I like the McMillan hire for Halifax, he should be able to bring the team some success. The changes in Ottawa are interesting, I guess we'll see how well Matieau will do as the head of the team.

Enigmajones wrote:

Dont know if you're accepting team names, but the Kansas City Twins or Mohawks would be cool. Twins in honor of Kansas City MO and Kansas City KA. And Mohawks in honor of the state of Missouri (MO) and Jayhawks for Kansas. This isn't originally my idea, Mohawks is what the Kansas City Scouts of the NHL originally wanted to name themselves.

Haha, yea I already do have a name in mind, but I appreciate you giving an idea or 2. I typically have ideas, but I would likely ask if I ever am looking for ideas as well if you are ever unsure. 

1968 Free Agency

Free agency opened up with a lot more talent than usual due to the tightened cap. However, that didn’t seem to stop teams from offering out big money, especially for the top players. 

1 - WR Zachariah Pembroke
Pembroke had spent the last 6 seasons with the Buffalo Blue Wings where he won 3 McCallister Cups. Now, he was easily the best player available in free agency. Of course, there were several teams making bids for his services. Boston, Indiana, Long Island, Montreal, Pittsburgh, and Toronto all made an offer to Pembroke. As the bidding for Pembroke’s services continued the price just went up to the point where only Boston, Pittsburgh, and Toronto were willing to pay Pembroke that high of a salary. Pembroke still wanted to compete along with getting paid, so the decision was much easier simply looking at the rosters, where Boston, despite missing the playoffs, had a better foundation. Pembroke would ink a 2-year, $52,000 contract with the Independents. Boston has been in desperate need of a top-tier WR and Pembroke should absolutely provide that. Pembroke also makes a return to Massachusetts, having played his first 3 seasons as a member of the Worcester Athletics. 

2 - DL Tournel Guay
Guay was the next player to leave the Blue Wing Dynasty. With defensive line being a high-demand position, there were many teams in the hunt for Guay, and even some that just threw a deal in just to be considered. London, Montreal, and Toronto would be the highest bidders, but the veteran DL would decide to head home and sign a 2-year contract with the Montreal Rouge. The Montreal native should be a great addition to the Rouge defence, who will be looking to improve on last season. 

3 - OL Richard Justice
Justice ended the 1967 season in Indiana after his longtime team, Toronto, had traded him at the deadline. For a while, many linked Justice to be one to return to Toronto this offseason, however, it appears that Justice was not interested in going back. Despite getting a pretty significant offer from the Steelheads, Justice elected to take a different route and signed with the London Tigers. Justice had enjoyed his time around London the few times the Steelheads played there, and thought it would be a great place to end his career. Justice will likely take recently-retired OL Magnus Gunnersson’s spot on the line for the 1968 season. 

4 - QB Stanley Troyer
Troyer was unable to ink a new deal with the Raiders prior to free agency. He has started almost every game for the Raiders over the last 5 seasons, leading them to 3 McCallister Cup appearances and 1 win. However, GM Wayne Tillman was not confident in his abilities to be counted on in big moments, so he was not looking to pay the QB anything more than what he was making. Troyer of course wanted a raise. Unfortunately, outside of the Raiders, there were not any NAAF teams all that interested in Troyer, at least for a starting role. Tillman offered a cheaper deal in free agency, hoping that Troyer did not get many good offers and would just sign back with the team. Pittsburgh was the only other team rumoured to be making an offer in hopes of adding a little veteran stability behind QB Louis Vaughn. Neither of the contracts Troyer got were anywhere close to being what he wanted. However, he got a very good deal from outside the NAAF. In a shocking move, Troyer would ink a 3-year contract with the GLFL’s Cleveland Captains. Troyer is expected to be the starter for the team next season and will be paid $28,000 a season, $3,000 more than his NAAF salary. Captains' owner, Jack Attwood, was very excited about poaching an NAAF QB to the GLFL.

5 - RB Théodore Lemieux
Running backs were getting a lot of offers from several teams in the NAAF. Whether teams were looking for a new starter or some insurance as a #2 option, big offers were being sent to any of the top RBs available. Théodore Lemieux’s breakout performance in the 1967 playoffs made him the most sought-after RB. He would receive deals from Boston, Buffalo, Long Island, Louisville, Montreal, and Pittsburgh. Boston and Louisville stood out as teams looking for a starter, while Buffalo remained in the conversation due to the potential desire to keep playing with his brother. However, Louisville kept making a push to try and get Lemieux on their team. After all, they got to see what he could do firsthand when he scored 3 touchdowns against them in the West Division Final. In the end, Louisville would sign Lemieux to be their new starting RB on a 2-year, $46,000 deal. 

6 - OL Harrison Ward
Ward was traded to the Mariners last season to be given a chance at winning the McCallister Cup. Unfortunately, the Mariners failed to make the playoffs. Ward was considering retirement but still wanted to go for the cup. He would return and get a few offers, even one to return to Montreal where he spent his entire career up to last season. However, Ward’s hunt for the cup would top the desire for familiarity and he would sign a new 1-year deal with the defending champs in Buffalo, who add Ward to probably their weakest position.  

7 - LB Quinn Masters
Masters’ situation seemed to create controversy in Toronto after the former 19th overall pick decided to not even consider the Steelheads’ offer following the expiration of his rookie deal. Masters entered free agency knowing exactly where he wanted to go. The Pittsburgh native grew up with the dream to be on the Pittsburgh Hammers but had decided to head to the NAAF following many controversies surrounding the ACFL and the Hammers. He still hoped he could play for the NAAF's new Pittsburgh team at some point in his career. He took the risk this offseason to enter free agency and it would pay off, landing a 3-year deal with the Pittsburgh Blacksmiths.

8 - RB Tresean Jones 
Following Lemieux’s signing, many of the remaining RBs started to find contracts fairly quickly. Jones had not played up to par for the Independents over his rookie contract, so he was left out of a deal despite being a former 8th overall pick. Jones got a lot of the same teams as Lemieux did interested in his services, but he would decide to head to Pittsburgh on a new 2-year deal. Jones will pair up with RB Carter Roy as a tandem in Pittsburgh. The interesting thing here is Jones’ contract is worth more than Roy’s which may not sit well with the current starting RB. 

9 - WR Russell Wilcox
Wilcox is easily one of the more underrated WRs in the league. He has spent his entire career with the Tigers, and has been arguably their best WR the past couple of seasons. Only Indiana and Montreal offered contracts to Wilcox. Both were very enticing with both teams needing a 3rd WR. In the end, Montreal was offering a slightly better contract and better position as likely the #2 WR for the team, so he inked a 2-year deal with thwm.

10 - LB Calvin Hardy
The last member of the top 10 was the most hotly sought-after linebacker. Hardy has been the Thunder’s top LB for a couple of seasons, and along with a high demand for LBs, Hardy became a very valuable piece. Many teams made offers, but a team with only 1 true starter on their roster, the Montreal Rouge, would land the linebacker. Hardy would sign a new 1-year contract with the Rouge worth $18,750.

The Rest
Montreal would continue to be busy, signing LB George Yokoi to pair up with Hardy and Conrad Kurst to form a strong LB core for next season. They would also sign DB William Quincy, DL Theo Conte, OL Paul O’Doherty, and WR Denis Langlois. 

Boston was aggressive as well, especially after missing out on some of the other high-end targets. They would give LB Joe Larkin a lucrative deal, and then would add RB Rodney Clark as their new starting RB. Clark has spent the last 7 seasons with the Thunder and has done quite well, although he did see a decline in production last season. Boston would also add DL Chuck Charleston III and OL Brian O’Leary to shore up the lines. 

The last of the busy teams would be Toronto. They did struggle to get any of the top free agents, due to their 2-10 finish last season, but they got some solid pieces in DL Dexter Barbarcos, OL Fabrice Beaufort, and OL Wolfgang Vander Waal. They would also get WR Samuel Petri to return to Toronto after 1 season in Louisville. 

Some other interesting moves would see DB Nick Ulbach swap from the Blue Wings to the Raiders, WR Orlando Barrack would bring his speed to the Blacksmiths’ offence, and DB Ty Boone would sign quite a large contract with the Gold Stars, which many view as an overpay. 

There were also a couple of QBs changing teams with Lee Rogers heading to Indiana to back up Tom Applewhite and QB Magnus Torrensen hoping to potentially take advantage of a Kiernan retirement by joining the Tigers for a pair of seasons. 

Top 25 Free Agents - Format: OLD TEAM -> NEW TEAM Length (Y), Annual Salary ($)
1 - WR Zachariah Pembroke BUF -> BOS 2Y, $26,000
2 - DL Tournel Guay BUF -> MTL 2Y, $26,000
3 - OL Richard Justice IND -> LDN 1Y, $16,500
4 - QB Stanley Troyer LI -> GLFL CLE 3Y, $28,000
5 - RB Théodore Lemieux BUF -> LOU 2Y, $23,000
6 - OL Harrison Ward HFX -> BUF 1Y, $15,000
7 - LB Quinn Masters TOR -> PIT 3Y, $17,500
8 - RB Tresean Jones BOS -> PIT 2Y, $20,000
9 - WR Russell Wilcox LDN -> MTL 2Y, $18,250
10 - LB Calvin Hardy LOU -> MTL 1Y, $18,750
11 - LB Joe Larkin OTT -> BOS 1Y, $19,000
12 - LB George Yokoi LDN -> MTL 1Y, $18,000
13 - RB Rodney Clark LOU -> BOS 1Y, $20,000
14 - DL Dexter Barbarcos LI -> TOR 1Y< $17,500
15 - DB William Quincy HFX -> MTL 1Y, $17,500
16 - DB Nick Ulbach BUF -> LI 1Y, $18,500
17 - WR Derek Cross MTL
18 - DB Ty Boone PIT -> PRO 2Y, $19,000
19 - QB Magnus Torrensen PIT -> LDN 2Y, $17,000
20 - OL Wolfgang Vander Waal HFX -> TOR 2Y, $17,500
21 - WR Orlando Barrack IND -> PIT 2Y, $20,000
22 - QB Ulysses Lawyer LDN
23 - S Peter Sellers PRO
24 - QB Lee Rogers HFX -> IND 1Y, $14,500
25 - OL Brian O’Leary LI -> BOS 1Y, $16,000

Last edited by Wallflower (6/03/2022 12:10 am)

1967 College Hybrid Football Results
Ahead of the 1967 College season, there was a change in the America East Hybrid Conference. After back-to-back seasons of being unable to field a team, Hempstead University dropped out of the conference. To take their place, Upstate University, based out of Albany, would move from the Atlantic Coast Athletic Conference to the AEHC. Upstate has stronger relationships with Haynes, Western New York, and Vermont Republic in comparison to the ACAC schools, so it made sense for them to make the shift over. 

Canada East Hybrid Conference
WEST
(1) Hamilton Howlers
(5) Toronto Dukes
Rideau Rams
St. George Maples
London Foresters
Kitchener-Waterloo Provincial Beavers

EAST
(6) Majeure Montreal Insulaires
(9) St-Laurent Cavaliers de Riviere
(10) Montreal Provincial Panthers
Nova Scotia Armada
New Brunswick Pirates
Mont-Bellevue Geais Bleus

CEHC Playoffs
WF (1) UHAM 34-21 (5) TORU
EF (6) MMTL 14-17 (9) ST-L

CEHC Championship
(1) UHAM 40-10 (9) ST-L

America East Hybrid Conference
(2) Western New York Whitetails
(3) New England Cardinals
(4) Rhode Island State Bulldogs
(7) Haynes Colonials
(8) Maine State Acadians
Cambridge of Boston Cubs
Upstate Bluebirds
West Mass State Rangers
Concord-Manchester Fighting Pike
Vermont Republic Mountaineers
Erie Sailors
WNY-Rochester Eagles

AEHC Playoffs
(2) WNY 24-13 (7) HAY
(3) UNE 20-17 (4) RISU

AEHC Championship
(2) WNY 24-21 (3) UNE

Hybrid Football Championship
(1) UHAM 30-20 (2) WNY

1968 Draft Preview
The University of Hamilton Howlers dominated this College Hybrid Football season. They claimed their second straight Hybrid championship in a more dominating fashion than last season. They were led by 2 bright stars in LB Judge Barrett and QB Drake Young. Barrett is the perfect leader for the defence. He is extremely intelligent, knowing all the rules and plays by heart. That knowledge he uses to gain any advantage he can, even some that are a little on the edge of the rules. Regardless, he has immense talent and will make for an important piece to any defence. As for Drake Young, some are saying this is the next big QB coming into the NAAF. Young has played extremely well over the past two seasons, leading UHamilton to the back-to-back titles. He’s got all the things you want skill-wise, but there appears to be that extra edge to his game, especially in crucial moments where he can make something out of nothing. Young also appears to be as humble as they come, often giving his teammates credit before himself. Young will certainly be a tempting player for a few teams this draft. Hamilton also has some other talents in Judge Barrett’s cousin OL Ty Barrett, and one of Young’s favourite targets in WR Jake Aberdezzi.

While Judge Barrett looks to be a great defensive acquisition, it was DL Arthur Bradshaw, who had a standout season with Western New York, that topped the Gains Report. He set a new school record for sacks in a season, en route to the team’s first Hybrid Football Championship appearance. Bradshaw is a threat on the line and should not be on the board for long, especially with the demand at the position. Western New York’s season was also helped by good play from S Jarrett Sutherland, whose loud style of play often set the tone for many games this season. Offensively the school also had a great season from WR Jessie Lambert, the younger brother of Blue Wings LB Randall Lambert, and a breakout year from RB Shannon West. West is a grinding back that can just pound the rock down the field. There are some concerns about his health due to his style of play. However, West isn’t worried, “I’m the best there is, nothing stops Shannon West,” he says.

New England had a down season this year, but the school still has a couple of solid prospects in OL Kane Warwick and DB Lamar Brown. Warwick is easily the best OL prospect in the draft. While he isn't the biggest OL, he keeps fighting and improving with every snap and it's clear he's got a high ceiling. They did have a strong season out of RB Neil Bradley who could make an impact at the next level. Unlike Shannon West, he isn’t able to pound the rock, having a lot of runs be stopped at the line, but if he gets out of the backfield he can create problems for teams with his agility. He also never fumbled the ball at all during his senior year, earning him the nickname “Lobster” for his claw-like grip. There was one other RB in Jasper Dickerson who led the Dukes to a solid season, being the main focus on offence throughout the year. He’s got explosiveness and a bit more strength than Bradley has which makes him a more complete back compared to the others. 

Rhode Island State has some interesting prospects in OL Alan Farquharson and LB Daniel Timothy. Former RISU, and current Providence Head Coach, Garrett Boone, raved about Timothy, from recruiting him to the school in one of his last seasons. Timothy played well for both the school's football team and baseball team, his batting ability had led him to get drafted into baseball out of high school, but decided to continue with college. He was quiet on the football field at first, but he put more time into football in his last couple of seasons which showed on the field boosting the 2-sport athlete to the top of the Gains Report. There is some concern with Timothy potentially jumping to baseball instead of the NAAF, however, due to focusing on football, his baseball abilities have dwindled pretty much shutting the door on a long-term professional baseball career.

The last player to mention out of the top 10 is WR Sterling Underhill, who had a very strong season for the Haynes Colonials despite having an inexperienced QB this season. He often made catches that were not accurate at all and used his smarts to make things easier on his QB. It is those small things that make Underhill stand out player. 

Now outside of the potential franchise-changing QB of Drake Young, there really isn’t anything to look for in this season’s draft at the position. The next best-ranked QB is Mac Ennis. Ennis took over for last year’s 1st round QB David Simmons at Cambridge of Boston. Ennis jumped up the rankings late after a strong 3-touchdown performance against 3rd ranked New England, however, most of his other games were forgettable.

Some may put QB Daryl Plum above Ennis, as he is much more consistent, leading the Upstate Bluebirds to a respectable season while adjusting to the new rule set. The main reason Ennis is put ahead of Plum is that he showed an ability to improvise, a few times this season. Either way, Ennis seems to have some unlocked talent.

The lowest-ranked is a Division 2 QB in Emmitt Jackson. There’s not much on him, but he’s coming all the way from Virginia and set several school records including the most rushing yards in a game for the school as a QB. However, many take that with a grain of salt being from a Division 2 school.

Overall a lot of talented defenders early on with some nice offensive pieces that could make a difference for several teams. 

The Gains Report’s Top 25
1 - DL Arthur Bradshaw - Western New York - Brad Cumberland - DireBear
2 - LB Judge Barrett - UHamilton - Sterling Brantley - Darknes
3 - LB Daniel Timothy - Rhode Island State - George Stefanakis - Dan O’Mac
4 - QB Drake Young - UHamilton - Barry Williams - ZO82
5 - OL Kane Warwick - New England - Sterling Brantley - Darknes
6 - WR Jake Aberdezzi - UHamilton - Timmy Bjarnathan - NoE38
7 - WR Sterling Underhill - Haynes - Kenneth Jones - Enigmajones
8 - S Jarrett Sutherland - Western New York - Vincent Desjardins - Kingsfan11
9 - OL Alan Farquharson - Rhode Island State - George Stefanakis - Dan O’Mac
10 - RB Shannon West - Western New York - George Stefanakis - Dan O’Mac
11 - OL Doyle MacInnis - Haynes - George Stefanakis - Dan O’Mac
12 - DB Lamar Brown - New England - Vincent Desjardins - Kingsfan11
13 - RB Jasper Dickerson - Toronto - Vincent Desjardins - Kingsfan11
14 - DL Mo Kahn - Maine State - Johnny Armando - Stickman
15 - DB Zed McLaughlin - Nova Scotia - Ivan di Marco - idm
16 - OL Ty Barrett - UHamilton - Sterling Brantley - Darknes
17 - DB Oswald Murray - Louisville State* - Jayson Hawkins - Jayhawk
18 - OL Shane Willis - Toronto - Travis Ronnigen - Edgeworth
19 - WR Jessie Lambert - Western New York - Brad Cumberland - DireBear
20 - OL Kash Wilder - Louisville State* - Barry Williams - ZO82
21 - RB Neil Bradley - New England - Timmy Bjarnathan - NoE38
22 - TE Luiss de Brands - Rideau - Timmy Bjarnathan - NoE38
23 - OL Bobby Shields - West Mass State - Brad Cumberland - DireBear
24 - DL Alan Frankjovic - Toronto - Barry Williams - ZO82
25 - DB Carl Odebell - Indiana Tech* - James Herr-O'Nark - JamHeronArk
—-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
27 - TE Sid Sydney - UHamilton - Wally Flowers - Wallflower
34 - OL Geno Aranda - King’s* - Vlad Valasiuk - vladee
44 - QB Mac Ennis - Cambridge of Boston - George Stefanakis - Dan O’Mac
47 - QB Daryl Plum - Upstate* - Brad Cumberland - DireBear
50 - LB Donte Chino - St.Paul* - Roger Roy - Scratch
56 - S Bennett Drill - Concord-Manchester - Jimmy Yamamoto - QCS
67 - QB Emmitt Jackson - Petersburg College (DIVII) - Wally Flowers - Wallflower

Draft Order
1 - Toronto Steelheads - OL, LB, DL
2 - Pittsburgh Blacksmiths - DL, WR, OL, TE
3 - Ottawa Royals - QB, LB, DL
4 - Louisville Thunder (from Boston) - LB, DB, OL
5 - Halifax Mariners - OL, RB, LB
6 - Indiana Victors - WR, OL
7 - Montreal Rouge - DB, DL, LB
8 - London Tigers - DL, LB, WR, QB
9 - Louisville Thunder - LB, DB, OL
10 - Toronto Steelheads (from Providence) - OL, LB, DL
11 - Long Island Raiders - OL, DL, LB
12 - Buffalo Blue Wings - OL, RB, DB

Boston Independents - 1st Pick: 16th - RB, DL, OL
Providence Gold Stars - 1st Pick: 22nd - OL, WR, QB

Feel free to drop some mock drafts below and let me know who you are most excited to see go.

1968 NAAF Draft

Round 1

1 - Toronto Steelheads | LB Judge Barrett | UHamilton - Hamilton, ON - Darknes
Judge Barrett becomes just the second linebacker to ever be selected with the #1 pick, following Scotty Williams, who was the first pick back in 1952. Barrett is also the first Canadian picked 1st overall since OL Jean-Baptiste Desjardins in 1962. The Steelheads have desperately needed a new defensive leader. They hoped to get that from LB Sebastian Andrews III, but he has not gotten it done. Barrett is a great piece to build a defence around. He’s extremely intelligent and knows the plays inside and out, having a perfect idea of where everyone is supposed to be. On top of that, Barrett knows the rules just as well, knowing where to bend them to give him any advantage he can. While his brain is impressive, his physical abilities are just as great, being a great open-field tackler, while also having the athletic ability to move quickly on the field. It would be shocking if Barrett was not a franchise player for the Steelheads.

2 - Pittsburgh Blacksmiths | DL Arthur Bradshaw | Western New York - Batavia, NY - DireBear
For the second year in a row, the Blacksmiths take a Defensive Lineman with their first pick of the draft. Matthias Hartmann was not quite as great as his brother and rookie of the year Bernhard Hartmann, but adding a talent such as Bradshaw may help to create a strong duo on the line as the two develop. Bradshaw brings excellent skill to the line. In his final season in college, he had set a school record for sacks using his great hands and speed to cause many issues for offensive linemen in college. Bradshaw seems like raw talent and should hopefully give the Blacksmiths a long-term leader on the line.

3 - Ottawa Royals | QB Drake Young | UHamilton - Brantford, ON - ZO82
Despite drafting QB Martin Keller 7th overall last season, the Royals decided they could not pass up the opportunity to draft Drake Young. It appeared that the Royals were not very impressed with Keller in his first season after trading for QB Robert Humphrey at the deadline and sending Keller to the reserve list. Either way, they get one of the best college QBs over the past few years in Drake Young. Young brings a lot to the table, being an accurate passer, a good decision-maker, with a solid arm. However, the most important element of his game is his poise in the pocket and ability to improvise and not let the pressure get to him. Those traits are often what separate the great QBs from the good. Hopefully, the Royals finally have a long-term answer at QB. 

4 - Louisville Thunder (from Boston) | LB Daniel Timothy | Rhode Island State - Bristol, RI - Dan O'Mac
The Thunder were jumping for joy when the Royals passed on LB Daniel Timothy. GM Robbie Wilson immediately hung up on GM Joseph Johnson of the Tigers after the Royals picked Drake Young. The Thunder were eying one of the linebackers but didn’t think one would be there and had been looking at potential trade options. However, they do land the 2-sport linebacker out of Rhode Island State. Timothy is looked at as a little more raw than Barrett, but his senior season showed that he was good at coverage over the middle. His smaller frame for a LB, due to being a baseball player as well, allows for more mobility, but he does need to hit the gym to help with his tackling. He’s also quite smart and can be a signal-caller for a defence. Louisville lost their #1 LB in Calvin Hardy to Montreal, so they are hoping Timothy will be able to fill those shoes someday soon.

5 - Halifax Mariners | OL Kane Warwick | New England - Sleepy Hollow, NY - Darknes
The Mariners made a strong choice in Kane Warwick at 5th overall. After losing OL Harrison Ward and OL Wolfgang Vander Waal, the team had a hole on their O-line. Luckily, they were able to snag the top OL prospect in the draft. Warwick is not all that big, but he never quits. His junior and senior years at New England were very impressive standing out as one of the best blockers in college. Warwick is a passionate player that should be a great addition to the Mariners’ locker room this season. 

6 - Indiana Victors | WR Jake Abbredezzi | UHamilton - Niagara, ON - NoE38
The Victors had a choice of the top 2 WRs in the draft. After losing WR Orlando Barrack to Pittsburgh, the team desperately needed a #3 option. In the end, they chose Jake Abbredezzi out of UHamilton. Abbredezzi was Drake Young’s favourite target this past season, catching 12 touchdowns this past season. This was with Abbredezzi missing 2 and a half games with injury. Abbredezzi has the physical traits of a solid all-around WR. He’s quick and had great ball carrier vision from his time as a RB in high school. He also played QB making him a very versatile piece for an offence. The big concern with Abbredezzi however, is his health, as he had missed at least a couple of games in each one of his years at UHamilton.

TRADE ALERT
The first round had been pretty quiet, but by pick 7, the first trade of the draft occurred. Montreal knew that there was a market for a team to move up to take the other WR, Sterling Underhill, so they took advantage and traded back. They had fielded offers from Pittsburgh, Providence, and Toronto. In the end, the Steelheads would send the 10th overall pick and the 18th overall pick to the Rouge in order to move up to 7th overall. 

7 - Toronto Steelheads (from Montreal) | WR Sterling Underhill | Haynes - New Haven, CT - Enigmajones 
Toronto would grab Underhill with the newly acquired pick. Toronto has desperately needed a new star in the WR core to help with their offensive struggles from last season. Underhill seems like a great fit for the Steelheads. He still thrived in a Haynes offence that did not have any consistency at QB this season. Underhill has a great catch radius which is very helpful for a team that may have the QB under pressure a lot. Toronto certainly had that last season with easily the worst O-line in the league. Hopefully, Underhill can make the quick transition to the next level and help the Steelheads quickly.

8 - London Tigers | DL Mo Kahn | Maine State - Portland, ME - Stickman
London toyed with the idea of trading up to get QB Drake Young, but the Royals beat them to it. Fortunately, they still landed a guy they liked with the 8th overall pick. Mo Kahn should bring a boost to a very weak D-line that London has struggled to improve in the last couple of seasons. Kahn may be considered a bit of a reach, being projected as an early 2nd round option, but clearly, the need for DL was much more important. Kahn has the makings of a very good D-lineman, with great strength and speed to get around the O-line, however, a big concern is his injury history having only played a full season once in college. His knee issues could start eating into his skill which may make this pick not look too great in the long run.

TRADE ALERT
The second trade of the draft saw the Steelheads make another jump back into the first round. They would make a swap with the Louisville Thunder to move up to 9th overall. In return, the Thunder would receive picks 13 and 27.

9 - Toronto Steelheads (from Louisville) | OL Alan Farquharson | Rhode Island State - Warwick, RI - Dan O’Mac
After taking a LB and WR with their first two picks, the Steelheads would aim to solve one of their biggest issues, the offensive line. In order to do that they would take Alan Farquharson out of Rhode Island State. Farquharson is a big guy, got lots of strength, and he often bullied O-linemen. Well, bullying also extends to his past, being suspended a few times in high school, which may mean a not-so-friendly personality, but Toronto should get a solid O-lineman out of Farquharson. 

10 - Montreal Rouge (from Providence via Toronto) | DB Lamar Brown | New England - Concord, NH - Kingsfan11
Montreal finally came up to pick and they would grab Lamar Brown out of New England. They were in dire need of depth in the secondary, especially after DB Quentin Xavier retired. Brown is on the larger side of DBs, at least in terms of his frame and muscle. He uses his body to punish wideouts but does have the agility to be strong in coverage as well. If Brown can bring his physicality to the NAAF, he could be a game-changer for the Rouge defence.

11 - Long Island Raiders | OL Doyle MacInnis | Haynes - Rockland, ME - Dan O’Mac
The Raiders had a weaker O-line over the past season, so they would look to add some help with MacInnis. MacInnis is a strong interior lineman, who is a specialist in creating holes for running backs. His specialty is what makes him a great fit for the run-heavy Raiders offence.

12 - Buffalo Blue Wings | OL Ty Barrett | UHamilton - Hamilton, ON - Darknes
With the final pick of the first round, the Blue Wings drafted Judge Barrett’s cousin, Ty Barrett, to help out on the O-line. Buffalo’s weakest position was easily on the line, so the addition of Barrett should help out. Barrett is a muscle man who likes to overpower his opponent in blocks rather than use technical skill. He did that very well in college, but there are some worries that he may not stand up to the stronger NAAF D-lineman and could become penalty prone. 

Last edited by Wallflower (6/07/2022 9:57 am)