ROUND ONE:
1. Baltimore Hawks - LB Sheriff Woody – tomhanks – 258 TPE DSFL CAP REACHED*
Grade: A
Recap: After a season that seen Baltimore finish with the worst record in the ISFL at 3-13 the Hawks came out firing. On a defense that currently houses one of the meanest safety duos in the league with Caven McRae (60 tackles, 1 sack 2 interceptions 1 forced fumble and 2 fumble recoveries) manning free safety and Jeremiah Zelos (89 Tackles, 6 sacks and 4 Interceptions and one defensive TD) patrolling strong safety the hawks felt like they did not need a safety, and instead turn to line backer and take Sheriff Woody number 1 overall. He wasn’t the highest TPE earner in this class, but the number one pick will join a linebacker corpse that includes AJ Lucas (104 Tackles, 9 Sacks and 2 interceptions) and defensive team captain Cher Larson (109 Tackles, 2 Sacks 1 interception, and 1 defensive TD) and will now make this teams LB core, elite. Sheriff Woody finished up his first season with the Luchadores of Tijuana with an appearance in the Ultimini. He has 82 tackles, 3 sacks, 2 interceptions and a defensive touchdown. He will feel right at home in the middle of this linebacking core, and this defense of Baltimore is beginning to look scary.
2. Honolulu Hahalua - S Miles Weperom - MMFlex – 273 TPE DSFL CAP REACHED*
Grade: A
Recap: Honolulu reaps the benefits of Baltimore’s quality at the safety position and cash in when they pick up the highest earner of the class at the number 2 spot. Its hard to not give them an A here. Miles Weperom who was selected 1 overall in the DSFL draft goes one spot later at the number 2 overall. Not only is this a great selection but it is also a selection of need as they only have 1 safety on their roster from last season, and that being free safety pro bowl snub Shawn Dawkins (54 tackles, 2 sacks, 3 interceptions and 1 defensive touchdowns) , one of the best overall safeties in the league. Miles can slot into the strong safety position and will now give the Hahalua one of the strongest safety tandems in the league. To go with their stout defensive line and linebacking groups. Then you include their four-some of cornerbacks and this defensive takes a violent shove into being one of the best defensive units in the league, leaving the only question marks on the offensive side of the ball. Their offensive line and wide receivers are good, but they are not great like the quality of their running back and full back are. Their quarterback is getting better by the day, but still not in the upper echelon of the league. I would keep an eye on this team as next season creeps up on us as they might be a sleeping giant waiting to wake up. With a 3-13 record last season that might seem foolish of me to say, but if their offense can come together, this team could turn things around rather quickly.
3. Chicago Butchers - CB Jason Garciaparra – starboy – 256 TPE DSFL CAP REACHED*
Grade: A
Recap: The Chicago Butchers are in a position unlike any other team in the ISFL. They currently have 3 picks inside the first round. No other team has even 2, except for Baltimore who traded back into the first round with New York. Chicago has three, including back-to-back picks right here with the third and forth overall selections. A quick peek at their roster from S29, and they do not seem like they have too many holes left to fill. Its kind of hard to imagine they had such a rough season last season finishing at 5-11. The biggest holes I see would be they need one, maybe two offensive linemen. Then they could use a better tight end to compliment Tree Gelman. They could use one more WR, one more CB and well that’s pretty much it. It makes perfect sense that the Butchers decided to go with Jason Garciaparra third overall. It fills a need and starboy has one of the highest overall TPE totals in the draft class. Garciaparra could have very easily gone one or two in the draft, so the Butchers thanked their football Gods when Garciaparra dropped into their laps here at 3.
4. Chicago Butchers - WR Vincent Sharpei Jr – Muford – 254 TPE DSFL CAP REACHED*
Grade: A
Recap: With the 2nd of their back-to-back picks the Chicago Butchers selected WR Vincent Sharpei Jr. Sharpei showed his playmaking ability as a part of the Minnesota Grey Ducks last season in the DSFL. He caught 78 receptions for 1223 yards and hauled in a league high (tied with Troy Abed) 12 touchdown receptions. As I mentioned in the recap at the 3rd selection, the Butchers had a need at WR and they quickly put an end to that with the pick up of Vincent. I said they needed 1 CB and 1 WR and here you see they selected a CB and a WR. Consider those holes now filled with high potential future stars. Sharpei is another high earner in this fabulous draft class. I think Chicago is going to be an extremely dangerous team in due time. Hell, I thought they should have played better than they did last season. Once this team comes together and gels, they will be putting the hurt on a lot of teams in the ISFL. Consider this fair warning. BOLO (Be On The Look Out For) Chicago! Mark my words. This team is going to be really good, really soon.
5. Austin Copperheads - DE Ioe Torrent - skindog44 - 240 TPE
Grade: A
Recap: At first glance of the Copperheads roster, you don’t see too many glaring holes. They have Bonafede studs at every position it seems like. They do appear to have a need at offensive line and defensive line and let’s face it, their kicking situation is pretty bleak. DT is the only position on the defense that doesn’t have a player rated in the 90s. Enter Ioe Torrent who looks primed to be switched over to DT to help clog the lane for the Copperheads. Ioe is a continually active member of the community and does some fantastic videos for his media. If you haven’t had the opportunity to check them out, I would suggest that you did. Ioe is a great team leader and the perfect addition to any locker room. Ioe can blow past the blockers and get to the ball, or he can stay home and hold the blockers. This team just got a huge addition to their locker room and all his teammates are going to love this guy. Some may argue that Konstantin Selich should have gone here instead of Ioe due to Selich having more TPE and his natural position is DT. However, I think the intangibles that are brought to the table by Ioe are just too great to ignore and I feel Austin made the right selection.
6. San Jose Saber Cats - DT Konstantin Selich – Tomen - 259 TPE DSFL CAP REACHED*
Grade: A
Recap: The Saber Cats got lucky with their first-round selection. Konstantin was the second highest earner in this class, tied with Jason Waterfalls at 259 TPE. To put it into perspective the number one overall pick, earned 1 less TPE than Selich. Which tells me, this draft is so deep that San Jose is getting a number one talent, at number 6. That does not happen these days. San Jose had a need at defensive tackle, and they were not going to let Selich get away. They damn near ran up to the podium to announce this pick. The Copperheads needs in my opinion would be Guard, Tight End, Defensive Line, perhaps a 3rd wide receiver for the slot and a kicker. This is the perfect situation for Selich and the Saber Cats. You cant look at Selich’s stats as a barometer of how he played this past season, due to this defensive tackle position and their tendency to clog up the lane, and swallow up ball carriers. Not very often you see the top 6 selections in a draft all getting A’s, but that is what has happened with the S30 ISFL draft. That is a testament to this deep class, and to the GMs of these teams. Everyone is working hard to improve.
7. Orange County Otters - DT Dominos Pizzaman - MattBake12 - 218 TPE
Grade: B
Recap: The Orange County Otters missed the post season last season for the third consecutive season. Otter fans are beginning to get restless because prior to season 27, the Otters made the playoffs every other season in the history of the ISFL up to that point. They were an original 6 teams in the league and made the playoffs every season all the way to season 26. Ill let that settle for a minute. 26 consecutive post-season appearances. Now they have since started another streak, and that would be 3 consecutive seasons without making the playoffs. There roster is stacked, which I kind of seem to have noticed that about all the teams. They all have very few holes to fill, if any at all. I personally think it may be time for expansion. Spread out the best players a little bit more. While looking at the OCO roster, I would say their only real need would be at kicker. Usually that would not be such a big deal, but when you have so many teams with so much talent, the difference maker can very well come down to a kicker and their ability, or inability to kick the ball through the up-rights. They could also have holes to fill in the offensive line and with their full back. This pick seems kind of out of place. Dominos Pizzaman is a beast and will be a productive member of the Otters in the future, but he has 218 TPE and is sandwiched by players who have earned 259 TPE and 257 TPE respectively. If I remember correctly, this is a player of one of the GMs and was a must pick. Again, I think, my memory isn’t exactly the best, but I think that’s what happened. They were forced to pick Pizzaman, and instead of trading down like the Silverbacks did, they stayed put and picked up Dominos. When you have a roster like OCO’s I guess you really don’t have to do to much moving as they have a 95+ rated player at every position except for kicker, full back and offensive line. Dominos has earned more TPE than the top offensive linemen that could have been selected here instead, so it makes sense. Pepelegs Johnson and Bernie Sanders both have under 210 TPE. So essentially, even though it wasn’t a need this selection does make the most sense for OCO. I guess if you really want to be nit-picky you could say that with only one Tight End on the roster, maybe they could have gone with Nick L. Back, who is one of the high-to-max earners in this draft class and has 32 more TPE than Pizzaman. However, with this being a player of a Orange County General Manager, they had to pick Pizzaman. I think. Maybe Im wrong and I made this all up. Maybe Im not. Who’s to say?
8. Yellowknife Wraiths - QB Dustin Parmelee – DP-420 – 257 TPE DSFL CAP REACHED*
Grade: A
Recap: Im not going to spend a lot of time on this selection, only because I could talk about it for hours, and absolutely bore you as the reader. As most of you know, this is my player. I personally reached out to @flyeaglesfly early in the season, I think around week 3 to express my interest in playing with the Wraiths of Yellowknife. I loved their logo and their uniforms and the heritage and lineage, and everything else that comes with the aura of the Wraiths. So I just came out and asked them what the hell do I have to do to make this become a reality. A few quick sims later and I was getting announced as the 8th pick by Yellowknife. A dream come true, a perfect situation for me and for the Wraiths. Im excited for my future at Yellowknife. Yellowknife for Life! Anyways, with only a few needs for management to fill, and in my eyes, the best Quarterback in the league, Yellowknife was intrigued by Parm and they also know the regression monster is going to swallow up Colby Jack before too long. Colby probably has two really good seasons left in him before the regression will probably force his retirement. Three season’s could be possible. Yellowknife has an impressive lineage of quarterbacks who always seem to be near the top in passing yards and touchdowns and since day one Yellowknife has been about being successful at the Quarter Back position. Take a look at Wraith history, as far back as the original Wraith QB Chris Orosz, to Mat Akselsen to Cooter Bigsby to Colby Jack, they have always seemed to have a QB in the MVP conversation and management couldn’t resist on selecting the next potential great QB that they hope will become the next great Quarter back to spear-head the future of this franchise when Jack retires. Jack And Parm both played for London before their ISFL debuts (Parm yet to make ISFL debut) and that commonality is what sparked this draft pick into fruition. Like the Packers when they drafted Aaron Rodgers, the Wraiths have their next QB waiting in the wings and are able to groom him and mold him into the Quarterback they want when the time comes to turn the reigns over to him. Parm will most likely take his 257 TPE to the DSFL grid irons for 2 more seasons, in order to allow Colby Jack to play effectively for as long as he can. With no real weakness on the roster, the Wraiths made the right decision by bringing in their QB of the future. By the time Jack is ready to ride off in the sunset, Parm should have enough TPE banked up to slot right into this offense without them ever skipping a beat. Parm was even heard saying to reporters if Jack wants a third season, who am I to disagree. He’s a legend and he gets to decide when he leaves this field.”
With that selection we have gone over the half way mark for this first round analysis. With 6 picks left there are 4 high earners left on the board. Did I tell you guys already about my opinion on how this is the greatest draft class in the history of the ISFL?
9. New Orleans Second Line - WR Squidward Tentacles – TerribleHippo - 249 TPE +1 TPE To Reach Cap
Grade: A
Recap: The New Orleans Second Line had quite the conundrum when it came to their 9th overall selection. Their roster had tiny holes at the running back, wide receiver, cornerback and kicker positions. This draft class is very deep on wide receivers. With that being a minor need of New Orleans, they might have felt overwhelmed when it came time to pick. With only one of the receivers from this class taken by 9th overall, the Second Line had a bevy of options. There was Jason Waterfalls, Calvin Hobbs, Squidard Tentacles, Bradley B-Dub Welch, Andy Fantuz, Mason Malone and Cliff Burton still waiting to hear their names be called. 5 of the top 6 pass catchers in terms of yardage in the DSFL this past season came from this group of rookies. With only Troy Abed being the lone non-rookie in the top 6. It is hard to figure out who is going to be the best of these wide outs, and I don’t think any of them will be bad. The Second Line decided that Squidward was the guy they wanted and with 85 catches for 1209 yards and 8 touchdowns, there is good reason to feel great about this pick. With Ed Baker and Brock Bodenhamer to learn how to become a professional, Squidward could not have asked for a more perfect situation. QB Slothlisberger is going to be very happy with this guy playing in the slot and then eventually on the outsides while time goes past. With so many wide outs left on the big boards, It is going to be interesting to see which one finishes with the best career. That just brings up another topic. What defines a career, stats or rings?
10. Colorado Yeti – WR Jason Waterfalls - jaywhy75 - 259 TPE DSFL CAP REACHED*
Grade: A
Recap: The Yeti knew one thing when it came to this pick. They don’t need to select a defensive player. They had a stout defense that put up a shit ton of points for my fantasy team last season. Every position has players on the upper echelon tiers of their respect position. They have 6 100 rated players on defense. With that said, their offense is also undeniably awesome. If I had to pick a weakness, I would say it has to be TE, as they only have 1. However, when you are selecting 10th and there are still players on the board with the same amount of TPE as the number one overall pick, you have to go with the best player on the board instead of drafting for needs. TPE wise, Waterfalls was exactly that. He has the same 1 more TPE than top pick Sheriff Woody. Jason Waterfalls played great for Tijuana last season, helping getting the Luchadores back to the Ultimini. Waterfalls had 78 receptions for 1115 yards and 7 touchdowns. These numbers slot him in the top 5 for the DSFL and the Yeti cannot believe their fortunes. I know ive said it before, but most drafts just don’t have this type of dynamic. You can usually see a distinct separation between the number 1 pick and the number 10 pick. However the season 30 draft class is just epically different. The Yeti look to build on their 12-4 record from a season ago, that seen them get whitewashed by the Sailfish 33-13 in the post season. They felt they needed more offense, and picking the best player on the board here isn’t a bad way to go.
11. Chicago Butchers - TE Nick L. Back - Zoone16 - 250 TPE DSFL CAP REACHED*
Grade: A
Recap: We have finally gotten to Chicago’s 3rd first round draft pick. As I said earlier in this media, the Chicago Butchers have needs at corner, wide out and tight end. With corner back and wide receiver already checked off their list with their 3rd and 4th selections, they can now check off tight end as well because they got the best tight end from this class in Nick L. Back. Nick L. Back is a pass catching tight end with a nose for the end zone. Something Chicago will welcome with open arms. Tree and Back in twin TE sets are going to cause a lot of mismatch problems for opposing defenses. They have 5 or 6 possible weapons now on offense for QB O’Donnell. When these kids mature this Butchers team is going to be wreaking havoc all over this league. But it’s going to be unfortunate for the Liberty since they will never be able to win the big game. They will just keep coming up short, like they always do. Sorry guys. Loveable losers, but Im a Wraith, fools. Your success equals my non-successes. I can’t let that happen. See you when we all get old enough to dominate. Its going to be fun!
12. Sarasota Sailfish - WR Calvin Hobbs – Krazko - 244 TPE
Grade: A
Recap: Playing in statistically the worst pass offense in the DSFL Calvin Hobbs was still able to find some super star numbers for the Pythons this past season. Hobbs had 82 receptions for 1168 Yards and 8 touch downs. Good for top 5 in the league with a less than league average QB. Could be a diamond in the rough type pick for the sailfish. I think this guy is about as sure thing as you can get with a wide receiver. He is going to want to cut down on his dropped passes however as 16 drops in 14 games is over a drop a game, and those are unacceptable levels if you ask me. Got to be able to catch the ball when it comes your way. He also fumbled 4 times. Have to be able to secure the football at the next level or they will exploit you right out of the league. I love this dude, and I hope the Sailfish and him go off next season. Hobbs about to put the league on blast. Get ready for lift off.
13. Berlin Fire Salamanders – WR Mason Malone – KenitOhMenara - 253 TPE DSFL CAP REACHED*
Grade: A
Recap: Mason Malone is the 10th player selected in this first round to have reached the DSFL TPE cap of 250 TPE. He will be going to the Berlin Fire Salamanders who are beginning to build an impressive wide receiver corps over there. This draft alone sees them draft Mason and Bradley Welch. That’s one hell of a 1-2 punch for any quarterback to fall in love with. This season. If you haven’t checked it out yet, and I would urge that you take a look. Peep the roster sheet over there on the Fire Salamanders. Go straight to the wide receiver part. And look at all the talent they have. It’s a bold move and a move that is going to pay them back handsomely in the near future. They are going to have the best passing offense and there nothing we can do about it. Good luck.
14. Baltimore Hawks – OL Pepelegs Johnson – Golden_Apricot - 209 TPE
Grade: C
Recap: The Hawks come out of nowhere and trade back into the first round with New York. Im think Oh damn these smart fools just picked up The Laz and Fuzzy George to kick off round 2! These boys are doing it right. Then I hear them announce Pepelegs Johnsons name and Im fairly stunned. I didn’t think this was a position of need quite like it was at the corner position. The Laz had almost 30 more TPE than Pepe and seems primed to be a shut down corner some day. Im definitely caught scratching my head and trying to figure out something to come up with for a reason in which the Hawks would take Pepelegs but Im not. I do remember them saying they had a good time with creator Golden_Apricot in the LR, so maybe that had something to do with it. Either way, I’d never want a first round pick to feel unwanted, so Im not going to tear them apart of making what I think is the wrong selection, because at the end of the day, my opinion really doesn’t matter at all. I hope Pepelegs Johnson goes on to break the record for most pro bowls in the ISFL.
There you have it a recap of every single draft pick in the first round. This draft was so deep, Im still writing this article! I decided to break it down into three sections. Round 1, Round 2, Round 3. Genius, I know. This draft was deep, and this thing Is writing itself. So this is part 1 of Part 3, and keep your eyes peeled for the 2nd edition. Round 2 ISFL Draft analysis coming before you know it. I hope, this took long enough to get out. Ill try to find the time to knock it out before too much time passes. Ideally before Pre-Season.
1. Baltimore Hawks - LB Sheriff Woody – tomhanks – 258 TPE DSFL CAP REACHED*
Grade: A
Recap: After a season that seen Baltimore finish with the worst record in the ISFL at 3-13 the Hawks came out firing. On a defense that currently houses one of the meanest safety duos in the league with Caven McRae (60 tackles, 1 sack 2 interceptions 1 forced fumble and 2 fumble recoveries) manning free safety and Jeremiah Zelos (89 Tackles, 6 sacks and 4 Interceptions and one defensive TD) patrolling strong safety the hawks felt like they did not need a safety, and instead turn to line backer and take Sheriff Woody number 1 overall. He wasn’t the highest TPE earner in this class, but the number one pick will join a linebacker corpse that includes AJ Lucas (104 Tackles, 9 Sacks and 2 interceptions) and defensive team captain Cher Larson (109 Tackles, 2 Sacks 1 interception, and 1 defensive TD) and will now make this teams LB core, elite. Sheriff Woody finished up his first season with the Luchadores of Tijuana with an appearance in the Ultimini. He has 82 tackles, 3 sacks, 2 interceptions and a defensive touchdown. He will feel right at home in the middle of this linebacking core, and this defense of Baltimore is beginning to look scary.
2. Honolulu Hahalua - S Miles Weperom - MMFlex – 273 TPE DSFL CAP REACHED*
Grade: A
Recap: Honolulu reaps the benefits of Baltimore’s quality at the safety position and cash in when they pick up the highest earner of the class at the number 2 spot. Its hard to not give them an A here. Miles Weperom who was selected 1 overall in the DSFL draft goes one spot later at the number 2 overall. Not only is this a great selection but it is also a selection of need as they only have 1 safety on their roster from last season, and that being free safety pro bowl snub Shawn Dawkins (54 tackles, 2 sacks, 3 interceptions and 1 defensive touchdowns) , one of the best overall safeties in the league. Miles can slot into the strong safety position and will now give the Hahalua one of the strongest safety tandems in the league. To go with their stout defensive line and linebacking groups. Then you include their four-some of cornerbacks and this defensive takes a violent shove into being one of the best defensive units in the league, leaving the only question marks on the offensive side of the ball. Their offensive line and wide receivers are good, but they are not great like the quality of their running back and full back are. Their quarterback is getting better by the day, but still not in the upper echelon of the league. I would keep an eye on this team as next season creeps up on us as they might be a sleeping giant waiting to wake up. With a 3-13 record last season that might seem foolish of me to say, but if their offense can come together, this team could turn things around rather quickly.
3. Chicago Butchers - CB Jason Garciaparra – starboy – 256 TPE DSFL CAP REACHED*
Grade: A
Recap: The Chicago Butchers are in a position unlike any other team in the ISFL. They currently have 3 picks inside the first round. No other team has even 2, except for Baltimore who traded back into the first round with New York. Chicago has three, including back-to-back picks right here with the third and forth overall selections. A quick peek at their roster from S29, and they do not seem like they have too many holes left to fill. Its kind of hard to imagine they had such a rough season last season finishing at 5-11. The biggest holes I see would be they need one, maybe two offensive linemen. Then they could use a better tight end to compliment Tree Gelman. They could use one more WR, one more CB and well that’s pretty much it. It makes perfect sense that the Butchers decided to go with Jason Garciaparra third overall. It fills a need and starboy has one of the highest overall TPE totals in the draft class. Garciaparra could have very easily gone one or two in the draft, so the Butchers thanked their football Gods when Garciaparra dropped into their laps here at 3.
4. Chicago Butchers - WR Vincent Sharpei Jr – Muford – 254 TPE DSFL CAP REACHED*
Grade: A
Recap: With the 2nd of their back-to-back picks the Chicago Butchers selected WR Vincent Sharpei Jr. Sharpei showed his playmaking ability as a part of the Minnesota Grey Ducks last season in the DSFL. He caught 78 receptions for 1223 yards and hauled in a league high (tied with Troy Abed) 12 touchdown receptions. As I mentioned in the recap at the 3rd selection, the Butchers had a need at WR and they quickly put an end to that with the pick up of Vincent. I said they needed 1 CB and 1 WR and here you see they selected a CB and a WR. Consider those holes now filled with high potential future stars. Sharpei is another high earner in this fabulous draft class. I think Chicago is going to be an extremely dangerous team in due time. Hell, I thought they should have played better than they did last season. Once this team comes together and gels, they will be putting the hurt on a lot of teams in the ISFL. Consider this fair warning. BOLO (Be On The Look Out For) Chicago! Mark my words. This team is going to be really good, really soon.
5. Austin Copperheads - DE Ioe Torrent - skindog44 - 240 TPE
Grade: A
Recap: At first glance of the Copperheads roster, you don’t see too many glaring holes. They have Bonafede studs at every position it seems like. They do appear to have a need at offensive line and defensive line and let’s face it, their kicking situation is pretty bleak. DT is the only position on the defense that doesn’t have a player rated in the 90s. Enter Ioe Torrent who looks primed to be switched over to DT to help clog the lane for the Copperheads. Ioe is a continually active member of the community and does some fantastic videos for his media. If you haven’t had the opportunity to check them out, I would suggest that you did. Ioe is a great team leader and the perfect addition to any locker room. Ioe can blow past the blockers and get to the ball, or he can stay home and hold the blockers. This team just got a huge addition to their locker room and all his teammates are going to love this guy. Some may argue that Konstantin Selich should have gone here instead of Ioe due to Selich having more TPE and his natural position is DT. However, I think the intangibles that are brought to the table by Ioe are just too great to ignore and I feel Austin made the right selection.
6. San Jose Saber Cats - DT Konstantin Selich – Tomen - 259 TPE DSFL CAP REACHED*
Grade: A
Recap: The Saber Cats got lucky with their first-round selection. Konstantin was the second highest earner in this class, tied with Jason Waterfalls at 259 TPE. To put it into perspective the number one overall pick, earned 1 less TPE than Selich. Which tells me, this draft is so deep that San Jose is getting a number one talent, at number 6. That does not happen these days. San Jose had a need at defensive tackle, and they were not going to let Selich get away. They damn near ran up to the podium to announce this pick. The Copperheads needs in my opinion would be Guard, Tight End, Defensive Line, perhaps a 3rd wide receiver for the slot and a kicker. This is the perfect situation for Selich and the Saber Cats. You cant look at Selich’s stats as a barometer of how he played this past season, due to this defensive tackle position and their tendency to clog up the lane, and swallow up ball carriers. Not very often you see the top 6 selections in a draft all getting A’s, but that is what has happened with the S30 ISFL draft. That is a testament to this deep class, and to the GMs of these teams. Everyone is working hard to improve.
7. Orange County Otters - DT Dominos Pizzaman - MattBake12 - 218 TPE
Grade: B
Recap: The Orange County Otters missed the post season last season for the third consecutive season. Otter fans are beginning to get restless because prior to season 27, the Otters made the playoffs every other season in the history of the ISFL up to that point. They were an original 6 teams in the league and made the playoffs every season all the way to season 26. Ill let that settle for a minute. 26 consecutive post-season appearances. Now they have since started another streak, and that would be 3 consecutive seasons without making the playoffs. There roster is stacked, which I kind of seem to have noticed that about all the teams. They all have very few holes to fill, if any at all. I personally think it may be time for expansion. Spread out the best players a little bit more. While looking at the OCO roster, I would say their only real need would be at kicker. Usually that would not be such a big deal, but when you have so many teams with so much talent, the difference maker can very well come down to a kicker and their ability, or inability to kick the ball through the up-rights. They could also have holes to fill in the offensive line and with their full back. This pick seems kind of out of place. Dominos Pizzaman is a beast and will be a productive member of the Otters in the future, but he has 218 TPE and is sandwiched by players who have earned 259 TPE and 257 TPE respectively. If I remember correctly, this is a player of one of the GMs and was a must pick. Again, I think, my memory isn’t exactly the best, but I think that’s what happened. They were forced to pick Pizzaman, and instead of trading down like the Silverbacks did, they stayed put and picked up Dominos. When you have a roster like OCO’s I guess you really don’t have to do to much moving as they have a 95+ rated player at every position except for kicker, full back and offensive line. Dominos has earned more TPE than the top offensive linemen that could have been selected here instead, so it makes sense. Pepelegs Johnson and Bernie Sanders both have under 210 TPE. So essentially, even though it wasn’t a need this selection does make the most sense for OCO. I guess if you really want to be nit-picky you could say that with only one Tight End on the roster, maybe they could have gone with Nick L. Back, who is one of the high-to-max earners in this draft class and has 32 more TPE than Pizzaman. However, with this being a player of a Orange County General Manager, they had to pick Pizzaman. I think. Maybe Im wrong and I made this all up. Maybe Im not. Who’s to say?
8. Yellowknife Wraiths - QB Dustin Parmelee – DP-420 – 257 TPE DSFL CAP REACHED*
Grade: A
Recap: Im not going to spend a lot of time on this selection, only because I could talk about it for hours, and absolutely bore you as the reader. As most of you know, this is my player. I personally reached out to @flyeaglesfly early in the season, I think around week 3 to express my interest in playing with the Wraiths of Yellowknife. I loved their logo and their uniforms and the heritage and lineage, and everything else that comes with the aura of the Wraiths. So I just came out and asked them what the hell do I have to do to make this become a reality. A few quick sims later and I was getting announced as the 8th pick by Yellowknife. A dream come true, a perfect situation for me and for the Wraiths. Im excited for my future at Yellowknife. Yellowknife for Life! Anyways, with only a few needs for management to fill, and in my eyes, the best Quarterback in the league, Yellowknife was intrigued by Parm and they also know the regression monster is going to swallow up Colby Jack before too long. Colby probably has two really good seasons left in him before the regression will probably force his retirement. Three season’s could be possible. Yellowknife has an impressive lineage of quarterbacks who always seem to be near the top in passing yards and touchdowns and since day one Yellowknife has been about being successful at the Quarter Back position. Take a look at Wraith history, as far back as the original Wraith QB Chris Orosz, to Mat Akselsen to Cooter Bigsby to Colby Jack, they have always seemed to have a QB in the MVP conversation and management couldn’t resist on selecting the next potential great QB that they hope will become the next great Quarter back to spear-head the future of this franchise when Jack retires. Jack And Parm both played for London before their ISFL debuts (Parm yet to make ISFL debut) and that commonality is what sparked this draft pick into fruition. Like the Packers when they drafted Aaron Rodgers, the Wraiths have their next QB waiting in the wings and are able to groom him and mold him into the Quarterback they want when the time comes to turn the reigns over to him. Parm will most likely take his 257 TPE to the DSFL grid irons for 2 more seasons, in order to allow Colby Jack to play effectively for as long as he can. With no real weakness on the roster, the Wraiths made the right decision by bringing in their QB of the future. By the time Jack is ready to ride off in the sunset, Parm should have enough TPE banked up to slot right into this offense without them ever skipping a beat. Parm was even heard saying to reporters if Jack wants a third season, who am I to disagree. He’s a legend and he gets to decide when he leaves this field.”
With that selection we have gone over the half way mark for this first round analysis. With 6 picks left there are 4 high earners left on the board. Did I tell you guys already about my opinion on how this is the greatest draft class in the history of the ISFL?
9. New Orleans Second Line - WR Squidward Tentacles – TerribleHippo - 249 TPE +1 TPE To Reach Cap
Grade: A
Recap: The New Orleans Second Line had quite the conundrum when it came to their 9th overall selection. Their roster had tiny holes at the running back, wide receiver, cornerback and kicker positions. This draft class is very deep on wide receivers. With that being a minor need of New Orleans, they might have felt overwhelmed when it came time to pick. With only one of the receivers from this class taken by 9th overall, the Second Line had a bevy of options. There was Jason Waterfalls, Calvin Hobbs, Squidard Tentacles, Bradley B-Dub Welch, Andy Fantuz, Mason Malone and Cliff Burton still waiting to hear their names be called. 5 of the top 6 pass catchers in terms of yardage in the DSFL this past season came from this group of rookies. With only Troy Abed being the lone non-rookie in the top 6. It is hard to figure out who is going to be the best of these wide outs, and I don’t think any of them will be bad. The Second Line decided that Squidward was the guy they wanted and with 85 catches for 1209 yards and 8 touchdowns, there is good reason to feel great about this pick. With Ed Baker and Brock Bodenhamer to learn how to become a professional, Squidward could not have asked for a more perfect situation. QB Slothlisberger is going to be very happy with this guy playing in the slot and then eventually on the outsides while time goes past. With so many wide outs left on the big boards, It is going to be interesting to see which one finishes with the best career. That just brings up another topic. What defines a career, stats or rings?
10. Colorado Yeti – WR Jason Waterfalls - jaywhy75 - 259 TPE DSFL CAP REACHED*
Grade: A
Recap: The Yeti knew one thing when it came to this pick. They don’t need to select a defensive player. They had a stout defense that put up a shit ton of points for my fantasy team last season. Every position has players on the upper echelon tiers of their respect position. They have 6 100 rated players on defense. With that said, their offense is also undeniably awesome. If I had to pick a weakness, I would say it has to be TE, as they only have 1. However, when you are selecting 10th and there are still players on the board with the same amount of TPE as the number one overall pick, you have to go with the best player on the board instead of drafting for needs. TPE wise, Waterfalls was exactly that. He has the same 1 more TPE than top pick Sheriff Woody. Jason Waterfalls played great for Tijuana last season, helping getting the Luchadores back to the Ultimini. Waterfalls had 78 receptions for 1115 yards and 7 touchdowns. These numbers slot him in the top 5 for the DSFL and the Yeti cannot believe their fortunes. I know ive said it before, but most drafts just don’t have this type of dynamic. You can usually see a distinct separation between the number 1 pick and the number 10 pick. However the season 30 draft class is just epically different. The Yeti look to build on their 12-4 record from a season ago, that seen them get whitewashed by the Sailfish 33-13 in the post season. They felt they needed more offense, and picking the best player on the board here isn’t a bad way to go.
11. Chicago Butchers - TE Nick L. Back - Zoone16 - 250 TPE DSFL CAP REACHED*
Grade: A
Recap: We have finally gotten to Chicago’s 3rd first round draft pick. As I said earlier in this media, the Chicago Butchers have needs at corner, wide out and tight end. With corner back and wide receiver already checked off their list with their 3rd and 4th selections, they can now check off tight end as well because they got the best tight end from this class in Nick L. Back. Nick L. Back is a pass catching tight end with a nose for the end zone. Something Chicago will welcome with open arms. Tree and Back in twin TE sets are going to cause a lot of mismatch problems for opposing defenses. They have 5 or 6 possible weapons now on offense for QB O’Donnell. When these kids mature this Butchers team is going to be wreaking havoc all over this league. But it’s going to be unfortunate for the Liberty since they will never be able to win the big game. They will just keep coming up short, like they always do. Sorry guys. Loveable losers, but Im a Wraith, fools. Your success equals my non-successes. I can’t let that happen. See you when we all get old enough to dominate. Its going to be fun!
12. Sarasota Sailfish - WR Calvin Hobbs – Krazko - 244 TPE
Grade: A
Recap: Playing in statistically the worst pass offense in the DSFL Calvin Hobbs was still able to find some super star numbers for the Pythons this past season. Hobbs had 82 receptions for 1168 Yards and 8 touch downs. Good for top 5 in the league with a less than league average QB. Could be a diamond in the rough type pick for the sailfish. I think this guy is about as sure thing as you can get with a wide receiver. He is going to want to cut down on his dropped passes however as 16 drops in 14 games is over a drop a game, and those are unacceptable levels if you ask me. Got to be able to catch the ball when it comes your way. He also fumbled 4 times. Have to be able to secure the football at the next level or they will exploit you right out of the league. I love this dude, and I hope the Sailfish and him go off next season. Hobbs about to put the league on blast. Get ready for lift off.
13. Berlin Fire Salamanders – WR Mason Malone – KenitOhMenara - 253 TPE DSFL CAP REACHED*
Grade: A
Recap: Mason Malone is the 10th player selected in this first round to have reached the DSFL TPE cap of 250 TPE. He will be going to the Berlin Fire Salamanders who are beginning to build an impressive wide receiver corps over there. This draft alone sees them draft Mason and Bradley Welch. That’s one hell of a 1-2 punch for any quarterback to fall in love with. This season. If you haven’t checked it out yet, and I would urge that you take a look. Peep the roster sheet over there on the Fire Salamanders. Go straight to the wide receiver part. And look at all the talent they have. It’s a bold move and a move that is going to pay them back handsomely in the near future. They are going to have the best passing offense and there nothing we can do about it. Good luck.
14. Baltimore Hawks – OL Pepelegs Johnson – Golden_Apricot - 209 TPE
Grade: C
Recap: The Hawks come out of nowhere and trade back into the first round with New York. Im think Oh damn these smart fools just picked up The Laz and Fuzzy George to kick off round 2! These boys are doing it right. Then I hear them announce Pepelegs Johnsons name and Im fairly stunned. I didn’t think this was a position of need quite like it was at the corner position. The Laz had almost 30 more TPE than Pepe and seems primed to be a shut down corner some day. Im definitely caught scratching my head and trying to figure out something to come up with for a reason in which the Hawks would take Pepelegs but Im not. I do remember them saying they had a good time with creator Golden_Apricot in the LR, so maybe that had something to do with it. Either way, I’d never want a first round pick to feel unwanted, so Im not going to tear them apart of making what I think is the wrong selection, because at the end of the day, my opinion really doesn’t matter at all. I hope Pepelegs Johnson goes on to break the record for most pro bowls in the ISFL.
There you have it a recap of every single draft pick in the first round. This draft was so deep, Im still writing this article! I decided to break it down into three sections. Round 1, Round 2, Round 3. Genius, I know. This draft was deep, and this thing Is writing itself. So this is part 1 of Part 3, and keep your eyes peeled for the 2nd edition. Round 2 ISFL Draft analysis coming before you know it. I hope, this took long enough to get out. Ill try to find the time to knock it out before too much time passes. Ideally before Pre-Season.
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