag.

NOLA New Orleans Secondline | A-

1.4 - Don Dobbler, WR // @Jaywe88
1.13 - JR Frankenstero, DE // @Punk42AE
3.4 - Charles Chapman, DT // @Charple
4.13 - Rockbot Rockbo, WR // @RockbotRockbo
5.4 - Turt Golum, TE // @patsfreak27
6.4 - Nick Smith, RB // @SmittyHextall

NOLA had some clear needs on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball and addressed those fairly well in the first four rounds. Turt Golum and Nick Smith are both long-term question marks, but at least New Orleans picked up some quality help in Don Dobbler, JR Frankenstero, and Charles Chapman. Rockbot Rockbo was a late bloomer on Portland last season and could be a quality steal as a 4th Round selection.

NYS New York Silverbacks | A

1.3 - Teemo Swift, S // @Repgnar
2.14 - Bonzi Buddy, CB // @zaynzk
3.3 - Mandrews McHollywood, WR // @Rusfan
4.3 - Kaiden King, S // @khkreator
4.10 - Pan Cakes, OL // @lespoils
5.12 - Amadan Fool, DE // @Jo3fish5

New York gets what they need -- a dynamic duo (or in this case, trio) in the defensive backfield and a powerhouse of a weapon in Rusfan / Mandrews McHollywood. Bonzi Buddy falling to NYS as their GM pick in the 2nd Round only cements the quality of picks, not to mention Kaiden King in the fourth considering their emergence late in S35. Pan Cakes could be a steal if user lespoils keeps their activity up. Solid foundation to build from for a team that needed to win in this draft.

OCO Orange County Otters | A-

1.10 - Thomas Robinson, WR // @infern8
2.10 - Leandre Diarra, RB // @slate
3.10 - Suggs Upshar II, CB // @Suggs
5.10 - Jeremy Crouse Jr., KP // @Twinsfan87
5.11 - Tyrod Iverson, DT // @cluesman
6.3 - Poopoo InPee, S // @poopooinp

With a new thiccness comes a new draft class, and OCO certainly didn't disappoint in the early rounds of the draft. infern8, slate, and Suggs are all some of the more engaged users around the community, and their players were all top contenders in DSFL S35. Jeremy Crouse could end up being a solid pickup, though we'll need to see if they can keep up with TPE activity. A few IAs round out the bottom of OCO's board.

PHI Philadelphia Liberty | B+

1.8 - Aleksandr Milescu, S // @Alikh
2.1 - Jarvis Harbinger-Marjin, RB // @DREAMSLOTH
2.3 - Jasper Fontaine, TE // @lordcoolcats
4.8 - Derrick Prince, WR // @AnUnoriginalGuy
4.14 - Udo E Beaty, RB // @bechtudo
5.8 - Jair Pharaoh, RB // @Jmsewa19
6.8 - Patrick Cunningham, KP // @Buttersqauch101

I'm doing my best not to inject bias into my grades, so Philly gets a middle-of-the-road ranking from me. Fortunately, all the players in this lineup are active, and there's some potential for career players at each of these selections.

That said, it's strange to see Philly take three RBs in the same draft, and that alone is enough for me to wonder what might have been had Philly looked to other positions. If everyone drafted stays active, this could end up being one of the best overall classes of players in the S36 draft, but only if Philadelphia can make the most of the talent at hand.

SJS San Jose Sabercats | B

1.7 - Ja’uan Holland, S // @Friesen1520
2.7 - Mike Scott, DE // @Pizza-faith
3.7 - Fat Jack, DT // @AW13
4.7 - Will Nightingale, CB // @PurplePiratePoo
5.7 - C.G Breezy, RB // @LIL MUNKEY
6.7 - Payton Wilhelm, WR // @Saltystew32

San Jose had a pick in every round of the draft, but were their selections the right ones given who else was on the board at the time? I think they lucked their way into some quality users in the first five rounds, despite better players being available. The SJS scouts must have recognized something other teams did not, on the upside, Will Nightingale could end up being a steal as a career player and at least they landed one of the best safeties and DEs in the draft for a defense that needs the help.

SAR Sarasota Sailfish | A-

2.12 - Harley Andrews, DE // @abh89
3.5 - Aqeel Steele, DE // @NonComplicit
4.5 - Justin Cloud, DE // @JustCloud
4.11 - Pete Zuh, QB // @seal
5.5 - Malcom Graves, RB // @FL4K__
6.5 - Greg Givens, CB // @gtg1994

Sarasota's first four rounds are stacked. They get their QB of the future once Carter Knight retires and three of the best DEs in the draft. Why three DEs? You'll need to ask the GM. Fortunately they aren't lacking on offense, but the defense could've used a little more well-rounded support in the draft. Here's to hoping their lower-round picks end up being more active.

YKW Yellowknife Wraiths | B+

1.9 - J.T. Kurbis, OL // @JoshiePoo
2.9 - Absolute Unit, DT // @Arkz
3.9 - Reece Wells II, TE // @josda_
5.9 - Richard Harden, TE // @Alphavictory
6.9 - Bunk McDunk, DT // @deffmonk

Another team seemingly taking insurance on positions where they've already drafted a top player. Yellowknife's first three rounds are solid, at least, including their GM pick in Arkz who happened to manage one of the best DTs in the DSFL last season. J.T. Kurbis seems poised to be the next Stumpy Jones, and Reece Wells II fills a need for a team without a clear TE. I hope to be proven wrong by their late round picks.

RE: S36 Draft - Team Grades & Analysis - g2019 - 06-22-2022

Unbelievable work, as I know how much time and effort goes into something like this. Absolutely love the media blitz, and I know you're going to be a big name in this league for a long time! Smile

RE: S36 Draft - Team Grades & Analysis - DREAMSLOTH - 06-22-2022

I appreciate the love, ty.

RE: S36 Draft - Team Grades & Analysis - Pizza-faith - 06-23-2022

Crazy amount of work, fun read!!

RE: S36 Draft - Team Grades & Analysis - br0_0ker - 06-23-2022

fantastic read, well done bravo!