Will there be any rival leagues popping up in this scenario?

Oh... Hey

It's been over a year, but I'm finally bringing this thread back to life.

I've spent the past few weeks moving everything over to Adobe Illustrator (I was using paint before).

Let's get to it! Right where we left off...

1964 NAFA Off Season: Part II

1964 NAFA Expansion Draft
May 8, 1964 | NAFA Headquarters | Manhattan, NY

The Pittsburgh Threes won the expansion draft coin toss, giving them the first pick. This means that Los Angeles will receive the first pick in the NAFA Entrance draft later in the summer.

The Threes had their sights set on addressing defense, selecting defensive players in 8 of their first 10 picks. They didn't take a QB until Round 22, so it's likely they go with a QB in round 1 of the entrance draft. They had a decent draft, but don't expect them to win a bunch of games this coming season. They will need to have a few good drafts/off seasons over the next few years in order to compete.

LA went with a much more balanced approach to the draft. They took a wide range of offensive and defensive players early, and then went with depth on the offensive and defensive lines in the later rounds. LA actually had a very solid draft. They most likely won't make the playoffs this season, unless they over perform, but expect them to compete for a spot pretty soon.

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1964 NAFA Draft
June 12, 1964 | NAFA Headquarters | Manhattan, NY

Many analysts consider this to be the best and deepest draft class in NAFA history. Multiple players from this draft could become stars in the league, and many will make impacts in their rookie years. It is also the first draft for the two new expansion franchises; the Los Angeles Palms and Pittsburgh Threes.

First Round

Round 1, Pick 1: Los Angeles Palms select Derrick Ellis
DE | Ohio State

Round 1, Pick 2: Pittsburgh Threes select Caleb Allison
QB | Texas

Round 1, Pick 3: Washington Federals select Bradford Jordan
HB | USC

Round 1, Pick 4: New York Blues select Everett Lynch
CB | Darthmouth

Round 1, Pick 5: Cleveland Lumberjacks select Philip Pierce
DE | Minnesota

Round 1, Pick 6: Minneapolis Black Bears select Shannon Wade
DT | Ole Miss

Round 1, Pick 7: Detroit Sparks select Edmund Summers
LB | Harvard

Round 1, Pick 8: Toronto Nationals select Eduardo Riley
T | Michigan State

Round 1, Pick 9: Ottawa Capitals select Elias Neal
LB | Duke

Round 1, Pick 10: St. Louis Knights select Gilberto Figueroa
G | Alabama

Round 1, Pick 11: Philadelphia Americans select Elijah Ball
CB | Xavier

Round 1, Pick 12: Chicago Cougars select Ignacio Briggs
HB | Arkansas

Round 1, Pick 13: Boston Riders select Al Banks
C | Bowling Green State

Round 1, Pick 14: Indianapolis Chiefs select Felipe Black
T | Kansas

Best Pick: The selection of DT Shannon Wade by the Minneapolis Black Bears. Minny has address defense the past two drafts, and have made two great selections. Wade dominated the SEC this season, leading the conference in sacks and TFLs. He was also top 5 nationally in those two statistics. It was surprising to see him drop to 6, most people thought the New York Blues would take him at 4 if he was still available.

Biggest Reach: The selection of Elias Neal by the Ottawa Capitals. Neal was projected to be a 2nd-round pick this draft, but with a big need at LB, the Caps took him earlier. He's a solid player - a good tackler and decent is pass coverage, but is undersized.

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IN THE NEWS

Construction of the brand new Riverside Stadium in downtown Pittsburgh has been completed. The stadium seats 61,540 spectators, the 3rd most in the NAFA behind Boston's Rodgers Stadium (65,760) and the LA Palms' home at LA Memorial Coliseum (93,000).

Construction of the new state-of-the-art TorontoDome is on schedule and should be completed for the 1965-66 season.

The Washington Federals fired coach Al Vasquez after 4 years with the team and a 1-12-1 record last season. Taking his place will be Harvard coach Gordon Love.

Boston Riders star QB Scott Jacobs has signed a 5-year contract extension with the club. The deal makes him the highest payed player in NAFA history, and will last until his age 35 season.

The St. Louis Knights were able to resign WR Vernon Sampson on a 4-year deal. 

St. Louis' 35-year old HB Armando Powers has retired from football. 

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Thanks for reading, C&C is appreciated.

Up next we have the 1964-65 Regular Season...

Wow, glad to see this back! It seems we've been having a revival of sorts lately.

Looking forward to seeing this back

Go Black Bears!