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Ready to be graded (3733 words)
Double draft mediaThis season’s NSFL draft might be historic in terms of its sheer size and depth, but it still has one thing in common with drafts of the past. Each team has weaknesses in its roster, and unique problems that need to be solved. This draft, like every other draft before it, serves as a way for teams to address issues with their roster and to improve before the season begins. Some teams will be looking to add pieces to a championship squad, or find the missing piece that puts them on top this season. Other teams are in desperate need of talent, and are hoping to use this draft to find future franchise players. Whatever the case, this draft gives teams a chance to find some talent and increase their odds of winning it all next season, or even farther down the line. This article seeks to examine each team’s biggest needs ahead of the draft, and to potentially identify which players they might end up drafting. This is all speculation and opinion, so take everything that I say with a grain of salt. This article also won’t attempt to predict when each player might be drafted -- it simply hopes to identify players that the team might take at some point during the draft. So let’s finish this thing (with not a moment to spare)!
New Orleans Second Line Biggest Needs: Quarterback, linebacker, secondary
New Orleans definitely struggled last season. They finished with a 4-10 record and a point differential of -74. If they were an NSFC team, they would’ve been tied for dead last with Colorado, and only Arizona’s collapse saved them from a similar fate. Looking at their roster, it’s not hard to see why they failed to get anything done: they currently have five inactive players, all of whom are defenders. They play different positions -- one safety, cornerback, defensive tackle, and two linebackers --but that just means that each area of the defense suffers because of it, and the defense overall is greatly weakened. Even if your players are talented, it’s hard to succeed in this league (or any sim league) when a good chunk of your roster simply isn’t around, and New Orleans is a fantastic example of that. Fortunately for them, they’re in a great spot in this draft. At the moment, they own both the #2 and #3 overall picks, and in a draft like this, those picks are worth their weight in gold. They now face an interesting dilemma: either trade the picks (and get a great haul in return), or keep the picks (and get two fantastic young players to build a future around). It’s a fantastic problem to have, and some might argue that it’s not a problem at all. And, when you consider that they have sixteen picks total, it looks more and more likely that the Second Line will be able to fix a lot of their problems in one fell swoop.
So where do they look first? If you’re me (and I am), I start on defense, because defense wins championships. The linebacker situation is not pretty, so fixing that would be a good first step. There are plenty of great linebackers in this draft, so New Orleans should be able to find some talent even in the later rounds of this draft, should they choose to wait on that front. “Why would they choose to wait?” you might ask. Well, dear reader, Borkus Maximus III isn’t getting any younger -- in fact, he’s getting older. While the quarterback from Season 6 hasn’t officially announced his retirement yet, it’s obvious that that day is coming soon. New Orleans doesn’t have another quarterback on roster, so now is as good a time as any to start planning for the post-Maximus days. Of course, they could always have one of their existing players make the switch to quarterback, but I don’t see the harm in taking one of this year’s quarterbacks. Maximus will be able to play out the season, letting the rookie quarterback develop and improve and be more than ready to take over this time next season. They might also choose to tighten up their secondary, given the depth at both corner and safety present in this draft. Shutting down the secondary might help them keep games within reach, and tip the scales of the sim gods in their favor.
New Orleans had a bad season. There’s really no other way to put it. Part of the reason their season has been overlooked is because of Arizona and Colorado’s difficulties, but that doesn’t change anything. That does mean they’re being overlooked, however, and I think that’s a mistake. New Orleans has quietly positioned themselves to come charging out of the starting blocks next season, and I think a lot of people are going to be surprised by it. If they can draft the right players and get that locker room kicking again, I expect that they’ll make a huge turnaround next season. And maybe I’ll be wrong. But an active team is much different than an inactive team, and I expect that New Orleans is about to get a big jolt of energy.
Potential Second Line: Johnny Slothface and Mo Berry (LB), Franklin Armstrong and Apollo Lange (QB), Martavius Mack and Richard D’Attoria V (S), Xerxes Ridley (CB)
Orange County Otters Biggest Needs: Wide receiver, kicker/punter, linebacker
Perennial powerhouse Orange County had about as good a season as one could hope for. They finished with an 11-3 record (tied for the best in the league), and many people around the league expected them to win the Ultimus and complete their three-peat. However, to the surprise of nearly everyone, the defending champions were upset by San Jose, who went on to win the Ultimus themselves (I’ll talk about that in a little bit). Orange County had seemed nigh-invincible all year, and seeing them get knocked out of the playoffs in the first round as the defending champions with home field advantage...you get the picture. It would certainly have been interesting to see a Philadelphia - Orange County championship game, as two of the Otters’ three losses on the year were at the hands of Philadelphia. Alas, we’ll always have to wonder what could have been. But Orange County isn’t wondering. In fact, I’d be surprised if they’re thinking about last season at all. You don’t get to be back-to-back champions and a constant Ultimus contender by ruminating. You shake off the losses, fix what needs to be fixed, and look to the future.
In Orange County’s case, the future is good. They don’t have any players in the DSFL at the moment, although that could (and probably will) change after the draft. Essentially, everyone currently on the Otters’ roster is contributing in some way or another. But, as I’ve said, every team has holes that need to be filled, and Orange County is no exception. Star wide receiver Carlito Crush recently announced that Season 15 will be his last; he’ll still be a force to be reckoned with, but Orange County might want to start thinking about who will take that third wide receiver spot on roster. It’s not a pressing need: Crush is still around for one more season, and they’ll still have Sunnycursed and Django Anoa’i after that. They might also want to find a replacement for some of their inactives: they have inactives at tight end, running back, and (maybe not surprisingly) kicker/punter. Again, none of these are very pressing needs, but it’s not like Orange County is going to pass on all their picks because they don’t really need anyone. They have a great chance to strengthen an already impressive roster, and in the absence of gaping holes in their lineup, they’ll try to solve problems that might pop up down the road. It’s hard to predict how the team will draft, because there aren’t any immediate problems to solve. I will make one (crazier than usual) prediction, and that is that I think Morgan Marshall would be a good fit for the Otters. Their second string running back is inactive, and they have a stud in Ricky Adams, so picking Marshall doesn’t make a lot of sense at first. But Marshall is a proven scorer: he rushed for 13 touchdowns and caught 6 more in the DSFL last season. While that was against DSFL level competition, Marshall could immediately start for the Otters and be an effective dual-threat. Depending on the play, he could take pressure off of either Adams or the wide receivers, giving the Otters more opportunities to move -- and even score -- the ball. The biggest obstacle is that Marshall will almost certainly be gone by the time the Otters get their first pick, unless they decide to trade up to take him. I don’t see the Otters doing that, but it might make for a fun surprise on draft night. And, if it comes true, I get to forever say that I called it.
Orange County doesn’t have much to worry about, either with this draft or next season. They’ve got a solid roster and a solid GM team, so I’m confident that they’ll draft intelligently and continue to be a postseason threat. Like everyone else, I’m curious to see who exactly they pick, but I know that they’ll have a reason behind every decision they make. The Otters dynasty looks like it will continue to stand: whether that’s a good or bad thing probably depends on the jersey you wear.
Potential Otters: Ahri Espeeyeeseetee and Andre Thornton (WR), Morgan Marshall (RB), Alex Dasistwirklichseinnachname (K)
Philadelphia Liberty Biggest Needs: Linebacker, tight end, quarterback
Philadelphia is another interesting team to look at ahead of this draft. They lost their star running back in last season’s free agency period, but got their sweet revenge when they knocked him and his new team out of the playoffs this season. Unfortunately, that victory was short-lived, as they ending up losing in the Ultimus to San Jose (again, I promise I’ll talk about that shortly). They’ve very clearly done well for themselves in the post-Brown era, which makes sense: a team, by definition, is more than one player, and this team is still full of talented people. Losing one player always hurts, but the Liberty had enough talent left to take that hit and keep moving. And they’ll easily keep moving through next season, but what happens after that is quite a mystery. Philadelphia only has eight players under contract for Season 15, thirteen if you count the five bots that make up their offensive line (which I don’t). Only two of those contracts -- Maxwell Beard’s and Lennox Garnett’s -- are for more than one season. The Liberty of Season 16 might be completely unrecognizable, as the front office has given themselves a lot of room to work with contract-wise. If I’m being honest, I’m not completely sure what Philadelphia needs, or who they’ll choose to pursue. But I’m writing this article, dammit, so I’m gonna guess and pray to the sim gods that I look like I know what I’m talking about. (In case anyone is curious, this spreadsheet is what I’m referencing for this article, and for all of the others. I believe the information is up to date, but if it’s not I would appreciate someone letting me know. Hopefully it is, because otherwise these articles are useless!)
Let’s start on defense. They only have two linebackers, Dick Cheese Jr. and KJ Becker; the Liberty might look to add a third linebacker and build up their depth at that position. The rest of the defense is solid -- the Liberty have three defensive ends, two defensive tackles, and two safeties. However, of those players, the only ones under contract for Season 15 are a defensive tackle (Maxwell Beard) and a safety (Lennox Garnett). I’m not sure why the Liberty are waiting to sign so many of their players; maybe they’re planning on making big moves during the draft, and are trying to save cap space for their newly-acquired rookies? Thinking about this is making my brain hurt, so let’s switch our focus to offense. It’s a little easier to see their needs on this side of the ball: the team’s only tight end is inactive, so I’d expect Philadelphia to go after a top-tier tight end early. They also don’t yet have kicker Kulture Fulture under contract, but I can’t imagine Philly would let their Kicker of the Year go in favor of a rookie. I also stated above that quarterback is a big need for them, but that’s not entirely accurate. Adriana Falconi performed well last season, and still has several good seasons left in the tank, but the Liberty might take advantage of this historic draft class and pick up a good quarterback while they have the chance. The Liberty certainly have enough draft picks to take some risks: they have fifteen picks this draft, assuming they don’t deal any (which they might).
It’s hard to tell what’s going through the minds of Philadelphia’s GM team at the moment. Their roster situation is highly unusual (at least for me, an uneducated rookie), and I’m not quite sure what direction they’re planning on going. Clearly they know what they’re doing, though, as evidenced by their great success last season. I’m certainly going to be keeping a close eye on Philadelphia as the draft progresses, and in the days that follow. Their exact game plan is anybody’s guess (which is true of most, if not all, teams), but I think that when we look back at this draft in a season or two, we’ll all be surprised at how much we missed of the Liberty’s strategy.
Potential Liberty: Mo Berry and Guy Nikko (LB), Cameron Olsen and Chase Jensen (TE), Apollo Lange (QB)
San Jose Sabercats Biggest Needs: Wide receiver, tight end, cornerback, running back
Here it is, the moment you’ve all been waiting for. The part of the article where I talk about the Season 14 champion San Jose Sabercats, the dark horse team who managed to win it all. Despite the team’s regular season success, they weren’t expected to go anywhere in the postseason: before this season, the team hadn’t won a single playoff game in its history. And, this season, not only did they win their first playoff game, they won their first Ultimus. It’s a big accomplishment, and the team should be incredibly proud of the work they did and the result they earned. Now the time has come for San Jose to focus on the future and to prepare to defend their title, strengthened by one of the largest draft classes in history. The question is, how do they plan to do that?
Much like Philadelphia, a lot of their players have not yet inked deals for Season 15. They have brought back a lot of their core players: quarterback Joliet L. Christ, running back Chris Orosz, the Pennington brothers (who play linebacker and safety), and defensive tackle Footballer Sackerman. However, there are still a lot of issues that need to be addressed if they hope to repeat as champions next season. The Sabercats do have Kazimir Oles on roster next season, but he’ll be departing the team after that to help get the Chicago Butchers off the ground. Drafting a potential placement for Oles might be a good idea, even if that replacement doesn’t take the field for San Jose right away. The team might also take a tight end to pair with Zapp Brannigan (which is a great name, by the way), although that’s not a necessity. The Sabercats have only one cornerback on roster, but they might have one of their three safeties play at the corner position to save themselves a draft pick. One potentially contentious aspect of this team to watch is the quarterback situation. After the season he had, Christ’s job security is fairly high, even if he isn’t currently signed to a multi-year deal. However, the Sabercats took Rose Jenkins in last season’s draft. Jenkins, whose contract is actually worth more than Christ’s, is the team’s only send-down at the moment, and will probably spend another season in Kansas City (barring a position change, which I don’t think will happen). It will be interesting to see if San Jose elects to protect Jenkins in the upcoming expansion draft: the team could save some money in letting Jenkins get poached, but Christ is approaching regression and the eventual end of his career. That situation could go any direction, and it will be exciting to see how it plays out.
As I said above, San Jose should be incredibly proud of their performance in Season 14. Winning the Ultimus is no easy task, and they played some incredible football against some impressive teams to come out on top. Like all championship teams before them, they now have to find a way to improve a championship roster; unlike (most of) those teams, they have a very large draft with which to do so. Has San Jose finally broken their postseason curse, or was this season just a fluke? Either way, I expect the Sabercats to be a fierce opponent all season long.
Potential Sabercats: Cameron Olsen and Timmy Hoss (TE), Nacho Varga and Brock Landers (WR), Xerxes Ridley and Taters Johnson (CB), Forrest Gump and Terry Taffy (RB)
Yellowknife Wraiths Biggest Needs: Running back, tight end, defensive tackle
Last, but certainly not least, are the Wraiths. They’re in a pretty good situation, both with picks and current roster. They’re only down one pick in this draft, having dealt their fifth rounder (among other things) to acquire linebacker Alex Selich. It’s one of those rare trades that benefitted both teams, even when looking back at it now. It does mean that Yellowknife is missing one pick in this deep draft, but they aren’t too upset about it. Their roster has plenty of talent, even if they only went 6-8 last season, and they aren’t sorely lacking in any position. Could they make some trades to get back into this draft? Of course they could, but I don’t really expect them to. They’re in a comfortable spot, and they don’t really have a reason to disrupt that. The big move I could see them making is to trade up in the draft if they’re wanting to take a particular player, but even that is a bit of a stretch. They have the fourth overall pick, so they should be able to get at least one of their highly rated prospects, which would make this team very happy.
Their weakest position on offense is, surprisingly, running back. The team will be losing Dick Wizardry to Austin after this season, so they’ll have to find a way to make up for that loss. They recently signed Thomas Carrasco to an inactive deal, but they’ll be looking for a more involved player to put in his place once that contract is done. There are several talented running backs in this draft, so the Wraiths should be able to get their hands on one of them in preparation for the future. The rest of their offense is set: they have a capable quarterback ready to take over when Applehort hangs it up and three talented wide receivers (plus an inactive one). Their tight end situation could be better -- they’re paying $4,000,000 over two seasons to a tight end with 176 TPE -- so they might find a replacement for him, but it won’t be a huge problem if they opt not to. Their situation on defense is decent, too. Well, except for the two inactive defensive tackles -- they’ll want to get that fixed pretty quickly, because that’s probably the most obvious problem with their defense at the moment. They also have a safety on an inactive deal, but with two other skilled safeties on roster, that’s not a situation to lose sleep over. That’s really the theme of this Yellowknife roster: they have inactives, but they also have two or three other players at that position to make up for it (with defensive tackle being the lone exception). Obviously you can’t predict who’ll go inactive, but the Wraiths front office has done a good job of buffering those players so that those who do suddenly disappear don’t disrupt the team too much.
From a strictly numbers standpoint, Yellowknife appears to be one of the better-run teams in the whole league. Their roster has been constructed to provide stability in the short term, with the possibility of securing players for the future. That’s a tough trick to pull off, but Yellowknife seems to have done it with ease. Now they’re in a good position coming into the draft: they’ve got an excellent roster already, with room to add some talented young blood. They probably won’t make a lot of waves this draft -- no flashy trades, no shocking picks, no QB controversies -- but that’s certainly not a bad thing. They’ve been a quiet team, and that strategy has been working for them, so expect more of that in the draft and after. That is, of course, until they burst into the playoffs and make a big run at an Ultimus, which is absolutely within the realm of possibility for this team.
Potential Wraiths: Morgan Marshall and Forrest Gump (RB), Cameron Olsen and Chase Jensen (TE), Ricardo Morris and Cale Clay (DT)
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