The S15 draft was the largest draft class to date (excluding the inaugural class), with a total of 118 players drafted across 14 rounds. As of this article, 46 players were active on the forum within the last 60 days, with 36 having updated in that same time. Compare this to the second largest draft class, S18 (111 draftees), which has 50 active and 42 updated within the last 60 days, despite having taken place a full 4 months after the S15 class, and the most recent draft class (not S20 since that just took place), which has 30 active and 23 updated within the last 60 days, and it is easy to see that S15 has one of the highest gross active player retention of any draft class in the NSFL, ever. One might even say it is the best draft class, I don't know who exactly, but one might say that. Let's take a dive into the first six rounds of the S15 draft, to see how the picks are holding up:
Round 1
01. Brock Landers (572 TPE)
02. Quenton Bode (917 TPE)
03. Johnny Slothface (951 TPE)
04. Nero Alexander (1081 TPE)
05. Chase Jensen (893 TPE)
06. Lightsout Lewis (1057 TPE)
07. Ricardo Morris (566 TPE)
08. AJ Lattimer (922 TPE)
09. Richard D;Attoria (1046 TPE)
10. Ahri Espeeyeeseetee (738 TPE)
Round Average TPE: 874
The obvious takeaway here is that the number 1 overall pick, Brock Landers aka @gucci, went IA in August 2019 after a promising start in the NSFL, earning pretty steadily until his IA term began, and even having been one of the first of the S15 class to GM a team (of the non-recreates). Aside from another IA in Ricardo Morris aka @Roly, who was last seen October 2019, the first round of the S15 draft features almost a full slate of active members, as you would hope from such a large class. Every remaining player updated at some point in the S19 season, and the first features 4 of the top 25 overall distributed TPE currently. Overall, this was a solid round, but nothing out of what you would expect from the first round as far as earning and retention.
DRAFT GRADE: B
Round 2
01. Mo Berry (1058 TPE)
02. Faith Terim (1094 TPE)
03. Forrest Gump (1029 TPE)
04. Morgan Marshall (RETIRED)
05. Rod Tidwell (805 TPE)
06. Xerxes Ridley (573 TPE)
07. Walt Green (1046 TPE)
08. Lanzer Grievous (1002 TPE)
09. Emondov Emoji (982 TPE)
10. Cameron Olsen (1010 TPE)
Round Average TPE: 955
We continue on to what I consider to be the bread and butter round of the S15 draft, where player earning actually went up comparatively to the first round. The black eye of the group is Morgan Marshall, who retired as a runningback with 683 TPE back in November 2019. Every user from the second round of the S15 draft has been seen in the forums some time within the last 30 days, with only Xerxes Ridley aka @plantane failing to update in the last month (August 2019). On top of that, the second round features 6 of the top 25 overall distributed TPE, bringing the class total to 10/25 for earnings. Not too shabby.
DRAFT GRADE: A-
Round 3
01. Lucas Knight (901 TPE)
02. Tony Gabagool (579 TPE)
03. Dorfus Jimbo (461 TPE)
04. Logan Uchiha (867 TPE)
05. Lamont McKinnie (924 TPE)
06. Guy Nikko (422 TPE)
07. Deon Taylor (783 TPE)
08. Franklin Armstrong (1034 TPE)
09. Nacho Varga (1015 TPE)
10. Dan Wright (867 TPE)
Round Average TPE: 785
In most years, by the time the third round rolls around, the pickings are slim and projected activity and retention even slimmer. But that's simply not so with this outstanding class. Amazingly, 9/10 users from the third round have been active within the past week (as of writing this article), and again only one has failed to update in the S19 season. We find 2 more top 25 distributors in Franklin Armstrong aka @moonlight and Nacho Varga aka @Fordhammer, meaning that half of the top 25 overall distributors currently come from the first 3 rounds of the S15 draft. Both Armstrong and Varga are 1000+ TPE star contributors for their teams, making them nearly the steals of the draft (more on that later).
DRAFT GRADE: A
Round 4
01. Terry Taffy (462 TPE)
02. Emond Beaver-Dantes (490 TPE)
03. Marquees Acho (757 TPE)
04. Giannis Croustis (734 TPE)
05. Troy Humumuwawa (175 TPE)
06. Jack Rambo (546 TPE)
07. Quentin Sinclair (674 TPE)
08. Brave Ulysses (601 TPE)
09. Rock Hardshaft (184 TPE)
10. Martavius Mack (223 TPE)
Round Average TPE: 485
This is where things start to tail off a bit. Roughly half of this round has not been active or updated in the past 2 weeks, with 4 users falling past the September 2019 mark for updates. Still, the average TPE of players in this round is 485, meaning that great value was still to be had late in the S15 draft, either from a useful-ish TPE earning prior to IA term, or just a high TPE earning this late in the draft. Current Baltimore GM Marquees Acho aka @Huskies311 is the top dog in this group, falling in at 757 TPE, and provides excellent value in the GM role from a round that wasn't even drafted to capacity in S19.
DRAFT GRADE: B-
Round 5
01. Jammerson Irving (800 TPE)
02. Alex Daswhathisnameis (467 TPE)
03. Jay Longshaw (RETIRED)
04. Apollo Reed (708 TPE)
05. Nick Snyder (124 TPE)
06. Timmy Hoss (191 TPE)
07. Ludicolo Bigby (543 TPE)
08. Allen Josh (158 TPE)
09. Farley Hank (591 TPE)
10. JoJo Burr-Kirven (136 TPE)
Round Average TPE: 413
Only half of the players coming from the fifth round of the S15 draft have applied greater than 200 TPE to their players, but 2 in particular stand out: Jammerson Irving aka @contacts and Apollo Reed aka @NylarthePhoenix. Both players are over the 700 TPE mark, returning phenomenal value in this late round, and the fact contacts has been IA since late November 2019 makes this even more impressive with the distribution total. Alas, Jammerson was not updated in the S19 season, meaning only 4 players from this round are currently active and updating, the first of the draft to have less than half the round do so.
DRAFT GRADE: C+
Round 6
01. Cale Clay (90 TPE)
02. Frasier Cane (RETIRED)
03. Jacob Rowan (166 TPE)
04. Ryan Leaf Jr. (914 TPE)
05. Michael Rood (112 TPE)
06. Ben Bortboy (159 TPE)
07. Tobias Chase (99 TPE)
08. RKANSAW N/A (118 TPE)
09. Momodou Jallow (83 TPE)
10. Tyler Janes (106 TPE)
Round Average TPE: 205
I would have stopped with the fifth round if it wasn't for one man, who I consider to be the steal of the S15 draft. In most drafts, by the time you get to round 6 (if you get there at all), you are stuck picking from the weakest of the bunch, players you pray stay even remotely active in the short term so that they can provide some usefulness when they inevitably go IA and stop earning/applying TPE. Such is the case with 9 players of round 6 of the S15 draft, which has had some users that are not actively updating return to the forums as recently as November 2019, but mostly have not updated since July 2019. That is not the case with Ryan Leaf Jr. aka @ValorX77. Many who began their NSFL journey in S15 remember what Valor and Leaf were when they began, and my hat goes off to Valor for how far he has come in terms of both his simulation acumen and overall league performance. Currently GMing for the Chicago Butchers, Valor has earned the title of Steal of the Draft by not only remaining active and updating but also for his impact on league activities and his name recognition in the discord. Add in that the man sits at 914 TPE, outclassing half of the first round from this draft in earnings, and you've got yourself probably the most valuable sixth round pick in NSFL history.
DRAFT GRADE: A+ for Valor alone, good luck finding a 900+ TPE GM in round 6 in any future draft
Rounds 7-14
GMs did a pretty good job in S15 figuring out which players would continue to earn and be active for future seasons, as only 3 total players from the last 8 rounds of the S15 draft exceeded 100 applied TPE, and all but 2 have fallen to extreme IA status. A number of players have been retired in these rounds, and there are no standouts to make note of (hence I didn't even list who was drafted). Like most drafts, these rounds were filled with hopefuls that for some reason or another decided the simulation football life was not for them.
DRAFT GRADE: F
Round 1
01. Brock Landers (572 TPE)
02. Quenton Bode (917 TPE)
03. Johnny Slothface (951 TPE)
04. Nero Alexander (1081 TPE)
05. Chase Jensen (893 TPE)
06. Lightsout Lewis (1057 TPE)
07. Ricardo Morris (566 TPE)
08. AJ Lattimer (922 TPE)
09. Richard D;Attoria (1046 TPE)
10. Ahri Espeeyeeseetee (738 TPE)
Round Average TPE: 874
The obvious takeaway here is that the number 1 overall pick, Brock Landers aka @gucci, went IA in August 2019 after a promising start in the NSFL, earning pretty steadily until his IA term began, and even having been one of the first of the S15 class to GM a team (of the non-recreates). Aside from another IA in Ricardo Morris aka @Roly, who was last seen October 2019, the first round of the S15 draft features almost a full slate of active members, as you would hope from such a large class. Every remaining player updated at some point in the S19 season, and the first features 4 of the top 25 overall distributed TPE currently. Overall, this was a solid round, but nothing out of what you would expect from the first round as far as earning and retention.
DRAFT GRADE: B
Round 2
01. Mo Berry (1058 TPE)
02. Faith Terim (1094 TPE)
03. Forrest Gump (1029 TPE)
04. Morgan Marshall (RETIRED)
05. Rod Tidwell (805 TPE)
06. Xerxes Ridley (573 TPE)
07. Walt Green (1046 TPE)
08. Lanzer Grievous (1002 TPE)
09. Emondov Emoji (982 TPE)
10. Cameron Olsen (1010 TPE)
Round Average TPE: 955
We continue on to what I consider to be the bread and butter round of the S15 draft, where player earning actually went up comparatively to the first round. The black eye of the group is Morgan Marshall, who retired as a runningback with 683 TPE back in November 2019. Every user from the second round of the S15 draft has been seen in the forums some time within the last 30 days, with only Xerxes Ridley aka @plantane failing to update in the last month (August 2019). On top of that, the second round features 6 of the top 25 overall distributed TPE, bringing the class total to 10/25 for earnings. Not too shabby.
DRAFT GRADE: A-
Round 3
01. Lucas Knight (901 TPE)
02. Tony Gabagool (579 TPE)
03. Dorfus Jimbo (461 TPE)
04. Logan Uchiha (867 TPE)
05. Lamont McKinnie (924 TPE)
06. Guy Nikko (422 TPE)
07. Deon Taylor (783 TPE)
08. Franklin Armstrong (1034 TPE)
09. Nacho Varga (1015 TPE)
10. Dan Wright (867 TPE)
Round Average TPE: 785
In most years, by the time the third round rolls around, the pickings are slim and projected activity and retention even slimmer. But that's simply not so with this outstanding class. Amazingly, 9/10 users from the third round have been active within the past week (as of writing this article), and again only one has failed to update in the S19 season. We find 2 more top 25 distributors in Franklin Armstrong aka @moonlight and Nacho Varga aka @Fordhammer, meaning that half of the top 25 overall distributors currently come from the first 3 rounds of the S15 draft. Both Armstrong and Varga are 1000+ TPE star contributors for their teams, making them nearly the steals of the draft (more on that later).
DRAFT GRADE: A
Round 4
01. Terry Taffy (462 TPE)
02. Emond Beaver-Dantes (490 TPE)
03. Marquees Acho (757 TPE)
04. Giannis Croustis (734 TPE)
05. Troy Humumuwawa (175 TPE)
06. Jack Rambo (546 TPE)
07. Quentin Sinclair (674 TPE)
08. Brave Ulysses (601 TPE)
09. Rock Hardshaft (184 TPE)
10. Martavius Mack (223 TPE)
Round Average TPE: 485
This is where things start to tail off a bit. Roughly half of this round has not been active or updated in the past 2 weeks, with 4 users falling past the September 2019 mark for updates. Still, the average TPE of players in this round is 485, meaning that great value was still to be had late in the S15 draft, either from a useful-ish TPE earning prior to IA term, or just a high TPE earning this late in the draft. Current Baltimore GM Marquees Acho aka @Huskies311 is the top dog in this group, falling in at 757 TPE, and provides excellent value in the GM role from a round that wasn't even drafted to capacity in S19.
DRAFT GRADE: B-
Round 5
01. Jammerson Irving (800 TPE)
02. Alex Daswhathisnameis (467 TPE)
03. Jay Longshaw (RETIRED)
04. Apollo Reed (708 TPE)
05. Nick Snyder (124 TPE)
06. Timmy Hoss (191 TPE)
07. Ludicolo Bigby (543 TPE)
08. Allen Josh (158 TPE)
09. Farley Hank (591 TPE)
10. JoJo Burr-Kirven (136 TPE)
Round Average TPE: 413
Only half of the players coming from the fifth round of the S15 draft have applied greater than 200 TPE to their players, but 2 in particular stand out: Jammerson Irving aka @contacts and Apollo Reed aka @NylarthePhoenix. Both players are over the 700 TPE mark, returning phenomenal value in this late round, and the fact contacts has been IA since late November 2019 makes this even more impressive with the distribution total. Alas, Jammerson was not updated in the S19 season, meaning only 4 players from this round are currently active and updating, the first of the draft to have less than half the round do so.
DRAFT GRADE: C+
Round 6
01. Cale Clay (90 TPE)
02. Frasier Cane (RETIRED)
03. Jacob Rowan (166 TPE)
04. Ryan Leaf Jr. (914 TPE)
05. Michael Rood (112 TPE)
06. Ben Bortboy (159 TPE)
07. Tobias Chase (99 TPE)
08. RKANSAW N/A (118 TPE)
09. Momodou Jallow (83 TPE)
10. Tyler Janes (106 TPE)
Round Average TPE: 205
I would have stopped with the fifth round if it wasn't for one man, who I consider to be the steal of the S15 draft. In most drafts, by the time you get to round 6 (if you get there at all), you are stuck picking from the weakest of the bunch, players you pray stay even remotely active in the short term so that they can provide some usefulness when they inevitably go IA and stop earning/applying TPE. Such is the case with 9 players of round 6 of the S15 draft, which has had some users that are not actively updating return to the forums as recently as November 2019, but mostly have not updated since July 2019. That is not the case with Ryan Leaf Jr. aka @ValorX77. Many who began their NSFL journey in S15 remember what Valor and Leaf were when they began, and my hat goes off to Valor for how far he has come in terms of both his simulation acumen and overall league performance. Currently GMing for the Chicago Butchers, Valor has earned the title of Steal of the Draft by not only remaining active and updating but also for his impact on league activities and his name recognition in the discord. Add in that the man sits at 914 TPE, outclassing half of the first round from this draft in earnings, and you've got yourself probably the most valuable sixth round pick in NSFL history.
DRAFT GRADE: A+ for Valor alone, good luck finding a 900+ TPE GM in round 6 in any future draft
Rounds 7-14
GMs did a pretty good job in S15 figuring out which players would continue to earn and be active for future seasons, as only 3 total players from the last 8 rounds of the S15 draft exceeded 100 applied TPE, and all but 2 have fallen to extreme IA status. A number of players have been retired in these rounds, and there are no standouts to make note of (hence I didn't even list who was drafted). Like most drafts, these rounds were filled with hopefuls that for some reason or another decided the simulation football life was not for them.
DRAFT GRADE: F