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2. Tell us about your draft class. Is there anything that makes it special in comparison to other classes? Where did your fellow draftees land, how are they doing? Did anyone turn out to be an unexpected steal of that draft based on what you know today? Do you think anyone in your draft class will become a hall of famer? If you’re new to the league, how do you think your class will do? Where do you think people will get drafted to?
I was actually looking at this the other day, as my player has now finished his 12th ISFL regular season (and plays tonight in the Ultimus). The Season 22 draft was aired on April 18th, 2020 - almost two years ago now - and of the 284 players selected, only eighteen remain according to the tracker. Of those eighteen, nine are free agents who have already functionally retired, so it's really only nine. But the effects of that draft are still widely felt.
The primary reason S22 is special is the sheer volume of users. As mentioned above, 284 users were selected when no other draft class has approached 200. The draft stream is the highest viewed video on the ISFL's YouTube channel, with over 1000 views. The S22 class led directly to the S22 ISFL and DSFL expansions, and in my opinion to the S25 ISFL expansion too. There wasn't enough space to accommodate all of us - even after the S22 expansion the league's send down players to the DSFL were of the highest quality in league history. Further, many of the users that followed in later drafts were the result of S22 users and their recruiting efforts, as they encouraged IRL friends and friends from other leagues to join in addition to the size of the class prompting users from other leagues to jump in to ISFL while it was hot. The top two picks in S23, even, were two players who found the league in S22 but decided to wait until the next season to create.
Prior to the expansion, IAs on rosters were common and some teams had as few as 12 players overall, with most rosters holding around 17-18 (eleven defensive players, a quarterback, and five or more skill position players). Today no team has fewer than 21, and two teams have 27 on their roster. Having the roster depth to play several different formations without using players outside their natural position was rare. This reflects why the 115-player class in S25 prompted further expansion. The size of the S22 class necessitated a change in the way rosters were constructed, and so an additional influx of players made even the larger rosters untenable. The S22 class changed the ISFL forever, adding six new teams, changing the makeup of ISFL rosters, and in further additional ways that would make this response too long such as the introduction of additional users in leadership positions and the expansion of league management more generally. Even though most of their players are gone, many of the users remain and their actions remain relevant.
Back to the present day, the nine of us that remain are the stubborn ones, hoping to round out a Hall of Fame resume or unwilling to give up on our players yet. I imagine some of us don't intend to recreate right away, and so plan to continue using this player until it's no longer possible. The obvious Hall of Fame candidates among remaining players are offensive lineman Bruce Buckley, running back Tatsu Nakamura, and kicker/punter Jacob Small. Buckley has 7 Pro Bowls, 2 Offensive Lineman of the Year awards and 2 Ultimus trophies to his name (as well as leading the league all-time in pancake blocks), while Tatsu Nakamura has one of the league's most impressive careers at the running back position - boasting an MVP award and a host of other awards on his rise to 2nd all-time in rushing yards and 1st all-time in rushing touchdowns. Small also has 2 Ultimus trophies with Sarasota, and achieved two perfect (100% field goals, 100% extra points) kicking seasons - the first player to do so. He has two Kicker of the Year awards, a Punter of the Year award, and several pro bowl selections across the two positions. When we expand the net to retired S22 players, players like Yellowknife quarterback Colby Jack, New Orleans cornerback Andrew Witten and Colorado receiver William Lim have strong cases too. Lots of S22 players will be wearing HoF jackets. (668 words)
[OPTION]S24 (PHI): 16 GP, 73 tackles, 1 TFL, 2 FF, 3 sacks, 5 INTs, 10 PDs, 2 TDs
[OPTION]S25 (PHI): 16 GP, 67 tackles, 4 INTs, 13 PDs, 1 TD
[OPTION]S26 (OCO): 16 GP, 68 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 sack, 2 INTs, 10 PDs
[OPTION]S27 (OCO): 16 GP, 116 tackles, 4 INTs, 23 PDs, 1 TD
[OPTION]S28 (OCO): 16 GP, 84 tackles, 1 FF, 1 FR, 3 INTs, 20 PDs, 1 TD
[OPTION]S29 (OCO): 16 GP, 99 tackles, 3 FF, 1 FR, 5 INTs, 23 PDs, 1 TD
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[OPTION]ISFL Playoff Stats:
[OPTION]S23 (PHI): 1 GP, 2 tackles
[OPTION]S26 (OCO): 1 GP, 5 tackles, 2 PDs
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[OPTION]Trophies and Achievements:
[OPTION]Drafted 35th Overall by Myrtle Beach in the S21 DSFL Draft
[OPTION]S21 Ultimini Champion
[OPTION]S21 DSFL Pro Bowl Selection
[OPTION]S21 DSFL Defensive Back of the Year Nominee
[OPTION]Drafted 4th Overall by Philadelphia in the S22 ISFL Draft
[OPTION]S23 ISFL Pro Bowl Selection
[OPTION]S23 ISFL Cornerback of the Year Nominee
[OPTION]S23 ISFL Defensive Performance of the Year Nominee
[OPTION]S24 ISFL Pro Bowl Selection
[OPTION]S24 ISFL Cornerback of the Year Nominee
[OPTION]S25 (PHI): 16 GP, 67 tackles, 4 INTs, 13 PDs, 1 TD
[OPTION]S26 (OCO): 16 GP, 68 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 sack, 2 INTs, 10 PDs
[OPTION]S27 (OCO): 16 GP, 116 tackles, 4 INTs, 23 PDs, 1 TD
[OPTION]S28 (OCO): 16 GP, 84 tackles, 1 FF, 1 FR, 3 INTs, 20 PDs, 1 TD
[OPTION]S29 (OCO): 16 GP, 99 tackles, 3 FF, 1 FR, 5 INTs, 23 PDs, 1 TD
[OPTION]=============================================================
[OPTION]ISFL Playoff Stats:
[OPTION]S23 (PHI): 1 GP, 2 tackles
[OPTION]S26 (OCO): 1 GP, 5 tackles, 2 PDs
[OPTION]=============================================================
[OPTION]Trophies and Achievements:
[OPTION]Drafted 35th Overall by Myrtle Beach in the S21 DSFL Draft
[OPTION]S21 Ultimini Champion
[OPTION]S21 DSFL Pro Bowl Selection
[OPTION]S21 DSFL Defensive Back of the Year Nominee
[OPTION]Drafted 4th Overall by Philadelphia in the S22 ISFL Draft
[OPTION]S23 ISFL Pro Bowl Selection
[OPTION]S23 ISFL Cornerback of the Year Nominee
[OPTION]S23 ISFL Defensive Performance of the Year Nominee
[OPTION]S24 ISFL Pro Bowl Selection
[OPTION]S24 ISFL Cornerback of the Year Nominee
[OPTION]S26 ISFL Pro Bowl Selection
[OPTION]S26 ISFL Returner of the Year Nominee
[OPTION]S29 ISFL Pro Bowl Selection
[OPTION]S29 ISFL Cornerback of the Year Nominee
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Player | Update | Wiki | Twitter
[OPTION]S26 ISFL Returner of the Year Nominee
[OPTION]S29 ISFL Pro Bowl Selection
[OPTION]S29 ISFL Cornerback of the Year Nominee
[OPTION]=============================================================
Player | Update | Wiki | Twitter