Finally was able to catch up on the latest in the AFL. Quite the chaos this year outside of the AFL. I enjoy the angles that are being taken with some of these ownership issues, a very interesting read. I was shocked to hear that San Fran was the potential landing spot for Detroit, but I guess the desire to move out west is certainly there.

Excited to see Philly and St. Louis join the league and what is next for the league.

1972 Hall of Fame Vote

It's time to vote for the Hall of Fame class of 1972. I have upped the max number of votes you can cast to 10 from 8. There are a lot of players and I think after this season I am going to start cutting players from the list that are not getting many votes.

Anyway here are the new eligible players for this year's class:
LB Gene Bensen
TE Michael Bowman III
LB Daniel Carpenter
DL Olympus Heights
WR Daniel Irons
DB Lou Lake
TE Paul McDowell
LB Rusty McVee
HC Emil Riddle
RB Clifford Russell
DB Ricardo Salvador
QB Christian Stewart
DL Vernon Spears
OL Sal Valcano

VOTE HERE

1972 NAAF Draft

1st Round

1 - Toronto Steelheads | DL Sam Reinkemeyer | New England - Detroit, MI - Kingsfan11
For the 3rd time since joining the NAAF in 1964, the Steelheads had the #1 pick in the draft. With the selection, they wouldn’t surprise anyone, taking the top prospect on the board, DL Sam Reinkemeyer. Reinkemeyer is a dominant force on the D-line. He’s at the top of his game when he is in the backfield. Taking down the QB and shutting down the run game. He was so good that he was one of the only players last season capable of keeping RB Axel Vandal at bay during the Hybrid Football Championship. With DL Johnathan Ellison leaving Toronto for Long Island, Reinkemeyer is a perfect replacement for a strong defence to maintain their level of play going into next season.

2 - Halifax Mariners | RB Axel Vandal | St-Laurent - Drummondville, QC - ZO82
Many felt the Mariners could go a few different directions with the #2 selection. With their aging WR corps, they could add a top target in WR Eric Norris, or address needs on the O-line or at safety. However, they would ignore those needs and take the top RB in the class. Vandal was borderline unstoppable in college. He’s one of the most balanced runners out there, having a mix of speed, elusiveness, and power that makes him a rare find. RB Max Tracy is about the closest comparison to Vandal. Halifax goes out here and gets their top RB to pair up with QB Todd Sparrow, who was their 1st overall selection last year. 

3 - Regina Wheat Kings | LB Lewis Vander | Maine State - Portsmouth, NH - Jayhawk
The Wheat Kings had a lot of needs throughout the roster, so making a pick is certainly a challenge. They would take Maine State’s Lewis Vander, who might have been the perfect selection. Vander is a jack-of-all-trades defender. He bounced around the defence a lot, moving to many different posit

The 1972 Gains Report: Draft Preview

The defensive line is a growing position of need in the NAAF at the moment. Many teams are looking to make improvements, and to their luck, there are a couple of gems at the very top of this year’s prospect pool. DL Sam Reinkemeyer could be a generational talent at the position. He famously shut down the impressive RB Axel Vandal during the Hybrid Football Championship game which hadn’t been done by anyone else. He is a powerful and focused individual that any team will want to have on their D-line. DL Robin Lucas was also impressive this season, having a great physique and incredible talent. Some worry about his commitment to his team, often being a bit of a recluse and more focused on himself than anyone else. He also has shown to ease off the gas pedal in games, playing casually when his team is up by a lot which can lead to some mistakes. However, he is still a great talent. Further down the list, there are a couple of other players like Pacific Provincial’s Graham de Veres and Haynes’ Christopher Hearson who may need a little more work. 

Maine State’s success over the last 2 seasons has been heavily impacted by LB Lewis Vander. Vander’s ability to play in any position defensively has allowed him to be all over the field. He has a great understanding of the defence due to his ability to play in different positions. In his senior year, he started to settle in at Linebacker, but has solid coverage skills which isn’t as common among linebackers in the NAAF at the moment. RISU’s Morgan King, is a really solid #2 option, having fantastic fundamentals. LB Yuri Dragunov is another interesting prospect, being a great linebacker with speed to cover the field, however, a major injury in his senior year dropped his stock a little after some thought he might be a top 5 pick going into the year. LB Zach Sexton, out of Louisville State, is al

TheEnigmaticOne wrote:

Wallflower wrote:

TheEnigmaticOne wrote:

Im sure that the Wynn's, who if memory serves attended WNY, must be rooting for the their alma mater, considering that the Whitetails have been runners up in 1967, 1969 and 1970. Better luck next year.

Yep, the Wynns all have come from WNY, including Cam Wynn who was on the team this year. So another reason to cheer for their old school.

 That is pretty cool. I was recently thinking about the Wynn story, in the context that I think it makes sense that Alexander Wynn, the Wynn Brothers father is an ex professional football linebacker, who coached at the High School level for his sons. Obviously if you disagree with that its your call.

Can't wait for the draft, hopefully Cam can find his way to roster, be great to see him dated highly, but I'll take what I can get.

 

I don't see an issue with that. They are from the Buffalo area, so he could easily have played for the Blue Wings Pre-NAAF. Though it would be cutting it pretty close with Le'Darius being born in 1944, assuming Alex was still in his 20s at the time, but could've been later if he was involved in the War.