Draft Review

[Paul-London]

The FWL took place yesterday and it was a great turnout from FWL GM's, the draft was a great one and there were still some surprises.

BEST DRAFT GRADE:

Raleigh-Durham A

Had to be Raleigh.  They have a great young offense featuring QB Travis Brown but the defense has holes and had an even bigger hole last year when DE Buck Rasmussan went to Austria.  However DE Greg White fell to them in the draft and White is so good he should start instantly at DE1 with his blazing speed to get round the outside and to the QB.  Later in round 1 the Skyhawks picked LB Arden Durde who should be another instant starter for Raleigh.  Round 2 bought them another instant starter in Browns new TE target, TE Bobby Blizzard.  Finally the Skyhawks got a great backup in Round 3 in QB Dave Ragone who slipped all the way down the draftboards to Round 3 after being projected as a Round 1 pickup.  Great draft by Raleigh and the Skyhawks could be bouncing back very soon.

GREAT SELECTIONS:

A lot in the early rounds.  Frankfurt pick up the best all round LB, London pick up their new starting HB and Austria pick up the best safety in the entire draft and last few years. 

Some of the best picks were....

LB Rich Scanlon - Barcelona - Originally projected to be a top 5 pick Scanlon slid all the way down the draft board until Barcelona realised that and selected him.  Should start immediately.

LB Nick McNeil - One of the top 5 LB's in the draft, will need a training camp or two but solid pick.

QB Ryan Dinwiddie - Great selection by Austria, Dinwiddie could be a great backup or decent trade material.

TELL ME WHY ?

Okay its only our opinion and in a few seasons or so we might look idiots but.....

HB Jonathan Smith - Montreal - Perhaps it was the case of best player available, with young HB Corey Walker as the starter in Montreal perhaps the Machine were looking at his backup or new FB as Lawrence Phillips is getting older.  Either way with 3 FWL Bowl wins in 4 years we shouldnt i suppose knock David Harwoods judgement.

FB William Delahoussay - Austria - Not a bad player and should be a good FB in the future but a 2nd rounder ? High price to pay

FIRST ROUND REVIEW....

LB Pisa Tinoisamoa, Frankfurt- Great pickup, should start immediately, great career ahead of him
HB Jarrett Payton, London - Has great skills, could be a starter after TC, fans will want to come and see him play
WR Ruvell Martin, Scottish - Gives Nall a deep threat and Scotland some youth at WR
S Shawn Mayer, Austria - Best athlete in the draft, instart starter, hard hitter.  Austria getting a great defence
DE Greg White, Raleigh-Durham - Best pass rusher in the draft , should get 8+ sacks as a rookie
CB Lamont Brightful, Paris - Shores up their weak secondary, instant starter
CB BJ Tucker, Sacramento - Tucker is a great all round CB, will start in Ernie Shorts place.
CB Blue Adams, Rhein - Gives Rhein a great cover corner, another instant starter
S Scott Connot, Ohio - Ohio have a history of great players in their secondary, Connot could be another
WR Aaron Boone, Birmingham - Lack of WR's makes Boone a great pickup
C Regis Crawford, San Antonio - Shores up their offensive line with a great young prospect
WR Terrance Metcalf, Orlando - Gives All-FWL QB Jon Denton yet another target
HB Joe Smith, Amsterdam - Smith is the future for Amsterdam, Admirals finally pick up their starting HB
LB Arden Durde, Raleigh-Durham - Should help shore up a weak defense
LB Alex Ngaue, New York - Another great young defensive player for NY, great young defense they have
DE Earl Cochran, Berlin - Talented DE but might need a year or two before he really starts to play
HB Jonathan Smith, Montreal - Surprise pick but talented player, probably a year or two on the bench
LB Rich Scanlon, Barcelona - Great pickup by Barcelona, instant starter and perhaps the team captain

SACRAMENTO DRAFT REVIEW (Other teams please write yours below)

1) CB BJ Tucker - Surge badly need a new young CB after several retirements and other players aging, Tucker gives Sacramento a starter for the next 10 seasons.  Good all round skills, not a burner but talented, good hands.

2a) G Bryan Anderson - Could start as a rookie, projected as the 5th best offensive linemen with Sacramento, has talent, could be the teams best in a few seasons

2b) HB Korey Chapman - Could be a starter in a few seasons, needs some work but Sacramento have so few HB's it was a need pick.  Has good skills and could be the main backup to Mike Green this year

3) CB Sam Massey - The Surge have a weak secondary and Massey adds depth

4a) FB Ben Miller - Great strength already for this young guy, should take over once veteran Roel van Teefelen retires in the near future

4b) WR Jerris McIntyre - Needs a lot of work, good young prospect to sit on the bench for a few seasons though

4c) P Travis Dorsch - Best punter in the league, Brian Mooreman is in his 9th year, Dorsch to wait a season or two before taking over

4d) FB Joakim Holm - Decent sized FB, could be used in a trade

Overall Sacramento had a decent draft but should have perhaps selected more LB's as their defense was one of the worst last year.  Aging d-line should have also had a player or two.

Draft grade: C+

[Niki]

HB Joe Smith, Amsterdam - Smith is the future for Amsterdam, Admirals finally pick up their starting HB

sorry I do not think he will be a starter this year, at the moment his position is HB2.

Two palyers are fighting for spot HB1: Kuchi (last year 191 for 930 yds and 6 td's) and Huerta. Smith is great but not ready to start this year

Amsterdam draft review:

1) HB Joe Smith: not a starter but a high rated HB that could be Amsterdam's starter in 1 or 2 years, evendo he will not be the starting HB, amsterdam is more then happy that they were able to pick him in the 1st round
2)  S Eric Crouch: with his skills he will be a starting DB, especially since he has an IN of 90!
3) WR Martin Allen: after Coleman moved to Paris during season 13, amsterdam needed another WR, Allen was rated by Amsterdam as the #4 WR in the draft

Overall: A+: amsterdam wanted to pick a DB in teh first round, a WR in the second and decent HB in round three. instead they picked a top HB in round 1, a top DB in round 2 and a good WR in round three. Amsterdam has drafted better players then they had expected to do that is why it is a A+

[Mario ADK]

Here is my penny:

i did not follow the other teams very carefully but basically you can say that
a) every GM that was not able to come had a disadvantage as opposed to those who participated
b) RAL did an excellent job and put together a great fortune....

Austris review:
1st round #4: S Shawn Mayer
Boy oh boy is he good...... For me undoubtedly the best player in this draft and i am sure that LON and/or SCO would have taken him if they where present at the live draft. Only FRA can afford NOT to pick this player...... (BTW: LB Timosausassaa would have been MY first pick if i had not have the opportunity to go for Mayer....)

2nd round #6: LB Mick Mc Neil
Another great one. I was very surprised that he did not go in the first round. Key player on any team. With LB1 Ishida, LB2 Barr and LB3 McNeil i think i have the best LB-trio in the entire league.

2nd round #7: FB Delahoussay
Well... a "panic pick". i oversaw that my target-player was already gone and time was running out so i had to start from the scratch. I was not sure wether to go for another DB or to go for a RB and when i decided to go for a RB i was not sure which one to take. I opted for Delahoussay because he has great skills in areas where i usually do not do a lot of TC. With added Sp, AC, AG, and ST within the next 2 or three TCs he might become great.

4th round #5: QB Ryan Dinwiddie
Great great pick, instant QB2 and instantly able to lead my team if Anes is hurt. i was sure he would go in the 2nd round but fell down to my feet and i only had to pick him up. i was so surprised that he was still available that i had to ask..... Probably the best price/performance-ratio of all of yesterdaays picks. Outweighs my shaky pick FB Delahoussy......

2 instant starters (and potential FWL-superstars)
1 great QB who will be very very valuable maybe for my team or in trading.....
1 Backup-RB who is the questionmark but fits into my TC-plans regarding RBs.....

Overall Rating:
A- (the minus is for the FB because i might have probably taken another player in another situation.....)

Plus i get another nice pick in the 5th round (#1) where i can replace another aging player with a similar good one....

EXCELLENT DRAFT!!!

[Mario ADK]

Paul:
have any pos or neg sleepers been picked yet?

[Andrew-Neutral]

OK, here is Paris's review

Round 1 - CB Lamont Brightful - Very happy with this pick, Brightful was my number one choice as I thought he has the skills to improve my secondary. His ratings are way above anyone I've currently got on the roster. I would have taken Shawn Mayer if Brightful had gone, but I've already got a Shawn Mayer on my roster, and he's playing well.

Round 2 - Pick traded to Austria for QB Kevin Kreinhagen - time will tell whether this was a good trade, but I don't think there was a comparable QB available in round 2

Round 3 - C Ben Claxton - A decent enough O-lineman, who should improve will a couple of camps. Will have trouble breaking into the starting line-up at Paris for a few years, however.

Round 4 - CB Willie Ford - Another fast CB who should be a decent backup / nickle-back straight-away. A couple of training camps will be necessary before he's starting.

Overall: B - but a lot depends on whether Kreinhagen can perform!

[Mario ADK]

Round 2 - Pick traded to Austria for QB Kevin Kreinhagen - time will tell whether this was a good trade, but I don't think there was a comparable QB available in round 2

Overall: B - but a lot depends on whether Kreinhagen can perform!

A  QB1    12  Kreinhagen, Kevin        OK     5     79 73 79 88 83 77 89 82
Top-QBs in the draft:
3rd round: Ragone, Dave             OK     R     75 73 72 86 78 80 85 86
3rd round: Dinwiddie, Ryan          OK     R     72 72 70 89 78 74 87 85
4th round: Kittner, Kurt            OK     R     72 78 72 86 77 73 85 83

You could have gotten any of these with you pick. Kreinhagen has better ratings, but i think those 3 have better potentials. If you where out for a quick boost for your team the trade was ok. Given a longer term and with a little patience and luck the draftees would have been the better choice....

[Paul-London]

Paul:
have any pos or neg sleepers been picked yet?

I did take some of the comments on board from people (eg Jason) regarding positive/negative sleepers.

I think next season we might cut down the numbers slightly.  Before the draft i had a list of positive and negative players.

This year we are having 5 positive sleepers (they wont all be All Pros but will have better skills) and 3 negative sleepers as always.

So far 1 positive sleeper has been taken and thats it.  I'll announce all after the draft

[Paul-London]

Those young QB's have very good skills and in year 5 like Kreinhagen they might be even better.

BUT i must admit one thing to do in the FWL is to get a player who you KNOW can play in the FWL. Kreinhagen has been like Dan Marino in his few starts and i think was well worth the 2nd round pick.  In his starts hes thrown for over 400 yards and also in another game 4 td's, some QB's in the FWL dont have any games like that in their career.

Time will tell with Kreinhagen but like i say if a player you know can play in the FWL or a LB you know always gets 80 tackles 5 sacks then you should try to get them regardless of their age.  Thats how i won my FWL Bowl, if they can play get em no matter what their age is.  I always think the best team is one with young stars and also quality veterans.

I think the trade for Kreinhagen was good

[velcro]

There was some really good drafting going on all over from everybody. The live draft gave people more control - and the opportunity to trash talk whilst it was going on. From a technical point of view it wasn't perfect but that is something we can address for the next time.

Draft review, Ohio. Ohio can into this draft with a number of holes to fill. Two experienced DLinemen had stepped down at the end of the season so that was always going to be an area of concren for the Glory staff. They were also looking to add depth in the Secondary and at Running Back. With a trade of 2 fifth rounders to acquire a 3rd rounder from New York the Glory ended up with 4 picks to spend.

First Round S, Scott Connot - An immediate starter for the Glory at Safety and should help shore up the run defense as the FWL relies of the Strong Safety for a lot of tackles. Glory had been expected to go LB or DL at this pick, but with DL White and LB Tinoisamoa already gone by the 9th pick there was no value in anyone else available at the time in those positions. HB Jonathan Smith was considered, but with Jamal Robertson entrenched that pick offered little value.

Second Round DE, Derrick Crawford - A value pick who will contribute in the DLine rotation. May well be considered to be a reach by some, but this definately goes down as a need pick.

Third Round (From New York for 2 fifth rounders). In the first instance this looks strages as the Glory had traded lasy years 3rd Rounder along with Kevin Thompson to get Mike Pawlawski. Then with Engemann and Arth on the roster providing youth, why would the Glory trade useful picks for another QB? That said Kittnner will be the 2nd QB, and with a 7 year veteran in front of him he'll be the future of the team some day. Will the lost 5th rounder come back to haunt this team that is starting to age in a couple of key positions?

Forth Round DE Sea Guthrie, Value for a 4th rounder to assisit in the neediest position on the team. May not see a great deal of playing time this year.

To come next, Depth at Running Back would help, as would a young Offensive lineman to come on and learn the West Coast System. There is some value to be had there in the remainder of the Draft.

Overall, B. They couldn't get themselves the Right Defensive Lineman they so badly needed, but an instant starter, a huge upgrade at QB and 2 Defensive Linemen is about as god as could be hoped for.

[Marco_Frankfurt]

Hi.

well my draft review is quit short

overall #1 pick:  LB Tinoisamoa, Pisa

except for his unspeakable name he has no weakness.

With him and my other 2 young LBs I have turned an overaged position (2 9-year player and 2 7-year player from 6) into a group of LBs that will stay together a long time. If he has at least a decent training camp, he will start.

I have to admit, that the only other player I was tempted to draft was  DE  White, Greg. But at LBs I had a greater age problem and my veteran DLs are still almost all able to start.

Overall I am very content with my draft and I am glad I did make the trade for the overall #1 pick.
So I would rate myself an A

[Paul-London]

Yeah its a pity the PM's didnt work in the draft room, weird that.  Felt sorry for the person trying to offer tons of trades (Was that you Ross ?) but the PM's werent working to each other.

Apart from that it was excellent, went very quick but then again i think on a sunday evening for many of us that was a good thing, good turnout as well.

By about Week 8 or so i want to start inputting the rookies for next year so as soon as the next season is ended there wont be a huge wait and we can roll over straight onto Season 14.

I personally like seeing some of the historically 'weaker' teams get much better and a change of power in the league.  Raleigh and Ohio and Austria are both looking very good and some of the stronger teams in the past (eg Sacramento) are now rebuilding.

[Andrew-Neutral]

Round 2 - Pick traded to Austria for QB Kevin Kreinhagen - time will tell whether this was a good trade, but I don't think there was a comparable QB available in round 2

Overall: B - but a lot depends on whether Kreinhagen can perform!

A  QB1    12  Kreinhagen, Kevin        OK     5     79 73 79 88 83 77 89 82
Top-QBs in the draft:
3rd round: Ragone, Dave             OK     R     75 73 72 86 78 80 85 86
3rd round: Dinwiddie, Ryan          OK     R     72 72 70 89 78 74 87 85
4th round: Kittner, Kurt            OK     R     72 78 72 86 77 73 85 83

You could have gotten any of these with you pick. Kreinhagen has better ratings, but i think those 3 have better potentials. If you where out for a quick boost for your team the trade was ok. Given a longer term and with a little patience and luck the draftees would have been the better choice....

I agree the rookies could be a better choice now - but when the trade was made, we didn't know who the rookies would be and what their ratings would be. Trading for Kreinhagen was a huge gamble - everyone agrees - but it is not known whether it was worth it, yet!

[Andrew-Neutral]

I couldn't make the draft, unfortunately, as we were making arrangements for our wedding (slightly more important than the FWL!). It sounds like it was a good experience. I'm not sure if I'd have changed my pick, as Brightful was top of my list anyway. I'd have loved to get Mayer as well, but never mind!

[Niki]

I personally like seeing some of the historically 'weaker' teams get much better and a change of power in the league.  Raleigh and Ohio and Austria are both looking very good and some of the stronger teams in the past (eg Sacramento) are now rebuilding.

Amsterdam did its job  three winning seasons in a row. two years of play offs in a row.

[velcro]

No it wasn't me, as just before the draft started I checked to see if the PM thing worked.