1966 NAAF Draft - Rounds 2-5

Round 2
The second round of the draft ended up being one of the most hectic in the league’s history. There was still a lot of talent available and most notably QB Ivan Sanchez remained on the board. It started fairly quiet with Indiana using the pick they got in the trade with Pittsburgh to add to their O-line. Andrew Parsley should be a great piece to add some more depth after being passed on by the Raiders. Providence took another defensive player, this time a DL in Bartolo Cruz out of U of America. Halifax looked to provide QB Lyle Painter with more weapons adding WR Edward Webb out of Brooklyn Metropolitan. 

At this point, there was a small trade between the Raiders and Blue Wings that saw the teams swap LB Brady O’Connor (LI) and LB Harvey Phillips (BUF) and then the 36th and 30th picks in the 3rd round. 

Following that announcement, the Royals took an OL in Crawford Starrick to continue to rebuild their O-line for the future. Shortly after, they would make a trade with the Rouge to move up to the next pick (17). They would send LB Hector Greenville to help Montreal fill their 3rd LB role along with the 28th pick in the draft. At this point, almost everyone in the league thought they were going to take Ivan Sanchez, but they decided to take S Marc Bellecourt instead. It is a bit of a questionable move since they still have S Randall Green (who is one of their best players) in his prime, but the Royals felt they couldn’t miss out on another solid safety. 

QB Ivan Sanchez started to get nervous about continuing to fall at this point. Buffalo was up to pick next, so he was not expecting to go to them. Buffalo would go for DL help in Albert Sullivan to add some needed depth to the roster. Providence was up next and Sanchez was feeling like this could be the pick, however, they instead traded the pick to Toronto. The Steelheads ended up sending the 22nd pick and a 5th rounder next year to move up to 19. They would end up going with DL Johnathan Ellison out of Louisville State, looking to the future on the aging D-line.

Sanchez had to just relax for a second as the next spot he was expecting to go to would be Providence at 22. However, another trade changed the tide again. The Raiders, who had moved up in the 3rd earlier, would use the pick (30th) paired with young DL Douglas Jackson and the 60th pick to trade up with Indiana to the 20th pick. The Victors were targeting Ellison, who was taken by the Steelheads ahead of them, who wanted to regroup and move back. With the pick, the Raiders would draft the NYC native, QB Ivan Sanchez in a bit of a surprise move. However, GM Wayne Tillman has always wanted to have a younger QB in his pocket (exemplified by Matt Fletcher and Joshua Nolan being picked in recent years) and sees lots of potential in the young man. 

Following the drama, there were still a few more picks to be made. Boston would take a bit of a reach with LB Mitch Mulligan to start to look for replacements for LB Brent Harper and LB Harrison Bennett. With Providence’s 4th pick of the draft, they would take their third Rhode Island State player with DB Charles Grimm. 

With the last couple of picks in the second, there would be a pair of QBs taken. The Thunder would take Louisville State QB Rider Wandrey. Louisville loves their hometown talent and were targeting Wandrey from the start. Wandrey could add a new dynamic to the Thunder offence being a very mobile QB. It could be the case that he could see the field in some interesting packages. Finally, the Royals would take a QB. They would grab QB Michael Miranda with the 24th pick. Miranda is the son of a former NAAF backup QB Norman Miranda (who only played in 1949 with Hartford) but has shown a lot more promise than his father. Micheal Miranda has modelled a lot of his game after QB Jean Matieau as he watched the Royals throughout his teen years after the Hawks left his hometown. He is super stoked to be able to play for his favourite team and learn from his idol in Matieau.

Round 2 Picks
13 - IND (from PIT) | OL Andrew Parsley | Toronto - Toronto, ON - ItDoesntMatter
14 - PRO | DL Bartolo Cruz | America* - Washington DC - QCS
15 - HFX | WR Edward Webb | Brooklyn Metropolitan* - Huntington, NY - Osctheg
16 - OTT | OL Crawford Starrick | Toronto - London, ON - Darknes
17 - OTT (from MTL) | S Marc Bellecourt | Majeure Montreal - Drummondville, QC - ItDoesntMatter
18 - BUF | DL Albert Sullivan | New England - Boston, MA - Wallflower
19 - TOR (from LDN via PRO) | DL Johnathan Ellison | Louisville State* - Louisville, KY - NoE83
20 - LI (from IND) | QB Ivan Sanchez | Brooklyn Metropolitan* - New York City, NY - ZO82
21 - BOS | LB Mitch Mulligan | Cambridge of Boston - Boston, MA - Darknes
22 - PRO (from TOR) | DB Charles Grimm | Rhode Island State - Hartford, CT - QCS
23 - LOU | QB Rider Wandrey | Louisville State* - Cincinnati, OH - Sevsdast
24 - OTT (from LI) | QB Michael Miranda | West Mass State - Hartford, CT - ItDoesntMatter

Round 3
The 3rd round was much more straightforward. The main event in the 3rd round was the Rouge acquiring QB Mike Key from the Blacksmiths. The Blacksmiths need to open up a roster spot for their new franchise QB in Louis Vaughn and they really wanted to grab OL Ben Jammin out of the local Allegheny University. Montreal would get the 34th pick in the deal and would take S Nick Prince to fill in the backup role. They also took another OL with their first pick in the round. 

Round 3 Picks
25 - PIT | DB Aiden Sargent | Central Ohio* - Columbus, OH - ZO82
26 - TOR (from PRO) | LB Lincoln Webster | St.George - Toronto, ON - ItDoesntMatter
27 - HFX | DB Janek Rodoslav | Upstate* - Sharon Springs, NY - Jayhawk
28 - MTL (from OTT) | OL Tony Walker-Jones | Western New York - Detroit, MI - Stickman
29 - PIT (from MTL) | OL Ben Jammin | Allegheny* - Pittsburgh, PA - Stickman
30 - IND (from BUF via LI) | TE Eric Peterson | London - Blenheim, ON - AJHFTW
31 - LDN | DL Timothy Bits | Hamilton - Timmins, ON - Dan O’Mac
32 - IND | WR Bennie Braverman | Central Ohio* - Danville, OH - Dan O’Mac
33 - BOS | OL Griffin Morningstar | New England - Boston, MA - Kingsfan11
34 - MTL (from TOR via PIT) | S Nick Prince | Hamilton - Hamilton, ON - DireBear
35 - LOU | DL Craig Cromwell | Concord-Manchester - Portsmouth, NH - ItDoesntMatter
36 - BUF (from LI) | WR Sebastian Dassler | Montreal Provincial - Munich, WG - Kingsfan11

Round 4
The Halifax Mariners became the first team to make 4 draft picks in the same round. They took local RB Byron Rodham at 38, then OL Hamish Esposito out of West Mass State at 39, DL Cal Ericsson from UPNB would be the last of their 3 straight before they took the other Nova Scotia prospect in Buddy Harwick with the 45th pick. There were 3 other RBs taken as well with Bob Sanders going to Pittsburgh, Alex Herbco heading to Ottawa, and Richard Morin going to London.

Round 4 Picks
37 - PIT | RB Bob Sanders | Ben Franklin* - Philadelphia, PA - Sevsdast
38 - HFX (From PRO) | RB Byron Rodham | Nova Scotia - Halifax, NS - Stickman
39 - HFX | OL Hamish Esposito | West Mass State - Worcester, MA - Dan O’Mac
40 - HFX (from OTT) | DL Cal Ericsson | Provinciale du Nouveau-Brunswick - Moncton, NB - Darknes
41 - IND (from MTL) | OL Gregg Rosenberg | King’s* - Trenton, NJ - DireBear
42 - OTT (from BUF) | RB Alex Herbco | Kitchener-Waterloo Provincial - Chatham, ON - AJHFTW
43 - LDN | RB Richard Morin | St-Laurent - Thetford Mines, QC - Kingsfan11
44 - IND | DL Nazario Piacenza | Brooklyn Metropolitan* - New York City, NY - ZO82
45 - HFX (from BOS) | LB Buddy Harwick | Nova Scotia - Halifax, NS - Darknes
46 - PRO (from TOR) | OL Czesław Krasowsk | Haynes - Hartford, CT - ZO82
47 - LOU | LB Brian O’Flaherty | Central Pennsylvania* - Allentown, PA - JamHeronArk
48 - LI | DB Bob Carter | Vermont Republic - Burlington, VT - ItDoesntMatter

Round 5
The final round saw the last QB finally go. Halifax would take Gilles Doucet out of St-Laurent. Doucet does have a lot of accuracy issues but has good mobility which makes him difficult to tackle. Finally, the last pick of the draft would be RB Rockey Newton out of North Indiana who was picked by the Victors. 

Round 5 Picks
49 - PIT | LB Garret DeGraaf | Erie - Warren, OH - ItDoesntMatter
50 - PRO | WR Maynard Lowe | Western New York - New York City, NY - ZO82
51 - HFX | QB Gilles Doucet | St-Laurent - Quebec City, QC - Kingsfan11
52 - OTT | LB Blake Dawson | Toronto - Melbourne, AU - Stickman
53 - IND (from MTL) | S Chase Penrod | Maine State - Saco, ME - Dan O’Mac
54 - BUF | WR Jimmy Franks | Western New York - Buffalo, NY - Wallflower
55 - LDN | DB Jace Smith | Montreal Provincial - Montreal, QC - Wallflower
56 - IND | DL Ron Prumple | North West Virginia* - Violet, WV - Dan O’Mac
57 - PRO (from BOS via TOR) | OL Seamus Cronin | Cambridge of Boston - Milton, MA - Darknes
58 - TOR | WR Rick O’Shea | WNY-Rochester - Batavia, NY - Dan O’Mac
59 - LOU | TE Ross Hämäläinen | Louisville State* - Owensboro, KY - Jayhawk
60 - IND (from LI) | RB Rocky Newton | North Indiana* - South Bend, IN - ItDoesntMatter

Undrafted
OL Ben Salem | Ben Franklin - Philadelphia, PA - ItDoesntMatter
WR Barney Barber | Vermont Republic - Barre, VT - ItDoesntMatter
RB Joe Rider | Maine State | Augusta, GA - ItDoesntMatter 
TE Buddy Bing | Jersey State | Toms River, NJ - Scratch

Last edited by Wallflower (11/23/2021 12:14 am)

Enigmajones wrote:

Is there any form of an All Star game in the NAAF?

No actual game, but all-star teams are made (as seen in the Awards post). I don't think football all-star games actually make sense since well, injuries, and no real way to play properly without contact, I mean maybe one day they will play some 2-hand touch or flag haha I don't know.

1966 Free Agency - Post Draft

There was not a lot to report in the second part of the free agency as the teams simply were looking to just fill up the rest of their teams. Some of the best free agents remaining were WRs. Otto Washington landed in Louisville to add support to their WR core rebuild. Toronto would bring on WR Paul Franklin, who decided to go to the team that is shooting for the title this season over his former team in Boston. Lastly, Sam Nash would head to Ottawa to help add to the younger core. 

There were a pair of trades as well with the Rouge acquiring TE Sylvian Leblanc from the Victors in exchange for OL Henri MacMillian. Montreal needed a backup TE so they made the swap, while Indiana had many TEs already. 

The second trade would see Boston acquire OL Stephane Lloris and LB Eric Dionne from the Royals in exchange for LB Aristofane Zuccaro and OL Sun Guanyu. Boston wanted to get rid of Zuccaro due to having too many LBs on the roster, and they needed some younger help on the OL so they swapped with Ottawa who wanted a younger LB to help their rebuild.

Top 25 Free Agents - Updated - Final Signings for Full Offseason
1 - QB Lyle Painter - IND -> HFX - 3Y, $27,500 (NTC Y3 with $30,000)
2 - DB Cameron Taylor - PRO -> IND 3Y, $26,000
3 - DL Mickey Daly - BUF -> PIT - 2Y, $22,000
4 - DL Robin Hill - BOS -> MTL - 1Y, $20,500
5 - S Drew Porter - BOS -> IND - 1Y, $18,000
6 - DL Dexter Barbarcos - PIT -> LI - 2Y, $16,000
7 - OL Christopher Weeks - PIT -> TOR - 2Y, $15,000
8 - DB Dennis Kirchner - PRO -> PRO - 1Y, $18,000
9 - S Nick Larson - PRO -> BOS - 1Y, $12,000
10 - TE Micheal Bowman III - LDN -> LI - 1Y, $15,000
11 - DL Blaine Caswell - LI -> OTT - 1Y, $16,000
12 - QB Matt Fletcher - LI -> TOR - 2Y, $15,000
13 - QB Stanislav Ovechkin - LOU -> IND - 1Y, $14,000
14 - QB Robert Humphrey - HFX -> LDN - 1Y, $14,000
15 - WR Sammy Moss - LOU -> PRO - 1Y, $15,000
16 - S Clarence Sale - LI -> LI 2Y, $12,000
17 - LB Killian Reed - PIT -> BOS - 1Y, $18,000
18 - TE Andrew Mathias - LI -> PRO - 1Y, $14,000
19 - WR Otto Washington - IND -> LOU - 1Y, $13,500
20 - WR Paul Franklin - HFX -> TOR - 1Y, $14,500
21 - DL Dennis Hughes - MTL -> BUF 1Y, $14,000
22 - OL Benny Germain - MTL -> IND 1Y, $12,000
23 - WR Sam Nash - TOR -> OTT 1Y, $14,000
24 - DB Lou Lake - IND -> BUF - 1Y, $8,000
25 - QB Rigobert St-Hilaire - MTL -> LOU - 1Y, $15,000

Enigmajones wrote:

So Humphrey will be playing backup to Kiernan?

Yup! All QB's signed (aside from Painter) are going to be backups.

Last edited by Wallflower (11/24/2021 11:28 pm)

1966 Season Preview

1966 Schedule

Power Rankings

1 - Long Island Raiders
1965 Record: 7-5 (1st East)
1965 Result: Won McCallister Cup
The Raiders had a historically elite defence last season, and that helped them to their second title in the NAAF. This season, that defence returns. The only starter the team lost was DL Blaine Caswell, who they replaced with an upgrade in DL Dexter Barbarcos. That change only makes the defence even stronger. The one concern for the team will be if QB Stanley Troyer can step up a little more in the passing game which was a rough patch for the team last season. Most other teams will likely be aiming to force the team to move the ball through the air rather than on the ground with RB Dareion Fields. 

Captains:
C - DL Vernon Spears
A - RB Dareion Fields
A - OL Elliot Winterbottom

2 - Buffalo Blue Wings
1965 Record: 7-5 (5th West)
1965 Result: Missed Playoffs
Missing the playoffs was a head-scratcher for the Blue Wings. To be fair, the team’s record should have been enough to make the playoffs, and frankly, they likely would have had a real good shot at the title if they did get in. This season, the team returns with the steller D-line headlined by Lonnie Vincent and William Sanderson, and the strong QB-RB combo of Charles Lemieux and Jimmy Golden. The Blue Wings have the most skilled team in the league and should be one of the biggest contenders this season. 

Captains:
C - QB Charles Lemieux
A - DL Lonnie Vincent
A - OL Georgio Stephan

3 - Boston Independents
1965 Record: 6-6
1965 Result: Lost East Division Final
The Independents did lose some key pieces on defence with LB Brent Harper calling it a career, and DL Robin Hill moving onto Montreal. The defence as a whole will be younger and could be weaker than in the past, but the hope is new head coach, Johnathan Fox, will help to lessen the blow of those losses with his defensive mind. However, with QB Nathaniel Braddock leading the way on offence, you can never count Boston out of the race. There is even more excitement as the team could have the best WR core since Braddock started his career with WR Felix Fontaine being added to WR Evan Clanton and WR Alexei Dubois. If things work out, the team could be right back at the top of the league.

Captains:
C - QB Nathaniel Braddock*
A - OL Graham Chambers
A - K Johnnie Berg*

4 - Toronto Steelheads
1965 Record: 9-3 (1st West)
1965 Result: Lost West Division Final
It's the last shot for the current core of the Steelheads. Several veterans, namely LB Rusty McVee, LB Daniel Carpenter, and DL Chester Avery, all decided to return for one last shot at a NAAF title with the game being played in Toronto. The Steelheads as a whole are not the most skilled team in the league, but you can't completely count them out as they showed that they were able to overcome that last season. They hope the team can find some more magic to take a shot at the title.

Captains:
C - QB Todd Baker
A - LB Daniel Carpenter
A - S Daniel Perry

5 - Halifax Mariners
1965 Record: 5-7 (5th East)
1965 Result: Missed Playoffs
The Mariners are looking to finally make the jump into being a contender this season. With the acquisition of QB Lyle Painter and the mountain of young players coming into their own, they look like a team that could be very scary for many others across the league. Painter is going to have some strong weapons offensively with WR Shane Steadman, WR Jav Kerrigan, and RB Ronald O’Sullivan, and then the defence is going to be a tough one to play with DL Wayne Baxton, DL Pat Butler, and DB Joe Robinson ready to tear up offences. There is an obvious concern with the lack of experience and have not proven if they can be a team to beat, which does hold them lower in the rankings.

Captains:
C - OL Ward Briscoe
A - DB Joe Robinson
A - DL Pat Butler*

6 - Louisville Thunder
1965 Record: 8-4 (2nd West)
1965 Result: Lost McCallister Cup
The Thunder had a great turnaround after a tough start last season going on to an 8-4 season with a 6-game win streak to close it out. However, there are still lots of concerns for the team after they lost LB Scotty Williams to retirement and have a significantly weaker front 7. However, they still have arguably the league’s best secondary and a young WR core that could start to provide QB Leonidas Dumont with more options on offence. HC Emil Riddle also knows how to get the most out of his teams so you can’t count the Thunder out completely.

Captains:
C - QB Leonidas Dumont
A - S Johnny Berger
A - DB Jayden Mills*

7 - London Tigers
1965 Record: 7-5 (4th West)
1965 Result: Lost East Division Semi-Final
Much like the Steelheads, the Tigers could be on their last ride. They have many ageing veterans on the team especially on the defence with DL Olympus Heights and DB Richardo Salvador. They do have some youth hoping to make a mark, notably RB Austin Andrews who will look to improve on his first season as the starter, but they are running out of time with this core. They should still be in the fight this season with a great coaching staff and still one of the best QBs in the league in Riley Kiernan. 

Captains:
C - QB Riley Kiernan
A - DB Jackson Miles
A - OL Emil Jennings*

8 - Montreal Rouge
1965 Record: 5-7 (3rd East)
1965 Result: Missed Playoffs
The Rouge enter this season with one big question. Will QB Gene Bishop be able to recover to his usual form? Bishop suffered a major season-ending injury last year. Over the offseason, the QB suffered a couple of setbacks that could impact his play this season. They will hope he can get back to form as they are still a very talented team that should be contending for the Cup. They did add some help with DL Robin Hill on defence and OL Elliot Barett on offence to help support the QB. However, the play of Bishop is still likely the most important factor in Montreal’s season which leaves them this far down the list.

Captains:
C - DB Quentin Xavier
A - LB Sam Fitzroy
A - RB Scott Mallard-White

9 - Indiana Victors
1965 Record: 7-5 (3rd West)
1965 Result: Lost West Division Semi-Final
The Victors had their best season last year, however, they had QB Lyle Painter leading the way. This season, they are going to have to rely on the young hands of QB Tom Applewhite. It certainly does not mean the Victors won’t find success this season, but it does not inspire confidence when you lose your MVP-winning QB. Indiana still was able to add DB Cameron Taylor and plenty of youth which certainly should make the team into a strong foe this season regardless. It will ultimately come down to the play of their young QB to see if the team can take the step into some consistent success this season. 

Captains:
C - DB Kelly Kirkland
A - TE Emmanual Hines
A - LB Terrence Patton

10 - Providence Gold Stars
1965 Record: 4-8 (6th East)
1965 Result: Missed Playoffs
The Gold Stars had a horrid season last year, however, they were certainly not the least skilled team. This offseason the new regime made some strong moves that could lead to a bounce-back year for the team. However, with the new coaching staff and still some uncertainty with 3 rookie-starters on the defence with DL Bartolo Cruz, LB Kurt Warlock, and DB Perry Ferris. Providence is the biggest wildcard this season which could be both good and bad for the team. 

Captains:
C - QB Connor O’Rourke
A - DL Calias McDonough
A - DB Neville Falkner

11 - Ottawa Royals
1965 Record: 5-7 (4th East)
1965 Result: Missed Playoffs
This season is still a building one for the Royals. They are likely going to give QB Landon Ross a shot this season as the starter and see what he can do. That certainly could lead to some growing pains for the purple and gold. They do have some interesting young players in WR Colby Bancana, LB Sam Wheeler, and DB Sergio Alvarez which should bring some excitement for the fans. Overall, you can’t count Ottawa out as long as HC Joseph Curry and OC Jean Matieau continue to do what they do best. 

Captains:
C - S Randall Green*
A - WR Marshall Leonard
A - LB Douglas MacDougall*

12 - Pittsburgh Blacksmiths
1965 Record: 2-10 (6th West)
1965 Result: Missed Playoffs
The Blacksmiths are still the weakest team in terms of pure skill, however, it doesn’t mean they won’t show improvement from last season. They will have a question at QB this season. QB Louis Vaughn was taken with the 1st pick in the draft, but it is unlikely that he starts right away. QB Buck Murphy started most of last season and should be the starter for week one, but it is also likely the team could deploy QB Magnus Torrensen at some point as well after he showed some promise at the end of last season. Regardless of who is under centre, they will have a strong group of guys to support them in the backfield with veteran RBs Stavros Black and Cody Barnes, and youngster RB Carter Roy. Overall, Pittsburgh may not be amazing, but they will be exciting to watch.

Captains:
C - RB Stravros Black
A - DL Sammy Pickett
A - OL Wally McRose

1966 Predictions

Based on last season being a crazy one, I think we could see more craziness this season. I think a team or two could definitely fall further down the standing than they hope, and a few may find their way into a playoff spot when they didn’t expect it. I also think Buffalo and Long Island are going to be really tough to beat, so they likely could be a level above the rest.

WEST
BUF 9-3 -y
LDN 7-5 -x
IND 6-6 -x
LOU 6-6
TOR 5-7
PIT 2-10

EAST
LI 9-3 -y
HFX 7-5 -x
BOS 7-5 -x
MTL 6-6
PRO 5-7
OTT 3-9

DSF
HFX over BOS
LDN over IND

DF
LI over HFX
BUF over BOS

48th MCC
BUF over LI