1959 NAAF Draft Preview 
The draft class of 1959 does not have the same wow factor that the ‘58 class had, but there are certainly some strong prospects at the very top of the list. Teams will be looking to upgrade their secondary if they are in the top 4. DB Oliver Langstrom, S Cal Clemmons, and S Garet deVale all have next-level abilities that will make them immediate threats to QBs around the NAAF. However, with the high talent, you do get some strong personalities so pick at your own risk seems to be the thoughts going into those 3 players. OL Ward Briscoe will also be a top target for a team near the top for anyone that needs to add to their O-line. He is a strong and hard-working player that will be great for run-heavy teams. 

After the top 4, things start to get a little all over the place. WR Zachariah Pembroke and WR Piers Key will both be strong options for teams to add weapons to their offence. Pembroke carries a lot of the physical advantages of a taller receiver with a large wingspan, while Key has more athletic ability and can get open in tight situations making him a red zone target. 

DL Lonnie Vincent will headline the strong defensive additions teams could make outside the top 4, having great size and strength plus a never give up attitude. Both LB Dallas Dillard and LB George Yokoi could be good options. Dillard has a lot of range moving around the field, but his coverage isn’t the best. Some will say that Yokoi could be the more talented of the two LBs but he lacks some confidence in his own play which causes him to hesitate in pressure moments. 

DB Cameron Taylor will also make headlines as he was expected to be an early 2nd round pick in the ACFL’s draft, but he decided to follow QB Nathaniel Braddock’s path and shoot for the NAAF where he looks to be falling around the same spot. He’s another strong athlete, that plays to the whistle, maybe even after the whistle. In the big picture, if more players continue to make the jump to the NAAF, the ACFL will surely have an issue. 

Top 25 Prospects
1 - DB Oliver Langstrom - Lawrence Gainsborough - Darknes
2 - S Cal Clemmons - George Stefanikis - Dan O’Mac
3 - OL Ward Briscoe - Brad Cumberland - DireBear
4 - S Garet deVale - Cameron Gordon - QCS
5 - DL Lonnie Vincent - Johnny Singleton - Captain Mort 3D
6 - WR Zachariah Pembroke - Lawrence Gainsborough - Darknes
7 - OL Levi Francoeur - George Stefanikis - Dan O’Mac
8 - WR Piers Key - Ronald Wilke - ThisIsFine
9 - LB Dallas Dillard - George Stefanikis - Dan O’Mac
10 - DB Cameron Taylor - Wally Flowers - Wallflower
11 - LB George Yokoi - Cameron Gordon - QCS
12 - DL Dennis Hughes - Johnny Singleton - Captain Mort 3D
13 - OL Forrest Green - Roger Roy - Thehealthiestscratch
14 - DL Hubert Tessier - Wally Flowers - Wallflower
15 - OL Brian O’Leary - Lawrence Gainsborough - Darknes
16 - WR Silas Peyton - Lawrence Gainsborough - Darknes
17 - RB Cody Barnes - Dewey Thomas - Rugrat
18 - TE Oliver Chandler - Johnny Singleton - Captain Mort 3D
19 - WR Jack Duncan - Johnny Singleton - Captain Mort 3D
20 - DB Max Lehr - Brad Cumberland - DireBear
21 - DL Ted Madison - Brad Cumberland - DireBear
22 - LB Brady O’Connor - Dewey Thomas - Rugrat
23 - TE Andrew Mathias - Johnny Armando - Stickman
24 - DL Harrison Fink - Lawrence Gainsborough - Darknes
25 - OL Jimmy McKay - George Stefanikis - Dan O’Mac 

Louisville sits in a good spot. While some are worried that they made the wrong choice trading out of the Nathaniel Braddock pick last season, they do enter this draft with 3 picks in the top 11. A few teams have had similar experiences and have had success like the Raiders who picked 3 times in the top 9 in 1954 with DL Vernon Spears (1), LB Elijah Goldwater (4), and WR Darryl Duke (9). Louisville looks to likely take one of the secondary players early and then look to one of the WRs later before potentially adding more to the defence at 11.  The top 4 players will likely go to the first 4 picks, but the order is quite split among scouts’ mock drafts. After those 4, there isn’t really much to go off of, and trade rumours are very quiet at the moment, which could make for a less chaotic draft or some big surprises. 

Draft Order and Needs
1 - Louisville Thunder - DL, LB, DB, WR, OL
Picks: 1, 6, 11, 21, 29
2 - Worcester Athletics - OL, DL, WR, LB
Picks: 2, 12, 19, 22
3 - Montreal Rouge - DL, LB, OL, S
Picks: 3, 13, 33
4 - Indiana Victors - WR, LB, DB, S, OL, DL
Picks: 4, 14, 24, 34
5 - Buffalo Blue Wings - RB, DL, LB, OL
Picks: 5, 15, 23, 25, 35
6 - Boston Independents - WR, DL, DB, OL
Picks: 16, 26, 36 - *LOU has 1st rounder
7 - Providence Gold Stars - DB, LB, DL, OL, RB
Picks: 7, 17, 27
8 - London Tigers - LB, OL, DL, WR
Picks: 8, 18, 28, 32, 38
9 - Ottawa Royals - OL, DL
Picks: 9, 31, 37, 39
10 - Long Island Raiders - OL, DB
Picks: 10, 20, 30, 40 

Any mock drafts? Who's Louisville taking #1?

I think we take Langstrom #1, Pembroke or Key #6, and then we hope Dillard, Taylor or Yokoi is on the board still at #11. We could also possibly take Vincent at #6 and hope Pembroke or Key falls to us at #11, but I'd rather the first scenario, there's a big drop in WR talent after Key in comparison to defensive talent, which is a bit more plentiful. 

1959 NAAF Draft
1st Round 

The 1959 draft was nowhere near as chaotic as last season’s draft which saw the first 3 picks of the draft traded. In fact, this time around, there were no trades in the opening round as a whole. There were some rumours for trades around teams like Ottawa, Providence, Buffalo, and London, but nothing came of it. Without further ado, here are the selections of the first round. 

1 - Louisville Thunder - DB Oliver Langstrom - Toronto, ON
The Thunder make Langstrom just the 3rd defensive player to go with the #1 selection. While both S Garet deVale and S Cal Clemmons were highly talented options, S Johnny Berger already seems to have the S position locked down for Louisville. Going for the top DB was certainly the right decision as Langstrom with last year’s #6 pick DB Jayden Mills and S Johnny Berger will form a strong secondary for the future. 

The Gains Report
Langstrom is a very calculated player. He can see the field and often attacks plays that he sees developing in front of him. He is ruthless in the pursuit of breaking up the play, using his speed to get involved in the play. Of course, his predictions can run him into trouble, if he is wrong and gets caught out of position. As a whole, Langstrom will have the potential to be up there among the best DBs in the league that will be an annoyance to many QBs in the NAAF. 

2 - Worcester Athletics - OL Ward Briscoe - Columbus, OH
The Athletics look to replace their major loss with OL Magnus Gunnersson going to London last offseason. They also still have S Shawn Jensen on the back end, so safety was not a major need for the team.

Brad Cumberland’s Scouting Report
Briscoe is the definition of a perfect OL prospect, he’s got a high football IQ, plays with passion, and gives it his all on every play. Briscoe has strength and power that allows him to take control of the line. He uses his power to create holes for rushing plays, which makes him valuable to any run-heavy team. Worcester fits the bill and Briscoe should fit right in.  

3 - Montreal Rouge - S Garet deVale - Springfield, MA
Montreal becomes the first to take one of the two safeties at the top of the draft board. Despite S Jumon Cobb’s strong play, they know that they can’t pass up on a superb safety prospect. Montreal’s secondary certainly gets a lot better with deVale joining DBs Quentin Xavier and Jontray Cox. 

Cameron Gordon’s Scouting Report
deVale is a lighting rod, super-fast, and looks to break up plays before they fully develop. The nickname “Jupiter” has been given to deVale for his “lightning” quick abilities resembling that of the Roman god of Jupiter. While his speed is very attractive to teams, his attitude and off-field issues have been a concern. He lets his emotions get the better of him sometimes which has landed him in hot water both on and off the field. 

4- Indiana Victors - S Cal Clemmons - Sandusky, OH
The Victors had a pretty easy choice in taking the last of the players considering in the top 4. At this point, the Victors could use anyone to help move their team forward and Clemmons will have an immediate impact on the back end of the defence. 

George Stefanikis’ Scouting Report
Clemmons has a super high ceiling. He can do it all; he makes tackles, breaks up plays, and brings in interceptions with strong fundamentals and skill. He can do that with few mistakes if he’s not caught in his own emotions and showboating. The fiery safety can get caught in his desire to be a star and let his emotions fly. While sometimes it helps his team get fired up, there are times when it becomes a distraction and can cost the team.  

5 - Buffalo Blue Wings - DL Lonnie Vincent - Lowell, MA
The Blue Wings would kick off what looks to be the start of their rebuild with a young future replacement for DL Sean Bowen. The D-line is a major place of need for the Blue Wings, so Vincent was a great pick at #5. 

Johnny Singleton’s Scouting Report
Vincent is a strong player, with a large wingspan and size that allows him to grab an advantage over offensive linemen. He has high endurance which means he plays every down with the same effort as the last. He always looks to improve on the field by watching film, training, and working closely with his teammates and coaches. He has great leadership and relationships with staff members which makes him a highly sought-after prospect. 

6 - Louisville Thunder (via Boston) - WR Piers Key - Naperville, IL
With the 1st rounder that they got from Boston in the “Braddock” trade at last year’s draft, the Thunder looked to find a young receiver to pair up with WR Ben Roland. Both Piers Key and Zachariah Pembroke were options, but Key seems to be the safer option of the two. 

Ronald Wilke’s Scouting Report
Key is a great athlete with abilities, to not only bring in receptions but make defenders miss and overpower DBs to make big catches. In fact, he is at his best in the endzone using his height and catching abilities to make plays in tough coverage. He’s shown these strong abilities in college, but he’ll still need to work on the more detailed skills of a WR. He can be a bit reckless and try to take things into his own hands if he sees the opportunity, but he truly is trying to win and in fact, has a leadership element that can come out when necessary. 

7 - Providence Gold Stars - DB Cameron Taylor - Philadelphia, PA
The Gold Stars are in desperate need to bring in a younger secondary with Lee Wolfe at 35 and Victor Bean at 32. They did have an up and coming DB in Ricardo Salvador, but they sent him to London in order to get RB Laurent Brazeau and DB Paul Gregory for a playoff run in 1956. Taylor was looking like an ACFL prospect but made the move to the NAAF seeing Nathaniel Braddock make the same decision last season. 

Wally Flowers’ scouting Report
Taylor is a great athlete, with strong speed and jumping ability in order to get involved in the play. He has solid awareness in man-to-man, which will allow him to shut down top tier receivers, but zone coverage could be an issue with his weaker tackling ability. The good news is you are getting a competitor who goes for every play he can and will try no matter what. 

8 - London Tigers - LB Dallas Dillard - Buffalo, NY
The Tigers don’t have a lot of positions that have older players or dire needs, so they looked to the future and grabbed Dillard to hopefully develop behind LBs Aengus Lynch and Benjamin Pittman 

George Stefanikis’ Scouting Report
Well, it is a bit unfortunate that a hardcore Blue Wings fan is headed to their rival’s team, but Dillard is going to be a great addition to the squad. Dillard is one of the smartest players out there graduating college at the top of his class and a biology degree. His IQ on the field will certainly help him be a leader and be able to know where the play is going. He has a great tackling ability, but he does struggle in coverage situations, which will be his major point of focus during his early development. 

9 - Ottawa Royals - OL Levi Francoeur - Métis-sur-Mer, QC
The Royals had a tough decision to make on which line to focus on. Since they don’t pick until the 4th round after the 9th pick, they had to go with the best available in either position. In the end, they went to the Quebecois OL Levi Francoeur.  

George Stefanikis’ Scouting Report
Francoeur is a true workhorse, who is often in the gym getting stronger. While he is big and has the strength, the technical skills can be a bit of an issue. While he’s fine in simple run blocking situations and quick throws, he will start to make mistakes if he has to hold a block for longer. Certainly needs some development, but as a whole, his strength and work ethic make him a strong candidate to become a better player in the future for Ottawa. 

10 - Long Island Raiders - OL Brian O’Leary - South Boston, MA
The Raiders would close out the opening round by reaching a bit to grab O’Leary. He was expected to go mid 2nd round, but the Raiders had him on their list and took the chance to grab him at 10. 

The Gains Report
O’Leary has a very happy go lucky personality and gets along with a lot of people. He’s got strong technical skills and fundamentals, but he certainly isn’t a physical specimen. He can hold blocks well, but faster players will be able to get the better of him. With the speed of a lot of newer D-linemen in the NAAF, O’Leary will likely need to work on that flaw to get into starting snaps. 

That wraps up the opening round of the NAAF draft, not a lot of action, but some strong building blocks for the future of these teams, 3 more rounds are ahead, and they will be out soon enough. 

1959 NAAF Draft
2nd Round
The second round continued as the first round went. Louisville would kick off the round by taking LB George Yokoi to add to LB Silas O’Brien and LB Charlie Finster in their defence. Yokoi will need to develop a bit, but he could be great with the younger group. Worcester would follow it up by taking WR Zachariah Pembroke, who surprisingly dropped out of the first round as they look to give Gene Bishop some weapons. Montreal would take hometown DL Hubert Tessier with the next pick to continue to add to the defence. Indiana would go for an offensive weapon in WR Silas Peyton while Buffalo hopes that they could get a 2nd round gem in RB Cody Barnes.  

Boston was rumoured to move up in the draft, especially with Pembroke dropping, but Worcester would beat them to it. With Peyton off the board too, they would instead look to improve the D-line with DL Dennis Hughes. However, moments later Louisville and Providence would make the first trade of the draft.

The Thunder would jump up to the 17th overall pick in exchange for the 21st overall pick and 3rd string RB Lucas Bush. They would then select OL Forrest Green with the pick. An interesting lineman with an abnormal wingspan, that allows him to cover a large area.  

To finish out the round the Tigers would grab WR Jack Duncan, Worcester would bring in DL Ted Madison, and finally, DB Max Lehr would go to Long Island. 

11 - LOU - LB George Yokoi - Brooklyn, NY - QCS
12 - WOR - WR Zachariah Pembroke - Manchester, NH - Darknes
13 - MTL - DL Hubert Tessier - Montreal, QC - Wallflower
14 - IND - WR Silas Peyton - Quechee, VT - Darknes
15 - BUF - RB Cody Barnes - Sudbury, ON - Rugrat
16 - BOS - DL Dennis Hughes - Pittsburgh, PA - Captain Mort 3D
17 - LOU (via PRO) - OL Forrest Green - Sault Ste. Marie, ON - Thehealthiestscratch
18 - LDN - WR Jack Duncan - Wilmington, DE - Captain Mort 3D
19 - WOR (via OTT) - DL Ted Madison - Holland, MI - DireBear
20 - LI - DB Max Lehr - Wheeling, WV - DireBear 

3rd Round
The 3rd round would start with Providence making the pick they traded Louisville for. Unfortunately one of their options, Max Lehr had gone just before them, but they were glad to grab LB Brady O’Conner to add some youth in the middle of their defence. Several linemen would go after that before the biggest trade of the draft occurred. 

The Boston Independents have been looking for a #2 WR to add behind WR Ellis Lindholm. They were looking to draft someone earlier but they were too far back. Instead, they went to Worcester to grab a veteran wideout for the job. They would acquire WR Clyde McIntosh in exchange for the 26th overall pick and S prospect Clancy Scott. McIntosh is without a contract which makes his price lower, and Boston took advantage, if they can lock him up, McIntosh will be a great addition to open up the field for Lindholm.  

Worcester would grab TE Oliver Chandler with the pick, but right before them, Buffalo would take the first QB of the draft with Jack Owens. Buffalo hopes that Owens could be a diamond in the rough to eventually replace QB Angelo Medina, or at least be an option. The final 4 picks didn’t have any real surprises as the teams were grabbing minor needs or local talent. 

21 - PRO (via LOU) - LB Brady O’Conner - Chicago, IL - Rugrat
22 - WOR - OL Otis Bates - Hartford, CT - Captain Mort 3D
23 - BUF (via MTL) - DL Harrison Fink - Windsor, ON - Darknes
24 - IND - OL Jimmy McKay - Falmouth, MA - Dan O’Mac
25 - BUF - QB Jack Owens - Nashville, TN - Rugrat
26 - WOR (via BOS) - TE Oliver Chandler - Indianapolis, IN - Captain Mort 3D
27 - PRO - DB Peter Lee - Ottawa, ON - Wallflower
28 - LDN - DL Nicholas Patterson - Toronto, ON - Wallflower
29 - LOU (via OTT) - OL Daniel Davidson - Boston, MA - Wallflower
30 - LI - TE Andrew Mathias - New York City, NY - Stickman 

4th Round
Ottawa would open up the final round with just their second pick of the draft by taking WR Houston Parker. They would also take WR Russell Montauge later on as they look to add depth in the receiving core. The Tigers would take the only kicker of the draft in London native, K Nimrod Handsworth. They would also grab QB Phil Lowe Jr. with the 38th pick, a QB out of Michigan who seems like a long term project for the team. The remaining picks ended up being teams either going local or taking a shot in the dark.
 
31 - OTT (via LOU) - WR Houston Parker - Washington DC - Rugrat
32 - LDN (via WOR) - K Nimrod Handsworth - London, ON - Stickman
33 - MTL - OL William Johnson - South Bend, IN - Stickman
34 - IND - OL Frank Jorgensen - Big Beaver Lick, KY - Dan O’Mac
35 - BUF - RB Joseph Van Horne - Peoria, IL - Rugrat
36 - BOS - DB Hank McCoy - Louisville, KY - Rugrat
37 - OTT (via PRO) - OL Scott Liebowitz - New York City, NY - Rugrat
38 - LDN - QB Phil Lowe Jr. - Ann Arbor, MI - Rugrat
39 - OTT - WR Russell Montauge - Kenosha, WI - Rugrat
40 - LI - S Phil Fratello - Rochester, NY - Rugrat 

Undrafted Prospects
TE Inder Mallard - Fort Wayne, IN - Sevsdast
DB Larry Pickett - Washington DC - Rugrat
QB Otis Johnson - Stamford, CT - Rugrat
RB Dom D'Amato - Montreal, QC - Rugrat
LB Rick Finklerman - Concord, NH - Rugrat
K Frank Hughes - Dover, DE - Rugrat

Decided to go ahead and post the rest of the draft! 
Are you satisfied with the moves your team made? or maybe nervous? or is it the move they didn't make that has you worried or excited?

The draft was okay for my Gold Stars. Nothing to exciting but solid picks that should help create a defensive foundation for the future.