*Season 1 ISFL Draft Grades

[iStegosauruz]

Introduction

I've been pretty interested in the history of the league for a while and one of the things I've never done is go back in time and look at some of the historic drafts. To build upon my knowledge I'm going to attempt to start at Season 1 and "grade" each draft in hindsight. This is an unorganized pet project of mine and will have plenty of issues. I don't know anything about Season 1 for the most part. The league was still figuring out the sim engine and the rules were different. I know Arizona was dominant for the first few seasons for plenty of reasons, but I don't know much about the players at that time. 

As I get further into more modern drafts I'll probably have more comments about players because I'll know what players teams have, what they need, what the state of the league looks like, who the users are, etc. For Season 1, however, I don't know much. Whenever the drafts begin to taper off I'll probably batch grade players - like how we cut 57 TPE and below IA players now. After a quick look at Season 1 before starting this project, however, it doesn't seem to taper off much so I'll probably just do it all. 

Notes on Methodology

This isn’t a match article so there’s no real “methodology” per se but I think its important to know I’m primarily looking at how good a player was for their career compared to other options in the draft. As the years progress and I’m capable of weighing users, I’ll try my best to factor those elements in. For the earlier years I just don’t know enough about the users themselves to make a call. In some cases, I don’t even know who the user for a particular player is.

Season 1

Round 1

1. - J.J. Reigns - Defensive Lineman
The first overall pick in ISFL history played seven total seasons in the league. The first four he played for the Otters, with the first three at his original position of defensive lineman and the last one as a wide receiver. He then became a member of the Colorado Yeti for two seasons and then the New Orleans Second Line for his final season, playing for both teams as a wide receiver.

As a defensive lineman for the Otters he put up 122 tackles (530th all time). 14 tackles for loss (238th all time), and 28 sacks (220th all time). As a wide receiver he finished his career with 186 receptions (220th all time), 1,703 yards (226th all time), and 10 receiving touchdowns (252 all time).

Although he was an ISFL Pro Bowler during his career, Reigns had an underwhelming career. The Otters only got four seasons out of him, and if they had wanted a wide receiver there several good ones in the draft - such as the next pick, Josh Garden. If they had their hearts set on a defensive lineman, the draft was loaded with later steals at the position.

Grade: C

2. - Josh Garden - Wide Receiver
Josh Garden outpaced Reigns for career longevity, playing 11 seasons for four different franchises. He played three seasons for the Wraiths, one season for the Outlaws, five seasons for the Liberty and then finished his career playing two seasons for the Otters.

He finished his career with 757 receptions (14th all time), 11,643 yards (10th all time), and 84 receiving touchdowns (9th all time). Garden went on to become a Hall of Famer, however he only played out his rookie deal with the team that drafted him which lowers his grade.

Grade: A-

3. - Phillipe Carter - Cornerback
Carter played eight seasons overall with only two coming for the team that drafted him. He had a strong career, especially for the old sim engine, putting up 523 tackles (186th all time), 148 PDs (38th all time), and 26 interceptions (29th all time). He went on to become an ISFL Pro Bowler, however similarly to the Wraiths with Josh Garden, the Yeti lose some points for the pick due to only retaining Carter for two seasons.

Grade: B

4. - Alexander Selich - Linebacker
Selich has an odd career, playing the first three seasons for the Sabercats before not logging another stat until season 6. He did play all four seasons on record for the Sabercats, puting up 358 tackles (294th all time), 10 tackles for loss (293rd all time), 12 sacks (369th all time), 20 PDs (341st all time) and 2 interceptions (361st all time) for his career. The Sabercats drafted a dominant linebacker during the years he played but get docked for only having him for three seasons.

Grade: C

5. - Damian West - Wide Receiver
As with the four picks before him, West went on to be a Pro Bowler, however he only played the first of his eight seasons with the Hawks. For his career he put up 336 receptions (143rd all time), 4,284 yards (122nd all time), and 23 touchdowns (134th all time). His career marks are a far cry when compared to Josh Garden and fall behind many of the wide receivers drafted after him.

Grade: D+

6. - Mayran Jackson - Safety
Jackson played the first two of his ten seasons with the Outlaws, however only played his first season as a safety. His lone defensive season saw him put up 55 tackles and 1 tackle for loss. After swapping to wide receiver in his second season, Jackson put up 667 receptions (37th all time), 10,307 yards (23rd all time), and 54 touchdowns (45th all time), while also being a dominant returner, putting up 5,691 kick return yards (22nd all time) over a six year stint as a kick returner. The Outlaws lose some points due to Jackson only playing two seasons with them, however they did win two Ultimus titles during those two seasons.

Grade: B

Round 2

7. - Reg Mackworthy - Running Back
Mackworthy is the first pick that jumps off the page in this draft. Not only did he go on to be a Hall of Famer, he played his entire 11 year career with the Outlaws at the position they drafted him to play. For his career he put up 12,208 yards (4th all time) and 81 touchdowns (10th all time). His career yards per carry - 3.84 (141st all time) - leaves a bit to be desired but the pure volume he got sets him apart.

Grade: A+

8.  - Gabriel Tenzini - Tight End
Similarly to the Hawks first pick, Tenzini only played his first season with the Hawks. He finished his career playing four seasons for Las Vegas and one season with New Orleans. He had a fairly underwhelming career, putting up 203 receptions (212th all time), 1,167 yards (255th all time), and 3 touchdowns (297th all time) to go with 69 pancakes (391st all time). He’s a below average pick if he played his entire career with the Hawks but looks worse in hindsight since they only got one season of production out of him,

Grade: D+

8. - Bailey Cook - Wide Receiver
The most fascinating thing about Cook to me is that he’s the only player in ISFL history with the last name Cook. Over his eleven year career he put up solid numbers, 631 receptions (44th all time), 9,800 yards (29th all time), and 61 touchdowns (31st all time), but only played his first season with the Sabercats before finishing his career as a Yeti. Although he was a top tier wide receiver - and would have been a much better pick than at least one of the wide receivers taken before him, the Sabercats got little to no value out of him.

Grade: B-

10. - D.J. Law - Wide Receiver
Law is the first pick in this draft that was never an ISFL Pro Bowler. He played six seasons with his first two in Colorado. For his career he put up 224 receptions (204th all time), 3,137 yards (164th all time), and 22 touchdowns (139th all time). He was an extremely underwhelming receiver and did not stand out during his time in Colorado.

Grade: D

11. - Lindarius Shelton - Linebacker
Shelton played his entire career with the Wraiths, however was not particularly good during his time there. He only had one season with over 100 tackles and finished with a career line of 261 tackles (376th all time), 8 tackles for loss (324th all time), 17 sacks (300th all time), 23 PDs (325th all time), and 1 interceptions (405th all time). To be frank, although he did have three solid seasons with the Wraiths his career was nothing special and not deserving of a top 15 pick.

Grade: D

12. - Adamle Tomlinson - Defensive Lineman
Tomlinson had a long career - playing 9 seasons for three different teams, including the first 4 with the team that drafted him. The downside to Tomlinson, however, is that he only had two seasons with a high level of production. Of his 53 career tackles for loss (42nd all time), 37 of them came in two seasons. He finished his career with 250 tackles (392nd all time), 53 tackles for loss (42nd all time), and 38 sacks (160th all time).

Grade: C-

Round 3

13. - Stanislaw Maddox - Cornerback
Maddox played six seasons and only his first came with the Otters. He was extremely underwhelming, putting up 302 tackles (342nd all time), 53 PDs (202nd all time) and 17 interceptions (89th all time) for his career. The Otters only got one season out of him and his career was over extremely quickly overall.

Grade: D

14. - Mark Ramrio - Defensive Lineman
Ramrio is another player who only played his first season with the team that drafted him. He played ten seasons overall and put up double digit sacks in three of them. He finished his career with 416 tackles (257th all time), 37 tackles for loss (92nd all time), and 57 career sacks (75th) all time. Had he played his entire career with the Wraiths he would have been a mediocre pick, however they get dinged a bit more for only getting one season out of him.

Grade: D+

15. - Vinny Cox - Defensive Lineman
Cox had one of the shortest careers of any top 25 pick, playing five total seasons with only his first coming for the Yeti. His career line of 257 tackles (384th all time), 20 tackles for loss (167th all time), and 50 sacks (95th all time) is weak when compared to other defensive linemen in the draft.

Grade: D-

16. - Ben Longshaw - Offensive Lineman
If you thought Vinny Cox had a short career, Ben Longshaw’s was even shorter. He was on an ISFL roster for three seasons - the first two with the Sabercats - putting up 157 pancakes for his career (255th all time). There were plenty of issues with how human offensive linemen functioned in the early seasons in the league, however that doesn’t completely negate the lost value from this pick.

Grade: F

17. - Franklin Harris - Defensive Lineman
Careers just keeping getting shorter as we go down the draft. Harris played two seasons, neither with the Hawks. In his two seasons for the Otters, Harris had 162 tackles (478th all time), 8 tackles for loss (324th all time), and 21 sacks (259th all time).

Grade: F

18. - Jayce Tuck - Defensive Lineman
An infamous player in the league’s history, Tuck played four dominant seasons for Arizona before leaving to play for the Yeti and Second Line later in his career. He finished his career with 387 tackles (273rd all time), 113 tackles for loss (3rd all time), and 106 sacks (9th all time). He was a dominant player, however he’s not in the Hall of Fame for a reason. It feels weird to give him a positive grade, however you can’t ignore the impact on the field, even if he benefited from some… advantages.

Grade: A+

Round 4

19. - Lincoln Jefferson - Wide Receiver
A five season player overall, Jefferson only played in Arizona for one season and was only a wide receiver for his first season. He put 963 yards in his first season to go with 6 receiving touchdowns, an overall good year. On the defensive side of the ball he put up 321 tackles (327th all time), 7 tackles for loss (337th all time), 10 sacks (398th all time), 18 PDs (355th all time), and 11 interceptions (153rd all time). He was the definition of below average in this draft.

Grade: D

20. - Khalifa Al Mahrouqi - Linebacker
The easiest grade to give thus far. Mahrouqi played one season, putting up 57 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 2 PDs, and 2 interceptions. Its not even worth letting you know where those stats rank all time.

Grade: F

21. - Greg Taylor - Defensive Lineman
Taylor played three seasons in the league and only one for the Sabercats. He only cracks the top 250 in one career category - tackles for loss where he has 13 (248th all time).

Grade: F

22. - Luke Tiernan - Running back
Although he only played his first two seasons in Colorado, Tiernan is a great pick at this spot when you look at the most recent few picks before him. He played running back his first season. Putting up 391 yards and 3 touchdowns on 107 carries before swapping to the defensive side of the ball. On defense he had a solid career, putting up 862 tackles (43rd all time), 26 tackles for loss (135th all time), 49 sacks (106th all time), 42 PDs (254th all time), and 7 interceptions (226th all time). A solid pick overall.

Grade: B

23. - Dirk Cutter - Cornerback
Although Cutter “played” seven seasons for the Wraiths, he realistically only saw the field for his first three. For his career he has 91 tackles, 16 PDs, and 7 interceptions - none of which crack the top 200.

Grade: D-

24. - Ethan Hunt - Quarterback
Hunt doesn’t even appear in infinite’s incredible database. That’s how bad of a pick this appears to be. Can I give a pick an F-?

Grade: F

Round 5

25. - Angus Winchester - Offensive Lineman
Ding ding ding, another Hall of Famer. Not only did Winchester’s user go on to be one of the most revered figures in league history, the player was dominant for his era with stats that still hold up to this day. He finished his career with 757 tackles (75th all time), 15 tackles for loss (225th all time), 114 sacks (3rd all time), 68 PDs (160th all time), and 2 interceptions (361st all time). For his three seasons as an offensive lineman he put up 190 pancakes while only allowing 3 sacks. An incredible pick that paid dividends for the Otters over his 12 year career.

Grade: A+

26. - John Floggity - Offensive Lineman
Another offensive lineman who saw his career as a thick boy end after three seasons, Floggity transitioned to the defensive side of the ball to finish his career. He put 154 pancakes while allowing 16 sacks while playing on the offensive line and 398 tackles (263rd all time), 85 PDs (112th all time), and 19 interceptions (70th all time) on the defensive side of the ball.

Grade: B-

27.  - Alex Hayden - Cornerback
A “Hall of Very Good” cornerback, Hayden played his first four seasons with the Yeti. Over his ten season career, he put up 664 tackles (115th all time), 138 PDs, (47th all time), and 27 interceptions (24th all time). Solid longevity combined with stats that are still holding their own makes this a solid pick.

Grade: B+

28.  - Vick Bowers Jr. - Running Back
Two seasons, 1,541 yards (102nd all time) and 3 touchdowns (154th all time) later Bowers still isn’t a good pick. Only one of those seasons came with the Sabercats. I fully expect this to start becoming a trend as the draft goes on.

Grade: F

29. - Scrub Kyubee - Quarterback
Although he only played three seasons as a quarterback, Kyubee was no scrub. As a quarterback he put up 9,280 yards (51st all time), 46 touchdowns (54th all time), 47 interceptions (46th all time), and a 58.97% completion percentage (32nd all time). He finished his career on the defensive side of the ball with 364 tackles (290th all time), 2 tackles for loss (457th all time), 18 sacks (281st all time), 23 PDs (325th all time), and 17 interceptions (89th all time). He wasn’t great at any position, however he has longevity and decent production.

Grade: B

30. - Alex Thomas - Offensive Lineman
Across four seasons as an offensive lineman, Thomas put up 126 pancakes and allowed 23 sacks. He was good but not great but offensive linemen were a facet of the league at the time and he was on multiple Ultimus winning teams.

Grade: D

Round 6

31. - Ryan Flock - Safety
Flock played ten seasons in the league and is still top 20 all time in interceptions with 30 (20th) and top 10 all time in defensive touchdowns with 7 (8th), but doesn’t appear in the top 100 for any other stat. I’ve been tossing out Fs to players who basically never touched the field at this point in the draft and Flock definitely touched the field which means he checks at least one important box.

Grade: B+

32. - Matthew Peterson - Cornerback
Two seasons with 19 PDs and 8 interceptions. Only one season with the Hawks. You know where this is going.

Grade: F

33. - Timote Shoate - Cornerback
Look at the pick before this. Its a bad pick right? Now look at this one - 261 tackles, 59 PDs, and 9 interceptions across six seasons. Its still not a great season, and he only played one for the team that drafted him, but Shoate checks the boxes of seeing the field for at least more than a handful of seasons.

Grade: C-

34. :yeti - Bender Rodriguez - Offensive Lineman
There have been as many Bender Rodriguez’ as seasons this one player in the league. 125 pancakes and 27 sacks allowed in three seasons.

Grade: D

35. - Mat Akselen - Offensive Lineman
After three seasons as an offensive linemen that saw Akselen accrue 178 pancakes while only allowing 11 sacks he swapped to quarterback. As a QB, Akselen put up 27,567 yards (22nd all time), 162 touchdowns (25th all time), 103 interceptions (11th all time), and a 59.5% completion percentage (30th all time). He was one of the rare offensive linemen to swap after three seasons and have an incredibly productive career afterward.

Grade: A+

36. - Arby Krimlaw - Linebacker
Krimlaw played six seasons overall but only one for the Otters. For his career he has no major stats that break the top 150. Its hard to identify his most impressive statistical accomplishment since most of them are just… meh.

Grade: C+

Round 7

37. - Ian Bavitz - Linebacker
12 picks after Angus Winchester we land on the next Hall of Famer. Bavitz played all eight of his seasons with the Otters putting up 732 tackles (91st all time), 15 tackles for loss (225th all time), 70 sacks (51st all time), 51 PDs (211th all time), and 21 interceptions (59th all time). At this point in the draft, picking a Hall of Famer basically guarantees you an A+.

Grade: A+

38. - Jason Spearhead - Defensive Lineman
Spearhead played three seasons, all for the Wraiths. He doesn’t crack the top 100 in any statistical category. His most impressive accomplishment are his 31 tackles for loss (115th all time) - 20 of which came in his rookie season. He’s a solid pick but it would have been better had he played longer.

Grade: D+

39. - Fuego Wozy - Defensive Lineman
Two picks after the last Hall of Famer we land on another one. The middle of the draft starts to become rich in players with decent value. Wozy being a Hall of Famer is one of the reason why Spearhead’s grade gets knocked down a few pegs - the Wraiths could have had a Hall of Famer if they had chosen the correct of the two defensive linemen. Wozy put up 374 tackles (284th all time), 98 tackles for loss (4th all time), and 71 sacks (46th all time) in his nine year career.

Grade: A+

40. - Daniel Robicheaux - Offensive Lineman
Robicheaux only played two seasons. I feel bad continually dinging offensive linemen because the league did change pretty drastically after the first few seasons in how it handled offensive linemen - slm has done a really good podcast talking about it - but that doesn’t excuse a pick only making it two seasons, especially when we have seen a handful of former offensive linemen change positions to be successful. 93 pancakes and 16 sacks allowed in two seasons is nothing to write home about.

Grade: D-

41. - Cooper Christmas - Wide Receiver
A 12 year career? This late in the draft? Wow. Even if he only had eight seasons with “real” stats, Christmas checks a longevity box that most picks around him in the draft - excluding the handful of Hall of Famers - can match. For his career he put up 324 receptions (150th all time), 3,924 yards (132nd all time), and 17 touchdowns (168th all time). His stats aren’t outstanding but he filled a role for the Hawks and Outlaws for a generation.

Grade: B+

42. - Jaylon Lee - Linebacker
Our third Hall of Famer in a handful of picks, Lee played ten seasons in the league, however only played his first three in Arizona. I’m not sure that matters much when determining the quality of this pick, however, because Arizona did win titles like it was going out style the first few seasons in the league. Lee retired with 1,042 tackles (14th all time), 30 tackles for loss (119th all time), 86 sacks (24th all time), 91 PDs (103rd all time) and 8 interceptions (210th all time).

Grade: A+

Round 8

43. - Vincent Draxel - Quarterback
Draxel played two seasons, however only put up stats in one of them. In his season as the starting quarterback for Arizona, Drexel put up 2,858 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. The Outlaws won the title in Season 1 which makes this a decent pick I guess. It does feel bad they only got one season out of a quarterback, however.

Grade: B-

44. - Jordan Weal - Offensive Lineman
Weal follows in the same vein as the offensive linemen before him in the draft - he only played two seasons. He put up 75 pancakes and allowed 10 sacks in his career. He did not pivot to another position after his career as a thick boy came to a close.

Grade: D-

45. - Josh Cameron - Defensive Lineman
Cameron only played two seasons in the league and has eight sacks for his career. Meh.

Grade: F

46. - Kendrick Hendrix - Wide Receiver
We’ve reached the point in the draft where I’m beginning to partially judge picks not based on what other players of their same position were successful around them but rather whether or not the team could have gotten ANY value from a player in that range. I knocked Cameron for that because Hendrix had a great career all things being considered. He played for seven seasons putting up 4,744 yards (110th all time) on 346 receptions (139th all time) with 26 touchdowns (119th all time). Is it great? No. Is it basically the same stat line as Damian West who went over 40 picks before him? Yes.

Grade: B+

47. - Sinjin Flimjollywop - Linebacker
Flimjollywop has one of the best names in league history and also had a mediocre career which is more than you can say about a lot of players picked before him. He only put up 326 tackles in his career but played 5 seasons and was a solid piece for the Wraiths and Legion across his career.

Grade: C+

48. - Mike Boss - Quarterback
Another Hall of Famer and arguably one of the GOATs in the league. Boss played his entire 11 season career with Orange County and is still the top in basically every passing category. He has 42,278 yards (1st all time), 292 passing touchdowns (1st all time), and a 60.215% completion percentage (25th all time). When you consider the Outlaws got one season out of their first quarterback and the Otters got arguably the best quarterback of all time even lower in the draft? Absolute steal.

Grade: A++

Round 9

49. - Omar Wright - Running back
Wright’s another player who had a long career for where he was drafted. After eight seasons he had 3,871 yards (5th all time) on 1,019 attempts (49th all time) with 28 touchdowns (62nd all time). He wasn’t flashy but he got the job done for the first seasons of his career before becoming a long-term backup.

Grade: B-

50. - Ricky Maddox - Tight End
Maddox is a fun player to evaluate at this point in the draft. He only played two seasons as a tight end, putting up 146 receptions and 1,025 yards with 2 touchdowns. After his first two seasons he swapped to the defensive side of the ball where he had a solid career, finishing with 284 tackles (356th all time), 56 tackles for loss (34th all time), 49 and sacks (101st all time). The tackles for loss stand out, as does his longevity.

Grade: A-

51. - Mike McNoodle - Safety
McNoodle was… alright. In four seasons with the Yeti he put 123 tackles and filled a role, but he never had a season that made you say “wow” or stands out as more than a role player. His best season saw him put up 53 tackles, 3 PDs, and 2 interceptions. He reminds me a lot of Shoate from earlier in the draft with the major difference being that he was taken substantially later.

Grade: C+

52. - Sensabaughdy Leafer - Defensive Lineman
Leafer made it one season for the Sabercats. 23 tackles, 9 tackles for loss, and 4 sacks are what the Sabercats got out of the 52nd overall pick.

Grade: F

53. - Sunday Showcase - Safety
Did you think Leafer was a bad pick? Try getting 20 tackles and 3 PDs in one season. Thats what the Hawks got from Showcase.

Grade: F

54. - None Stormblessed - Wide Receiver
Do the Hawks need to feel any worse for the Damian West pick? Stormblessed put up 6,227 yards (86th all time) on 435 receptions (106th all time) with 42 touchdowns (71st all time) after being taken approximately 50 picks later than West. Thats what I meant earlier when I said you could get a strong player with comparable production much later in the draft. Stormblessed has a badass name but only played one season with the Outlaws which dings him a little. Having a ten season career overall, however, probably balances it out in my mind.

Grade: A-

Round 10

55. - Samuel Watson - Safety
One season, 4 tackles, and 1 PD. Do I need to type more? I need the money but not that badly.

Grade: F

56. - Kurt Hendrix - Linebacker
The better Hendrix in this draft, Kurt ended up being a Hall of Famer after playing his entire eleven season career with the Hawks. His stats stand the test of time, no matter what sim changes are made he’s still top 25 in both tackles for loss and sacks. His full line of 591 tackles (154th all time), 72 tackles for loss (16th all time), and 99 sacks (13th all time) earn him a top mark on this list.

Grade: A+

57. - John Canton - Cornerback
Canton had a solid career with the Sabercats and is going to get bonus points added to his grade for playing his entire career with San Jose. After putting up 620 tackles (139th all time), 168 PDs (24th all time), and 33 interceptions (11th all time), I’m a tad shocked Canton isn’t in the Hall of Fame.

Grade: A

58. - Jonathan Saint - Linebacker
Saint had a strong career that landed him in the Hall of Fame, however I fail to see how he was substantially different than Canton. Saint played his entire career with the Yeti and put up 963 tackles (25th all time), 48 tackles for loss (54th all time), 80 sacks (31st all time), 79 PDs (126th all time), and 11 interceptions (153rd all time). He’s a deserving Hall of Famer and a great pick this late in the draft.

Grade: A+

59. - Chris Orosz - Quarterback
Orosz had a solid career for his era, putting up 26,820 yards (26th all time), 147 touchdowns (32nd all time),, and a 58.3% completion percentage (37th all time). His numbers aren’t the most incredible but he was an answer for the Wraiths and Sabercats at quarterback for seven seasons after being taken almost halfway through the draft.

Grade: A-

60. - Leroy Jenkins - Running back
Jenkins is one of those players that makes me want to go… meh. 2,311 yards on 644 attempts and 17 touchdowns in four seasons for the Otters is good but not great. He’s got value and was taken late in the draft but you’ve gotta wish he would’ve made it a few more seasons.

Grade: B-

Round 11

61. - Marcus Boyd - Offensive Lineman
A three season offensive lineman who didn’t position change afterwards, I think we all know where this is going. 99 pancakes and only 9 sacks allowed is better than some of the two and three season offensive linemen taken previously in the draft.

Grade: D+

62. - Alexandre LeClair - Quarterback
Another Hall of Famer, LeClair is another player that makes the Hawks look foolish for their first round pick. He never threw a pass after swapping to wide receiver and put up 11,718 yards (9th all time) on 716 receptions (23rd all time) with 89 receiving touchdowns (7th all time). You can make the assessment he feel some due to being a quarterback and you can ding the Wraiths for only getting one season out of him before he went on his journey through the league but no matter how you slice it at the end of the day he’s still a Hall of Famer.

Grade: A+

63. - Bill Weller - Tight End
This isn’t a typo, Weller had 8 yards on one catch in his career.

Grade: F

64. - AC Hackett - Linebacker
Hackett had a ten year career five different teams, accruing 855 tackles (47th all time), 34 tackles for loss (104th all time), 64 sacks (64th all time), 70 PDs (156th all time), and 9 interceptions (185th all time). He’s not a Hall of Famer and didn’t perform like one. He only played one year for San Jose. It doesn’t matter though - halfway through the draft another gem was uncovered.

Grade: A-

65. - Antoine Delacour - Cornerback
It boggles my mind that there are still Hall of Famers this late in the draft. I doubt we’ll see something like this again in any of these drafts I intend to survey. Delacour played his entire career for Baltimore putting up 729 tackles (93rd all time), 176 PDs (16th all time), and 35 interceptions (7th all time). As a former cornerback I’m floored by how much his stats have held up against the modern sim engine. Getting 30 PDs in his 9th season is incredible.

Grade: A+

66. - Arbin Asipi - Defensive Lineman
Five years with the Outlaws and two additional players (a junior and a third) who bear his name, Asipi wasn’t incredible and doesn’t crack the top 200 in any statistical category but managed to be impactful for a team that won titles consistently in the early years.

Grade: B

Round 12

67. - Saggitariutt Jefferspin - Offensive Lineman
An offensive linemen who didn’t change positions after the first three years. 131 pancakes and 16 sacks allowed across his career.

Grade: D

68. - Devin Speed - Safety
Another player I’m floored doesn’t have someone who shares his last name, Speed played three seasons in the league and put up almost as many interceptions - 11 - as he did PDs - 15. His stats are mediocre but that fact is fascinating to me.

Grade: C-

69. - Shane Weston - Wide Receiver
A HUGE diamond in the rough, Weston played eleven seasons with the Sabercats and put up 10,823 yards (16th all time) on 668 receptions (36 all time) with 50 touchdowns (59th all time). He’s one of those “Hall of Very Good” players. He’s not quite good enough to be the in Hall but his 10,000+ yards really do jump off the page. As does the fact teams kept taking wide receivers earlier who were much worse than he was.

Grade: A

70. - Bojo Kicksit - Kicker
The first kicker I’ve gotten to look at, I’m not sure how to judge it against other players in the draft. He played five seasons overall including four for Colorado and was a Pro Bowler. That’s good enough for me,e ven if his stats don’t jump off the page - 89.516% extra point percentage (72nd all time) and 85.217% field goal percentage (42nd all time).

Grade: C+

71. - Alex Hansen - Cornerback
Another pick that wasn’t flashy but was solid. In three seasons for the Wraiths and seven for the Sabercats Hansen put up 756 tackles (76th all time), 47 PDs (229th all time), and 19 interceptions (70th all time). He wasn’t great but at this point in the draft you’re happy he had a long career.

Grade: B

72. - Bradley Westfield - Wide Receiver
We’re still finding Hall of Famers this late in the draft. Not only is the user incredible (and should’ve been elected into the General Manager Hall of Fame the other day which is neither here nor there) the player spent eleven years in Orange County and putting up 13,457 yards (5th all time) on 776 receptions (11th all time) and 109 touchdowns (2nd all time). With quarterbacks throwing for more yards in a year than almost every before in the modern era, somehow Westfield still looks as dominant as he ever was.

Grade: A++

Round 13

73. - Robert Phelps - Wide Receiver
Somehow the Otters got great wide receivers with back to back picks in the 70s of the inaugural draft. Phelps played eleven years with the Otters and put up 10,061 yards (27th all time) with 669 receptions (35th all time) and 58 touchdowns (35th all time). Its mind boggling to me that he was able to put up these numbers with Westfield having a Hall of Fame career split out wide on the other side but I guess with Mike Boss throwing it to you anything is possible.

Grade: A

74. - Adam Bennett - Wide Receiver
Three seasons, one catch, 21 yards. Ok then.

Grade: F

75. - Kieran O’Connell - Running back
A solid player who appears to have spent his career as a backup RB. He played seven seasons in the league - two wide Colorado and five with Philadelphia. The fascinating part of O’Connell is that it looks like he sat out Season 7 only to come back and carry the ball 17 times for Philly in Season 8. He retired with 1,598 yards on 478 carries. Like I said, nothing impressive but a backup RB is a backup RB.

Grade: C-

76. - Clee Hardrool - Safety
We’re entering another string of solid picks. Hardrool only played three years with the Sabercats before finishing his career with six seasons on the Wraiths, but he put up 31 interceptions over the course of his career which is good for 16th all time still. None of his other stats jump of the page but he was a solid player for a generation.

Grade: B

77. - Turk Turkleton - Kicker
Yet another Hall of Famer and finally another kicker to compare players too. Turkleton played twelve seasons with the hawks and put up a 94.1% extra point percentage (58th all time) and 88.679% field goal percentage (25th all time) over his career. That definitely is better than the previous kicker taken in the draft and its always great to get a twelve year player this late in a draft.

Grade: A

78. - Jack Durden - Running back
Five seasons, three teams, and 2,512 yards with 14 touchdowns for his career. Durden looks to be a better version of O’Donnell from a few picks before.

Grade: C

Round 14

79. - Harrif Ernston - Linebacker
Ernston spent his ten season career with the Outlaws with a career stat line of 790 tackles (790th all time), 45 tackles for loss (60th all time), and 108 sacks (7th all time). Sacks are one of those stats that have ebbed and flowed in terms of propensity as the league has aged but any time you get someone who still finishes  in the top 10 for sacks after 30 seasons with the 79th pick you’re extremely excited. Its one of the major reasons why Ernston is a Hall of Famer.

Grade: A+

80. - Bisquiteen Crocker - Defensive Lineman
Three seasons with 98 tackles but 40 of them for loss? Thats not bad but you wish he had played longer and had stayed on a team longer than one season apiece.

Grade: C+

81. - Break Bottles - Tight End
This player doesn’t appear in the database. Womp womp.

Grade: F

82. - Jimmy Darkapple - Kicker
Darkapple spent one season as the punter for the Yeti. I’m unsure how to compare him to other players in the draft due to him being the first punter off the board. A punting average of 45 yards is 45th all time which isn’t bad. You do have to think there’s a reason he only got one season, however.

Grade: D+

83. - Reginald Hampshireton - Linebacker
Four seasons split between the Wraiths and the Yeti isn’t a bad outcome this late in the draft. Were his stat outstanding? No. 183 tackles, 8 tackles for loss, and 12 sacks in four years is nothing to get hyped about but he filled a role.

Grade: C-

84. - Brandon Walsh - Kicker
After his first season with the Otters he sat out Season 2 and played for the Legion in Season 3. That tells me a lot about Walsh’s career. He was 97% for extra points in his career but only hit 78.571% of his fields goals (41st all time).

Grade: C-

Round 15

85. - Romeo Devitt - Quarterback
Devitt never played quarterback, swapping to defense for his two seasons with the Otters. 66 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, and 13 sacks in two years isn’t outstanding but at least the Otters got something out of a pick this late in the draft.

Grade: D

86. - D’Brickashaw Ferguson - Offensive Lineman
Another player not in the database. This is why players like Devitt are getting D grades - at least they’re doing something.

Grade: F

87. - Vikain Marmeladov - Safety
Its starting to get more common to find players who never stepped onto a field, yet the Yeti managed to find a player who would play ten seasons in the ISFL at pick 87. He only played one season for the Yeti which is a travesty but you can’t fault the talent identification to find an active this late in the draft. With 670 tackles (112th all time), 49 PDs (221st all time), and 32 interceptions (13th all time), he was a super solid player for the Yeti, Liberty and Hawks through the course of his career.

Grade: B+

88. - Dan Miller - Defensive Lineman
Spoiler alert: This isn’t the last Hall of Famer in the draft. I’m not kidding, teams were still finding Hall of Famers at pick 88. Thats a testament to how deep and strange the Season 1 draft was. In 9 seasons split between the Sabercats and Yeti Miller put up 448 tackles (237th all time), 17 tackles for loss (207th all time), and 132 sacks (1st all time). Yes, the all time sack leader was taken in the Season 1 draft and in the 15th round at that. If we still  had trivia as a point task that would be an incredible question.

Grade: A++

89. - Levon Novel - Running back
Novel “played” five seasons but only really played one, putting up 549 yards on 157 carries with the Hawks in Season 1. They got some value but you wish he had played longer.

Grade: D+

90. - Adrienne Nugent - Kicker
Another kicker. Nugent’s stats make the kickers taken before look even better. 94.737% on extra points (53rd all time) and 75.758% on field goals (66th all time) isn’t what teams are looking for. They filled a role, however, which is more than some players at this point in most drafts.

Grade: D+

Round 16

91. - Dental Dam - Defensive Lineman
Another player with a solid ten year career taken in the back half of the draft, Dental Dam split his time with the Outlaws, Hawks, Yeti and Liberty. He finished his career with 296 tackles (350th all time), 56 tackles for loss (34th all time), and 44 sacks (123rd all time). The stats aren’t incredible but 56 tackles for loss is nothing to scoff at. Arizona continues to have incredible talent identification in this draft. I wonder why… Hmmmmm?

Grade: B+

92. - Stephen Harris - Kicker
Harris is an impressive kicker who was taken at an even more impressive draft slot. With a 95.506% extra point percentage (48th all time) and a 92.118% field goal percentage (10th all time) in an eight year career he turned out ot be a solid pick at almost the hundredth overall pick.

Grade: A-

93. - Kentilian Laces - Kicker
Two seasons and a sub 80% field goal percentage. I’m sure the Sabercats wish Harris had fallen one more pick.

Grade: D

94. - Everest Teagarden - Defensive Lineman
Two seasons, 69 tackles (nice), and 8 sacks. He did something I guess.

Grade: D

95. - Rolf Larsendorf - Tight End
Four seasons, 227 yards on 55 receptions and no touchdowns. He filled a roster spot and managed to pancake 52 people while only allowing 5 sacks. I guess thats something and we’re at slim pickings at this point in the draft. The Wraiths probably wish he hadn’t hopped to the Legion after his first season, however.

Grade: D+

96. - Josh Bercovici - Quarterback
A backup quarterback for Orange County in Season 1, Bercovici went on to have two solid years with the Legion in Season 2 and Season 3 before hanging them up with 6,258 yards, 34 touchdowns, and 47 interceptions. Thats more than the Outlaws got out of their one year quarterback taken much earlier.

Grade: B

Round 17

97. - King Arthur - Cornerback
One season, 25 tackles, and no other stats. Yep.

Grade: F

98. - Jack Stats - Running back
Two seasons, one with real stats, and 208 yards with two touchdowns. A backup running back at its finest. At least the Wraiths got something this late in the draft.

Grade: D-

99. - Boss Tweed - Running back
The last Hall of Famer in this draft class, its almost poetic he was taken the pick before the 100th overall pick. Tweed spent his first six seasons as the running back in Colorado, putting up 6,151 yards (30th all time) on 1,732 attempts (23rd all time) with 23 touchdowns (72nd all time). His 3.55 yards per carry (165th all time) aren’t the greatest but he put upt five straight 1,000 yard seasons which is a feat. In his seventh season he swapped to the defensive side of the ball for Yellowknife and put up 394 tackles (381st all time), 59 sacks (72nd all time), and 46 PDs (232nd all time) for the Wraiths. Longevity and a success at two positions make him a Hall of Famer.

Grade: A+

100. - Demetrius Wiley - Running back
A backup running back, Wiley put up 458 yards on 112 carries with 3 touchdowns in his one season. I hope he’s doing well.

Grade: D

101. - Stephen Harrison - Linebacker
The 101st pick played 10 seasons. That’s incredible. Harrison spent his first seven seasons with the Hawks and last three with the Sabercats putting up 810 tackles (59th all time), 50 tackles for loss (49th all time), 44 sacks (123rd all time), 93 PDs (99th all time), and 10 interceptions (167th all time) in his career. He’s a fringe Hall of Very Good player if I’ve ever seen one.

Grade: A-

102. - Luke Pierce - Defensive Lineman
In four seasons he put up 28 tackles and 4 sacks. Yep.

Grade: D-

Round 18

103. - Isaiah Rashad - Safety
In two seasons he put up 119 tackles, 41 PDs, and 16 interceptions. Those aren’t bad stats at this point in the draft. We were complimenting teams for finding those performances thirty picks earlier so its even more impressive the Outlaws got that here.

Grade: B

104. - Gilfred Harrison - Defensive Lineman
One season, 26 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, and 4 sacks. Its something I guess.

Grade: D-

105. - RFFO Mademe - Wide Receiver
One season, 16 receptions, 125 yards, and 1 touchdown. Thats more than I have in any professional sports league.

Grade: D-

106. - Mark Hargrove - Tight End
One season, 26 receptions, 132 yards, and no touchdowns. I don’t know if thats better or worse than the previous pick’s one season. Depends on how much you care about the touchdown.

Grade: D-

107. - Henri Rivere - Cornerback
One season, 36 tackles, 3 PDs, and 1 interception. This is going to be par for the course going forward.

Grade: D-

108. - George Wright Jr. - Tight End
In three seasons for the Otters, Wright Jr. put up 1,502 yards on 225 receptions with 7 touchdowns. Thats some value for the 108th pick and blows Hargrove’s career - taken two picks previously at the same position - out of the water.

Grade: C

Round 19

109. - Cliff Hamilton - Quarterback
Hamilton never played quarterback, choosing instead to gain a significant amount of weight and spend three seasons on the offensive line. He put up 134 pancakes with 14 sacks allowed in his traditional three seasons on the line. Considering teams were getting that from players taken sixty picks previously, this feels like a coup.

Grade: C-

110. - Wizard Stephen - Wide Receiver
Remember that question I asked earlier about which wide receiver or tight end career you’d prefer? Stephen’s career basically combines them both with 24 receptions, 216 yards, and 1 touchdown in his two season career. A backups a backup.

Grade: D+

111. - William Nasher - Defensive Lineman
Two seasons, one “real” season, with 31 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, and six sacks. I assume he’s inactive with only one true season but man that first season really isn’t bad.

Grade: C-

112. - Bert Metas - Defensive Lineman
Another diamond in the rough, Metas played seven seasons in the league and put up 231 tackles, 20 tackles for loss, and 49 sacks. He was never incredible but he had double digit sacks three times after being the 112th overall pick. Props to the Sabercats on the talent identification.

Grade: B+

113. - Wren Piper - Tight End
Four seasons where he never broke 100 yards in a season and only 15 career pancakes? Man must hate short stacks.

Grade: D

114. - Joseph Tkachuk - Tight End
The last name is cool and he put up 365 yards in his second season before fading out of the league, Tkachuk is like Piper but better. 38 pancakes and no sacks allowed is double the short stacks. I’ll add a + size to the grade for supporting the maple syrup industry.

Grade: D+

Round 20

115. - Jason Williams - Cornerback
Another player who had a surprisingly good two years as a backup or inactive player, Williams had 10 PDs and 5 interceptions in his first season and 12 PDs with no interceptions in his second season. Those aren’t bad numbers for someone the Outlaws probably weren’t expecting much out of.

Grade: C-

116. - Ezekiel Bishop - Cornerback
Bishop never saw the field.

Grade: F

117. - Tim Tebow - Quarterback
Like Tim Tebow in real life, he never panned out in the league as a quarterback but tried to play on the offensive line. He was more successful than real life Tebow at changing positions, putting up 116 pancakes and allowing 25 sacks in his three seasons.

Grade: C-

118. - Granit Lewis - Wide Receiver
You can search his name in infinite’s stat database but nothing comes up. Weird.

Grade: F

119. - Logan Ryder - Quarterback
His 29 career pass yards are more than I could ever get in the NFL.

Grade: F

120. - Lightskin Thor - Defensive Lineman
The Otters secured another rotational piece for a few seasons at the 120th overall pick. With 59 career tackles, 9 tackles for loss, and 7 sacks in two seasons, Thor may not have made a huge impact but still managed to see the field and make a handful of plays.

Grade: C-

Round 21

121. - Dominic Verns - Safety
A ten season player in the league, Verns is one of the last gems in this draft class. With 29 interceptions (21st all time), he made his mark on his teams. His 752 tackles (78th all time), 41 sacks (140th all time), and 85 PDs (112th all time) are nothing to sneeze at either. Props to the Otters for this pick, they got his best five seasons as well - getting three of his four seasons with double digit PDs.

Grade: A-

122. - Archibald Booter - Kicker
In three seasons for Yellowknife, Booter had a 90% extra point percentage and 83.529% field goal percentage. Neither marks are great but they’re better than a handful of kickers taken before him which makes him a valuable pick this late in the draft.

Grade: C-

123. - Jonathan Shaloiko - Wide Receiver
In his rookie year, Shaloiko shined with 442 yards on 37 receptions with 2 touchdowns. In his second season, he only caught five passes. In his third season he was out of the league.

Grade: D

124. - Zed Richter - Safety
The Sabercats got 21 tackles from him in his rookie year and 26 from him in career. Again, thats more tackles than I could ever hope to get in any sports league.

Grade: D-

125. - Allister Amir - Defensive Lineman
10 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 2 sacks. Its something.

Grade: D-

126. - Michael Newman - Running back
In four seasons, Newman broke 100 rushing yards twice. He put up 869 yards on 268 carries with 6 touchdowns for his career. That’s not bad for a backup running back taken significantly lower than other teams took their own.

Grade: C-

Round 22

127. - Fernando Bessel - Running back
He caught 3 passes and ran the ball six times in his career. He had 7 pancakes. Yeah…

Grade: F

128. - Matt Smith - Safety
22 tackles and 1 PD. Its better than Bessel I guess.

Grade: D-

129. - Eric Hansen - Cornerback
16 tackles, 4 PDs. Man, I think I messed up being like “hey at least its something” and starting giving these guys D-. Grade inflation at its finest.

Grade: D-

130. - Rickey Mills - Linebacker
57 tackles from the 130th pick. That something. He may have only made it one year and may have only put up 1 tackle for loss, 1 PD, and 1 interception to go along with those tackles but that actually IS something.

Grade: D

131. - Pablo Sanchez - Safety
If you thought Mills getting 57 tackles was impressive, Sanchez got 62 tackles in his rookie year to go along with 1 sack and 1 PD. Stop the presses.

Grade: D

132. - Glennie Retro - linebacker
Retro is why I gave Mills and Sanchez both a D. In his one season, he had 4 tackles.If 57 and 62 tackles are “something” this is “nothing.”

Grade: F

Round 23

133. - Josh Davidson - Tight End
5 rushes, 28 receptions, 197 receiving yards, 2 touchdowns, 18 pancakes, 1 sack allowed. I’m just regurgitating stats in a way but like this isn’t a bad year or so. In his first season with Colorado, William Lim put up 21 receptions, 310 yards, and 1 touchdown which goes to show you never know what will happen in a player’s career. In Davidson’s career, however, we do.

Grade: D

134. - Trent Bender - Quarterback
47 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, and 13 sacks in his rookie year. Thats a promising start but unfortunately Bender never rose to those heights again. Its better than Retro though which goes to show its still “something.”

Grade: D

135. - Atahualpa Romero - Running back
He’s not in the database. You know what that means.

Grade: F

136. - Emerald Wednesday - Tight End
Another not in the database.

Grade: F

137. - Wes Washington - Wide Receiver
The Hawks and Yeti both swung and missed with the 135th and 136th picks. With the last pick in the draft, however, the Outlaws got something. 15 catches, 135 yards, and 1 touchdown that is. Its not great but it goes to show I was right giving guys like this D-. Speaking of which…

Grade: D-

Conclusion:

And that’s that. That was an absolute grind. Luckily for me the size of the drafts begin to progressively drop. Season 2 had 93 players, Season 3 had 66 players, Season 4 had 16 players. It’ll get much easier until like Season 22.

I learned a lot by doing this. Its wild to see how many Hall of Famers were found so late in the draft. I’ve gotta assume Boss Tweed is the latest a Hall of Famer has ever been taken in a draft. There were plenty of good players taken later than the 99th pick in the Season 22 draft - Zee Rechs (107th), Jim Waters (109th), Jacob Small (110th) Clark Boyd (122nd), and Tyron Shields (126th) all stand out as former Pro Bowlers who have a potential shot at the Hall of Fame from that class.

Thanks for tuning in though. These will definitely become more organized as I advance closer to the modern era where I know a bit more already about the classes, state of the league, users, sim, etc.

[zaynzk]

Oh snap this is gunna be fun too see

[Baron1898]

I always love reading your articles, and this is no exception. I’m looking forward to the future installments!

[Troen]

55. - Samuel Watson - Safety
One season, 4 tackles, and 1 PD. Do I need to type more? I need the money but not that badly.

I'm nominating this comment right here for the hall of fame.

[124715]

you absolute madman, you actually graded the S1 draft. awesome article, very hyped you're planning sequels. also Ethan Hunt very much does exist, iirc he lost a QB competition to Mike Boss and got traded to SJS where he started for a season and a half or so

also no break bottles in the database? crazy infi would just leave out the greatest TE of all time like that

[Raven]

A lot of nostalgia in these names. What a wild draft that was and it really shows on the Hawks end, ouch that early draft was ugly for us. Absolutely impressive you did the entire draft class. For some reason I always remember PigSnout going later than 99th in the draft, still a great achievement though.

[Modern_Duke]

Hell yeah

[Crodyman]

i'll hold my breath till we get to S25

[Air Crou]

Really game Er an A+? Bruh!

[iStegosauruz]

you absolute madman, you actually graded the S1 draft. awesome article, very hyped you're planning sequels. also Ethan Hunt very much does exist, iirc he lost a QB competition to Mike Boss and got traded to SJS where he started for a season and a half or so

also no break bottles in the database? crazy infi would just leave out the greatest TE of all time like that

Weird they didn’t show up - I was surprised honestly. In S1 I felt like everyone probably would have SOME record. Might be my search terms or something. 

This thing took like 5 hours and by pick 30 I was running on fumes. Glad you enjoyed it.