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INTRO
This is an article idea I’ve been wanting to do for a while in some form or another. After doing a lot of research/writing over the offseason I figured I would take a short break from media though. However, after a particularly negative piece was published, I decided now is a good time to spread a little positivity. I’ll be getting help from a few other friends and writers who offered their assistance so a big thank you to them. Without further ado, here’s an honest review of why there are no bad picks in the draft:
ROUND ONE
1.) Luke Quick
League vets are probably more qualified to talk about this user than I am, *and they do*. If you’re as universally liked as BigRed you’re doing something right. From my limited interactions with them in rookie chat, they seem like exactly the kinda person you want in your locker rooms. Even if Baltimore didn’t have a dragon’s hoard of draft picks, they’d be in excellent shape starting their rebuild here.
Rating: 5/5 Nailed it
2.) Busch Goose
Not satisfied with getting one rebuild cornerstone at pick one, Baltimore grabs another here at pick 2. Infinite seems to have given a ton to the league in general and is bound to give a ton to their new ISFL team. Also, as a new user, this whole player concept/renders has been massively entertaining. The ‘feud’ between them and Luke Quick is banter done right. Probably my favorite render of the draft as well.
Rating: 5/5.1 (.1 deducted for not changing name to Busch Duck)
3.) Anton Bruckner
My boy gragg. AKA spreadsheets. AKA no-stats. He’s a member of the shrub trio and future GM of the Mars Rover’s. He has literally been all over the league. I’m not sure if there is a discord channel that he has not made at least one comment on. Very deserving of being a co-winner of the DSFL’s Most Dedicated User Award. Definitely watch out for him in the future. Pretty much a guarantee to have a high impact on the league for seasons to come. (shrub02)
Rating: 64/64 Mock draft picks correct
4.) Xavier Walls
I was thrilled to see Xavier go to Liberty. On top of just being an amazing user and player, it’s one of the best locker room fits I’ve seen. Titan is a very approachable user and is bound to be a huge value for Philly and Philly will be a wonderful home for Titan. If you ever get the chance to interact or even collab with Titanfan, do it.
Rating: 10/10
5.) Glenn Smart
Speaking of locker room fit, this one was so good that Arizona traded up to make sure they got Glenn Smart. This was absolutely a good move. When you got a user like this that wants to be on your team, you find a way to get them. Not to mention they won Most Dedicated User last season in the DSFL. I’m not alone in thinking Glenn is a credit to the league and to their new team.
Rating: hell yes/hell yes
6.) None Mongo
While Mongo isn’t as active in the chat they are active and high achieving in multiple leagues. Mongo’s got some ambition and the drive it takes to carry themself and their new team to some championships. We’re just going to ignore their recent graphic of them sacking a Minnesota QB.
Rating:
3.14/3.14
7.) Juno Hu
Every player needs a ‘rival’ and I admit that I’ve been comparing my TPE totals with Juno all season. We don’t need to talk about on field stats...those aren’t important. What is important is Juno’s media and character have made mine and others time in the league more enjoyable despite not directly interacting much. Juno’s presence in this league benefits everyone.
Rating:
346/342
8.) Andrew Warthol
Warthol is a great player with an even better user behind him. Skorch is a friendly guy and I was very happy to see him go so early in the draft. It's always nice to see two players from Minnesota go in the first round. Because, you know, ducks fly together. He is also one of the few players from this class to be called up immediately. Obviously Yellowknife saw the value in this player. (shrub02) (Can confirm, there is a value in this player) (gragg9)
Rating: 28/28 Quacks
9.) Troy Abed
Nobody saw this pick coming, but Abed’s presence in the first round is no mistake. Their teammates have nothing but high praise for them and clearly Berlin saw that quality. I’ve seen some question this pick but the Berlin GMs are no dummies and will make the roster management first. They wanted to grab an excellent user and I think they got one.
Rating:
Somewhere between 5/5 and 10/10
10.) Dexter Hall
Something about the LBs in the class this year man, they’re all cool dudes. One of the few people to actually send me (non-leeked) info for the mock draft and I’m glad they did, because it’s been great chatting with them. Speaking of mocks, theirs was among the best this past season, so keep an eye out next offseason.
Rating: Yes
11.) Manhattan Project
“He is, in the words of multiple GMs, an excellent war room addition and has a lot of value as a LR presence and as a user.” -Laser
A quick snoop over in the London LR appears to confirm Modern Duke is, in fact, an excellent locker room presence. Yet another one of those folks that I hope to share a locker room with someday.
Rating: 50 megatons/50 megatonnes
12.) Professor Godfrey Gravity
I’ve been on the Prof. train for a while now, since I was surprised to see him drop so far way back in the DSFL draft. This is without a doubt a first round quality user and a first round quality player. Even here at 12 they’re an excellent value that any team is lucky to have.
Rating: No revisions are needed
13.) Cade Williams
Alright, honestly I’ve never spoken with dudeman but judging from the media he puts out, he seems like a pretty cool guy. His tweets are what you would expect from an actual professional football player. Well the role model types at least. He’s always positive and encouraging you to get better. You can’t argue with that kind of attitude. Very deserving of being the first OL off the board. (shrub02)
Rating: One stack of IHOP pancakes
14.) Chunt The Badger
Trading up to draft Chunt is a great move by the Hawks. I mean who could pass up the opportunity to have a literal badger on their team. UltimateYeehaw is well known around the league as a sociable user. The spy network cannot find one bad thing said about her. And they know everything. But seriously, Chunt is going to immediately impact Blatimore in a positive way, both on the field and in the locker room. (shrub02)
Rating: All the scratches you get trying to tackle Chunt
ROUND TWO
15.) Romulus Roman
First off, I would like to say how much I love this name. In Roman mythology, he killed his twin brother Remus (watch out Vaelynn) in the process of founding the city of Rome. If Amulos has even 1% of the influence that the mythological Romulus had, he’s going to do great things over the course of his career. Plus he’s put out some creative media pieces that you should really check out if you haven’t. (shrub02)
Rating: 1/1 Fratricides
16.) Bayley Cowabunga
Ultimini MVP and longtime community member at pick 16. What’s not to love? My interactions with this user have been limited but it’s not hard to tell they’re a helpful and pleasant person to have around. They obviously did great in Dallas and I think will be just as great in Austin.
Rating: 1073/1000 yards
17.) Bender Rodriguez
I have gone on and on about how awesome this user is and I have no problem doing that again. When they heard about this media idea they were eager to jump in and compliment people for no pay. That should tell you all you need to know. They started out their career quiet but are going to be taking the league by storm. Couldn’t be happier that we ended up in the same ISFL locker room.
Rating: 5/5 but with blackjack and hookers
18.) Stumpy Jones
With Stumpy we have another great name and render. It's clear that user FootballisCool is a creative individual as he has produced graphics, written media, and podcasts. He can do it all. The podcasts he creates are insightful and a great window into what’s going on around the league for users that don’t have access to every locker room. I look forward to hearing about what he has to say about the Sailfish and the ISFL in general. (shrub02)
Rating: TreeFiddy/TreeFiddy
19.) Dexter Zaylen
Laser isn’t just popular because they gift the league free TPE with some of the best mock drafts around. As a newly minted updater I can confirm that they put in a ton of work behind the scenes and have the patience of a saint. It takes a lot to be a QB in this league and there’s a reason that Dexter is the first off the board.
Rating: 10TPE/10TPE
20.) Remus Roman
I cannot state enough how awesome these names are. While the mythological Remus may not have actually existed, he still had a very real influence. Similarly, our football playing Remus is going to impact the ISFL. While he doesn’t produce quite as much media as his brother, Vaelynn is part of a power friend group, so you know that he is going to stay active and relevant in the league. I would still consider him a steal, even though he was picked early in the draft at 20 OA. (shrub02)
Rating: 1 Wolf that nurses human babies because that’s frickin awesome
SUMMARY
We could honestly go all the way down the draft and tell you why each pick is a great one. The ISFL has an awesome community. So many members are contributing in some way or another. Whether it be by league jobs, interesting media, amazing graphics, locker room presence, or even just yards on field. I really do think there is no such thing as a bad pick in this (or most) drafts. Each of these players and users are going to accomplish great things on the field or otherwise.
INTRO
This is an article idea I’ve been wanting to do for a while in some form or another. After doing a lot of research/writing over the offseason I figured I would take a short break from media though. However, after a particularly negative piece was published, I decided now is a good time to spread a little positivity. I’ll be getting help from a few other friends and writers who offered their assistance so a big thank you to them. Without further ado, here’s an honest review of why there are no bad picks in the draft:
ROUND ONE
1.) Luke Quick
League vets are probably more qualified to talk about this user than I am, *and they do*. If you’re as universally liked as BigRed you’re doing something right. From my limited interactions with them in rookie chat, they seem like exactly the kinda person you want in your locker rooms. Even if Baltimore didn’t have a dragon’s hoard of draft picks, they’d be in excellent shape starting their rebuild here.
Rating: 5/5 Nailed it
2.) Busch Goose
Not satisfied with getting one rebuild cornerstone at pick one, Baltimore grabs another here at pick 2. Infinite seems to have given a ton to the league in general and is bound to give a ton to their new ISFL team. Also, as a new user, this whole player concept/renders has been massively entertaining. The ‘feud’ between them and Luke Quick is banter done right. Probably my favorite render of the draft as well.
Rating: 5/5.1 (.1 deducted for not changing name to Busch Duck)
3.) Anton Bruckner
My boy gragg. AKA spreadsheets. AKA no-stats. He’s a member of the shrub trio and future GM of the Mars Rover’s. He has literally been all over the league. I’m not sure if there is a discord channel that he has not made at least one comment on. Very deserving of being a co-winner of the DSFL’s Most Dedicated User Award. Definitely watch out for him in the future. Pretty much a guarantee to have a high impact on the league for seasons to come. (shrub02)
Rating: 64/64 Mock draft picks correct
4.) Xavier Walls
I was thrilled to see Xavier go to Liberty. On top of just being an amazing user and player, it’s one of the best locker room fits I’ve seen. Titan is a very approachable user and is bound to be a huge value for Philly and Philly will be a wonderful home for Titan. If you ever get the chance to interact or even collab with Titanfan, do it.
Rating: 10/10
5.) Glenn Smart
Speaking of locker room fit, this one was so good that Arizona traded up to make sure they got Glenn Smart. This was absolutely a good move. When you got a user like this that wants to be on your team, you find a way to get them. Not to mention they won Most Dedicated User last season in the DSFL. I’m not alone in thinking Glenn is a credit to the league and to their new team.
Rating: hell yes/hell yes
6.) None Mongo
While Mongo isn’t as active in the chat they are active and high achieving in multiple leagues. Mongo’s got some ambition and the drive it takes to carry themself and their new team to some championships. We’re just going to ignore their recent graphic of them sacking a Minnesota QB.
Rating:
3.14/3.14
7.) Juno Hu
Every player needs a ‘rival’ and I admit that I’ve been comparing my TPE totals with Juno all season. We don’t need to talk about on field stats...those aren’t important. What is important is Juno’s media and character have made mine and others time in the league more enjoyable despite not directly interacting much. Juno’s presence in this league benefits everyone.
Rating:
346/342
8.) Andrew Warthol
Warthol is a great player with an even better user behind him. Skorch is a friendly guy and I was very happy to see him go so early in the draft. It's always nice to see two players from Minnesota go in the first round. Because, you know, ducks fly together. He is also one of the few players from this class to be called up immediately. Obviously Yellowknife saw the value in this player. (shrub02) (Can confirm, there is a value in this player) (gragg9)
Rating: 28/28 Quacks
9.) Troy Abed
Nobody saw this pick coming, but Abed’s presence in the first round is no mistake. Their teammates have nothing but high praise for them and clearly Berlin saw that quality. I’ve seen some question this pick but the Berlin GMs are no dummies and will make the roster management first. They wanted to grab an excellent user and I think they got one.
Rating:
Somewhere between 5/5 and 10/10
10.) Dexter Hall
Something about the LBs in the class this year man, they’re all cool dudes. One of the few people to actually send me (non-leeked) info for the mock draft and I’m glad they did, because it’s been great chatting with them. Speaking of mocks, theirs was among the best this past season, so keep an eye out next offseason.
Rating: Yes
11.) Manhattan Project
“He is, in the words of multiple GMs, an excellent war room addition and has a lot of value as a LR presence and as a user.” -Laser
A quick snoop over in the London LR appears to confirm Modern Duke is, in fact, an excellent locker room presence. Yet another one of those folks that I hope to share a locker room with someday.
Rating: 50 megatons/50 megatonnes
12.) Professor Godfrey Gravity
I’ve been on the Prof. train for a while now, since I was surprised to see him drop so far way back in the DSFL draft. This is without a doubt a first round quality user and a first round quality player. Even here at 12 they’re an excellent value that any team is lucky to have.
Rating: No revisions are needed
13.) Cade Williams
Alright, honestly I’ve never spoken with dudeman but judging from the media he puts out, he seems like a pretty cool guy. His tweets are what you would expect from an actual professional football player. Well the role model types at least. He’s always positive and encouraging you to get better. You can’t argue with that kind of attitude. Very deserving of being the first OL off the board. (shrub02)
Rating: One stack of IHOP pancakes
14.) Chunt The Badger
Trading up to draft Chunt is a great move by the Hawks. I mean who could pass up the opportunity to have a literal badger on their team. UltimateYeehaw is well known around the league as a sociable user. The spy network cannot find one bad thing said about her. And they know everything. But seriously, Chunt is going to immediately impact Blatimore in a positive way, both on the field and in the locker room. (shrub02)
Rating: All the scratches you get trying to tackle Chunt
ROUND TWO
15.) Romulus Roman
First off, I would like to say how much I love this name. In Roman mythology, he killed his twin brother Remus (watch out Vaelynn) in the process of founding the city of Rome. If Amulos has even 1% of the influence that the mythological Romulus had, he’s going to do great things over the course of his career. Plus he’s put out some creative media pieces that you should really check out if you haven’t. (shrub02)
Rating: 1/1 Fratricides
16.) Bayley Cowabunga
Ultimini MVP and longtime community member at pick 16. What’s not to love? My interactions with this user have been limited but it’s not hard to tell they’re a helpful and pleasant person to have around. They obviously did great in Dallas and I think will be just as great in Austin.
Rating: 1073/1000 yards
17.) Bender Rodriguez
I have gone on and on about how awesome this user is and I have no problem doing that again. When they heard about this media idea they were eager to jump in and compliment people for no pay. That should tell you all you need to know. They started out their career quiet but are going to be taking the league by storm. Couldn’t be happier that we ended up in the same ISFL locker room.
Rating: 5/5 but with blackjack and hookers
18.) Stumpy Jones
With Stumpy we have another great name and render. It's clear that user FootballisCool is a creative individual as he has produced graphics, written media, and podcasts. He can do it all. The podcasts he creates are insightful and a great window into what’s going on around the league for users that don’t have access to every locker room. I look forward to hearing about what he has to say about the Sailfish and the ISFL in general. (shrub02)
Rating: TreeFiddy/TreeFiddy
19.) Dexter Zaylen
Laser isn’t just popular because they gift the league free TPE with some of the best mock drafts around. As a newly minted updater I can confirm that they put in a ton of work behind the scenes and have the patience of a saint. It takes a lot to be a QB in this league and there’s a reason that Dexter is the first off the board.
Rating: 10TPE/10TPE
20.) Remus Roman
I cannot state enough how awesome these names are. While the mythological Remus may not have actually existed, he still had a very real influence. Similarly, our football playing Remus is going to impact the ISFL. While he doesn’t produce quite as much media as his brother, Vaelynn is part of a power friend group, so you know that he is going to stay active and relevant in the league. I would still consider him a steal, even though he was picked early in the draft at 20 OA. (shrub02)
Rating: 1 Wolf that nurses human babies because that’s frickin awesome
SUMMARY
We could honestly go all the way down the draft and tell you why each pick is a great one. The ISFL has an awesome community. So many members are contributing in some way or another. Whether it be by league jobs, interesting media, amazing graphics, locker room presence, or even just yards on field. I really do think there is no such thing as a bad pick in this (or most) drafts. Each of these players and users are going to accomplish great things on the field or otherwise.