This is my second annual recap of the first round of the season 26 ISFL draft. We had a better mix of offensive and defensive players from last season. Season 25 was very similar to season 24, Berlin Fire Salamanders again had the first pick in the draft. Colorado Yeti and San Jose SaberCats played in the Championship with the SaberCats winning again. Orange Counter Otters don't have a pick in the first round.
Pick 1. Berlin Fire Salamanders -
Linebacker Bambam McMullet
In their first year of existence Berlin struggled a lot to say the least. It takes time to build a team and they have a lot of holes to fill. In their first season they were dead last in the ISFL in points given up. They were also dead last in points per a game on offense, but as they saying goes, defense wins championships. With with first pick Berlin could have obviously gone in any direction but defense is clearly their priority this year as it was last season. Watching Tijuana struggle on offense last year and the defense turn it on in the playoffs to win the Ultimini championship was clearly a motivator for Berlin.
6 out of Berlins last 8 games they gave up over 30 points, they were blown out twice.
Berlin's tackler was their Cornerback Swantavius Jones who was the number 1 pick overall last year. While they nailed their first ever draft pick, it's not ideal to have your cornerback as your leading tackler. McMullet will certainly help alleviate some of the pressure off Jones.
McMullet was one of many standout players on Tijuana and is very versatile. He has 4 sacks, 97 tackles, 2 interceptions and 3 pass deflections. Although he didn't win Defensive player of the year, he was the anchor of Tijuana's defense. He is expected to immediately start for Berlin and hopefully he will have the same impact on their defense. Tijuana was expected to lose a lot of their players this off season because of their success the last two years and McMullet is the 5th defense starter to be called up to the ISFL.
Going Defense in the first round worked out well for Berlin last year, so why not try it again this year. Hopefully next season we won't be talking about who Berlin is going to take with their 3rd straight number 1 overall draft pick.
Pick 2. New York Silverbacks -
Safety Dogwod Maple
Like Berlin, New York struggled a lot last year in their first season. Unlike Berlin, New York finished the season strong going 4-2 in their last 6 games. Much like Berlin, they focused on defense last year and again this year. They nailed their first draft pick as well. Hank Winchester had a standout season as a rookie. He lead the league in tackles last season with 154. Couldn't have wished for a better rookie season for your first ever draft pick.
New York has opportunities on both sides of the ball but like Berin, defense wins championships. New York's defense is much closer to being a top defense then Berlin and they addressed a huge need with Dogwood Maple. New York was in the bottom 5 of interceptions and Pass deflections. A slight improvement in both of these categories adds a few wins for New York and they might have a shot at making the playoffs next season if they continue their late season success.
Maple didn't have any interceptions or pass Deflections last season as he primarily played close to the line of scrimmage. He did have 87 tackles and 6 sacks as a free safety. He gives New York a versatile safety that can move around the field and gives them another pass rusher to blitz opposite of Winchester. That in turn should lead to more opportunities for the secondary to make interceptions or pass deflections. A good pass rush can fix subpar defense back play.
Pick 3. Baltimore Hawks
Defense end Ernest Lover
Baltimore improved a lot from last season going 8-8. They lost the Division tie breaker with Chicago and just missed the playoffs. They called up Doug Howlett who in his rookie season lead the ISFL in receiving yards with 1646 which was also a franchise record. He lead the league in receiving from the very beginning of the season and it wasn't even close. He was 6th in touchdowns with 11. He certainly will be a force to be reckoned with for years to come. Their other rookie wide receiver Joshua Campbell had 1186 yards receiving. They both lead all rookie wide receivers in yards and were the only two rookies with over 1,000 yards receiving.
They were tied for the 2nd lowest scoring offense in the ISFL and they gave up the 8th most points on defense. There point differential was minus 34. If they want to catch up to Sarasota and Colorado they need to score a lot more points and give up less. They went 2 - 4 against Colorado, Sarasota and Chicago. They are on the cusp of making the playoffs and one or two more impact players will get them into the playoffs.
One glaring need was their pass rush. They had the 4th lowest sacks and 4th lowest tackles for loss in the ISFL. Ernest Lover in his DSFL rookie season had 8 sacks and 11 tackles for loss. He will immediately improve Baltimore's defensive line.
Ernest Lover was my top ranked player in the draft and Baltimore got ther selves a great defense ends for years to come. I could have also seen them go for Cobra Kai. Baltimore was dead last in rushing touchdowns and second last in rushing yards. Quarterback Chika Fujiwara was second in passing touchdowns with 29 last season and he had the second most interceptions with 20 which was a franchise record. That was Baltimore's season last year, good at one thing and equally bad at another thing. They need a running game to complement there passing game in order to catch the top teams.
Pick 4. Yellowknife Wraiths
Wide receiver Arthur Naught
The wraiths had a down season this last year. Their point differential of minus 55 is bad but it doesn't show the depth of how badly they played throughout the season. In there 9 losses they gave up over 33 points per loss. Arizona put up 55 points on them in a 55 - 17 absolute obliteration at home which ended a 3 game losing streak in which they were outscored 121 - 58. 2 of those games were at home.
Although they went 7 - 9 and were essentially only one game away from making the playoffs, there are a lot further away than there record shows.
They did lead the league in pass deflections with 108 and were dead last in interceptions with only 9. They had 48 sacks which was the middle of the league. There lack of turnovers and pressure on the quarterback hurt there team.
Skyline lead the Wraiths with 489 yards rushing and 4 rushing touchdowns. Yes you read that correctly, he lead the wraiths with only 489 yard rushing. That puts him outside the top 25 running backs. Skyline did have 1188 yards receiving which was third amounts running backs and Sakura cracked the top 10 with 1258 yards receiving.
Jack was top 3 in passing yards and bottom 4 in touchdown passes.
The Wraiths drafting a wide receiver is mind boggling to me. Wide receiver was not a need for them. They already have two players with over 1000 yards receiving and were 1 of 5 teams that had to players with over 1000 yards.
Naught had 720 yards on 63 catches with 1 touchdown last season. Not a particularly productive season but he has tons of potential. I'm not exactly sure what the wraiths were thinking with this pick. Especially with Cobra Kai sitting there for the taking and running back being a huge need.
Naught is going to be at best the third target for Jack and although he will be happy he has another weapon to throw to, they needed help elsewhere.
Pick 5. New Orleans Second Line
Linebacker Vincent Jones
A down season for them at 7 - 9 and there defense was a problem. In there 9 losses they have up on average 34 points.
There offense wasn't much of a help either. Less than 4,000 passing yards and less than 2,000 rushing yards puts them in the bottom 5 in both categories.
Offense was a huge priority and they drafted a linebacker. Jones was certainly deserving of his top 5 pick. He lead Tijuana with 110 tackles and he also added 8 sacks and helped them win the championship last season. He did this as a rookie in the DSFL. He will surely be a star in the ISFL but for New Orleans, linebacker wasn't a need. They clearly drafted best player available and are keeping him in the DSFL for one more season. I'm not sure why you take a guy in the top 5 and not have him playing right away. Clearly New Orleans is in rebuild mode and they are starting to rebuild with an area of strength. This rebuild may take awhile.
Pick 6. Philadelphia Liberty
Quarterback Ryan Negs
Philadelphia improved a lot from last season but it would have been astonishing if they hadn't being that they won only 3 games last season. They still lost more games than they won going 7 - 9. They have good players all around but they don't have the impact players on defense to change games. They were in the bottom half of the league in tackles for a loss, sacks, interceptions and pass deflections, so naturally they select their quarterback of the future...very distant future.
Negs had 13 touchdowns and 13 interceptions last season. He had a very underwhelming season last year but he is a project and won't be an impact for Philadelphia for a few seasons. If he is surrounded by a strong cast he will do well, but he will struggle to do more than Phoenix has done with the lack of talent on these team.
Philadelphia is my favorite team to critique about there 1st round draft picks because they don't seem to make any sense lately. There first pick last year Tex Wrecks was a great player in the DSFL but he didn't fill a need for Philadelphia. He ended last year with 38 tackles, 14 tackles for a loss and 7 sacks. Pretty good overall year but he wasn't playing everydown because they didn't need a defensive end.
Brock Phoenix had a very good season last year for philly with 28 touchdowns and only 8 interceptions. He is only in his 8th season and has a lot left in the tank. I understand wanting to draft for the future but you're always going to be drafting for the future if you can't build a playoff contender.
Torensen was Philadelphias leading rushing with 704 yards on the ground. Philadelphia was in the bottom 6 of rushing yards and had the second lowest amount of rushing touchdowns. Cobra Kai was available, as was Redbeard McFredbeard. Both players would have filled a need, but Philadelphia doesn't fill needs in the first round of the draft.
Much like last year defensive tackle was their highest need on defense and also like last season they didn't take a defensive tackle. Two years in a row they had there choice of defensive tackles and skipped it to build depth. Goat Tank was available to Philadelphia last season and they didn't take him. He had 7 sacks and 5 tackles for a loss which was better than Philadelphias two primary defensive tackles combined.
Great player, but he won't help Philadelphia for seasons to come.
Pick 7. Honolulu Hahalua
Running Back Cobra Kai
What does the second highest scoring team in the ISFL need? Another weapon apparently. They had over 2000 yards rushing as a team last year and 18 rushing touchdowns which tied them for 2nd in the league. Ayers had 981 yards rushing last season and split time with Kane-Maika'I who had 702 yards.
Honolulu had less than 4000 yards passing and Kane-Maika'i was second on the team in receiving yards. Kai gives them another back and can run and catch. Its hard to pass up Kai but defense was an area of need for Honolulu.
There defense have up the second most points in the league with 435. Cornerback was an area of need but they obviously didn't feel they could reach for one in the first round. If the can focus on their ground game they can take pressure off their defenses.
There were involved in a lot of high scoring games last season. They need to be able to get a lead and run the ball to control the clock to get there defense much needed rest.
Cobra Kai had a great season last year as a rookie in the DSFL. He was the 3rd of 3 rookie Running backs who lead the DSFL in rushing. While Forty-Two lead the way with 1638 yards and 8 touchdowns he also was the primary back. Forty-Two had 423 rushing attempts, which was the most by any Running back, giving him only 3.9 yards per a carry.
Rochtburns was second with 1488 and 11 Touchdowns. He had 317 attempts giving him 4.7 yards per a carry.
Kai had 1482 yards and 8 touchdowns, but where he stands out is that he did they on only 278 carries. 6 less yards than Rochtburns and 39 less carries. He also had 155 less carries than Forty-Two. Had he had the same amount of carriers he would surely be over 2,000 yards. Kai also split his carries with another rookie, Miglaskems. He has 873 yards and 3 touchdowns on 224 carries. What Kai did was very impressive with his limited touches.
Kai also had 16 catches on the season for 97 yards. Dallas didn't use their Running backs in the passing game much because of there focus on the run game, but Kai has the ability to fit right in to Honolulu's high powered offense.
Pick 8. Chicago Butchers
Offensive line Alexander Franklin
Chicago had a decent year again, but once again they fell to Colorado in the playoffs and this year it wasn't pretty. They lost 34 - 7 at Colorado.
There defense played very well and gave up the 2nd least amount on point, but there offense struggle a lot and of course there defense didn't show up when it needed to in the playoffs.
Running back is an area of need for them but they would be looking for a backup and you shouldn't be taking backups in the first round.
Linebacker was a need and there were first round grades linebackers available.
Safety was also an area of need and two great Safeties were available at this point, but chicago went for depth on the offensive line. They gave up 22 sacks last season which was close to the league average. Chicago can opt to leave Franklin in the DSFL for a season and being him up to start if and when they decide to move on from one of there starters.
Franklin had a pretty good year last season, he had 47 pancakes and only gave up one sack. He won't have an immediate impact on Chicago, but he was the best available Tackle in the draft and will be a good one for years. Chicago could have used more of an immediate impact player.
Pick 9. Arizona Outlaws
Safety Moe Skeeter
Last season Safety was a need and Arizona picked Tayshawn Crunk with their first pick and it paid off well for Arizona. In Crunks first game he had 3 tackles, a sack and 2 interceptions. Crunk would end up leading all rookies with 5 interceptions and 2 touchdowns. Arizona lead the ISFL with 23 interceptions which was 6 more than the next closest. Arizona also lead the ISFL in sacks. They only have up 361 points (22.5 points per a game) which was 3rd lowest in the ISFL.
Arizona made it back to the playoffs at 9 - 7 but there season ended in the first round in Overtime against San Jose.
They don't have many holes on there team, besides linebacker. They have a lot of young players stepping up and have set themselves up very well with there recent drafts.
Safety wasn't a need but it's hard to argue with what arizona has done with their development. Skeeter might not see the field for Arizona this year but next year he could end up being nickle CB or possibly starting alongside Crunk.
6 of there 7 losses were by one score and 7 of there wins were by two scores or more. They just needed a play here or there and the outcome of these season would have been much different. With their young roster they will simply get better with experience. If they continue to be able to draft best overall player and let them develop they will continue to be a playoff contender. Jay Cue is at the back end of his career and they need to continue to build a great roster around him while they can.
Skeeter had a great season as a rookie in the DSFL. 67 tackles, 4 sacks, 4 interceptions, 4 pass deflections and 2 pick sixes. His stats look a lot like Crunks and having both of these guys in at safety will make the back end of their defense ridiculously good.
Arizona picked the perfect guy for there very oppurntistic defense.
Pick 10. Sarasota Sailfish
Defensive end Demon Jaxson
Sarasota had a great season last year. They finished there season winning 9 straight games and ended up 11-5. They played Chicago in the first round and lost a close game 27-20. Another disappointing end to a great season for them. They finished with the Highest scoring offense and there defense was middle of the pack in terms of scoring. They were in the bottom 5 of sacks but did have the second most interceptions.
Defensive end wasn't really a need for Sarasota. They don't have very many needs besides offensive line but they clearly felt the could take a guy who they and develop.
Jaxson had a very underwhelming season last year. He only recorded 24 tackles, 9 tackles for a loss and 3 sacks. When he made a tackle her certainly made an impact. If he can increase his production he might be the guy they need to turn around their defensive line.
Pick 11. Berlin Fire Salamanders
Safety Derek Wildstar
With there second pick in the first round Berlin again went defense. Their defense have up 30 more points than any other defense in the ISFL and I think they are doing a good job trying to address there issues.
Wildstar didn't have a very productive season last year for Kansas City with only 62 tackles, 1 sack and 1 pass deflections, but as I say a lot, he has a lot of potential. Developing with the young players on Berlins defense will help him grow and in the next few season Berlin will have a pretty good defense if they keep addresses their needs. Berlin isn't in a position to make an impact in the playoffs yet, but they are setting up their future well.
Pick 12. Yellowknife Wraiths
Linebacker Leonard Taylor
After there first pick which didn't make a whole lot of sense they were able to fill a need with Taylor. They needed another safety and unfortunately the top two rated safeties were taken with pick 9 by Arizona and pick 11 by Berlin.
Taylor was 2nd amongst rookies with 108 tackles. He also had a forced fumble, fumble recovery, an interception and 2 pass deflections. Yellowknife already have two solid linebackers who had over 100 tackles last season. He will be another draft and developer player. It seems like Yellowknife wants to keep there good positions good with depth and keep there needs as needs.
Pick 13. Colorado Yeti
Defensive Tackle Redbeard McFredbeard
McFredbeard had 1 tackle for a loss and 1 sack and 37 tackles. Not exactly first round pick production but when you go 13 - 3 and get to the championship game in back to back years you can draft and develop.
If the Yetis have a weakness, it's there defense. They could have used a 3rd wide receiver, but Cornerback and defensive tackle are needs. They only had 41 sack last season which was the second lowest total in the league. They also were in the bottom half of most defensive stat categories.
Colorado is a solid team and they will continue to dominate the ISFL. They just need to figure out how to beat San Jose in the championship game. Two season ago the championship game was close but this last season they lost 34 - 17. San Jose ran the ball all over them amassing 180 yards on 49 carries. McDummy had his worst game of the season going 14 / 44 for only 148 yards. 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions. His passer rating was 31.2
For whatever reason San Jose has Colorado's number in the playoffs. Lack of run game and too many passing attempts on offense and the inability to stop the run on defense.
Hopefully for Colorado Redbeard McFredbeard can be the difference maker in the run defense to finally put them over the top. Or Colorado can hope to not play San Jose in the championship game.
Pick 14. San Jose SaberCats
Wide receiver Tugg Speedman
San Jose won their Second Straigh championship with another dominant playoff performance, but once again they they struggled in the regular season and crept into the playoffs. They ended up in third place in the ASFC. They had a few needs that needed to be address and one of them was wide receiver. They were second to last in the league on receiving yards. Hood their leading wide receiver was 12th in the league on yards and tied for 12th in receing touchdowns. They do have two very good running backs which help them control the clock, but they were in 12 one score games last season. They won 8 of those games. They only won one game by more than 8 points. A win is a win but eventually they will start losing those close games without generating more offense. If they want to three peat as champs they need to score more points and that starts with the passing game.
Speedman has 73 catches for 841 as a rookie last season for London. He finished 5th in yards last season. Naught and Speedman were both graded out very similar and I believe San Jose would have been happy with either one.
Orange County Otters did not have a first round pick this year. They had a great season starting off 9-0 with their rookie quarterback. They looked like they would go undefeated and win the championship but they finished 2-5 and limped into the playoffs. They blew out Honolulu 27-6 in the first round of the playoffs and looked like they had there swagger back but ended up losing their next games to San Jose who of course went on to repeat as Champs. This is also the second year in a row they didn't have a first round pick. The need to continue to develop there late round picks if they want to improve. Bot having first round picks will test the ability of their general manager to build this team into a championship team. They are on the cusp of winning but they need to bring in 1st round capable players. They only had two picks in the first 4 rounds, picks 26 and 54 respectably. We shall see if there plan for Free agency will be successful.
Much like last season's draft, Defense was a heavy focus, but unlike last season, we saw 3 skilled players and a quarterback get drafted in the first round. The DSFL champs had two of their linebackers drafted in the top 5 which is very impressive and shows how well Tijuana is run as a franchise.
Overall I liked what Berlin did with their two picks. Again for the second straight year, I wasn't the biggest fan of Philadelphia's pick in the first round because they again didn't address a need when there was great players available to fill that need. I also like what New York did drafting help for their defense.
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Pick 1. Berlin Fire Salamanders -
Linebacker Bambam McMullet
In their first year of existence Berlin struggled a lot to say the least. It takes time to build a team and they have a lot of holes to fill. In their first season they were dead last in the ISFL in points given up. They were also dead last in points per a game on offense, but as they saying goes, defense wins championships. With with first pick Berlin could have obviously gone in any direction but defense is clearly their priority this year as it was last season. Watching Tijuana struggle on offense last year and the defense turn it on in the playoffs to win the Ultimini championship was clearly a motivator for Berlin.
6 out of Berlins last 8 games they gave up over 30 points, they were blown out twice.
Berlin's tackler was their Cornerback Swantavius Jones who was the number 1 pick overall last year. While they nailed their first ever draft pick, it's not ideal to have your cornerback as your leading tackler. McMullet will certainly help alleviate some of the pressure off Jones.
McMullet was one of many standout players on Tijuana and is very versatile. He has 4 sacks, 97 tackles, 2 interceptions and 3 pass deflections. Although he didn't win Defensive player of the year, he was the anchor of Tijuana's defense. He is expected to immediately start for Berlin and hopefully he will have the same impact on their defense. Tijuana was expected to lose a lot of their players this off season because of their success the last two years and McMullet is the 5th defense starter to be called up to the ISFL.
Going Defense in the first round worked out well for Berlin last year, so why not try it again this year. Hopefully next season we won't be talking about who Berlin is going to take with their 3rd straight number 1 overall draft pick.
Pick 2. New York Silverbacks -
Safety Dogwod Maple
Like Berlin, New York struggled a lot last year in their first season. Unlike Berlin, New York finished the season strong going 4-2 in their last 6 games. Much like Berlin, they focused on defense last year and again this year. They nailed their first draft pick as well. Hank Winchester had a standout season as a rookie. He lead the league in tackles last season with 154. Couldn't have wished for a better rookie season for your first ever draft pick.
New York has opportunities on both sides of the ball but like Berin, defense wins championships. New York's defense is much closer to being a top defense then Berlin and they addressed a huge need with Dogwood Maple. New York was in the bottom 5 of interceptions and Pass deflections. A slight improvement in both of these categories adds a few wins for New York and they might have a shot at making the playoffs next season if they continue their late season success.
Maple didn't have any interceptions or pass Deflections last season as he primarily played close to the line of scrimmage. He did have 87 tackles and 6 sacks as a free safety. He gives New York a versatile safety that can move around the field and gives them another pass rusher to blitz opposite of Winchester. That in turn should lead to more opportunities for the secondary to make interceptions or pass deflections. A good pass rush can fix subpar defense back play.
Pick 3. Baltimore Hawks
Defense end Ernest Lover
Baltimore improved a lot from last season going 8-8. They lost the Division tie breaker with Chicago and just missed the playoffs. They called up Doug Howlett who in his rookie season lead the ISFL in receiving yards with 1646 which was also a franchise record. He lead the league in receiving from the very beginning of the season and it wasn't even close. He was 6th in touchdowns with 11. He certainly will be a force to be reckoned with for years to come. Their other rookie wide receiver Joshua Campbell had 1186 yards receiving. They both lead all rookie wide receivers in yards and were the only two rookies with over 1,000 yards receiving.
They were tied for the 2nd lowest scoring offense in the ISFL and they gave up the 8th most points on defense. There point differential was minus 34. If they want to catch up to Sarasota and Colorado they need to score a lot more points and give up less. They went 2 - 4 against Colorado, Sarasota and Chicago. They are on the cusp of making the playoffs and one or two more impact players will get them into the playoffs.
One glaring need was their pass rush. They had the 4th lowest sacks and 4th lowest tackles for loss in the ISFL. Ernest Lover in his DSFL rookie season had 8 sacks and 11 tackles for loss. He will immediately improve Baltimore's defensive line.
Ernest Lover was my top ranked player in the draft and Baltimore got ther selves a great defense ends for years to come. I could have also seen them go for Cobra Kai. Baltimore was dead last in rushing touchdowns and second last in rushing yards. Quarterback Chika Fujiwara was second in passing touchdowns with 29 last season and he had the second most interceptions with 20 which was a franchise record. That was Baltimore's season last year, good at one thing and equally bad at another thing. They need a running game to complement there passing game in order to catch the top teams.
Pick 4. Yellowknife Wraiths
Wide receiver Arthur Naught
The wraiths had a down season this last year. Their point differential of minus 55 is bad but it doesn't show the depth of how badly they played throughout the season. In there 9 losses they gave up over 33 points per loss. Arizona put up 55 points on them in a 55 - 17 absolute obliteration at home which ended a 3 game losing streak in which they were outscored 121 - 58. 2 of those games were at home.
Although they went 7 - 9 and were essentially only one game away from making the playoffs, there are a lot further away than there record shows.
They did lead the league in pass deflections with 108 and were dead last in interceptions with only 9. They had 48 sacks which was the middle of the league. There lack of turnovers and pressure on the quarterback hurt there team.
Skyline lead the Wraiths with 489 yards rushing and 4 rushing touchdowns. Yes you read that correctly, he lead the wraiths with only 489 yard rushing. That puts him outside the top 25 running backs. Skyline did have 1188 yards receiving which was third amounts running backs and Sakura cracked the top 10 with 1258 yards receiving.
Jack was top 3 in passing yards and bottom 4 in touchdown passes.
The Wraiths drafting a wide receiver is mind boggling to me. Wide receiver was not a need for them. They already have two players with over 1000 yards receiving and were 1 of 5 teams that had to players with over 1000 yards.
Naught had 720 yards on 63 catches with 1 touchdown last season. Not a particularly productive season but he has tons of potential. I'm not exactly sure what the wraiths were thinking with this pick. Especially with Cobra Kai sitting there for the taking and running back being a huge need.
Naught is going to be at best the third target for Jack and although he will be happy he has another weapon to throw to, they needed help elsewhere.
Pick 5. New Orleans Second Line
Linebacker Vincent Jones
A down season for them at 7 - 9 and there defense was a problem. In there 9 losses they have up on average 34 points.
There offense wasn't much of a help either. Less than 4,000 passing yards and less than 2,000 rushing yards puts them in the bottom 5 in both categories.
Offense was a huge priority and they drafted a linebacker. Jones was certainly deserving of his top 5 pick. He lead Tijuana with 110 tackles and he also added 8 sacks and helped them win the championship last season. He did this as a rookie in the DSFL. He will surely be a star in the ISFL but for New Orleans, linebacker wasn't a need. They clearly drafted best player available and are keeping him in the DSFL for one more season. I'm not sure why you take a guy in the top 5 and not have him playing right away. Clearly New Orleans is in rebuild mode and they are starting to rebuild with an area of strength. This rebuild may take awhile.
Pick 6. Philadelphia Liberty
Quarterback Ryan Negs
Philadelphia improved a lot from last season but it would have been astonishing if they hadn't being that they won only 3 games last season. They still lost more games than they won going 7 - 9. They have good players all around but they don't have the impact players on defense to change games. They were in the bottom half of the league in tackles for a loss, sacks, interceptions and pass deflections, so naturally they select their quarterback of the future...very distant future.
Negs had 13 touchdowns and 13 interceptions last season. He had a very underwhelming season last year but he is a project and won't be an impact for Philadelphia for a few seasons. If he is surrounded by a strong cast he will do well, but he will struggle to do more than Phoenix has done with the lack of talent on these team.
Philadelphia is my favorite team to critique about there 1st round draft picks because they don't seem to make any sense lately. There first pick last year Tex Wrecks was a great player in the DSFL but he didn't fill a need for Philadelphia. He ended last year with 38 tackles, 14 tackles for a loss and 7 sacks. Pretty good overall year but he wasn't playing everydown because they didn't need a defensive end.
Brock Phoenix had a very good season last year for philly with 28 touchdowns and only 8 interceptions. He is only in his 8th season and has a lot left in the tank. I understand wanting to draft for the future but you're always going to be drafting for the future if you can't build a playoff contender.
Torensen was Philadelphias leading rushing with 704 yards on the ground. Philadelphia was in the bottom 6 of rushing yards and had the second lowest amount of rushing touchdowns. Cobra Kai was available, as was Redbeard McFredbeard. Both players would have filled a need, but Philadelphia doesn't fill needs in the first round of the draft.
Much like last year defensive tackle was their highest need on defense and also like last season they didn't take a defensive tackle. Two years in a row they had there choice of defensive tackles and skipped it to build depth. Goat Tank was available to Philadelphia last season and they didn't take him. He had 7 sacks and 5 tackles for a loss which was better than Philadelphias two primary defensive tackles combined.
Great player, but he won't help Philadelphia for seasons to come.
Pick 7. Honolulu Hahalua
Running Back Cobra Kai
What does the second highest scoring team in the ISFL need? Another weapon apparently. They had over 2000 yards rushing as a team last year and 18 rushing touchdowns which tied them for 2nd in the league. Ayers had 981 yards rushing last season and split time with Kane-Maika'I who had 702 yards.
Honolulu had less than 4000 yards passing and Kane-Maika'i was second on the team in receiving yards. Kai gives them another back and can run and catch. Its hard to pass up Kai but defense was an area of need for Honolulu.
There defense have up the second most points in the league with 435. Cornerback was an area of need but they obviously didn't feel they could reach for one in the first round. If the can focus on their ground game they can take pressure off their defenses.
There were involved in a lot of high scoring games last season. They need to be able to get a lead and run the ball to control the clock to get there defense much needed rest.
Cobra Kai had a great season last year as a rookie in the DSFL. He was the 3rd of 3 rookie Running backs who lead the DSFL in rushing. While Forty-Two lead the way with 1638 yards and 8 touchdowns he also was the primary back. Forty-Two had 423 rushing attempts, which was the most by any Running back, giving him only 3.9 yards per a carry.
Rochtburns was second with 1488 and 11 Touchdowns. He had 317 attempts giving him 4.7 yards per a carry.
Kai had 1482 yards and 8 touchdowns, but where he stands out is that he did they on only 278 carries. 6 less yards than Rochtburns and 39 less carries. He also had 155 less carries than Forty-Two. Had he had the same amount of carriers he would surely be over 2,000 yards. Kai also split his carries with another rookie, Miglaskems. He has 873 yards and 3 touchdowns on 224 carries. What Kai did was very impressive with his limited touches.
Kai also had 16 catches on the season for 97 yards. Dallas didn't use their Running backs in the passing game much because of there focus on the run game, but Kai has the ability to fit right in to Honolulu's high powered offense.
Pick 8. Chicago Butchers
Offensive line Alexander Franklin
Chicago had a decent year again, but once again they fell to Colorado in the playoffs and this year it wasn't pretty. They lost 34 - 7 at Colorado.
There defense played very well and gave up the 2nd least amount on point, but there offense struggle a lot and of course there defense didn't show up when it needed to in the playoffs.
Running back is an area of need for them but they would be looking for a backup and you shouldn't be taking backups in the first round.
Linebacker was a need and there were first round grades linebackers available.
Safety was also an area of need and two great Safeties were available at this point, but chicago went for depth on the offensive line. They gave up 22 sacks last season which was close to the league average. Chicago can opt to leave Franklin in the DSFL for a season and being him up to start if and when they decide to move on from one of there starters.
Franklin had a pretty good year last season, he had 47 pancakes and only gave up one sack. He won't have an immediate impact on Chicago, but he was the best available Tackle in the draft and will be a good one for years. Chicago could have used more of an immediate impact player.
Pick 9. Arizona Outlaws
Safety Moe Skeeter
Last season Safety was a need and Arizona picked Tayshawn Crunk with their first pick and it paid off well for Arizona. In Crunks first game he had 3 tackles, a sack and 2 interceptions. Crunk would end up leading all rookies with 5 interceptions and 2 touchdowns. Arizona lead the ISFL with 23 interceptions which was 6 more than the next closest. Arizona also lead the ISFL in sacks. They only have up 361 points (22.5 points per a game) which was 3rd lowest in the ISFL.
Arizona made it back to the playoffs at 9 - 7 but there season ended in the first round in Overtime against San Jose.
They don't have many holes on there team, besides linebacker. They have a lot of young players stepping up and have set themselves up very well with there recent drafts.
Safety wasn't a need but it's hard to argue with what arizona has done with their development. Skeeter might not see the field for Arizona this year but next year he could end up being nickle CB or possibly starting alongside Crunk.
6 of there 7 losses were by one score and 7 of there wins were by two scores or more. They just needed a play here or there and the outcome of these season would have been much different. With their young roster they will simply get better with experience. If they continue to be able to draft best overall player and let them develop they will continue to be a playoff contender. Jay Cue is at the back end of his career and they need to continue to build a great roster around him while they can.
Skeeter had a great season as a rookie in the DSFL. 67 tackles, 4 sacks, 4 interceptions, 4 pass deflections and 2 pick sixes. His stats look a lot like Crunks and having both of these guys in at safety will make the back end of their defense ridiculously good.
Arizona picked the perfect guy for there very oppurntistic defense.
Pick 10. Sarasota Sailfish
Defensive end Demon Jaxson
Sarasota had a great season last year. They finished there season winning 9 straight games and ended up 11-5. They played Chicago in the first round and lost a close game 27-20. Another disappointing end to a great season for them. They finished with the Highest scoring offense and there defense was middle of the pack in terms of scoring. They were in the bottom 5 of sacks but did have the second most interceptions.
Defensive end wasn't really a need for Sarasota. They don't have very many needs besides offensive line but they clearly felt the could take a guy who they and develop.
Jaxson had a very underwhelming season last year. He only recorded 24 tackles, 9 tackles for a loss and 3 sacks. When he made a tackle her certainly made an impact. If he can increase his production he might be the guy they need to turn around their defensive line.
Pick 11. Berlin Fire Salamanders
Safety Derek Wildstar
With there second pick in the first round Berlin again went defense. Their defense have up 30 more points than any other defense in the ISFL and I think they are doing a good job trying to address there issues.
Wildstar didn't have a very productive season last year for Kansas City with only 62 tackles, 1 sack and 1 pass deflections, but as I say a lot, he has a lot of potential. Developing with the young players on Berlins defense will help him grow and in the next few season Berlin will have a pretty good defense if they keep addresses their needs. Berlin isn't in a position to make an impact in the playoffs yet, but they are setting up their future well.
Pick 12. Yellowknife Wraiths
Linebacker Leonard Taylor
After there first pick which didn't make a whole lot of sense they were able to fill a need with Taylor. They needed another safety and unfortunately the top two rated safeties were taken with pick 9 by Arizona and pick 11 by Berlin.
Taylor was 2nd amongst rookies with 108 tackles. He also had a forced fumble, fumble recovery, an interception and 2 pass deflections. Yellowknife already have two solid linebackers who had over 100 tackles last season. He will be another draft and developer player. It seems like Yellowknife wants to keep there good positions good with depth and keep there needs as needs.
Pick 13. Colorado Yeti
Defensive Tackle Redbeard McFredbeard
McFredbeard had 1 tackle for a loss and 1 sack and 37 tackles. Not exactly first round pick production but when you go 13 - 3 and get to the championship game in back to back years you can draft and develop.
If the Yetis have a weakness, it's there defense. They could have used a 3rd wide receiver, but Cornerback and defensive tackle are needs. They only had 41 sack last season which was the second lowest total in the league. They also were in the bottom half of most defensive stat categories.
Colorado is a solid team and they will continue to dominate the ISFL. They just need to figure out how to beat San Jose in the championship game. Two season ago the championship game was close but this last season they lost 34 - 17. San Jose ran the ball all over them amassing 180 yards on 49 carries. McDummy had his worst game of the season going 14 / 44 for only 148 yards. 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions. His passer rating was 31.2
For whatever reason San Jose has Colorado's number in the playoffs. Lack of run game and too many passing attempts on offense and the inability to stop the run on defense.
Hopefully for Colorado Redbeard McFredbeard can be the difference maker in the run defense to finally put them over the top. Or Colorado can hope to not play San Jose in the championship game.
Pick 14. San Jose SaberCats
Wide receiver Tugg Speedman
San Jose won their Second Straigh championship with another dominant playoff performance, but once again they they struggled in the regular season and crept into the playoffs. They ended up in third place in the ASFC. They had a few needs that needed to be address and one of them was wide receiver. They were second to last in the league on receiving yards. Hood their leading wide receiver was 12th in the league on yards and tied for 12th in receing touchdowns. They do have two very good running backs which help them control the clock, but they were in 12 one score games last season. They won 8 of those games. They only won one game by more than 8 points. A win is a win but eventually they will start losing those close games without generating more offense. If they want to three peat as champs they need to score more points and that starts with the passing game.
Speedman has 73 catches for 841 as a rookie last season for London. He finished 5th in yards last season. Naught and Speedman were both graded out very similar and I believe San Jose would have been happy with either one.
Orange County Otters did not have a first round pick this year. They had a great season starting off 9-0 with their rookie quarterback. They looked like they would go undefeated and win the championship but they finished 2-5 and limped into the playoffs. They blew out Honolulu 27-6 in the first round of the playoffs and looked like they had there swagger back but ended up losing their next games to San Jose who of course went on to repeat as Champs. This is also the second year in a row they didn't have a first round pick. The need to continue to develop there late round picks if they want to improve. Bot having first round picks will test the ability of their general manager to build this team into a championship team. They are on the cusp of winning but they need to bring in 1st round capable players. They only had two picks in the first 4 rounds, picks 26 and 54 respectably. We shall see if there plan for Free agency will be successful.
Much like last season's draft, Defense was a heavy focus, but unlike last season, we saw 3 skilled players and a quarterback get drafted in the first round. The DSFL champs had two of their linebackers drafted in the top 5 which is very impressive and shows how well Tijuana is run as a franchise.
Overall I liked what Berlin did with their two picks. Again for the second straight year, I wasn't the biggest fan of Philadelphia's pick in the first round because they again didn't address a need when there was great players available to fill that need. I also like what New York did drafting help for their defense.
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