09-28-2019, 10:41 PM
(This post was last modified: 10-02-2019, 08:11 AM by goodvsevil1275.)
Newly named Jake Dropson here. I’ve been meaning to do some mock draft articles for a few days and now there is no better time to get cracking on it. This is my first article of three where I look at team needs, my prospect big board, and the mock draft itself. By splitting this into three articles, I’m hoping to maximize my earnings and maximize how much of these articles people actually read.
As soon as I saw the 1.5x draft media get announced, I knew that it was finally time to create my awful, completely inaccurate mock draft for the upcoming National Sim Football League Season 18 draft. I want to have original ideas so I will not be trying to copy Isa’s mock draft article, though some of the analysis and draft picks could be similar. I want to begin this article in the same vein as Isa’s by looking at the top needs for every team and figuring out which holes these teams are trying to fill. Obviously, I am very new to the NSFL scene and am hoping that by doing this review article that I will learn more and more about the teams. Without further ado, lets dive down into some team needs.
New Orleans Second Line:
This is a team that finished dead last in the standings for the season. Looking at this team’s roster, quarterback immediately stands out as the one position they don’t need by having S14 player Stan Francisco at the helm. Immediate needs that stound out to me on this team are safeties, cornerback, and defensive line. At safety, the Second Line only have one safety above 250 TPE, though that player is very deep into regression. Also in the secondary, New Orleans only has a single very active player and only roster one more player. This team could look to make a splash in the secondary in the draft. Along the defensive line, New Orleans has two solid players in Brayden Ennis and Lo Rax, although Rax is into his second season of regression. Of course, New Orleans finds itself at the top of the draft, meaning they will be grabbing another defensive tackle to shore up their defensive line. On offense, this team has a sneaky need at wide receiver. Be on the lookout for the Second Line trying to snatch up one of the three top earning receivers in this class if they fall far enough. Luckily for the Second Line, this draft is very heavy on defense and they have plenty of draft picks.
Philadelphia Liberty:
Under new ownership, you know that the Liberty are looking forward to making some solid picks to use as their foundation blocks for rebuilding this franchise. The most pressing need for the Liberty appears to be at linebacker. Everyone knows that you want two solid linebackers at the center of your defense and the Liberty only have one linebacker and he isn’t nearly a max earner. Two of the very top prospects are at linebacker so expect Philadelphia to meet this need rather quickly. Looking on offense, this team could very well use a wide receiver. Two of their top three targets are entering regression and they could definitely use an active player to groom into a top option in a couple of seasons to pair with Nacho Varga. Like all teams, the Liberty have a dire need at defensive end, even more than most teams. They do not have a single active player on the line and should look to improve their depth with one or even two defensive end picks. With their seven picks in the first four rounds, the Liberty have an opportunity to bring in an incredible amount of active players to shorten this rebuild.
Austin Copperheads:
First of all, I want to say that Joe K rocks lmao (please don’t fire me). At first glance, I had no idea what this team might need. Unlike Chicago, this expansion team has done a fantastic job at stockpiling good young players to set themselves up for future success. I eventually turned to Isa”s article just because I did not know what Austin needs. Consulting a higher power and taking a second look at the roster, two concerns for this team are their lack of depth at cornerback and defensive line. While they have their top cornerback of the future in Dermot Lavelle Jr., Austin could use a corner to develop into their second corner after a season. Along the defensive line, Austin houses one of the top defensive tackles in the league yet this does not mean they will turn their attention way from a big boy in the latter part of the first round. Positions that this team definitely should not be looking at are quarterbacks and running backs. A sneaky need could be at wide receiver but I would not expect this team to pick one. With only three picks in the top four rounds, Austin needs to get impact players and impact positions more than finding players to stash for the future.
Colorado Yeti:
Like the Liberty, the Yeti are under new management and are hoping to scoop up a couple of players to help over the next few seasons. This team’s top players are rather old, meaning the team has an eye out for some young talent for sure. Among their needs, this team only has a single cornerback on the roster. Having a strong secondary is important in the National Sim Football League because of all the top receiving talent. These Yeti also only house two defensive linemen on their roster which is obviously way, way too few for this league. This team could also look to grab a safety at some point. While they have four safeties on the team, none of them are active and all of them are under 350 TPE, opening the door for a top safety prospect for the team to snatch. In a league where most teams have very solid safety play, the Yeti could get a steal at some point in the draft. Like most teams in the league, the Yeti are definitely not in need of a quarterback and might be looking for a running back to complement average starter Terry Taffy. Claiming five picks in the top four rounds, Colorado finds themselves in a great position to shore up some holes in the team.
San Jose Sabercats:
This team is a middle of the pack team with a retiring quarterback. Completely separate from that point, the second highest TPE prospect in this draft class is a quarterback in a league where only one or two teams need a quarterback. This is the perfect chance for San Jose to pick up their quarterback of the future. Aside from the most important position in football, the Sabercats could look to grab a wide receiver to pair with a newly-switched quarterback and also a cornerback, as this team does not have a single corner above 170 TPE. San Jose’s top wide receiver, Xavier Flash, is retiring this season which leaves the team with just one other receiver on the roster and that player isn’t even active. The top need for this team should be a wide receiver and that’s what I expect them to grab immediately. With just three picks in the top four rounds, San Jose will need to address these two huge needs with their top picks.
Chicago Butchers:
Oh boy, where to start with Chicago? This is a team that went championship or bust in their first two seasons and now they have busted. They traded all of their draft picks for old players who are entering regression. Since that didn’t work, their objective now is to trade all of their future draft picks for a couple of picks in this loaded draft. It is a questionable strategy but maybe it will pay off for the new team. As you can tell, this team needs about everything besides a quarterback. Their best player is a wide receiver who will be getting destroyed by regression and their backup receivers are inactive. All of their top defensive players are inactive and most are regressing. This team only has three active players with the addition of regressing halfback Marquise Brown and one of those players is their general manager. Their final active player is a safety with a very low TPE count according to when he was drafted. Positions that I expect this team to target with their few picks are running back, wide receiver, tight end, safety, defensive line, and linebacker. So basically everything. This team is in a bad spot and needs to hit on as many draft picks as possible as they continuously trade away their futures. One thing to note is that they will be adding a very active linebacker in the season 19 draft as they pick up Willi B. Hardagain, their other general manager’s player. Picking up some active season 18 players to match with their young quarterback and upcoming star linebacker could be a recipe for success for the Chicago Butchers. However, they will need to trade away even more assets to pick up more players in this draft as they have just two picks in the first four rounds.
Yellowknife Wraiths:
Once the highest TPE team in the league, the Yellowknife Wraiths have been absolutely decimated at the running back position by early retirements this offseason. Both Morgan Marshall and Jerrod Canton have announced their plans to retire after this next season. These retirements leave Yellowknife with no running backs on the team, making the position the highest need for the team. At the same time, this is an aging roster and the Yellowknife front office is in need of their future stars. This team could look to draft any offensive skill position players in the second round for their next generation of talent. Another retirement, this time in the secondary, of gadget safety Mason could leave Yellowknife in need of a defensive play maker as Brown played everything from safety to linebacker to cornerback depending on what his team needed. Yellowknife has underachieved in the past few seasons despite the TPE advantage over other teams. Having a very young quarterback and five active players from season 15, Yellowknife is poised for another series of title runs in a few short seasons. With three picks in the first four rounds, Yellowknife has the opportunity to draft very quality players that will be ready to contend in two or three seasons.
Arizona Outlaws:
The season 16 Ultimus champions have lots of high TPE players and a healthy amount of active season 15 players. However, the Outlaws could be a sneaky team in contention for a quarterback in this draft. Team leader Andrew Reese is at the final season of his prime and will hit his downfall rather quickly. The two glaring needs of this team are both on defense, being the safety and defensive line positions. Linemen are a need at every team but for Arizona, a team wanting to win right now, this need is a gigantic hole for the team. The Outlaws do not have a single active defensive lineman and their top guy is only at 560 TPE. Scooping up a defensive lineman should be a top priority for this team. The team’s top safety is from season 9 and will retire within a season or two, opening up a hole at the second safety slot behind Lamont McKinnie. A sneaky need for this offense is at running back, having just one player at the position on the roster. This team could also look to pick up another wide receiver to eventually replace Vinny Valentine, despite having season 17 first round pick Saba Donut waiting in the wings. These Outlaws have a solid three picks in the first four rounds, meaning that they can fill up a fair amount of holes in the roster.
Baltimore Hawks:
The Hawks took a similar path to the Chicago Butchers, just with more of a reason to go all in. Despite making a mid season trade for wide receiver Sunnycursed and sending out a first round pick, the Hawks still lost the Ultimus to Sunnycursed’s former team, the Orange County Otters. This is an aging roster with a need almost everywhere. This team, unlike Chicago, has plenty of current stars and will still be a force in a few seasons. Now they are looking for their future stars. Even though they do not have a draft pick until the third round, this draft still has plenty of talent to be had at those middle rounds. The team has possibly the best young quarterback, which is one of the few positions they do not need, At running back, some could try to argue that Dorfus Jimbo is their running back of the future. Personally, I do not see it but I can understand the team’s desire to stick with their guys. Positions of need for this team include defensive line, linebacker, and possibly wide receiver. This team has no active defensive linemen and their top linebacker is on the verge of retirement due to age. Surprisingly, Baltimore has the best young kicker in the league. I thought that deserved mention since kickers are people, too.
Orange County Otters:
The final team on my team needs list is the S17 Ultimus champion Orange County Otters. The Orange County Otters are a fairly young team with the best up and coming quarterback in the league. Their top players are all on the verge of regression, meaning this team could have a need at defensive end very soon. The Orange County Otters could also look to grab another wide receiver to pair up with general manager Hugh Mongo and Dexter Banks. This team could also be looking to add some strength to their secondary, having some aging safeties and cornerbacks on the roster. There are many different positions that these Orange County Otters could look to shore up but the main thing they need is young talent to put together another team to compete for the title in a couple of seasons. Having an amazing four picks in the first two rounds, these Otters won the Ultimus and set themselves up beautifully to retool over the coming seasons.
This was just part one of three of my mock draft process. I may have missed some season 17 prospects that stayed in the Developmental Sim Football League last season but I am fairly confident that I assessed these team needs accurately. At this point, I am typing to hit the 2500 word mark. I am extremely excited for next Friday when I get to find out who exactly these teams picked up and of course who picked me up. There are only a few teams that need wide receivers and literally every team has a need at the offensive line and defensive line. The only thing we know for sure is that Bjorn is going first overall.
As soon as I saw the 1.5x draft media get announced, I knew that it was finally time to create my awful, completely inaccurate mock draft for the upcoming National Sim Football League Season 18 draft. I want to have original ideas so I will not be trying to copy Isa’s mock draft article, though some of the analysis and draft picks could be similar. I want to begin this article in the same vein as Isa’s by looking at the top needs for every team and figuring out which holes these teams are trying to fill. Obviously, I am very new to the NSFL scene and am hoping that by doing this review article that I will learn more and more about the teams. Without further ado, lets dive down into some team needs.
New Orleans Second Line:
This is a team that finished dead last in the standings for the season. Looking at this team’s roster, quarterback immediately stands out as the one position they don’t need by having S14 player Stan Francisco at the helm. Immediate needs that stound out to me on this team are safeties, cornerback, and defensive line. At safety, the Second Line only have one safety above 250 TPE, though that player is very deep into regression. Also in the secondary, New Orleans only has a single very active player and only roster one more player. This team could look to make a splash in the secondary in the draft. Along the defensive line, New Orleans has two solid players in Brayden Ennis and Lo Rax, although Rax is into his second season of regression. Of course, New Orleans finds itself at the top of the draft, meaning they will be grabbing another defensive tackle to shore up their defensive line. On offense, this team has a sneaky need at wide receiver. Be on the lookout for the Second Line trying to snatch up one of the three top earning receivers in this class if they fall far enough. Luckily for the Second Line, this draft is very heavy on defense and they have plenty of draft picks.
Philadelphia Liberty:
Under new ownership, you know that the Liberty are looking forward to making some solid picks to use as their foundation blocks for rebuilding this franchise. The most pressing need for the Liberty appears to be at linebacker. Everyone knows that you want two solid linebackers at the center of your defense and the Liberty only have one linebacker and he isn’t nearly a max earner. Two of the very top prospects are at linebacker so expect Philadelphia to meet this need rather quickly. Looking on offense, this team could very well use a wide receiver. Two of their top three targets are entering regression and they could definitely use an active player to groom into a top option in a couple of seasons to pair with Nacho Varga. Like all teams, the Liberty have a dire need at defensive end, even more than most teams. They do not have a single active player on the line and should look to improve their depth with one or even two defensive end picks. With their seven picks in the first four rounds, the Liberty have an opportunity to bring in an incredible amount of active players to shorten this rebuild.
Austin Copperheads:
First of all, I want to say that Joe K rocks lmao (please don’t fire me). At first glance, I had no idea what this team might need. Unlike Chicago, this expansion team has done a fantastic job at stockpiling good young players to set themselves up for future success. I eventually turned to Isa”s article just because I did not know what Austin needs. Consulting a higher power and taking a second look at the roster, two concerns for this team are their lack of depth at cornerback and defensive line. While they have their top cornerback of the future in Dermot Lavelle Jr., Austin could use a corner to develop into their second corner after a season. Along the defensive line, Austin houses one of the top defensive tackles in the league yet this does not mean they will turn their attention way from a big boy in the latter part of the first round. Positions that this team definitely should not be looking at are quarterbacks and running backs. A sneaky need could be at wide receiver but I would not expect this team to pick one. With only three picks in the top four rounds, Austin needs to get impact players and impact positions more than finding players to stash for the future.
Colorado Yeti:
Like the Liberty, the Yeti are under new management and are hoping to scoop up a couple of players to help over the next few seasons. This team’s top players are rather old, meaning the team has an eye out for some young talent for sure. Among their needs, this team only has a single cornerback on the roster. Having a strong secondary is important in the National Sim Football League because of all the top receiving talent. These Yeti also only house two defensive linemen on their roster which is obviously way, way too few for this league. This team could also look to grab a safety at some point. While they have four safeties on the team, none of them are active and all of them are under 350 TPE, opening the door for a top safety prospect for the team to snatch. In a league where most teams have very solid safety play, the Yeti could get a steal at some point in the draft. Like most teams in the league, the Yeti are definitely not in need of a quarterback and might be looking for a running back to complement average starter Terry Taffy. Claiming five picks in the top four rounds, Colorado finds themselves in a great position to shore up some holes in the team.
San Jose Sabercats:
This team is a middle of the pack team with a retiring quarterback. Completely separate from that point, the second highest TPE prospect in this draft class is a quarterback in a league where only one or two teams need a quarterback. This is the perfect chance for San Jose to pick up their quarterback of the future. Aside from the most important position in football, the Sabercats could look to grab a wide receiver to pair with a newly-switched quarterback and also a cornerback, as this team does not have a single corner above 170 TPE. San Jose’s top wide receiver, Xavier Flash, is retiring this season which leaves the team with just one other receiver on the roster and that player isn’t even active. The top need for this team should be a wide receiver and that’s what I expect them to grab immediately. With just three picks in the top four rounds, San Jose will need to address these two huge needs with their top picks.
Chicago Butchers:
Oh boy, where to start with Chicago? This is a team that went championship or bust in their first two seasons and now they have busted. They traded all of their draft picks for old players who are entering regression. Since that didn’t work, their objective now is to trade all of their future draft picks for a couple of picks in this loaded draft. It is a questionable strategy but maybe it will pay off for the new team. As you can tell, this team needs about everything besides a quarterback. Their best player is a wide receiver who will be getting destroyed by regression and their backup receivers are inactive. All of their top defensive players are inactive and most are regressing. This team only has three active players with the addition of regressing halfback Marquise Brown and one of those players is their general manager. Their final active player is a safety with a very low TPE count according to when he was drafted. Positions that I expect this team to target with their few picks are running back, wide receiver, tight end, safety, defensive line, and linebacker. So basically everything. This team is in a bad spot and needs to hit on as many draft picks as possible as they continuously trade away their futures. One thing to note is that they will be adding a very active linebacker in the season 19 draft as they pick up Willi B. Hardagain, their other general manager’s player. Picking up some active season 18 players to match with their young quarterback and upcoming star linebacker could be a recipe for success for the Chicago Butchers. However, they will need to trade away even more assets to pick up more players in this draft as they have just two picks in the first four rounds.
Yellowknife Wraiths:
Once the highest TPE team in the league, the Yellowknife Wraiths have been absolutely decimated at the running back position by early retirements this offseason. Both Morgan Marshall and Jerrod Canton have announced their plans to retire after this next season. These retirements leave Yellowknife with no running backs on the team, making the position the highest need for the team. At the same time, this is an aging roster and the Yellowknife front office is in need of their future stars. This team could look to draft any offensive skill position players in the second round for their next generation of talent. Another retirement, this time in the secondary, of gadget safety Mason could leave Yellowknife in need of a defensive play maker as Brown played everything from safety to linebacker to cornerback depending on what his team needed. Yellowknife has underachieved in the past few seasons despite the TPE advantage over other teams. Having a very young quarterback and five active players from season 15, Yellowknife is poised for another series of title runs in a few short seasons. With three picks in the first four rounds, Yellowknife has the opportunity to draft very quality players that will be ready to contend in two or three seasons.
Arizona Outlaws:
The season 16 Ultimus champions have lots of high TPE players and a healthy amount of active season 15 players. However, the Outlaws could be a sneaky team in contention for a quarterback in this draft. Team leader Andrew Reese is at the final season of his prime and will hit his downfall rather quickly. The two glaring needs of this team are both on defense, being the safety and defensive line positions. Linemen are a need at every team but for Arizona, a team wanting to win right now, this need is a gigantic hole for the team. The Outlaws do not have a single active defensive lineman and their top guy is only at 560 TPE. Scooping up a defensive lineman should be a top priority for this team. The team’s top safety is from season 9 and will retire within a season or two, opening up a hole at the second safety slot behind Lamont McKinnie. A sneaky need for this offense is at running back, having just one player at the position on the roster. This team could also look to pick up another wide receiver to eventually replace Vinny Valentine, despite having season 17 first round pick Saba Donut waiting in the wings. These Outlaws have a solid three picks in the first four rounds, meaning that they can fill up a fair amount of holes in the roster.
Baltimore Hawks:
The Hawks took a similar path to the Chicago Butchers, just with more of a reason to go all in. Despite making a mid season trade for wide receiver Sunnycursed and sending out a first round pick, the Hawks still lost the Ultimus to Sunnycursed’s former team, the Orange County Otters. This is an aging roster with a need almost everywhere. This team, unlike Chicago, has plenty of current stars and will still be a force in a few seasons. Now they are looking for their future stars. Even though they do not have a draft pick until the third round, this draft still has plenty of talent to be had at those middle rounds. The team has possibly the best young quarterback, which is one of the few positions they do not need, At running back, some could try to argue that Dorfus Jimbo is their running back of the future. Personally, I do not see it but I can understand the team’s desire to stick with their guys. Positions of need for this team include defensive line, linebacker, and possibly wide receiver. This team has no active defensive linemen and their top linebacker is on the verge of retirement due to age. Surprisingly, Baltimore has the best young kicker in the league. I thought that deserved mention since kickers are people, too.
Orange County Otters:
The final team on my team needs list is the S17 Ultimus champion Orange County Otters. The Orange County Otters are a fairly young team with the best up and coming quarterback in the league. Their top players are all on the verge of regression, meaning this team could have a need at defensive end very soon. The Orange County Otters could also look to grab another wide receiver to pair up with general manager Hugh Mongo and Dexter Banks. This team could also be looking to add some strength to their secondary, having some aging safeties and cornerbacks on the roster. There are many different positions that these Orange County Otters could look to shore up but the main thing they need is young talent to put together another team to compete for the title in a couple of seasons. Having an amazing four picks in the first two rounds, these Otters won the Ultimus and set themselves up beautifully to retool over the coming seasons.
This was just part one of three of my mock draft process. I may have missed some season 17 prospects that stayed in the Developmental Sim Football League last season but I am fairly confident that I assessed these team needs accurately. At this point, I am typing to hit the 2500 word mark. I am extremely excited for next Friday when I get to find out who exactly these teams picked up and of course who picked me up. There are only a few teams that need wide receivers and literally every team has a need at the offensive line and defensive line. The only thing we know for sure is that Bjorn is going first overall.
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