*8 Franchise-Defining Draft Picks

dropbear · (This post was last modified: 07-02-2018, 06:46 AM by dropbear.)

Preemptive note: this got a lot longer than I was expecting, so I'm breaking it into two parts. Enjoy Part One below!

With the curtain nearly closed on Season 8 and the draft just around the corner, I thought now would be an apt time to take a look back at the history of the NSFL's drafts and select eight individual draft picks that irrevocably changed the fate of their franchise, and the NSFL, for better or worse.

A look at eight players who developed the sort of fame or infamy that others could only ever dream of, all to celebrate eight seasons of the best football league in the world. Perfectly balanced, as all things should be.

So, without ado, let's get stuck in!

ARI

Arizona Outlaws
The alphabet has assured that the Arizona Outlaws are the first team to go under the microscope, and it is fitting. Their franchise-defining draft pick likely entered your mind the moment you saw the trademark black and red of the team hailing from the Grand Canyon State.

And yet, to newer members, or veterans who have spent the majority of their careers under a rock, there may not appear to be any glaringly obvious choice for the Outlaws. They do have long-serving, high-performing players such as King Bronko and Reg Mackworthy, and for a time employed Defensive Player of the Year front-runner Arbin Asipi, as well as his close friend and former Arizona general manager, Ryan Pace.

But alas, none of those names have quite reached the heights of the player I’ve chosen. A player whose face many would picture under the signature Arizona bandana. And that player is…

Jayce Tuck (@ErMurazor) - DE - Season 1, Round 3 (18th Overall)

Jayce Tuck was a cornerstone of the Arizona Outlaws incredible three consecutive championship wins to begin the first three years of the NSFL’s history. Many would have been expecting more of the same in Season 4, when they had earnt home field advantage in the battle for the conference against little brothers, the Orange County Otters. However, in a miraculous turn of events, the Otters would go on to become the first team to overcome home field advantage in the playoffs and claim their maiden Ultimus that season.

Things only got worse for the Outlaws that offseason, as it was revealed just days before the Season 5 draft that a number of prominent players within the league were, in fact, multis of Er. He was banned from participating in the league for one season, and the Conference Championship defeat at the hands of the Otters was the last game Tuck would ever play as an Outlaw (to date).

Without Tuck, Arizona’s win/loss record dwindled from 12 – 2 in Season 4 – his last season as an Outlaw – to 8 – 6 in Season 5, followed by 8 – 6 in Season 6, then 5 – 9 in Season 7, and finally, 5 – 9 in Season 8. Prior to the loss of Tuck, the Outlaws had never won fewer than 9 games in a season.

While there are plenty of valid arguments to make about Tuck’s on-field contribution to Arizona’s dominance, and how losing him had a lasting impact on the league’s first dynasty; however, the true lasting impact of Tuck as a draft pick is the franchise’s tainted championships. We will never know whether the team would have been as successful without his – or his multis’ – efforts, nor whether another (or which other team) would have won the championships in their stead. Nonetheless, a shadow of doubt will forever be cast over the validity of Arizona's first three Ultimus wins.

To summarise: every draft pick is a risk, but for Arizona, Jayce Tuck was an asterisk.

BAL

Baltimore Hawks
It’s fitting that the Baltimore Hawks should feature after Arizona, as it was the latter who beat the former in back-to-back seasons for the Ultimus, in Season 2 and Season 3. Given the circumstances described above, it would be understandable if Hawks players harboured some resentment for the aptly named Outlaws.

In eight seasons, the Hawks have made the playoffs four times (S2, S3, S5, S8), and, as mentioned, they have lost two championship games. Despite this apparent success, the Hawks have been a consistently unremarkable franchise. They have only topped their division twice, with only one of those occurrences the result of a better win/loss record. Their best season record is 9 – 5, which they have achieved only once.

The Hawks have never been good enough to stand out as frontrunners for the Ultimus, nor have they been bad enough to draw any excessive criticism or to prompt a serious rebuild. They have, to put it bluntly, languished in mediocrity. They have had a fairly stable and talented roster throughout their history, but have never really turned the corner.

So, where do you turn when a team that looks capable of success simply can’t achieve it? The GM/coach. And when you think of the Baltimore front office, you think of…

Kurt Hendrix (@HENDRIX) - (LB) - Season 1, Round 10 (56th Overall)

Now, don’t get me wrong, the Hawks got phenomenal value out of Hendrix as a 10th-round pick. He has been a key piece of their defence for as long as they’ve existed and is a formidable defender. In fact, he was quite a capable GM and coach. However, someone needs to take the blame for the Hawks’ lack of success despite their many bites at the apple, and ultimately that falls on the man calling the shots. While Hendrix is no longer that man, the Hawks most recent season is the only season since S1 that he wasn't at the helm.

The Hendrix draft pick is a double-edged sword, as the Hawks gained a prolific, long-term defensive star and very capable manager. Without him they may well have been one of the worst teams in the league. But at the end of the day, Baltimore remain grouped with the half of the league that are yet to win a championship, despite playing in half of the playoffs – and a quarter of the championship games – to date.

COL

Colorado Yeti
I’ll be honest, had the Colorado Yeti actually been the team responsible for drafting Nicholas Pierno into the league, there is no doubt in my mind that he would have been their franchise-defining draft pick. Instead, the Wraiths pulled that trigger, and quickly handed the smoking gun to their conference rivals in the Centennial State and asked them to wipe off the fingerprints.

Instead, we will look more favourably upon the Yeti’s draft decisions, dating back to a draft pick that remains one of, if not the biggest, steals in the league’s history.

Boss Tweed (@PigSnout) – (RB) – Season 1, Round 17 (99th Overall)

While I’m sure many would find it difficult to imagine Tweed as anything other than the Yeti’s bell cow running back during his time in Colorado, in truth, he was drafted after fellow running backs Luke Tiernan (22nd overall) and Kieran O’Connell (75th overall). The Yeti’s first season in the NSFL featured a very crowded backfield. But, it worked. They finished atop their division with an 8 – 6 record and would go on to play in, and lose, the championship game.

In the seasons that followed, Tweed established himself as the feature back for the team. In fact, in Season 2, he carried the ball 285 times, greatly surpassing his nearest (and only) competitor in Kieran O’Connell, who tallied 52 rushes. Tweed’s season rushing yards total never dropped below 1000 yards in all five seasons he played as the outright starter for the Yeti (S2 – S6).

Unfortunately, the increase in Tweed’s involvement didn’t correspond to an increase in team success. Barring their inaugural season, the Yeti are yet to venture into the playoffs. Eventually, Tweed had to leave for greener pastures. He finished his time in Colorado with 6151 yards from 1732 attempts (3.6 avg) and 23 touchdowns. His number was retired by the franchise immediately after he was traded to the Yellowknife Wraiths, where he now plays as a linebacker, and where he recently won the championship he has long deserved.

Despite having to eventually move on from Colorado, Tweed remains the name many associate with the Yeti. However, there is a crop of talented youngsters who are now helping to change the fortunes of the long-struggling franchise, and one of them may very well come to supplant Tweed at some point in the future.

LVL

Las Vegas Legion/New Orleans Second Line NOLA

After winning just three games in their inaugural season, two less than fellow expansion team the Philadelphia Liberty, the fledgling franchise that was the Las Vegas Legion entered the Season 3 draft with only three picks in the first six rounds. Worrying signs for a side yet to establish itself in the league. But, as has been demonstrated by the likes of Hendrix and Tweed, there’s often elite talent in the later rounds.

The Legion’s first pick came in Round 3, still early enough to be able have a reasonable amount of confidence in hitting with your pick. But the player they drafted, offensive lineman Wallace Stone, was not the one that would come to define the franchise.

It was a long wait, but eventually the Legion general managers were called to the podium again to make their selection. It was the sixth round of the draft, and they approached the microphone tentatively and uttered a name that they hoped would change the fortunes of their franchise forever…

Connor Tanner (@Keyg_an) – WR – Season 3, Round 6 (41st Overall)

Tanner contributed a modest 315 yards from 35 receptions in Season 3, well behind receiving partner and clear #1 Alexandre LeClair, who tallied 71 receptions and 1168 yards in an impressive season. However, Tanner was nipping at LeClair’s heels in the touchdown department, scoring 5 to Alexandre’s 7.

Far from setting the Legion on a new course, the changes in the offseason between Season 2 and 3 had the opposite effect. They finished the year with one less win than in their inaugural season, and sat at the bottom of the division with a 2 – 12 record.

Things seemed to be getting somewhat better in Las Vegas in Season 4, or at least returning to the baseline, as the Legion clawed their way back to a 3 – 11 record. Tanner was making headway on teammate and fellow receiver LeClair, finishing with 467 yards and 1 touchdown from 50 receptions to LeClair’s 771 yards and 6 touchdowns from 56 receptions. Evidently, it wasn’t enough to keep Tanner satisfied, as his team – and the rest of the league – would soon come to find out.

In the offseason between Season 4 and Season 5, Tanner was involved in – and some maintain he orchestrated – a mass retirement of Las Vegas Legion players. The results were catastrophic, and the Legion would go on to win just one game the next season, before relocating to New Orleans and rebranding as the Second Line prior to Season 6.

As with Baltimore’s Kurt Hendrix, Tanner’s pick is one that, in hindsight, was a double-edged sword. It can be argued that his actions ultimately led to the formation of the New Orleans Second Line, a franchise that in only three seasons of existence has managed to make the championship game. However, that fact would be little consolation for those who wanted to see a franchise succeed in Las Vegas.

Every draft pick is a gamble, and you never know if one player – or a group of them – will decide to fold them, rather than hold them.