Arizona Outlaws
The Outlaws came into the draft with very little draft capital. Lacking a 1st round pick, Arizona knew it was on the outside looking in for blue chip prospects. But teams are built with much more than first round picks and flashy moves. They seemingly followed that logic as they went through the draft. Arizona would find a trading partner in Colorado as they dished away their 2nd round pick. But the trade left some scratching their heads as it seemed to be valued in Colorado’s favor. They would just simply swap second rounds picks in the S17 draft as Colorado would also receive the 15th overall pick. But if Arizona truly didn’t believe in this draft, and they also think that Colorado will perform worse than them this year, then maybe the move will turn out well. They would finish the draft by selecting the Offensive Lineman Bobby Melvin. He is obviously not a high earner at all but teams are always looking for offensive linemen. After a quiet draft, it will be interesting to see what kind of year Arizona has.
Draft Grade: D+
R3P25: Bobby Melvin (OL)
Trade with Colorado:
Receive - S17 R2 Pick (COL)
Send - R2P15 & S17 R2 Pick (ARI)
Austin Copperheads
After the expansion draft, the Copperheads were hoping to round out their team with some good selections. They wouldn’t share the amount of draft capital their expansion team rival but they still had the 5th overall pick. Coming into the draft, Austin was in desperate need of a starting quarterback. After finding their quarterback, they could then afford to fill out their depth chart. As the draft started to unravel, Austin realized that top earner Dermot Lavelle Jr was falling. After he dropped past the first 3 picks, they knew it was likely that New Orleans was going to select him. So Austin reached out and were able to secure a trade. Luckily for Austin, the trade didn’t give up their 5th overall pick. In fact, they would only lose an extra 1st they had in S18 as well as their 3rd round pick that year. The Copperheads got a lot of value out of this deal and seemingly won the trade. Getting the top earner in this draft and still having another pick immediately after is a good way to attain talent. They would use the next pick to secure their quarterback by selecting Peter Larson. Larson was commonly seen as the best quarterback in this draft. So it came as no surprise that they would select him. After this pick, it seemed as though Austin’s first round was over. But they wanted a third try at the first round. They found a trading partner in Orange County and once again were on the clock. They would then use this attained pick to strengthen their backfield. They would select Mako Mendonca, the second best runningback in the draft. After 3 picks in the first round, Austin wouldn’t pick again until the end of the 2nd round. They would spend that pick to grab another quarterback in Easton Cole. This would fill out their depth chart and add some competition to the quarterback spot. It will be interesting to see which quarterback will prevail. Austin would end their day after picking Cole and would be happy with their results. It wasn’t a deep draft but Austin was able to find talent with all their picks.
Draft Grade: A-
R1P4: Dermot Lavelle Jr. (CB)
R1P5: Peter Larson (QB)
R1P8: Mako Mendonca (RB)
R2P19: Easton Cole (QB)
Trade with New Orleans:
Receive - R1P4 (NOLA)
Send - S18 R1 Pick (CHI) & S18 R3 Pick (AUS)
Trade with Orange County:
Receive - R1P8 (OCO)
Send - Shannon Hobbs, Gordon Ramsey Jr and rights to swap S18 R1 & R2 picks
Baltimore Hawks
Coming into the draft, Baltimore had the least drat capital. But coming off a championship season and into an overall weak draft class, the Hawks wouldn’t be in that bad of a position. When it came closer to their pick, they decided to trade up for New Orleans’ pick and grab Kicker ForThe Brand. It was an interesting move as they would send away their current kicker in the trade. They would also give up the 16th overall pick and a 3rd round pick in S17. The Hawks would then have to wait until the end of the 3rd round to be on the clock again. They would pick Safety Lars Fredricksen. Overall, the Hawks had a pretty uneventful draft. But they still have a championship roster and will be looking to contend again this year.
Draft Grade: C
R2P13: ForThe Brand (K)
R3P30: Lars Fredricksen (S)
Trade with New Orleans:
Receive - R2P13 (COL)
Send - R2P16 (YKW), S17 R3 Pick (BAL) & Alex Frost
Chicago Butchers
The Butchers hoped to add crucial pieces to their team in this draft. Coming off a successful expansion draft, if they could find some talent here, they would be in great shape for their inaugural season. By holding the first 2 picks in the draft, Chicago was perfectly set up to get great additions to their team. They opened up the draft by selecting Running Back Sam Torenson. He was the second highest earner in this draft and had a great year in the DSFL. He will add on to the already talented backfield of Ricky Adams and Aksel Danielsson. Chicago has quickly developed a very scary rush attack. To follow up the quality pick, they would get another talent in Linebacker Blake Faux. Although he was the second best earner on defense, Chicago decided to pick him first. Due to the fact that they already have 3 solid corners, they probably felt getting depth at the linebacker position was more important. Either way, they got a great player in Torenson. The last bit of action Chicago had in the draft came with their 11th overall pick. They would add Offensive Lineman Ben Tu’inukuafe to their roster. A talented offensive line can go a long way in this league. It’s also crucial if you want to have a successful ground attack. Chicago understands this and promptly selected the top linemen of the draft. The Butchers did a great job in this draft by adding lots of value to their roster without giving up future assets. This Chicago team is being built quite well and it will be interesting to see how they perform this year.
Draft Grade: A
R1P1: Sam Torenson (RB)
R1P2: Blake Faux (LB)
R2P11: Ben Tu’inukuafe (OL)
Colorado Yeti
This ended up being a very busy draft for the Yeti. For most, they saw weakness in this draft class. The strategy of a couple teams was just to prepare for future drafts. But Colorado decided to take the opposite approach. With this mindset, they may have even gotten better value with their trades. If other teams don’t believe in this draft, they would be quick to get rid of their picks. Colorado entered the draft with 5 total picks but with none in the 2nd round. They would remedy this by making two separate trades to attain a couple 2nd round picks. They would start their 7 picks with talented receiver Laszlo Forty-Two. This is another talented receiver they can line up with star James Bishop. Besides Bishop, Colorado doesn’t have that great of a receiver core. They started to patch that up with this selection. They would have another pick at the end of the first round. They would select Tight End Joshua Palmer. It seems that Colorado wanted to add weapons on offense in response to the loss of Micycle McCormick. Losing their franchise quarterback to retirement was a big blow to this Colorado team. But with the 14th overall pick they got McCormick’s successor in Wolfie McDummy. Hopefully for Colorado, McDummy will be a quick fit to their offense. They would mostly go defense the rest of the draft adding Defensive End Antonio Sandoval Jr, Safety Maxin Booth and Linebacker Blaster Blade Jr. This Colorado defense ranked last in points against last season. These picks are just the start of a defensive rebuild for the Yeti. They would also add another tight end in the 3rd round in Judas Iscariot. The addition of another young weapon might be beneficial to helping Wolfie McDummy succeed. All in all, Colorado got some great pieces to jumpstart their rebuild.
Draft Grade: B+
R1P3: Laszlo Forty-Two (WR)
R1P10: Joshua Palmer (TE)
R2P14: Wolfie McDummy (QB)
R2P15: Antonio Sandoval Jr. (DE)
R3P23: Judas Iscariot (TE)
R3P24: Maxin Booth (S)
R4P33: Blaster Blade Jr. (LB)
Trade with Arizona:
Receive - R2P15 & S17 R2 Pick (ARI)
Send - S17 R2 Pick (COL)
Trade with New Orleans:
Receive - R2P14 (NOLA) & S18 R4 Pick (NOLA)
Send - Emilia Rudd & S18 R4 Pick (COL)
New Orleans Second Line
The Second Line came into the draft with a good amount of draft capital. They held the 4th overall pick along with two selections in the second round. This seemed like a good opportunity to add talent to a rebuilding team. But New Orleans decided this was not the draft class they wanted to help build their team with. They ended the night with three trades that all resulted in future picks. The first trade came as a bit of a surprise to most as New Orleans would pass on Cornerback Dermot Lavelle Jr. It seemed like the perfect scenario for the Second Line. They would get the top TPE player in the draft at great value with the 4th pick. Putting Lavelle Jr with guys such as Quenton Bode, Johnny Slothface & Deon Taylor seemed like a great way to build a young and scary defense. But New Orleans ultimately decided to trade out of this spot and get two draft picks in S18. New Orleans would also add a 3rd round pick in S17 and swap 4th round picks with Colorado for S18. They would end the night with only one selection being Safety Chance Matthews. This selection isn’t too exciting as Matthews has only 77 TPE. But it shows that New Orleans is dedicated to building a great defense as we also saw last year. New Orleans had a pretty uneventful draft and made little to no immediate improvement. Hopefully the slow burn of a rebuild they are brewing pays off in the end.
Draft Grade: C
R2P16: Chance Matthews (S)
Trade with Austin:
Receive - S18 R1 Pick (CHI) & S18 R3 Pick (AUS)
Send - R1P4 (NOLA)
Trade with Baltimore:
Receive - R2P16 (YKW), S17 R3 Pick (BAL) & Alex Frost
Send - R2P13 (COL)
Trade with Colorado:
Receive - Emilia Rudd & S18 R4 Pick (COL)
Send - R2P14 (NOLA) & S18 R4 Pick (NOLA)
Orange County Otters
The ASFC runner up came into the draft with the 8th overall pick as well as a 2nd and 3rd rounder. For fans, the hopes were that Orange County could find some players that get them over the edge. The Otters would start their draft by trading away their first round pick to the Austin Copperheads. To most, it seemed like a one sided trade in the Otters favor. With the weak draft class, Orange County wasn’t worried about missing out on prospects. Also in the trade they got two depth pieces to add to their roster. Safety Shannon Hobbs and Cornerback Gordon Ramsey Jr were added through the trade. Orange County also got the rights to swap 1st and 2nd round picks in the S18 draft. With how much they got, and how little they had to give up, it seemed like a great deal for the Otters. Their next move would come in the second round as they would select Wide Receiver Hugh Mongo. This guy will be another weapon for quarterback Gus T.T. Showbiz to work with. Don’t be surprised if Mongo puts up some impressive rookie numbers. After selecting one of the top receivers in the draft, they would finish their day by drafting Defensive End Evan Trigg. Overall, the Otters had a solid draft. They left the day with more value than they began with. That is the sign of a draft done right.
Draft Grade: B
R2P18: Hugh Mongo (WR)
R3P28: Evan Trigg (DE)
Trade with Austin:
Receive - Shannon Hobbs, Gordon Ramsey Jr and rights to swap S18 R1 & R2 picks
Send - R1P8 (OCO)
Philadelphia Liberty
After making the playoffs for 4 consecutive seasons, it’s obvious that Philadelphia knows how to field a competitive team. But after failing to turn one of those appearances into a Ultimus victory, the Liberty are focused on finding the pieces to get them over the edge. They would start the draft by adding Defensive Tackle Alberto McGwire. After Chad Maulolo, McGwire was considered one of the best defensive linemen in the draft. Based on points against, the Liberty were the worst defense in the playoffs. So it makes sense they would spend their first pick on the defense. Philadelphia would follow up this pick with one offensive player and one defensive player. In the second round, they selected Tight End Demarcus Strike. In order for an offensive to be successful, it is important to have an endless amount of talented skill players. Philadelphia hopes they found that kind of guy with Demarcus Strike. The Liberty would end the draft by selecting Jeremy Stovall, the cornerback from the Kansas City Coyotes. The Liberty didn’t have a super exciting or flashy draft, but they worked with what they had.
Draft Grade: C
R1P7: Alberto McGwire (DT)
R2P17: Demarcus Strike (TE)
R3P29: Jeremy Stovall (CB)
San Jose SaberCats
The SaberCats who lost in this year’s Ultimus Championship game, and is one year removed from a title, came into the draft with only 2 total picks. After losing in the championship game 49-0, it was obvious that San Jose wanted to add some playmakers. But one thing they had to keep in mind is they currently had no cornerbacks on their roster. With the 9th overall pick, they would miss out on all the top prospects. But this doesn’t mean they couldn’t add a valuable piece to their locker room. They would start their draft by selecting the top cornerback remaining, William Tell. It wasn’t that difficult of a decision for a team who is absolutely desperate for defensive backs. They would follow up that pick with Cornerback Anthony Rowland. The young corners had a lot of improvements to make, but San Jose did fulfill its needs within this draft.
Draft Grade: C
R1P9: William Tell (CB)
R2P12: Anthony Rowland (CB)
Yellowknife Wraiths
The Yellowknife Wraiths, who have missed the playoffs every year since their S8 Ultimus win, have been a middling team for a long time now. With this draft, the Wraiths were hoping it would start an upswing for their team. With the 6th overall pick, as well as a 2nd and 3rd rounder, they had a good opportunity to improve their team. With their first pick, the Yellowknife Wraiths selected Defensive End Chad Maulolo. He was the number one defensive linemen in the draft and one of the top TPE earners available. This was a solid pick to start their draft. They would follow this up by selecting talented safety Jaylen Storm. The Wraiths have now added the top defensive end and safety in this draft. This was a great start in an effort to bolster their defense. They would end the draft by selecting another defensive end in Bo Hall. Overall, the Wraiths added a couple talented guys who can make a real difference for their team. They didn’t have a lot of picks, but Yellowknife seemed to be fine with quality over quantity.
Draft Grade: C+
R1P6: Chad Maulolo (DE)
R2P20: Jaylen Storm (S)
R3P26: Bo Hall (DE)
Word Count: 2623
The Outlaws came into the draft with very little draft capital. Lacking a 1st round pick, Arizona knew it was on the outside looking in for blue chip prospects. But teams are built with much more than first round picks and flashy moves. They seemingly followed that logic as they went through the draft. Arizona would find a trading partner in Colorado as they dished away their 2nd round pick. But the trade left some scratching their heads as it seemed to be valued in Colorado’s favor. They would just simply swap second rounds picks in the S17 draft as Colorado would also receive the 15th overall pick. But if Arizona truly didn’t believe in this draft, and they also think that Colorado will perform worse than them this year, then maybe the move will turn out well. They would finish the draft by selecting the Offensive Lineman Bobby Melvin. He is obviously not a high earner at all but teams are always looking for offensive linemen. After a quiet draft, it will be interesting to see what kind of year Arizona has.
Draft Grade: D+
R3P25: Bobby Melvin (OL)
Trade with Colorado:
Receive - S17 R2 Pick (COL)
Send - R2P15 & S17 R2 Pick (ARI)
Austin Copperheads
After the expansion draft, the Copperheads were hoping to round out their team with some good selections. They wouldn’t share the amount of draft capital their expansion team rival but they still had the 5th overall pick. Coming into the draft, Austin was in desperate need of a starting quarterback. After finding their quarterback, they could then afford to fill out their depth chart. As the draft started to unravel, Austin realized that top earner Dermot Lavelle Jr was falling. After he dropped past the first 3 picks, they knew it was likely that New Orleans was going to select him. So Austin reached out and were able to secure a trade. Luckily for Austin, the trade didn’t give up their 5th overall pick. In fact, they would only lose an extra 1st they had in S18 as well as their 3rd round pick that year. The Copperheads got a lot of value out of this deal and seemingly won the trade. Getting the top earner in this draft and still having another pick immediately after is a good way to attain talent. They would use the next pick to secure their quarterback by selecting Peter Larson. Larson was commonly seen as the best quarterback in this draft. So it came as no surprise that they would select him. After this pick, it seemed as though Austin’s first round was over. But they wanted a third try at the first round. They found a trading partner in Orange County and once again were on the clock. They would then use this attained pick to strengthen their backfield. They would select Mako Mendonca, the second best runningback in the draft. After 3 picks in the first round, Austin wouldn’t pick again until the end of the 2nd round. They would spend that pick to grab another quarterback in Easton Cole. This would fill out their depth chart and add some competition to the quarterback spot. It will be interesting to see which quarterback will prevail. Austin would end their day after picking Cole and would be happy with their results. It wasn’t a deep draft but Austin was able to find talent with all their picks.
Draft Grade: A-
R1P4: Dermot Lavelle Jr. (CB)
R1P5: Peter Larson (QB)
R1P8: Mako Mendonca (RB)
R2P19: Easton Cole (QB)
Trade with New Orleans:
Receive - R1P4 (NOLA)
Send - S18 R1 Pick (CHI) & S18 R3 Pick (AUS)
Trade with Orange County:
Receive - R1P8 (OCO)
Send - Shannon Hobbs, Gordon Ramsey Jr and rights to swap S18 R1 & R2 picks
Baltimore Hawks
Coming into the draft, Baltimore had the least drat capital. But coming off a championship season and into an overall weak draft class, the Hawks wouldn’t be in that bad of a position. When it came closer to their pick, they decided to trade up for New Orleans’ pick and grab Kicker ForThe Brand. It was an interesting move as they would send away their current kicker in the trade. They would also give up the 16th overall pick and a 3rd round pick in S17. The Hawks would then have to wait until the end of the 3rd round to be on the clock again. They would pick Safety Lars Fredricksen. Overall, the Hawks had a pretty uneventful draft. But they still have a championship roster and will be looking to contend again this year.
Draft Grade: C
R2P13: ForThe Brand (K)
R3P30: Lars Fredricksen (S)
Trade with New Orleans:
Receive - R2P13 (COL)
Send - R2P16 (YKW), S17 R3 Pick (BAL) & Alex Frost
Chicago Butchers
The Butchers hoped to add crucial pieces to their team in this draft. Coming off a successful expansion draft, if they could find some talent here, they would be in great shape for their inaugural season. By holding the first 2 picks in the draft, Chicago was perfectly set up to get great additions to their team. They opened up the draft by selecting Running Back Sam Torenson. He was the second highest earner in this draft and had a great year in the DSFL. He will add on to the already talented backfield of Ricky Adams and Aksel Danielsson. Chicago has quickly developed a very scary rush attack. To follow up the quality pick, they would get another talent in Linebacker Blake Faux. Although he was the second best earner on defense, Chicago decided to pick him first. Due to the fact that they already have 3 solid corners, they probably felt getting depth at the linebacker position was more important. Either way, they got a great player in Torenson. The last bit of action Chicago had in the draft came with their 11th overall pick. They would add Offensive Lineman Ben Tu’inukuafe to their roster. A talented offensive line can go a long way in this league. It’s also crucial if you want to have a successful ground attack. Chicago understands this and promptly selected the top linemen of the draft. The Butchers did a great job in this draft by adding lots of value to their roster without giving up future assets. This Chicago team is being built quite well and it will be interesting to see how they perform this year.
Draft Grade: A
R1P1: Sam Torenson (RB)
R1P2: Blake Faux (LB)
R2P11: Ben Tu’inukuafe (OL)
Colorado Yeti
This ended up being a very busy draft for the Yeti. For most, they saw weakness in this draft class. The strategy of a couple teams was just to prepare for future drafts. But Colorado decided to take the opposite approach. With this mindset, they may have even gotten better value with their trades. If other teams don’t believe in this draft, they would be quick to get rid of their picks. Colorado entered the draft with 5 total picks but with none in the 2nd round. They would remedy this by making two separate trades to attain a couple 2nd round picks. They would start their 7 picks with talented receiver Laszlo Forty-Two. This is another talented receiver they can line up with star James Bishop. Besides Bishop, Colorado doesn’t have that great of a receiver core. They started to patch that up with this selection. They would have another pick at the end of the first round. They would select Tight End Joshua Palmer. It seems that Colorado wanted to add weapons on offense in response to the loss of Micycle McCormick. Losing their franchise quarterback to retirement was a big blow to this Colorado team. But with the 14th overall pick they got McCormick’s successor in Wolfie McDummy. Hopefully for Colorado, McDummy will be a quick fit to their offense. They would mostly go defense the rest of the draft adding Defensive End Antonio Sandoval Jr, Safety Maxin Booth and Linebacker Blaster Blade Jr. This Colorado defense ranked last in points against last season. These picks are just the start of a defensive rebuild for the Yeti. They would also add another tight end in the 3rd round in Judas Iscariot. The addition of another young weapon might be beneficial to helping Wolfie McDummy succeed. All in all, Colorado got some great pieces to jumpstart their rebuild.
Draft Grade: B+
R1P3: Laszlo Forty-Two (WR)
R1P10: Joshua Palmer (TE)
R2P14: Wolfie McDummy (QB)
R2P15: Antonio Sandoval Jr. (DE)
R3P23: Judas Iscariot (TE)
R3P24: Maxin Booth (S)
R4P33: Blaster Blade Jr. (LB)
Trade with Arizona:
Receive - R2P15 & S17 R2 Pick (ARI)
Send - S17 R2 Pick (COL)
Trade with New Orleans:
Receive - R2P14 (NOLA) & S18 R4 Pick (NOLA)
Send - Emilia Rudd & S18 R4 Pick (COL)
New Orleans Second Line
The Second Line came into the draft with a good amount of draft capital. They held the 4th overall pick along with two selections in the second round. This seemed like a good opportunity to add talent to a rebuilding team. But New Orleans decided this was not the draft class they wanted to help build their team with. They ended the night with three trades that all resulted in future picks. The first trade came as a bit of a surprise to most as New Orleans would pass on Cornerback Dermot Lavelle Jr. It seemed like the perfect scenario for the Second Line. They would get the top TPE player in the draft at great value with the 4th pick. Putting Lavelle Jr with guys such as Quenton Bode, Johnny Slothface & Deon Taylor seemed like a great way to build a young and scary defense. But New Orleans ultimately decided to trade out of this spot and get two draft picks in S18. New Orleans would also add a 3rd round pick in S17 and swap 4th round picks with Colorado for S18. They would end the night with only one selection being Safety Chance Matthews. This selection isn’t too exciting as Matthews has only 77 TPE. But it shows that New Orleans is dedicated to building a great defense as we also saw last year. New Orleans had a pretty uneventful draft and made little to no immediate improvement. Hopefully the slow burn of a rebuild they are brewing pays off in the end.
Draft Grade: C
R2P16: Chance Matthews (S)
Trade with Austin:
Receive - S18 R1 Pick (CHI) & S18 R3 Pick (AUS)
Send - R1P4 (NOLA)
Trade with Baltimore:
Receive - R2P16 (YKW), S17 R3 Pick (BAL) & Alex Frost
Send - R2P13 (COL)
Trade with Colorado:
Receive - Emilia Rudd & S18 R4 Pick (COL)
Send - R2P14 (NOLA) & S18 R4 Pick (NOLA)
Orange County Otters
The ASFC runner up came into the draft with the 8th overall pick as well as a 2nd and 3rd rounder. For fans, the hopes were that Orange County could find some players that get them over the edge. The Otters would start their draft by trading away their first round pick to the Austin Copperheads. To most, it seemed like a one sided trade in the Otters favor. With the weak draft class, Orange County wasn’t worried about missing out on prospects. Also in the trade they got two depth pieces to add to their roster. Safety Shannon Hobbs and Cornerback Gordon Ramsey Jr were added through the trade. Orange County also got the rights to swap 1st and 2nd round picks in the S18 draft. With how much they got, and how little they had to give up, it seemed like a great deal for the Otters. Their next move would come in the second round as they would select Wide Receiver Hugh Mongo. This guy will be another weapon for quarterback Gus T.T. Showbiz to work with. Don’t be surprised if Mongo puts up some impressive rookie numbers. After selecting one of the top receivers in the draft, they would finish their day by drafting Defensive End Evan Trigg. Overall, the Otters had a solid draft. They left the day with more value than they began with. That is the sign of a draft done right.
Draft Grade: B
R2P18: Hugh Mongo (WR)
R3P28: Evan Trigg (DE)
Trade with Austin:
Receive - Shannon Hobbs, Gordon Ramsey Jr and rights to swap S18 R1 & R2 picks
Send - R1P8 (OCO)
Philadelphia Liberty
After making the playoffs for 4 consecutive seasons, it’s obvious that Philadelphia knows how to field a competitive team. But after failing to turn one of those appearances into a Ultimus victory, the Liberty are focused on finding the pieces to get them over the edge. They would start the draft by adding Defensive Tackle Alberto McGwire. After Chad Maulolo, McGwire was considered one of the best defensive linemen in the draft. Based on points against, the Liberty were the worst defense in the playoffs. So it makes sense they would spend their first pick on the defense. Philadelphia would follow up this pick with one offensive player and one defensive player. In the second round, they selected Tight End Demarcus Strike. In order for an offensive to be successful, it is important to have an endless amount of talented skill players. Philadelphia hopes they found that kind of guy with Demarcus Strike. The Liberty would end the draft by selecting Jeremy Stovall, the cornerback from the Kansas City Coyotes. The Liberty didn’t have a super exciting or flashy draft, but they worked with what they had.
Draft Grade: C
R1P7: Alberto McGwire (DT)
R2P17: Demarcus Strike (TE)
R3P29: Jeremy Stovall (CB)
San Jose SaberCats
The SaberCats who lost in this year’s Ultimus Championship game, and is one year removed from a title, came into the draft with only 2 total picks. After losing in the championship game 49-0, it was obvious that San Jose wanted to add some playmakers. But one thing they had to keep in mind is they currently had no cornerbacks on their roster. With the 9th overall pick, they would miss out on all the top prospects. But this doesn’t mean they couldn’t add a valuable piece to their locker room. They would start their draft by selecting the top cornerback remaining, William Tell. It wasn’t that difficult of a decision for a team who is absolutely desperate for defensive backs. They would follow up that pick with Cornerback Anthony Rowland. The young corners had a lot of improvements to make, but San Jose did fulfill its needs within this draft.
Draft Grade: C
R1P9: William Tell (CB)
R2P12: Anthony Rowland (CB)
Yellowknife Wraiths
The Yellowknife Wraiths, who have missed the playoffs every year since their S8 Ultimus win, have been a middling team for a long time now. With this draft, the Wraiths were hoping it would start an upswing for their team. With the 6th overall pick, as well as a 2nd and 3rd rounder, they had a good opportunity to improve their team. With their first pick, the Yellowknife Wraiths selected Defensive End Chad Maulolo. He was the number one defensive linemen in the draft and one of the top TPE earners available. This was a solid pick to start their draft. They would follow this up by selecting talented safety Jaylen Storm. The Wraiths have now added the top defensive end and safety in this draft. This was a great start in an effort to bolster their defense. They would end the draft by selecting another defensive end in Bo Hall. Overall, the Wraiths added a couple talented guys who can make a real difference for their team. They didn’t have a lot of picks, but Yellowknife seemed to be fine with quality over quantity.
Draft Grade: C+
R1P6: Chad Maulolo (DE)
R2P20: Jaylen Storm (S)
R3P26: Bo Hall (DE)
Word Count: 2623