Code:
3,855 words
Please split pay equally between: @slate, @katarn22, @Swanty, @zaynzk, @.simo, @"Punter715", @Jo3fish5, @ReverendOReily, @zeagle1, and @Hordle
Hello everyone! In today’s installment of Project Redraft, we bring you Rounds 2 and 3. For a quick summary of this project, me and some league friends have created 10 brand new teams and are drafting teams of 25 ISFL players as if we were starting a new league, focusing not only on current TPE and ability but also user contributions and future potential. I blathered on long enough at the start of Part 1, so let’s get straight to it!
Previous Installments:
Intro + Round 1
Round 2, Pick 1 - Krakow Knights
IMMANUEL BLACKSTONE, Defensive End (S21)
@nunccoepi - 1306 TPE
Hordle: Much like Quaid. I was still looking to build my defensive front. Adding Immanual Blackstone at number 11. Blackstone is a member of the Colorado Yeti’s and a teammate of someone I am hoping to grab later. This pick seemed like a no brainer. Having him and Quaid on the same side would make them a force to be reckoned with against any offensive line trying to block them both on the blitz. With five sacks on the ISFL season, I felt that Blackstone would be a cornerstone to my blitzing attack. Both of my first two picks are from season 21. I’m hoping that the slightly older players like Blackstone will be able to guide my new players (when we get there) down a similar path. To continue team success throughout the years. However, like I said with Quiad, I want to win ASAP. I’m not focused on player age and am willing to sacrifice slightly longer careers for more power now.
Round 2, Pick 2 - Barbary Pirates
TATSU NAKAMURA, Running Back (S22)
@qWest - 1109 TPE
Zeagle: Continuing on the theme of picking players from my least favorite ISFL team, I pick the man who started my DSFL career by drafting me to Portland. While Tatsu Nakamura is undoubtedly one of the best running backs in the league, this pick is for the user above all else. qWest would immediately come into the Barbary war room as my coGM and main confidant. He has been one of the users with the most positive impact on me as a player and as a user, so this decision should not come as a surprise to anyone that knows me. On the field, Tatsu is an 1100 TPE running back who will serve as the focal point of my offense. I could see potentially putting him in the slot if a second good RB falls to me in the draft, but I would be equally happy to use him as my bell cow every down back. Barbary is shaping up to be a smashmouth offense, so we will see how that progresses throughout the later rounds of the draft.
Round 2, Pick 3 - Bali Banteng
OSIRIS FIRESTORM-FJORD, Cornerback (S21)
@HalfEatenOnionBagel - 1107 TPE
Rev: With our second round pick of this absolutely bangin' media article, the Bali Banteng have selected Chicago's star cornerback Osiris Firestorm Fjord. Coming from the Season 21 draft class (many of whom are surprisingly already retired at this point, or just simply inactive), Firestorm Fjord is currently the 11th highest TPE player from his draft class and the highest TPE cornerback from his draft class. He's also the third highest TPE cornerback in the league. A strong secondary is incredibly important in this sim, and having Firestorm Fjord in the CB1 spot is a surefire way to strengthen my team's defensive core. I haven't ever interacted with Mr. Half Eaten Onion Bagel on the forums or discord before, but I'm sure they would be a more than welcome addition to our locker room!
Round 2, Pick 4 - Pacific Ocean Gulls
TYLER OLES JR, Cornerback (S22)
@Oles - 998 TPE
Joefish: In my opinion, this pick was a lot easier with the pressure of the first round out of the way. After the initial shock of "oh shit we're actually doing this", I start to form a plan for the coming picks in order to build up the Pacific Ocean Gulls as the best team to ever have graced the sim. This pick in particular was almost a no-brainer to me. Tyler Oles Jr. is already having great seasons at CB with the Chicago Butchers. He had a low tackle count, which is a plus to me looking at CB stats, and even though his other stats were a bit low compared to his peers, he's another one of those season 22 players that still has a few seasons left before regression, so he can also take some time to develop into another future star of the Pacific Ocean Gulls. Caw Caw Get the Ball.
Round 2, Pick 5 - Munich Machtapparat
TROEN EGGHANDS, Defensive End (S22)
@Troen - 1124 TPE
Pat: Modern football is all about the passing game. Since I went secondary with my first pick, I needed to grab someone who could take advantage of the extra time that opposing Quarterbacks would be holding the ball for. Enter Troen Egghands, one of the best Defensive Ends not only from Season 22 but I believe the entire league. With 22 sacks over the last three seasons, Egghands has not made a name for himself necessarily as a pass rusher, but as more of a versatile player who makes plays behind the line of scrimmage. There is a saying that defense wins championships, and it looks like Munich will be seeing how true it is.
Round 2, Pick 6 - Western Reds
RAPHTALIA CHAN, Running Back (S21)
@Frostbite - 1327 TPE
Simo: At was at this point where I had decided on a plan for my team. One that will become apparent as you see more picks coming but that plan is win now and win with offence. You can't lose a game if you score a touch down every time you have the ball and that is what we are going to do here at the Western Reds. So the nest off the board to complete the leagues best running back committee is Raphtalia Chan. Another great running back and being season 21 has a bit more TPE than Jamar Lackson so he will slot straight into my number one role in the team. Much like Jamar he is also a really great person to have in the locker room so we wanted that side of @Frostbite also. Having got these two locked up we probably won't have room for any more running backs but who knows. If the right person is there later on we might just make it work. A user that will also be an instant addition to the war room.
Round 2, Pick 7 - Fargo Woodchippers
LAWRENCE BASS, Linebacker (S22)
@RussDrivesTheBus - 1074 TPE
Zayn: I was very excited that Lawrence Bass fell to me with this pick. He was my top choice for LB, and was a position I wanted to have sorted out early as well. I really like the user RussDrivesTheBuss, he is someone who I have worked with before on the awards committee, and I know is an important member of the SJS WR. I know a few members of the SJS Locker Room who talk about how much they like him and how helpful he was for their team. He is also the Top LB from the S22 class, and like with Steg, S22 is a class I have targeted a bit earlier since they are currently hitting their prime, with 2 seasons til regression. Another fun thing with Russ, is that he was actually the guy who made the original redraft that we 100% saw and thought, “this looks fun” and copied. Either way RussDrivesTheBuss fills the important need of LB and also will be able to contribute to a War Room.
Round 2, Pick 8 - Tokyo Tanuki
TYLER MONTAIN, Defensive Tackle (S23)
@Amidships - 1000 TPE
Swanty: Since taking S24 LB Juan Domine early on, every pick since has been either S21 or S22. This has made my strategy pretty clear from here on out: focus on S23 and later players with a view to peaking a little later than the rest of the league, but with an uber-talented group of top users. At this point in the draft, there are some absolute studs available from these recent classes. As the S23 leader in TPE, Tyler Montain really stood out here, especially at Defensive Tackle, a position that I think I would struggle to find young talent for later on in the draft. As an example of that, S25 DT Goat Tank has already overtaken all S23/S24 DTs (except Montain, who is a cool 353 TPE ahead). So in terms of value over replacement, this was another really obvious pick for me. And as an added bonus, Amidships has amassed a wealth of experience around the league, having been a rookie mentor, a wiki worker, involved in events and now an ISFL GM. I've had nothing but great experiences with Amidships as a user and am very happy to be adding such an experienced leader to the Tokyo war room.
Round 2, Pick 9 - Seoul Searchers
SHAWN DAWKINS, Safety (S22)
@Number 82 - 1104 TPE
Katarn: After selecting their offensive cornerstone in the first round, Seoul elects to go for a defensive centerpiece with their second selection, safety Shawn Dawkins. In a league with explosive passing offenses, having someone who can play sideline to sideline is crucial. Despite an unfortunate 3-13 record for Honolulu this season, Dawkins still managed a very respectable 3 sacks, 5 interceptions, 13 passes defended, and 1 defensive touchdown. A member of the S22 class, user Number 82 is a graphical wizard off the field. Should Seoul ever need any branding, I know who I am turning to. Additionally, 82 is an excellent counter, and we all know how highly I value people who can count.
Round 2, Pick 10 - Santiago Condors
ZOE WATTS, Running Back (S24)
@Kyamprac - 820 TPE
Slate: While considering who to take with the first overall pick and doing some initial scanning through the tracker, I put Watts as the top RB on my draft board without too much thought. She is the 3rd highest TPE player at any position in the Season 24 draft class, and at present the 7th highest TPE RB from season 22 or later (S22 being my semi-arbitrary cutoff for draft classes I was willing to select with a top pick). While players like Nakamura or Lackson are far ahead of her in TPE right now, my aim was to pick younger players who are good now and will be incredible by the time they hit their TPE peak. I wasn't 100% sure I could expect Watts to fall to me at the end of the second round, but with her here it was a no-brainer to get a star young player to be the focal point of the offense. And like Mori, user Kyamprac is an incredible person to add to the Condors locker room and war room.
Round 3, Pick 1 - Santiago Condors
EUGENE SMOOTHIE, Safety (S23)
@Nhamlet - 916 TPE
Slate: With Cuco and Dawkins already off the board (and Vegeta I suppose, though he was older than I was comfortable with for such a high draft pick), I was looking here to grab a safety to pair with Booker as the foundation of my secondary. When I took a look in the tracker at S22+ players at the position, I realized that there were not a ton of fantastic options left from S22 itself. Matt Cross was a serious possibility at 1050 TPE, but after that Smoothie is only 20 TPE behind the next best (Eriksen) and a season younger. I also found that Nhamlet missed their last update of the season, so that 20 TPE gap is more likely in the single digits.
I have heard great things about Cross's user J0EB but I haven't interacted with them much directly and in general I wanted to default to the younger player in this draft when the choice was as close as it was here. The ~100 TPE gap between the two seemed like something that could be made up in the 1 season difference between them, and I also have had good experiences working alongside Nhamlet on the audit team. I add Smoothie as the 2nd piece to my defense, and hope to fill in the rest of the secondary later in the draft with younger players who can get aided by my two elite defensive backs and a fearsome front seven (to be obtained later).
Round 3, Pick 2 - Seoul Searchers
HEINRICH KACKPOO, Linebacker (S23)
@gbfn - 978 TPE
Katarn: Another pick, another defensive player, another Hahalua, this time from the front 7 instead of the secondary. Henrich Kackpoo is the second highest in TPE total in the S23 class and plays a valuable position for any team. My thinking with this pick was that linebackers are stat machines. So why not try and get one of the best ones? At the ISFL level, linebackers are more used in run support and rushing the passer than pass defense, but depending on where they play and their TPE level, they can provide some support to the secondary. Kackpoo had a great season this year, amassing 119 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 4 sacks, 1 forced fumble, and 12 passes defended. If the Searchers hope to win the Ultimus this season, they will need a stout defense to give the offense some breathing room, and Kackpoo figures to be a centerpiece of that.
Round 3, Pick 3 - Tokyo Tanuki
SAM HOWITZER, Quarterback (S24)
@Trautner - 835 TPE
Swanty: As my strategy of drafting young players was falling into place, Sam Howitzer was quickly identified as the quarterback I wanted to lead the Tokyo offense. There are certainly enough great QBs to go around the league but I wanted to lock a S24 QB in early, and Howitzer was the dream candidate. In terms of TPE, he will soon be the top QB in the league and I wouldn't be surprised if he breaks the all-time TPE record in the process. Howitzer will be approaching max effectiveness at the same time as Domine and Montain and can potentially lead the team for the next 6 to 7 seasons. There are other good options at QB from the S24 class and one of them might have been available later, but I wanted to lock in a user whose insatiable TPE-earning abilities would surely lead to advantages in the new-sim era.
Round 3, Pick 4 - Fargo Woodchippers
WILLIAM LIM, Wide Receiver (S22)
@yonggarius - 1091 TPE
Zayn: Is my Dallas Bias showing? I have now picked the other person that drafted me to the birddogs in William Lim. Lim is my first offensive player that I have drafted to my team. As a few of the top QB’s have been taken off the Board, I have decided to instead pick one of the top weapons in the draft instead. I know that another S22 WR, Sakro was still on the board, but I have decided to make this pick instead just cause I know Lim alot better, and by Picking him here, I have reunited the Steg + Lim GM duo to work for me, proven WR success and compatibility, this is a move that I am very excited about. Lim is also a Rookie Mentor and is still Dallas GM at this time so he will be essential in scouting in the future of my franchise and is an all around cool dude so i'm excited to have him on my team.
Round 3, Pick 5 - Western Reds
MICHAEL WITHEBLOCK, Wide Receiver (S22)
@sakrosankt - 1122 TPE
Simo: Continuing on our theme of a heavy offence that is going to score touch downs we need a wide receiver at the Western Reds. Michael Witheblock come on down. It get's tiring talking about how these picks are gonna be great locker rooms people but it's true. @sakrosankt is one of the leagues best blokes and someone I definitely needed to get on my team and is an absolute gun in his position. I don't have a quarter back yet but that doesn't matter. When we do they will slot in and we'll be scoring all over for fun. Sakro is someone I've had a lot of late night chats win in the Kansas City Coyotes war room and have always enjoyed talking to them. As the better GM from Sarasota they are a strong contender for my co-GM job and will instantly be in the war room itself.
Round 3, Pick 6 - Munich Machtapparat
RICHARD GILBERT, Running Back (S22)
@SwankyPants31 - 999 TPE
Pat: After my first two picks had me feeling confident in the future of my team's front seven and secondary, I decided it was time to look to the offensive side of the ball. Richard Gilbert is the perfect type of Running Back to go with my team, as he is a big bruiser who fights for every yard that I can trust with the game on the line. I didn't know what sort of team identtity I would be establishing in Munich, but it appears now that we're going to be going old school, and employ a ball control, run heavy team that wins by keeping their opponent's offense off the field. Swankypants is one of my favorite users in the league (and he's not my GM anymore so I don't have to lie about that!) and I know from my time in Tijuana that he is a fantastic locker room presence. I can't wait to feed him the rock and let him win us some ball games.
Round 3, Pick 7 - Pacific Ocean Gulls
OTIS ALLEN, Defensive Tackle (S21)
@KoltClassic - 1275 TPE
Joefish: After two strong defensive picks, one might think moving to the offensive side of the ball wouldn't be a bad thing to do. No offense, but no offense yet. I take this opportunity to continue to buff my defense by grabbing my first defensive tackle, Otis Allen, the highest TPE DT in the league. Other, younger, lesser current TPE tackles have already gone off the board, specifically Magnus Rikiya and Tyler Montain (which I'm totally not salt about btw), but I really can't complain with my pick. He's a player that will be getting after opposing quarterbacks right away and for seasons to come. I don't know much of user KoltClassic personally, but I know he's a big San Jose boi and I've heard great things about him from my friends. I'm glad to welcome such a high caliber player and user, someone who has a chance to be the defensive captain as the team as well as a member of the war room. Otis Allen is now a POGger.
Round 3, Pick 8 - Bali Banteng
MATT “SON OF HAVOC” CROSS, Safety (S22)
@J0EB- 1050 TPE
Rev: With our third round pick, the Bali Banteng select another incredible defender, season 22 safety Matt “Son of Havoc” Cross, stolen from the Philadelphia Liberty. It may be called the secondary, but defensive backs are my *ADD SUNGLASSES FOR DRAMATIC EFFECT* primary concern so far in this draft. Cross is the sixth highest TPE safety in the league. Three of the safeties above him are older and will soon regress (or in Blaylock's case, they are already in the throes of regression.) The other two safeties, Clemente and Dawkins, were taken in this draft at #7 and #19 respectively, so I feel really good about drafting J0EB where I did. I haven't had a whole lot of interactions with Joe in the past, but the ones I have had have been very positive, so I am quite certain he will be an excellent addition to Bali's locker room. Hopefully we can snag his father Havoc in some kind of a trade!
Round 3, Pick 9 - Barbary Pirates
ELDRICK AVERY, Cornerback (S22)
@RansackTheUniverse - 1048 TPE
Zeagle: Whew, I have NO idea who this guy is. I feel like I've heard of the user RansackTheUniverse but man I could not have told a single thing about the player. However, I realized that I needed a lockdown cornerback, and Eldrick Avery is just that. At nearly 1050 TPE, he is the third highest TPE cornerback from the vaunted S22 CB class. He might even be the best (screw you zamir) out of the bunch! RTU is one of the richest dudes in the league, making most of his money in the casino before starting to exploit invest in the stock market. What a great platform the stock market is. Hopefully he can use his casino knowledge to help Barbary's not quite max earners make enough money to maximize their TPE gains. A team that bets together is a team that wins together. Or goes broke together. Not sure yet, but we will see!
Round 3, Pick 10 - Krakow Knights
JAMIE NKIAH, Safety (S20)
@Drizzy - 1250 TPE
Hordle: I had talked about wanting an aggressive defensive front line before. Which I’ve started to build with Quaid and Blackstone. But no defensive front is gonna have success if the backfield is wide open. I knew that I was going to need to go for a more reliable defensive strategy in the backfield. And watching quite a few corners and safeties coming off the board early. I knew I had to make my move. Thus with the 30th pick, I have selected safety Jamie Nikah. Jamie is an all around threat which is going to help keep my defense strong. Both able to cover receivers or back up my corners. As well as being able to blitz if so called upon. Jamie was my best option for secondary help to go with my vision. Also an older pick at season 20. I feel like this team is building for success now and hoping that my later picks will develop to take the places of older players.
At the end of three rounds, the teams are as follows:
Slate – Santiago Condors
RB Zoe Watts
CB Brandon Booker
S Eugene Smoothie
Katarn – Seoul Searchers
QB Colby Jack
LB Heinrich Kackpoo
S Shawn Dawkins
Swanty – Tokyo Tanuki
QB Sam Howitzer
DT Tyler Montain
LB Juan Domine
Zayn – Fargo Woodchippers
WR William Lim
LB Lawrence Bass
CB Colt Mendoza
Simo – Western Reds
RB Raphtalia Chan
RB Jamar Lackson
WR Michael Witheblock
Pat – Munich Machtapparat
RB Richard Gilbert
DE Troen Egghands
CB Andrew Witten
Joefish – Pacific Ocean Gulls
DT Otis Allen
CB Tyler Oles Jr
S Cuco Clemente
Bali Banteng
DT Magnus Rikiya
CB Osiris Firestorm-Fjord
S Matt “Son of Havoc” Cross
Barbary Pirates
RB Tatsu Nakamura
CB Eldrick Avery
S Prince Vegeta
Hordle – Krakow Knights
DE Immanuel Blackstone
LB Douglas Quaid
S Jamie Nkiah
Let us know who's doing the best so far and whose team sux lmap. Keep your eyes peeled soon for future rounds!