12-27-2023, 02:44 PM
(This post was last modified: 12-29-2023, 11:14 AM by lemonoppy. Edited 1 time in total.)
As we approach the final few weeks of S45 in the ISFL, the draft order is beginning to take shape, and teams are starting to ramp up scouting. It’s Christmas, it’s double media, so what better gift for us all than a way to early mock!
There are a TON of tiebreakers currently with nearly half of the league sitting at either 6-7 or 7-6. That means that picks 3-11 could swap places with one another in the next few weeks. To add on top of that, none of the picks are currently locked up. NOLA could still drop out of 1OA, SAR could end up picking as low as 4th. It’s going to be a wild ride to the finish, so I hope everybody is strapped in and ready to go!
I believe I’ve accounted for all tiebreakers to arrive at the below order. The tiebreakers are as follows, and listed in the ISFL rulebook:
The tiebreaker for draft picks as follows:
- Playoff berth
- Head to Head record
- Point differential
- Record among common opponents
- Coinflip
- In this order
Pick #1 NOLA - Oxford Comma, LB, @domffl
NOLA finds themselves in a familiar situation (3 win season, 1OA pick in the draft). This time feels different though, as the 3 wins season came over SJS (a markedly improved team from last season), HON (current ASFC leader and defending champ), COL (currently second in the NSFC). The defense is definitely improved for the Second Line, as they are currently on pace to surrender nearly 150 points fewer than they did last season. To that end though, the rush defense of the Second Line continues to be the achilles heel for this young team. Insert Oxford Comma and user Domffl. They fill a fairly large need at LB for NOLA, and provide another veteran user to help lead the team moving forward.
Pick #2 YKW - Chopper Donquixote, WR, @amjohnson636
YKW has had an interesting season so far. Their offense has had streaks of hot and cold, and their defense has given up the most points in the league by a considerable margin. All that being said though, they find themselves with 4 wins currently, and have a chance to play spoiler in the final stretch of the season. I think they could go a number of different ways with this pick, potentially grabbing a defensive anchor to provide some stability to that side of the field. OR, they could go with the “Offense is the best defense approach”. With first year QB Maximus Boudreaux at the helm and YKW currently lacking a true #1 WR (Rojas is currently filling that roll), what better way then to help commit to your current QB than to get them a max earning WR to throw to. This pick just makes too much sense to me.
Pick #3 SJS - Purdy Mediocre, RB, @KaleSalad
Now we get to the part of the mock where I think anything can happen. Looking at SJS this season, they find themselves in the thick of the playoff hunt in the ASFC, and primed to be competitive for years to come. Interesting point here as well, one of SJS GMs is in this draft, and will need to be taken in the second round (Duilio’s Beard, LB), which leaves their first round pick open to be anything. I think SJS goes best player available here and nabs a RB to pair with Dogwood, as Farquaads is about to become a FA and is IA.
Pick #4 CTC - Leo Simon Schwartz, DT, @griis
CTC has come “crashing” down this year, coming off of an Ultimus appearance last season and finding themselves at 6-7 in the NSFC, fighting tooth and nail for a playoff spot. Similar to SJS, CTC also has a GM pick in this draft (Scorch Von Turbo, RB), so their first round pick is wide open in terms of what direction they can go. CTC may also be losing a few bodies to retirement this season, so the need for youth is as a strong as ever. I think they grab a DT here to help solidify the defense up front.
Pick #5 BER - Devin Jones, CB, @Drizzy
Much like the rest of the NSFC, Berlin is fighting for a playoff spot right now. Offensively, Berlin is in an okay spot with Armor Queen being the main offensive force for the Fire Salamanders. However, if you take a peek at their secondary, you can see that many of those pieces are starting to be hit by regression fairly hard (Current Season years: 36, 42, 38, 37). Taking a replacement at this pick for their secondary could pay huge dividends in a few seasons. That’s why I believe they’ll go with one of the highest remaining TPE CBs on the board in Jones.
Pick #6 OCO - Léopold Roy, LB, @Gordon Bombay
I really like what OCO has going on right now. They had some bad luck this year early on in the season that pushed them down to the bottom of the conference. But the team has started firing on all cylinders as of late and find themselves, much like everyone else, racing for that coveted wild card spot. OCO doesn’t have too many gaping holes on their roster currently, so this pick could be a number of different things. Right now, I think they look to shore up their LB core, and grab one of the better LBs remaining on the board.
Pick #7 CHI - Corey Trevor, RB, @DigDoug11
Chicago has been one of the biggest surprises to me so far this season. Currently only a tiebreaker out of the playoffs, Chicago may be on the cusp of going from 1OA pick in last years draft to making the playoffs in the next season. Powered by Painted Penguin and JHM, the offense seems to be in good shape, but with the future of JHM potentially up in the air moving forward, they could look to bring in the heir apparent to keep the backfield chugging along. With a plethora of options available to them, I think Chicago does exactly that, and grabs a running back here to help solidify the backfield behind JHM and Jefferson.
Pick #8 NYS - Silence Suzuka, WR, @xenosthelegend
A preseason favorite to take home the whole thing, NYS has struggled this season offensively. Even with the power of Dux in the backfield, the offense hasn’t been able to find any consistency. However, the defense of the Silverbacks has been one of the toughest in the league, allowing the second fewest points across both conferences, and ranking #1 in defensive passing efficiency. Again, this is another team that could go a number of different ways. With Ferraro stepping away from the game at seasons end, they could look to bring in a Safety to keep the defense rolling. Or, they could look to help replenish the offensive side of the ball where the signs of age will start to show soon. This one is tough to predict at the moment, but for right now, I think NYS looks to help replenish an aging WR core.
Pick #9 NOLA (via BAL) - KrustyKrab Pizza - WR, @Dindog
NOLA has Baltimores' pick as a byproduct of the Swoosh trade that occurred last season. This pick, much like the others in the 3-11 range, could shift to be as a high as 3, or as low as 14. This makes it super tough to predict where they may go with this pick, so right now, in this scenario, I think NOLA goes BPA, and grabs a WR to complement Mardukas and Passarelli.
Pick #10 AZ - Sergei Nunkanblok - DE - @theskinnyman
Another team that has shown a lack of consistency, but found ways to win when it matters most, Arizona is primed for a youth movement on defense. While the team isn't going to be hit super hard by regression in the coming season, there are some holes that will be expected to be filled. Specifically the loss of Udo E Beaty, the Outlaws would be smart to attempt to shore up their defensive front and make good use of the remaining seasons that they’ll have Sir Tywrell around. Good news for them though, there are a pair of DEs still on the board, and they’ll pull the trigger on one of them here.
Pick #11 AUS - Octavio Volarus, OL, @CementHands
AUS currently finds themselves holding the 2 seed in the ASFC, but are gunning for the #1 spot over HON in these final 3 games. That’s crazy to say, especially when you remember that AUS switched to a rookie signal-caller this year. Similar to my discussion on YKWs strategy, I think the best thing that AUS can do for Jay Cue is to build around them. In this case though, I think AUS looks to shore up the Oline, as they currently only have 3 lineman to protect their QB. There are a few other spots they can go, but it depends on Cowards future with the team, so for right now, I think they nab the only OLineman in the draft.
Pick #12 COL - Wynn Jenkins, K/P, @Rydychyn
Colorado finds themselves in the 2 spot right now in the NSFC. After starting out the season hot, the Yeti have cooled off as of late, dropping 4 of their last 6, and yielding the top spot in the conference to Sarasota. COLs issue last year was their defense not being able to keep up with their offense. This year however, the tables have turned quite a bit. COLs defense has given up the fewest points in the league this season, paired with the fewest points and yards per game. Their offense on the other hand has been fairly pedestrian, ranking in the middle of the pack in almost all statistics. This doesn’t necessarily mean that the offense needs help, as they have talent all across the field for them. However, COL will be losing Doom this offseason to retirement, so I think they try to fill that with a max earning kicker as quickly as possible.
Pick #13 HON - Miller Light, S, @crow19
The reigning Ultimus champs find themselves at the head of the table in the ASFC, but have several teams nipping at their heels. Both sides of the ball for the Hahalua have excelled this season, but failed to show up in 3 separate conference outings (shoutout NOLA). HON is another team with a GM pick this season (Fig Newton, RB), so they’ll continue to stock up offensively in the next round. They aren’t super long in the tooth at any one position, so this leaves HON open to taking BPA.
Pick #14 SAR - PeePee Poop-Eater Jr. - S, @Nathan
Year in and year out Sarasota finds a way to be competitive, and this year looks like it may finally be the year that they make a run for the crown. It’s tough to try and piece together where this team could go fishing for talent at years end though. You’ve got Willie Miller, their star QB, coming up on year 7, you’ve got a relatively old CB group, and a K/P about to be playing in year 10. If I had done this mock before the TDL this season, I’d say that SAR takes Zeigler out of NOR to be the QB of the future. But looking at the field now, I think they look to add a piece to the secondary.
Bonus DSFL 1st Round Breakdown:
- 1
- 2
- 2
- 2
- 1
- 3
- 2
- 1
There are a TON of tiebreakers currently with nearly half of the league sitting at either 6-7 or 7-6. That means that picks 3-11 could swap places with one another in the next few weeks. To add on top of that, none of the picks are currently locked up. NOLA could still drop out of 1OA, SAR could end up picking as low as 4th. It’s going to be a wild ride to the finish, so I hope everybody is strapped in and ready to go!
I believe I’ve accounted for all tiebreakers to arrive at the below order. The tiebreakers are as follows, and listed in the ISFL rulebook:
The tiebreaker for draft picks as follows:
- Playoff berth
- Head to Head record
- Point differential
- Record among common opponents
- Coinflip
- In this order
Pick #1 NOLA - Oxford Comma, LB, @domffl
NOLA finds themselves in a familiar situation (3 win season, 1OA pick in the draft). This time feels different though, as the 3 wins season came over SJS (a markedly improved team from last season), HON (current ASFC leader and defending champ), COL (currently second in the NSFC). The defense is definitely improved for the Second Line, as they are currently on pace to surrender nearly 150 points fewer than they did last season. To that end though, the rush defense of the Second Line continues to be the achilles heel for this young team. Insert Oxford Comma and user Domffl. They fill a fairly large need at LB for NOLA, and provide another veteran user to help lead the team moving forward.
Pick #2 YKW - Chopper Donquixote, WR, @amjohnson636
YKW has had an interesting season so far. Their offense has had streaks of hot and cold, and their defense has given up the most points in the league by a considerable margin. All that being said though, they find themselves with 4 wins currently, and have a chance to play spoiler in the final stretch of the season. I think they could go a number of different ways with this pick, potentially grabbing a defensive anchor to provide some stability to that side of the field. OR, they could go with the “Offense is the best defense approach”. With first year QB Maximus Boudreaux at the helm and YKW currently lacking a true #1 WR (Rojas is currently filling that roll), what better way then to help commit to your current QB than to get them a max earning WR to throw to. This pick just makes too much sense to me.
Pick #3 SJS - Purdy Mediocre, RB, @KaleSalad
Now we get to the part of the mock where I think anything can happen. Looking at SJS this season, they find themselves in the thick of the playoff hunt in the ASFC, and primed to be competitive for years to come. Interesting point here as well, one of SJS GMs is in this draft, and will need to be taken in the second round (Duilio’s Beard, LB), which leaves their first round pick open to be anything. I think SJS goes best player available here and nabs a RB to pair with Dogwood, as Farquaads is about to become a FA and is IA.
Pick #4 CTC - Leo Simon Schwartz, DT, @griis
CTC has come “crashing” down this year, coming off of an Ultimus appearance last season and finding themselves at 6-7 in the NSFC, fighting tooth and nail for a playoff spot. Similar to SJS, CTC also has a GM pick in this draft (Scorch Von Turbo, RB), so their first round pick is wide open in terms of what direction they can go. CTC may also be losing a few bodies to retirement this season, so the need for youth is as a strong as ever. I think they grab a DT here to help solidify the defense up front.
Pick #5 BER - Devin Jones, CB, @Drizzy
Much like the rest of the NSFC, Berlin is fighting for a playoff spot right now. Offensively, Berlin is in an okay spot with Armor Queen being the main offensive force for the Fire Salamanders. However, if you take a peek at their secondary, you can see that many of those pieces are starting to be hit by regression fairly hard (Current Season years: 36, 42, 38, 37). Taking a replacement at this pick for their secondary could pay huge dividends in a few seasons. That’s why I believe they’ll go with one of the highest remaining TPE CBs on the board in Jones.
Pick #6 OCO - Léopold Roy, LB, @Gordon Bombay
I really like what OCO has going on right now. They had some bad luck this year early on in the season that pushed them down to the bottom of the conference. But the team has started firing on all cylinders as of late and find themselves, much like everyone else, racing for that coveted wild card spot. OCO doesn’t have too many gaping holes on their roster currently, so this pick could be a number of different things. Right now, I think they look to shore up their LB core, and grab one of the better LBs remaining on the board.
Pick #7 CHI - Corey Trevor, RB, @DigDoug11
Chicago has been one of the biggest surprises to me so far this season. Currently only a tiebreaker out of the playoffs, Chicago may be on the cusp of going from 1OA pick in last years draft to making the playoffs in the next season. Powered by Painted Penguin and JHM, the offense seems to be in good shape, but with the future of JHM potentially up in the air moving forward, they could look to bring in the heir apparent to keep the backfield chugging along. With a plethora of options available to them, I think Chicago does exactly that, and grabs a running back here to help solidify the backfield behind JHM and Jefferson.
Pick #8 NYS - Silence Suzuka, WR, @xenosthelegend
A preseason favorite to take home the whole thing, NYS has struggled this season offensively. Even with the power of Dux in the backfield, the offense hasn’t been able to find any consistency. However, the defense of the Silverbacks has been one of the toughest in the league, allowing the second fewest points across both conferences, and ranking #1 in defensive passing efficiency. Again, this is another team that could go a number of different ways. With Ferraro stepping away from the game at seasons end, they could look to bring in a Safety to keep the defense rolling. Or, they could look to help replenish the offensive side of the ball where the signs of age will start to show soon. This one is tough to predict at the moment, but for right now, I think NYS looks to help replenish an aging WR core.
Pick #9 NOLA (via BAL) - KrustyKrab Pizza - WR, @Dindog
NOLA has Baltimores' pick as a byproduct of the Swoosh trade that occurred last season. This pick, much like the others in the 3-11 range, could shift to be as a high as 3, or as low as 14. This makes it super tough to predict where they may go with this pick, so right now, in this scenario, I think NOLA goes BPA, and grabs a WR to complement Mardukas and Passarelli.
Pick #10 AZ - Sergei Nunkanblok - DE - @theskinnyman
Another team that has shown a lack of consistency, but found ways to win when it matters most, Arizona is primed for a youth movement on defense. While the team isn't going to be hit super hard by regression in the coming season, there are some holes that will be expected to be filled. Specifically the loss of Udo E Beaty, the Outlaws would be smart to attempt to shore up their defensive front and make good use of the remaining seasons that they’ll have Sir Tywrell around. Good news for them though, there are a pair of DEs still on the board, and they’ll pull the trigger on one of them here.
Pick #11 AUS - Octavio Volarus, OL, @CementHands
AUS currently finds themselves holding the 2 seed in the ASFC, but are gunning for the #1 spot over HON in these final 3 games. That’s crazy to say, especially when you remember that AUS switched to a rookie signal-caller this year. Similar to my discussion on YKWs strategy, I think the best thing that AUS can do for Jay Cue is to build around them. In this case though, I think AUS looks to shore up the Oline, as they currently only have 3 lineman to protect their QB. There are a few other spots they can go, but it depends on Cowards future with the team, so for right now, I think they nab the only OLineman in the draft.
Pick #12 COL - Wynn Jenkins, K/P, @Rydychyn
Colorado finds themselves in the 2 spot right now in the NSFC. After starting out the season hot, the Yeti have cooled off as of late, dropping 4 of their last 6, and yielding the top spot in the conference to Sarasota. COLs issue last year was their defense not being able to keep up with their offense. This year however, the tables have turned quite a bit. COLs defense has given up the fewest points in the league this season, paired with the fewest points and yards per game. Their offense on the other hand has been fairly pedestrian, ranking in the middle of the pack in almost all statistics. This doesn’t necessarily mean that the offense needs help, as they have talent all across the field for them. However, COL will be losing Doom this offseason to retirement, so I think they try to fill that with a max earning kicker as quickly as possible.
Pick #13 HON - Miller Light, S, @crow19
The reigning Ultimus champs find themselves at the head of the table in the ASFC, but have several teams nipping at their heels. Both sides of the ball for the Hahalua have excelled this season, but failed to show up in 3 separate conference outings (shoutout NOLA). HON is another team with a GM pick this season (Fig Newton, RB), so they’ll continue to stock up offensively in the next round. They aren’t super long in the tooth at any one position, so this leaves HON open to taking BPA.
Pick #14 SAR - PeePee Poop-Eater Jr. - S, @Nathan
Year in and year out Sarasota finds a way to be competitive, and this year looks like it may finally be the year that they make a run for the crown. It’s tough to try and piece together where this team could go fishing for talent at years end though. You’ve got Willie Miller, their star QB, coming up on year 7, you’ve got a relatively old CB group, and a K/P about to be playing in year 10. If I had done this mock before the TDL this season, I’d say that SAR takes Zeigler out of NOR to be the QB of the future. But looking at the field now, I think they look to add a piece to the secondary.
Bonus DSFL 1st Round Breakdown:
- 1
- 2
- 2
- 2
- 1
- 3
- 2
- 1