10-06-2019, 02:03 AM
(This post was last modified: 10-07-2019, 08:17 AM by goodvsevil1275.)
3040 Words
Welcome back, one more time! It’s Rampage here, ready to give my thoughts on the first few rounds of draft picks selected by the NSFL teams. I’ll give my thoughts on any major trades that happen as well, and just say what I think about the draft as a whole. There won’t really be any statistical analysis during this article, I just wanted to have some fun and say my thoughts on the most recent NSFL rookie class. So with that all out of the way, let’s have some fun and discuss the draft!
Pick #1: Bjorn Ironside
Shocking literally nobody, NOLA goes with one of the most prolific rookies the NSFL has seen in a very long time. While Defensive Tackles historically don’t tend to have the best stats in the sim, Ironside is extremely active and can be the anchor of the New Orleans defensive line for an extremely long time. Controlling more money than entire teams, he can very easily fight off regression for years when that time comes several seasons down the line. This was easily one of the most predictable 1st overall picks in the history of the NSFL, and it's not hard to see why.
Pick #2: Zach Hall
Another pick that didn’t surprise many people. Hall has been a top earner in the class and shot up several team’s draft boards after his position switch from Tight End to Defensive End. He’s been very active, he’s a great locker room guy and this was a pick for a team that had a major need on the D-Line. Very good pick overall.
Pick #3: Tyrone Biggums
This was a pick that kind of surprised me. I had Biggums going in the 1st round, almost everyone did. But it made me very happy to see a good teammate go in the top 3. He is active, he is one of the top TPE earners in the class and he’s an amazing locker room presence. Orange County got themselves an excellent player with this pick.
Pick #4: Louisiana Purchase
Purchase was easily the top cornerback in this draft class, and it’s really not hard to see why. Another top TPE earner, a guy who writes a lot of media on the forums, he’s active in both the San Antonio locker room and the rookie discord, he really has it all. Purchase is going to be an absolute superstar in this league for many seasons to come.
Pick #5: Marcella Toriki
A great pick for a team that had a significant need at running back. San Jose only really has Ludicolo Bigby as a reliable option for the future, and Toriki looks to be in it for the long haul. Once again, she’s one of the top earners of the class, is a member of the HO and has been active in the rookie discord. A very strong pick for the Sabercats, she should be a superstar in just a few short seasons.
Pick #6: Thudd Kassel
Another strong draft pick, though I do have to wonder if New Orleans needed another linebacker. Perhaps he switches positions, I dunno. Anyways, Thudd is a great player. Top TPE earner, writes a decent amount of media and very active. Not a shocking pick, though I do have to wonder if they should have picked someone else.
Pick #7: Maurice Virtanen
I know it’s weird to call the 7th overall pick a steal, but I firmly believe Virtanen is a steal. He’s the absolute top earner of TPE in the entire class, even above Bjorn, he writes lots of media, he is very active in the discords, overall he is easily top 3 talent that went in the back half of the 1st, and Yellowknife didn’t have to lift a finger to get him. Overall, possibly the best value pick in the draft.
Pick #8: Pete Parker
Sure, Parker might not have the same abilities as Spider Man, but he is still a very good safety. Once again, another top TPE earner of the class, a decent amount of cash in his pocket and he went to a team that will soon have a major issue at safety. He should slot in nicely in that Colorado defense and if he keeps up the same level of training he did in the DSFL, he should become a superstar in short order.
Pick #9: Korrin Abernathy
After Purchase came off the board, Abernathy is the best corner left on the board and he goes to a team that desperately needed some corners. He’s slightly below the top earners but not by much, and if Orange County can get him to keep up his training, he should become a key part of the Orange County defense in just a few short seasons at most.
Pick #10: Net Gaines
Gaines is the final pick to sneak into the first round. Once again, another solid TPE earner and active discord guy, Gaines is also a great guy to have in the locker room. Gaines has a lot of potential to be a great player at the next level and we’ll have to see what Austin wants to do with him.
Pick #11: Bender B. Rodriguez
This was simply a best overall available pick. New Orleans needed a receiver to replace Fyodorovich once his legs fell off and they picked the best guy off the board. He’s not active on the main discords but he is a very active guy on the forums.
Pick #12: Jake Dropson
Once again, a team with a need at wide receiver selects the best guy off the board. Dropson has been incredibly active on the discord, one of its most active members and he seems to be on the short list for several league jobs. It also helps that he’s a pretty great guy overall, so this pick was a no-brainer for the Liberty.
Pick #13: Xavien Adams
With the 3rd pick in the second round, the Copperheads grab another great cornerback off the board. With Abernathy and Purchase both gone in the 1st round, Adams gives them another option at corner in a few years. He’s not an absolute top TPE earner, but he’s not that far behind the top guys and should develop nicely over the coming years.
Pick #14: Ruff Ruff
The goodest boy the league has ever seen falls into the lap of the Outlaws. Arizona has massive holes at runningback and are looking to fill that need with a guy that’s just behind Toriki. He should develop into a star very quickly and replace the aging core they have at that position. As long as they give him enough treats, Ruff should produce in bunches.
Pick #15: Mike Hockhertz
With their first pick of the draft, Chicago drafted a guy that I honestly have never seen. However, he has been a solid TPE earner and he’s extremely active on the forums so overall I think the pick was solid from the Butchers.
Pick #16: Marlo Smart
This is quite the smart pick for the Otters. Smart’s activity dropped off during the season in terms of talking to the league, but he kept up his training and he finds himself landing with the current Ultimus champions. If Marlo can keep his training going, he should become a key defensive pieve for the Otters, no doubt about it.
Pick #17: Mathias Hanyadi
Worst pick of the draft.
Kidding, it’s Bjorn. Anyways, Hanyadi is the best running back left up on the board and he goes to a team in desperate need of new starters. With Canton and Marshall both retiring, Yellowknife grabs the best guy off the board. He should be starting by next season easily, so hopefully he’ll be ready by then.
Pick #18: Jay Cue
The man who led his team to the Ultimini is off to Arizona. Usually it’s rather rare to see a quarterback drafted in the first few rounds, but Andrew Reese is getting up there in age. Cue is already developing well as an athletic quarterback and should be a nice replacement for Reese after a few more seasons of development. If Cue keeps up his current level of activity, he could be the next superstar quarterback in the league.
Pick #19: Joseph Wozniak
Another best player available kind of pick. Wozniak is the highest TPE safety on the board after Parker goes to Colorado and San Jose decides to scoop him up. He’s not very active on the discord, but he has written a decent amount of media and should be a good piece to the San Jose defense.
Pick #20: Steve Ocewilder
To round out the second round, the Yeti pick up the San Antonio tight end Ocewilder. He squeaks into the 200+ TPE range as of this article, has been pretty consistent in his training, though he hasn’t been super active on the main discord. I know from experience however that he’s a pretty cool guy, and considering the league rarely uses tight ends, we’ll see if he stays at that position or swaps over.
Pick #21: David Rector
Another pick that came out of nowhere to me. Rector hasn’t been very active on discord, but he does slip into the 200+ TPE bracket, he has a good amount of money in his bank and should be another good defensive piece for New Orleans if he keeps up his rate of TPE acquistion.
Pick #22: Fuzzy Dotson
This was an interesting pick for me but one that after a bit of thinking made sense. Philadelphia already has their runningback of the future in Farley Hank, and I have heard reports that Dotson wants to stay as a blocking back. If he does, then they have a good way to get Farley into open space and perhaps a guy that can take a few carries here and there. He once again slips into the 200+ TPE category, so this could be quite an interesting pick.
Pick #23: Junior Lopez
Yet another guy I didn’t know much about at the time (man I am saying that a lot). Howver, Lopez is the best linebacker available on the board and even though he doesn’t seem to be the most active guy, he still can be a good contributor to New Orleans. Though I have to wonder why they need even more linebackers but hey, they know stuff I don’t.
Pick #24: Howard Ryan
A team that’s very desperate at safety grabs the best guy off the board, no big surprises here. He hasn’t been very active on discord or the forums, but if the Otters can whip him into shape and get him to increase both his activity and TPE gain, he should be a good replacement for their safeties.
Pick #25: Fabricio Baldari
Welcome to the draft, Baltimore! After mortgaging the house to try and get an Ultimus win that never materialized, you have basically no draft picks. You do get yourselves a solid defensive lineman in Baldari, however. He should start for the Hawks very soon, considering the other options they have at defensive linemen.
Pick #26: John Caleb Bradberton
This was another shocker of a pick to me. He has ok TPE, kinda low activity, not a huge amount of money and it seems like he doesn’t want to write media to make any more money. This is the first pick that really made me think ‘What the hell’. If he can pick it up he should be fine, but as of right now this is a bad pick in my books.
Pick #27: Mike Franchet
Ah, Franchet. There really isn’t anybody like him in this draft class. He’s one of the most active discord users in the class, though his TPE is definitely on the lower end. He’s still a great guy to be around, and if the Liberty can get him to pump up his TPE numbers, he should be a powerful force on the defensive line.
Pick #28: Samuel Bakhtiari
Arizona goes ahead and gives us our first fair rub of the draft. Bakhtiari has been very active on the discord and while his forum presence and media writing has been minimal, he’s still a well known person in this class. He should develop nicely as a big blocking boy for the Outlaws in a few years.
Pick #29: Earl Sauce
Sauce is the second tight end off the board after Ocewilder, they get themselves a decent pick in this slot. Most teams don’t run a tight end and Sauce hasn’t been massively active, but he has recently started to pick things up and we’ll see how he gets used on the Hawks.
Pick #30: Juan Marston
Finishing up the 3rd round and finishing up my draft analysis is Juan Marston. He was a solid contributor in a stacked Marshals secondary and has been a consistent earner of TPE throughout the season. He was more active in the SA locker room than the other discords, but this is a strong pick to finish out the 3rd round for the Hawks.
Notable Other Picks
Pick #44: Trae Bacon
Man, what an unfortunate thing this was. Bacon was probably the only guy in the class that could have challenged Bjorn and be 1st overall pick potential. But he just dropped off the face of the earth after a few weeks. He would have absolutely been a superstar, and if Colorado somehow coaxes him back, he is the steal of the draft and its not even close. But until he does come back, we miss ya, buddy.
Pick #69: Jack Mahoff
Nice.
Draft Grades!
NOLA: B-
New Orleans started things off the way almost everyone expected them to by picking up Bjorn Ironside. As I said, defensive tackles can struggle to make an impact, but Bjorn is still an incredibly strong talent. I do have to wonder about picking Thudd Kassel when Maurice Virtanen was on the board and was almost certainly better, but NOLA probably knows things that I don’t. Outside of the Kassel pick being a little bit suspect in my opinion, the Second Line had a pretty decent draft this year.
PHI: C
Philadelphia had a decent draft, picking up the converted tight end Hall as a defensive end to shore up that D-Line along with Franchet later on. They grabbed Dropson, a good if a bit drop prone receiver and picked up Dotson as a blocking back for their superstar Farley Hank. Nothing wrong with this draft at all, it’s just a bit average and nothing really knocks it out of the park for me.
OCO: B+
Orange County got themselves four excellent players in this draft. Biggums and Abernathy are great players, Smart coming back to life makes that pick excellent value and Howard Ryan should develop into a strong piece for the Otters. Very good picks here.
COL: A-
Once again, another very strong draft. Colorado got themselves two players that should be superstars in short order with Parker and Purchase along with a solid tight end in Ocewilder. If Parker and Purchase continue their upward trajectory, the Colorado secondary could be one of the scariest in the league.
SJS: B-
San Jose had the least amount of draft picks in the first 3 rounds, even beat out by the Hawks, but they still got themselves two quality players with those picks. Toriki is the best runningback in the class and has proven she can go solo with a running workload and Wozniak is a solid safety that should develop nicely in the coming years.
YKW: B+
While Yellowknife also didn’t have a lot of draft picks in the first three rounds, they did grab very good players with these picks. Virtanen should be an absolute stud this season and is only going to get better, and Hanyadi should be a good addition to the Yellowknife in the coming years. I still have to wonder why Virtanen fell into the second half of round 1, but I’m sure Yellowknife is very happy he did.
AUS: C+
Another decent if unremarkable draft. Net Gaines is a very good linebacker and should give Austin a strong piece at that position, Adams is a good cornerback that should be a starter in a season or two and Bradberton is kind of unexceptional. Once again, nothing wrong with this draft, but no home runs either.
ARI: B-
Arizona got three quality players despite not having a pick in the first round. Ruff Ruff should be a star in a backfield that is rapidly aging, Cue is an up and coming quarterback that should slot into the starting role after a few more seasons of development, and Bakhtiari is a strong locker room presence and player that should be a good protector for Cue.
CHI: D
Only one pick for the Butchers, and they get a solid safety in Hockhertz with that pick. Not having more picks in a draft class this loaded with talent might hurt them in the coming seasons, but we’ll have to see about that. Otherwise, bleh.
BAL: D
Baltimore had nothing in the higher rounds, and it really showed. While Marston, Sauce and Baldari are good players, they really missed out on the top end talent. They mortgaged the farm to try for an Ultimus, it didn’t work, and now they have to pay for it.
If you’ve read this far, thank you! This was just a fun little project for me to do after draft night. Lemme know what you think below.
Welcome back, one more time! It’s Rampage here, ready to give my thoughts on the first few rounds of draft picks selected by the NSFL teams. I’ll give my thoughts on any major trades that happen as well, and just say what I think about the draft as a whole. There won’t really be any statistical analysis during this article, I just wanted to have some fun and say my thoughts on the most recent NSFL rookie class. So with that all out of the way, let’s have some fun and discuss the draft!
Pick #1: Bjorn Ironside
Shocking literally nobody, NOLA goes with one of the most prolific rookies the NSFL has seen in a very long time. While Defensive Tackles historically don’t tend to have the best stats in the sim, Ironside is extremely active and can be the anchor of the New Orleans defensive line for an extremely long time. Controlling more money than entire teams, he can very easily fight off regression for years when that time comes several seasons down the line. This was easily one of the most predictable 1st overall picks in the history of the NSFL, and it's not hard to see why.
Pick #2: Zach Hall
Another pick that didn’t surprise many people. Hall has been a top earner in the class and shot up several team’s draft boards after his position switch from Tight End to Defensive End. He’s been very active, he’s a great locker room guy and this was a pick for a team that had a major need on the D-Line. Very good pick overall.
Pick #3: Tyrone Biggums
This was a pick that kind of surprised me. I had Biggums going in the 1st round, almost everyone did. But it made me very happy to see a good teammate go in the top 3. He is active, he is one of the top TPE earners in the class and he’s an amazing locker room presence. Orange County got themselves an excellent player with this pick.
Pick #4: Louisiana Purchase
Purchase was easily the top cornerback in this draft class, and it’s really not hard to see why. Another top TPE earner, a guy who writes a lot of media on the forums, he’s active in both the San Antonio locker room and the rookie discord, he really has it all. Purchase is going to be an absolute superstar in this league for many seasons to come.
Pick #5: Marcella Toriki
A great pick for a team that had a significant need at running back. San Jose only really has Ludicolo Bigby as a reliable option for the future, and Toriki looks to be in it for the long haul. Once again, she’s one of the top earners of the class, is a member of the HO and has been active in the rookie discord. A very strong pick for the Sabercats, she should be a superstar in just a few short seasons.
Pick #6: Thudd Kassel
Another strong draft pick, though I do have to wonder if New Orleans needed another linebacker. Perhaps he switches positions, I dunno. Anyways, Thudd is a great player. Top TPE earner, writes a decent amount of media and very active. Not a shocking pick, though I do have to wonder if they should have picked someone else.
Pick #7: Maurice Virtanen
I know it’s weird to call the 7th overall pick a steal, but I firmly believe Virtanen is a steal. He’s the absolute top earner of TPE in the entire class, even above Bjorn, he writes lots of media, he is very active in the discords, overall he is easily top 3 talent that went in the back half of the 1st, and Yellowknife didn’t have to lift a finger to get him. Overall, possibly the best value pick in the draft.
Pick #8: Pete Parker
Sure, Parker might not have the same abilities as Spider Man, but he is still a very good safety. Once again, another top TPE earner of the class, a decent amount of cash in his pocket and he went to a team that will soon have a major issue at safety. He should slot in nicely in that Colorado defense and if he keeps up the same level of training he did in the DSFL, he should become a superstar in short order.
Pick #9: Korrin Abernathy
After Purchase came off the board, Abernathy is the best corner left on the board and he goes to a team that desperately needed some corners. He’s slightly below the top earners but not by much, and if Orange County can get him to keep up his training, he should become a key part of the Orange County defense in just a few short seasons at most.
Pick #10: Net Gaines
Gaines is the final pick to sneak into the first round. Once again, another solid TPE earner and active discord guy, Gaines is also a great guy to have in the locker room. Gaines has a lot of potential to be a great player at the next level and we’ll have to see what Austin wants to do with him.
Pick #11: Bender B. Rodriguez
This was simply a best overall available pick. New Orleans needed a receiver to replace Fyodorovich once his legs fell off and they picked the best guy off the board. He’s not active on the main discords but he is a very active guy on the forums.
Pick #12: Jake Dropson
Once again, a team with a need at wide receiver selects the best guy off the board. Dropson has been incredibly active on the discord, one of its most active members and he seems to be on the short list for several league jobs. It also helps that he’s a pretty great guy overall, so this pick was a no-brainer for the Liberty.
Pick #13: Xavien Adams
With the 3rd pick in the second round, the Copperheads grab another great cornerback off the board. With Abernathy and Purchase both gone in the 1st round, Adams gives them another option at corner in a few years. He’s not an absolute top TPE earner, but he’s not that far behind the top guys and should develop nicely over the coming years.
Pick #14: Ruff Ruff
The goodest boy the league has ever seen falls into the lap of the Outlaws. Arizona has massive holes at runningback and are looking to fill that need with a guy that’s just behind Toriki. He should develop into a star very quickly and replace the aging core they have at that position. As long as they give him enough treats, Ruff should produce in bunches.
Pick #15: Mike Hockhertz
With their first pick of the draft, Chicago drafted a guy that I honestly have never seen. However, he has been a solid TPE earner and he’s extremely active on the forums so overall I think the pick was solid from the Butchers.
Pick #16: Marlo Smart
This is quite the smart pick for the Otters. Smart’s activity dropped off during the season in terms of talking to the league, but he kept up his training and he finds himself landing with the current Ultimus champions. If Marlo can keep his training going, he should become a key defensive pieve for the Otters, no doubt about it.
Pick #17: Mathias Hanyadi
Worst pick of the draft.
Kidding, it’s Bjorn. Anyways, Hanyadi is the best running back left up on the board and he goes to a team in desperate need of new starters. With Canton and Marshall both retiring, Yellowknife grabs the best guy off the board. He should be starting by next season easily, so hopefully he’ll be ready by then.
Pick #18: Jay Cue
The man who led his team to the Ultimini is off to Arizona. Usually it’s rather rare to see a quarterback drafted in the first few rounds, but Andrew Reese is getting up there in age. Cue is already developing well as an athletic quarterback and should be a nice replacement for Reese after a few more seasons of development. If Cue keeps up his current level of activity, he could be the next superstar quarterback in the league.
Pick #19: Joseph Wozniak
Another best player available kind of pick. Wozniak is the highest TPE safety on the board after Parker goes to Colorado and San Jose decides to scoop him up. He’s not very active on the discord, but he has written a decent amount of media and should be a good piece to the San Jose defense.
Pick #20: Steve Ocewilder
To round out the second round, the Yeti pick up the San Antonio tight end Ocewilder. He squeaks into the 200+ TPE range as of this article, has been pretty consistent in his training, though he hasn’t been super active on the main discord. I know from experience however that he’s a pretty cool guy, and considering the league rarely uses tight ends, we’ll see if he stays at that position or swaps over.
Pick #21: David Rector
Another pick that came out of nowhere to me. Rector hasn’t been very active on discord, but he does slip into the 200+ TPE bracket, he has a good amount of money in his bank and should be another good defensive piece for New Orleans if he keeps up his rate of TPE acquistion.
Pick #22: Fuzzy Dotson
This was an interesting pick for me but one that after a bit of thinking made sense. Philadelphia already has their runningback of the future in Farley Hank, and I have heard reports that Dotson wants to stay as a blocking back. If he does, then they have a good way to get Farley into open space and perhaps a guy that can take a few carries here and there. He once again slips into the 200+ TPE category, so this could be quite an interesting pick.
Pick #23: Junior Lopez
Yet another guy I didn’t know much about at the time (man I am saying that a lot). Howver, Lopez is the best linebacker available on the board and even though he doesn’t seem to be the most active guy, he still can be a good contributor to New Orleans. Though I have to wonder why they need even more linebackers but hey, they know stuff I don’t.
Pick #24: Howard Ryan
A team that’s very desperate at safety grabs the best guy off the board, no big surprises here. He hasn’t been very active on discord or the forums, but if the Otters can whip him into shape and get him to increase both his activity and TPE gain, he should be a good replacement for their safeties.
Pick #25: Fabricio Baldari
Welcome to the draft, Baltimore! After mortgaging the house to try and get an Ultimus win that never materialized, you have basically no draft picks. You do get yourselves a solid defensive lineman in Baldari, however. He should start for the Hawks very soon, considering the other options they have at defensive linemen.
Pick #26: John Caleb Bradberton
This was another shocker of a pick to me. He has ok TPE, kinda low activity, not a huge amount of money and it seems like he doesn’t want to write media to make any more money. This is the first pick that really made me think ‘What the hell’. If he can pick it up he should be fine, but as of right now this is a bad pick in my books.
Pick #27: Mike Franchet
Ah, Franchet. There really isn’t anybody like him in this draft class. He’s one of the most active discord users in the class, though his TPE is definitely on the lower end. He’s still a great guy to be around, and if the Liberty can get him to pump up his TPE numbers, he should be a powerful force on the defensive line.
Pick #28: Samuel Bakhtiari
Arizona goes ahead and gives us our first fair rub of the draft. Bakhtiari has been very active on the discord and while his forum presence and media writing has been minimal, he’s still a well known person in this class. He should develop nicely as a big blocking boy for the Outlaws in a few years.
Pick #29: Earl Sauce
Sauce is the second tight end off the board after Ocewilder, they get themselves a decent pick in this slot. Most teams don’t run a tight end and Sauce hasn’t been massively active, but he has recently started to pick things up and we’ll see how he gets used on the Hawks.
Pick #30: Juan Marston
Finishing up the 3rd round and finishing up my draft analysis is Juan Marston. He was a solid contributor in a stacked Marshals secondary and has been a consistent earner of TPE throughout the season. He was more active in the SA locker room than the other discords, but this is a strong pick to finish out the 3rd round for the Hawks.
Notable Other Picks
Pick #44: Trae Bacon
Man, what an unfortunate thing this was. Bacon was probably the only guy in the class that could have challenged Bjorn and be 1st overall pick potential. But he just dropped off the face of the earth after a few weeks. He would have absolutely been a superstar, and if Colorado somehow coaxes him back, he is the steal of the draft and its not even close. But until he does come back, we miss ya, buddy.
Pick #69: Jack Mahoff
Nice.
Draft Grades!
NOLA: B-
New Orleans started things off the way almost everyone expected them to by picking up Bjorn Ironside. As I said, defensive tackles can struggle to make an impact, but Bjorn is still an incredibly strong talent. I do have to wonder about picking Thudd Kassel when Maurice Virtanen was on the board and was almost certainly better, but NOLA probably knows things that I don’t. Outside of the Kassel pick being a little bit suspect in my opinion, the Second Line had a pretty decent draft this year.
PHI: C
Philadelphia had a decent draft, picking up the converted tight end Hall as a defensive end to shore up that D-Line along with Franchet later on. They grabbed Dropson, a good if a bit drop prone receiver and picked up Dotson as a blocking back for their superstar Farley Hank. Nothing wrong with this draft at all, it’s just a bit average and nothing really knocks it out of the park for me.
OCO: B+
Orange County got themselves four excellent players in this draft. Biggums and Abernathy are great players, Smart coming back to life makes that pick excellent value and Howard Ryan should develop into a strong piece for the Otters. Very good picks here.
COL: A-
Once again, another very strong draft. Colorado got themselves two players that should be superstars in short order with Parker and Purchase along with a solid tight end in Ocewilder. If Parker and Purchase continue their upward trajectory, the Colorado secondary could be one of the scariest in the league.
SJS: B-
San Jose had the least amount of draft picks in the first 3 rounds, even beat out by the Hawks, but they still got themselves two quality players with those picks. Toriki is the best runningback in the class and has proven she can go solo with a running workload and Wozniak is a solid safety that should develop nicely in the coming years.
YKW: B+
While Yellowknife also didn’t have a lot of draft picks in the first three rounds, they did grab very good players with these picks. Virtanen should be an absolute stud this season and is only going to get better, and Hanyadi should be a good addition to the Yellowknife in the coming years. I still have to wonder why Virtanen fell into the second half of round 1, but I’m sure Yellowknife is very happy he did.
AUS: C+
Another decent if unremarkable draft. Net Gaines is a very good linebacker and should give Austin a strong piece at that position, Adams is a good cornerback that should be a starter in a season or two and Bradberton is kind of unexceptional. Once again, nothing wrong with this draft, but no home runs either.
ARI: B-
Arizona got three quality players despite not having a pick in the first round. Ruff Ruff should be a star in a backfield that is rapidly aging, Cue is an up and coming quarterback that should slot into the starting role after a few more seasons of development, and Bakhtiari is a strong locker room presence and player that should be a good protector for Cue.
CHI: D
Only one pick for the Butchers, and they get a solid safety in Hockhertz with that pick. Not having more picks in a draft class this loaded with talent might hurt them in the coming seasons, but we’ll have to see about that. Otherwise, bleh.
BAL: D
Baltimore had nothing in the higher rounds, and it really showed. While Marston, Sauce and Baldari are good players, they really missed out on the top end talent. They mortgaged the farm to try for an Ultimus, it didn’t work, and now they have to pay for it.
If you’ve read this far, thank you! This was just a fun little project for me to do after draft night. Lemme know what you think below.