Expansion Draft Mock
Disclaimer: This is based on my own research and brief help from PMoney (who enlightened me on some aspects of the complicated draft) and since official protection lists are not out yet, I will be choosing protection lists based on my own assessment of teams needs. Nothing in this article should be taken too seriously, it’s entirely opinionated and likely inaccurate.
To begin this task of mocking the S22 Expansion draft, I first had to go through each teams roster, including all their S21 send downs that will be joining them this season, and record each position, TPE, Total season played, and their forum activity. I couldn’t take Locker room presence or GM personal feelings into account as I’m not in these locker rooms and of course I am not the GMs. I also compiled a the long list of S22 draftees that make up this gigantic class, to assess which positions are extra deep, and which may be more scarce and this filtered (slightly) into my process of deciding which players should be protected from expansion. That being said let’s get to the first team on the list…
Baltimore Hawks
With the retirement of GM CB Marquees Acho, The Baltimore Hawks only have 1 GM to auto protect. On top of this, they are losing star QB Corvo Havran to the Honolulu Hahalua and while that stings bad, it counts as 1 player already taken and therefore are supplied with an additional protection slot as well as limiting the players taken in the draft to just 2. With 8 protection slots to use, the Hawks are able to protect all their young actives and more. WR Errol Maddox will be able to complete his career with the Hawks and even they also had room to protect their inactive safety Logan Uchiha. They are losing their star QB Corvo Havran to the expansion and this will thrust QB Chika Fujiwara into the spotlight earlier than most would have expected, and therefore she’ll need a strong and active team for when her TPE gets into the high hundreds. Along with being able to keep practically their whole squad, the Hawks also have a strong S21 group of players that will be joining the team this season. Baltimore are in a very nice situation, even with the loss of their QB.
Protected:
1. S Walt Green (GM)
2. WR Errol Maddox
3. S Logan Uchiha
4. RB Apollo Reed
5. DE Fabricio Baldari
6. RB Darrel Williams
7. WR Asher Quinn
8. CB Juan Marston
Chicago Butchers
The GM situation was recently resolved and Bayley and Muford will be the new GMs. Luckily neither are in the NSFL this season so theyre protection slots can go on the other players. Star RB Ryan Leaf Jr has declared he will not be playing for the Butchers next season, but his talent warrants a protection slot in the hopes they’ll be able to trade him in the offseason for some picks, and if not then so be it. There isn’t much talent left worthy of a protection slot anyhow so Leaf Jr gets the slot. The list of top TPE guys for the Butchers are not all that old, though will begin to see regression ever so slightly and are all very active and of key positional roles. QB Rose Jenkins is a must keep. She is going to be moving into her 9th season which does bring regression, but this team needs her for two possibilities. Firstly they could just use her for the remainder of her career and hope to snag a nice QB late in the draft with 1 of their limited picks (there are a fair few thanks to the large S22 class), or they can ship her to another team such as Honolulu or Hawks for more draft picks. That would be up to the new GMs, but either way a must keep. With the departure of WR turned CB Ahri Espeeyeeseetee, Sean O’Leary becomes the teams WR1 and also is an easy protection player as he is super young and off to a great start TPE wise. RB Frank Clark, LB Mike Hockhertz and S Jack Lambo fill out the rest of the top 6 players on the squad and all active is very nice to see for Chicago. The final protection slot I chose young safety Beat. He has low TPE but is active and updating and right now Chicago needs active players to be in the locker room, now more than ever.
Protected:
1. RB Ryan Leaf Jr
2. QB Rose Jenkins
3. RB Farley Hank
4. WR Sean O’Leary
5. LB Mike Hockhertz
6. S Jack Rambo
7. S Beat
Colorado Yeti
The Colorado Yetis have a lot of young, high earning and active players on their team and they will for sure lose some young talent. LB Mo Berry and DT Bubba Thumper are the GMs and are auto protected leaving 5 spots left. It was a simple decision to lock up the top 4 remaining players as all are very active, high in TPE and none will hit regression for another season, some even more so. WR James Bishop has played 10 seasons in the league and that brings big regression. Sitting at 792 TPE, he’ll be one to let go. For the final protection slot, it was between LB Tony Gabagool, S Pete Parker and TE Earl Sauce. Fortunately for Colorado, LB is not a big position of need a Mo Berry is the best LB in the league currently and regression is only just starting to chip at him. I chose to protect S Pete Parker over TE Earl Sauce as the position is more in demand and if Colorado decide they need a replacement TE, there are some extremely solid options in the S22 Draft. Colorado, like the Hawks also had a spectacular S21 draft and luckily for them they will get strong talent moving up to join them this season. Not to mention DE Immanuel Blackstone and WR Red Arrow from the S21 draft are already putting in work for the Yeti.
Protected:
1. LB Mo Berry (GM)
2. QB Wolfie McDummy
3. WR Lazlo Forty-Two
4. DT Bubba Thumper (GM)
5. RB Ashley Owens
6. CB Louisiana Purchase
7. S Pete Parker
Philadelphia Liberty
Philadelphia appear to have a crazy active team. Aside from their dreadful S21 draft that sees most are already inactive, the current team is swarming with actives, albeit all fairly young. CB Julian McMorris is a GM but announced their retirement during the year so only 1 protection slot is autoed in for Philly. Philly have 5 active players a top the squad with 1000+ in TPE, this would make them all easy protection players. With 1 more slot available, it has to be spent on young QB Brock Pheonix. As mentioned, this team has a lot of young active talent and it’s lucky that a maximum of 3 can be taken.
Protected:
1. WR Nacho Varga
2. S Richard D’Attoria V
3. RB Sam Torenson
4. CB Emondov Emoji
5. S Lamont McKinnie
6. QB Brock Pheonix
7. DE ILove Gimmy (GM)
Yellowknife Wraiths
Yellowknife are a little luckier than most teams in the sense that one of their GMs is currently in the DSFL as the QB for the London Royals and will eventually become the successor to QB Cooter Bigsby who will be fighting off regression for the rest of his career. They also have already lost a great WR in Rayne Gordon who has gone to GM for Sarasota along with S21 RB Dax Frost. This means they have two extra protection slots, and only 1 other player may be poached in this expansion draft. Based on my protection list, it’s fairly easy to tell who will be getting taken. It comes down to the two young actives in RB Orien Drake or DE Jayson Kearse. The rest are either deep into regression or inactive. With a whopping 9 protection slots, the Wraiths can protect a whole swarm of players. Lucky for me this makes it easy. Their top 9 are all active and either very high in TPE or young. Some are both. This team has no worries heading into the expansion draft.
Protected:
1. DE Nero Alexander (GM)
2. QB Cooter Bigsby
3. CB Johnny Snuggles
4. WR Nate Swift
5. DT Giannis Kroustis
6. CB Marvin Leonard
7. LB Maurice Virtanen
8. RB Mathias Hanyadi
9. WR Bender B. Rodriguez
Arizona Outlaws
Arizonas protection list was another one that wasn’t super hard to decide on although there will be young talent that they could be saying goodbye to. CB Desmond Scarlett and S Jamie Nkiah are the teams GMs and are auto protected. 5 remaining protection slots go to the top 5 active earners, and as it happens, are all fairly young. Jammerson Irving has been a target machine but has not updated in a while and is inactive as far as I can tell. He’ll be heading into his regression years now and with no updating, he’ll fall fast and so is not a viable option to protect in my opinion. DT Shane Masters and WR Jah Bur’Berry are two young and active players with decent TPE in the 400’s. They’ll be sought after in this expansion draft for sure and the Outlaws will be sad to not be able to protect them here. They will be able to save one though. Which one depends on how the draft goes. If Shane Masters were to go then S21 draftee DT Pete Miller will soften the blow to losing Masters greatly as he looks to become one of the leagues best in the years to come. If this happen then WR will be a focus for the Outlaws in this S22 draft though.
Protected:
1. CB Lucas Knight
2. QB Jay Cue
3. WR Saba Donut
4. LB Galf Wilf
5. RB Riff Ruff
6. CB Desmond Scarlett (GM)
7. S Jamie Nkiah (GM)
Austin Copperheads
Austin is another team with a heavy load of active players. Though only for a small S21 draft signings, this team from what I can tell only has 3/23 inactives. Remarkable. Sad times for an expansion draft though. QB Easton Cole and RB Mako Mendonca are the teams GMs players and are auto protected. With the remaining 5 slots, like most other teams, I began looking at the top earning actives. Luckily none are going too seriously into regression. Of those saved, Only WR Rod Tidwell will start to see regression, but he is a strong active and can fight it off for at least a few more seasons. S Chase Jensen is a high TPE player but has been inactive for some time. An expansion team will likely pick him to fill a DB hole that could sustain decent productivity for the team for at least a season, maybe two, as regression is only just beginning for him. I also gave up TE Peter Larson’s protection slot to S Awkward Sexjoke as most are aware, he is a valued member within the locker room. DE Kyle Idlewyld will be a very sad loss for the Copperheads but unfortunately you can’t save everyone.
Protected:
1. CB Dermot Lavelle Jr
2. QB Easton Cole (GM)
3. RB Mako Mendonca (GM)
4. WR Rod Tidwell
5. LB Honda Edmond
6. WR Net Gaines
7. S Awkward Sexjoke
New Orleans Second Line
New Orleans team is just chock-a-block with talent that both expansion teams will want to sink their hands into. I expect early in the expansion draft, the 3-player limit will be in effect for NOLA. RB Forrest Gump and QB Stan Francisco are the GMs and are auto protected. LB Johnny Slothface will be retiring come the offseason as he has recreated at QB. This means the top 5 remaining players on the team are all worthy of the remaining protection slots and allows them to fit Marcella Toriki into the safe. Toriki and Forrest Gump creates a deadly duo for the Second Line and they’ll be happy to keep him. Unfortunately, star TE Austin McCormick is not safe currently and as he’s sitting on 728 TPE with only 3 years in the league, NOLA need to find a way to keep him. In the top 5, NOLA possess two top CBs. One being Deon Taylor with 916 TPE, and the other David Rector at 858 TPE. Both active, but the key difference is Taylor is 3 years ahead and will start to see regression. My mindset to let him go is that even without him you still boast strong talent at the position with Rector around and two younger CBs in Xavien Adams and Jordan Andrews. With the extra protection slots that NOLA will get to use with the draft, they will for sure keep at least 1 of them, if not two.
Protected:
1. RB Forrest Gump (GM)
2. LB Quenton Bode
3. QB Stan Fransisco (GM)
4. CB David Rector
5. DT Bjorn Ironside
6. RB Marcella Toriki
7. TE Austin McCormick
Orange County Otters
After researching Orange County’s team, Id have to say I’d feel fairly okay if I were them going into the expansion draft. They clearly have a lot high TPE players but with the protection slots, they’re able to secure almost all the active, high TPE players. The rest they wouldn’t be hurt so bad to lose... with one exception. As always, my first thought is to lock up all the top earners, but to do that would leave young star CB Kacey Dream who sits at 723 TPE after just 3 seasons. He is a must keep. In my eyes it was between 2 players to let go. LB Lanzer Grievous or CB AJ Lattimer. Both are over 1000 TPE. The differences are that Grievous is inactive and Lattimer is active so would seem like a clear choice. But when I look closer, to lose Lattimer is not such a big loss as CB Korrin Abernathy is protected due to being a GM, and along with Kacey Dream, the position is fairly secure for a long time, and if need be, grab a third in the draft. But I believe to keep strength at LB for next couple seasons is more valuable. Beyond that, the rest are easy to predict.
Protected:
1. QB Franklin Armstrong
2. LB Lanzer Grievous
3. WR Hugh Mongo
4. S Tyrone Biggums (GM)
5. WR Dexter Banks II
6. CB Korrin Abernathy (GM)
7. CB Kacey Dream
San Jose Sabercats
With one of the San Jose GMs currently in the DSFL as the QB for the Dallas Birddogs, San Jose are allowed an extra protection slot. This gives them 6 plus S Trey Staley, the other GM. To be honest, San Jose has the least to worry about in the expansion draft. They’re actually able to lock up every single one of their actives. Only Inactives available to the expansion teams and none are too high in TPE for that matter or that young. That was super easy.
Protected:
1. QB Dan Wright
2. LB Tyron Brackridge
3. DT Brayden Ennis
4. S Trey Staley (GM)
5. WR Action Jaction
6. WR Deondre Thomas-Fox
7. LB Inspectah Deck
The Mock
1.
S, Mason Blaylock S19 (673) 
The first player off the board is S Mason Blaylock. Blaylock is a super active, high earning and young Safety that Sarasota are thrilled to be able to take as he can be a cornerstone of the defence for many years to come. It’s a sad day for NOLA to let him go. Regrettably, NOLA now look empty at the Safety position and will certainly look to draft one early in the draft, but luckily, there is a swarm of talent at the position in the coming S22 draft.
Protected:
CB Deon Taylor
With the loss of S Mason Blaylock NOLA’s defensive backs get significantly weaker, and so NOLA assign their new protection slot to CB Deon Taylor. Not only is Deon a DB, but he has the highest TPE of the remaining players and even though he will start to see some regression, he’s active enough to fight it off and NOLA will be happy to be able to retain him.
2.
CB, Xavien Adams S18 (611) 
Honolulu decide to go DB aswell with their first pick. This time Cornerback. And once again they come out of NOLA. Much like Blaylock, Adams is a very young, talented and active player and will be big help to the Hahalua secondary for a long time. He has 4 years under his belt and so regression years are a way off.
Protected:
WR Jed Podolak
Just two picks in and NOLA are already down 2 players. No matter, another protection slot comes their way, and this time they use it on young WR Jed Podolak. NOLA’s WR core is weak. Strangely weak and so you must retain a quality player here and Jed is the guy as he sits at 554 TPE with only 3 years in the league. Active and updating, he will be their WR1 for some time. Although NOLA will need to address the WR position in the coming S22 draft also.
3.
CB, AJ Lattimer S15 (1073) 
Back to back CBs here. Luckily, this entire draft is mostly about BPA since both teams need every position. And AJ is the best player available by a country mile at this point. He’s the only player that sits above 1000 TPE in this draft and even though he’s not as young as some others, he’s a well-respected member of the community and will be able to produce very solidly for Honolulu until they eventually find his replacement.
Protected:
DE Bobby Boucher
With the first Otter coming off the board, a protection slot becomes available and looking at the roster, the only remaining player that isn’t hitting regression and is still active is very young DE Bobby Boucher. He hasn’t the best TPE but as I said, he’s young and active. Not to mention at a position that OCO find themselves pretty weak at.
4.
LB, Tony Gabagool S15 (738) 
For Sarasota’s second pick they pick up the best LB on the board. While there is talent at LB in the S22 draft, it’s not as deep as other positions. Better to get a strong one here in case you miss out on the top prospects and need extra time to develop someone to the role. Tony has one of the highest TPE counts in this draft and is only really just entering regression. He’s active though so not too big of a problem.
Protected:
TE Earl Sauce
First Yeti is gone. TE Earl Sauce is the clear candidate to use their protection on. COL see that NOLAs Austin McCormick was protected pre-draft and so Earl is a hot commodity right now. They take this opportunity to keep him with them in Colorado. DE Steco Ocewilder is also an option here, however Colorado have some very talented S21 Defensive lineman which will see them just fine.
5.
DE, Kyle Idlewyld S20 (440) 
This was always going to happen. DE Kyle Idlewyld is a beast and racking up TPE very nicely. Super young and active, Austin knew they’d have little hope of being able to retain him. He’ll be able to develop nicely in the coming years for the Sailfish and create the foundation on that Defensive line.
Protected:
TE Peter Larson
Austin use their newfound protection slot on TE Peter Larson. Larson almost made the pre-draft protection list but Awkward Sexjoke edged him out due to his age and locker room presence. However, he’s back in Austin’s protection as the highest active TPE count left on the roster and since TE Earl Sauce was just protected by Colorado, protecting your TE seems like a nice idea right now.
6.
WR, Randy Vuxta S20 (427) 
With no wide receivers on the team, Honolulu take the best available WR on the board. GM and QB Corvo Havran is going to want some decent receivers to get the ball to and Vuxta is the best available since NOLA locked up Podolak. Being a young S20 player, he has lots of time to develop to be a weapon on this team.
Protected:
TE Avon Blocksdale Jr
Philly follow suit and lock up their own TE Avon Blocksdale Jr. With this trend I imagine the expansion teams will be looking to get one of the top TE’s in the S22 Draft. The TE’s remaining are not going to be able to add a whole lot to the team as they’re either inactive or deep into regression.
7.
LB, Mack Arianlacher S19 (529) 
With Honolulu’s 4th pick, they decide to target NOLA players as only 1 remain available and they go with young LB Mack Arianlacher. In terms of LBs, beyond Arianlacher there is just 0 viable options to take that offer more than just a season of mediocre production, so the Hahalua get their guy and at the same time knock off a ton of talent from the board.
Protected:
Everyone
As stated, Mack Arianlacher becomes the third and final player to leave the NOLA team and so all other NOLA players become auto protected and from here on out, NOLA can just watch with no more worries.
8.
DE, Steco Ocewilder S18 (523) 
While already having Idlewyld at DE, they decide to get the next best option at the position also since from analysing the board, DE starts to drop off pretty big. Ocewilder is an active with only 4 years in the league and will really give the team a strong boost to the DLine early in the franchise. I also like this pick as the DE class for the S22 draft is not so deep besides a few standouts.
Protected:
S Thor Kirby
Ocewilder marks the second player taken from the Colorado team. I chose to protect young Safety Thor Kirkby as the remaining players were either inactive or too old. But Kirby at 399 TPE with only 2 years in the league is not bad at all and his activity could see that number increase nicely.
9.
WR, Jah Bur’Berry S20 (409) 
Sarasota take their first offensive player in the 5th round. This is because their GMs are both on offense as well and so they focus heavy on defence earlier on. Jah Bur’Berry is young and active with very decent TPE numbers from where he is at in his career and he’ll make a solid WR2 option just behind GM and WR Rayne Gordon. QB is an issue for this team though but they’re not going to be able to address it in this draft most likely.
Protected:
DT Shane Masters
Arizona knew either Bur’Berry or DT Shane Masters were going to be leaving, but with one gone, they can now secure the other, so they protect Shane here.
10.
RB, Fuzzy Dotson S18 (541) 
While Sarasota have GM and RB Dax Frost joining the team, the Honolulu have no RB options as of current. So they pick the best option right here. Dotson is nowhere near regression and at 541 TPE will provide very solid production at the position early on. But I definitely could see Honolulu trying to make a trade for Ryan Leaf Jr this offseason, while whoever their rookie may be, progresses a bit further.
Protected:
K/P Venus Powers
With Philly’s second protection addition, they lock up star Kicker Venus Powers, since their recent draftee Lefty Louis has not been updating for some time and so they can’t rely on him anymore. And every team needs a Kicker, and Venus looks to become one of the leagues best.
11.
S, Chase Jensen S15 (893) 
At this point the young actives are of super short supply and none that appear to be making very steady TPE earning at all. And Safety Chase Jensen may not be active as of late, but has very nice TPE and though he’s headed into early years of regression, it should still make him a nice addition to the defence for a year or two while rookies develop.
Protected:
OL Edmond Beaver-Dantes
Austin have a decision to make here with their new protection slot. They could protect young and active WR Jacoby Clay who has okay TPE numbers for his age but with Tidwell and Gaines still on the team, WR is not a huge concern at this time especially with the talent coming in the S22 Draft. So they choose to protect their OL player Edmond Beaver-Dantes.
12.
CB, Quentin Sinclair S15 (674) 
Sarasota back on the clock and they take a similar approach and take the highest TPE defensive player left on the board, and while this player is inactive, they still have a year or two production in them that will help to keep the team from being annihilated early on in the franchise and plummeting team moral.
Protected:
Everyone
The third yeti comes off the board and with it, a lot of talent. Colorado become fully protected from here on out.
13.
TE, Jammerson Irving S15 (800) 
Sarasota follow suit and take another inactive but higher TPE guy. With all the TE’s getting protected, Irving becomes the best TE available and even though inactive, has a high enough TPE with minimal regression to be of use early on.
Protected:
WR Willie Hardagain
With no more active players left on the roster, Arizona decide o just lcok up the next highest TPE player and that’s WR Willie Hardagain. Also, with the loss of Jah Bur’Berry, its not a terrible idea to protect you other WR here.
14.
DE, Jayson Kearse S19 (394) 
Honolulu need to start getting help on that Dline, and Sarasota have already taken the two best DE’s available. So Honolulu get to take the next best in Jayson Kearse. Jayson is young and active which is fantastic for Honolulu and it also takes the rest of the YKW players off the board.
Protected:
Everyone
Yellowknife were only going to be losing 1 extra player in this draft and with Kearse being taken, that’s them done right here.
15.
LB, Warren Stephens S20 (379) 
Another talent to add to the front 7 is LB Warren Stephens. Another super young active that they’ll be delighted to grab. Stephens also becomes the 3rd Philly player taken and with it, another load of players comes away from the draftboard.
Protected:
Everyone
Philly boasted a ton of actives on their team and Sarasota will now be starved for actives moving forward.
16.
K/P, Alex D. S15 (641) 
All teams need a Kicker and Alex D. is the best remaining on the board by a long shot. He will start to see regression, but Kickers don’t need a lot of TPE to be effective and the more important thing here I believe is that Alex is an active player.
Protected:
RB Ludicolo Bigby
Orange County are running out of actives to protect and with only one RB on the roster besides Siddhu’s retired player, they decide to lock up RB Ludicolo Bigby. He’s an inactive but of decent enough TPE for 1 more season, even if QB Armstrong will likely do most of the rushing again. But still, gotta have a RB.
17.
LB, Jaylen Storm S16 (531) 
Sarasots go back to back OCO players, and take LB, Jaylen Storm. Another inactive but decent TPE and will see only minimal regression moving into his 7th season. And while there are some gems in the LB class for the S22 Draft, its not incredibly deep, so you’ll want LB production in the team’s first year while the rookies rise in TPE.
Protected:
Everyone
Two consecutive OCO players taken and the rest of the team gets auto protected.
18.
WR, Jacoby Clay S20 (365) 
Honolulu are ecstatic to find a young active WR late in the draft. Randy Vuxta is their only WR currently and he’ll need some help. Clays TPE progression has been a little slow, so hopefully he can bring it up. And Honolulu would still be looking for WR talent in the draft who will potentially surpass Clay on the depth Chart, but for now, QB Corvo Havran has at least a couple weapons to throw to.
Protected:
Everyone
The third and final Austin boy comes off the board and now the entire team gets protected. From here its now looking super bleak. Only BAL, CHI, AZ and SJS have players that are available, and none are of great value in either the active or TPE department. But pick they must.
19.
DE, Terry Taffy S15 (462) 
Honolulu take their second Defensive End in Baltimore’s Terry Taffy. A long time inactive and soon to hit regression but okay for year one when there’s not a whole lot of pressure to do too well.
Protected:
LB Sandip Bakshi
Baltimore only really have low TPE and inactive players to protect at this point. And the ones with okay TPE are about to go into regression. So, they go with LB Sandip Bakshi. An inactive but highest TPE with not too much regression.
20.
CB, Xerxes Ridley S15 (573) 
So far Sarasota has only selected 1 CB and so I believe the mind set would be to target the big Corner class in S22 but at this point all you’re doing is selecting best player available, and here its Corner Xerxes Ridley from Chicago. Inactive but okay TPE with minimal regression. Should be okay for a season.
Protected:
LB Leighton Lee
Leighton Lee is an active vet player so Chicago take no time to lock him up to keep people in their Locker room.
21.
DT, Freezer Riposte S12 (670) 
With Sarasota’s penultimate pick, they go DT, Freezer Ripposte from San Jose. Not much good at this pick at all really but has 670 TPE and even though will hit big regression, it’s the best DT available at this point.
Protected:
S Joseph Wozniak
Every player left on San Jose is inactive and so they protect the youngest player with the most TPE, being S Joseph Wozniak.
22.
K/P, ForThe Brand S16 (318) 
Honolulu yet to take a Kicker this draft, and a team must have a Kicker. ForThe Brand is also inactive and wont hit regression too bad, and luckily Kickers don’t need a ton of TPE. But Honolulu will definitely need to grab their Kicker of the future in the S22 Draft.
Protected:
Everyone
Baltimore were only ever going to lose 2 players and with the loss of the kicker, the rest are now safe. Not that is matters much at this point.
23.
DE, Steve Vassallo S19 (302) 
Best player available is another DE Stevie Vassallo. Low TPE and inactive is a bad combo but he’s young so at least regression won’t be coming for him for a while.
Protected:
DT Johnson Harding
Chicago protect DT Johnson Harding, as they begin to run exceptionally low on DL talent.
24.
DT, Reggie Culbertson S20 (244) 
The final pick of this expansion draft belongs to Sarasota and they take DT Reggie Culbertson from Arizona. Low TPE and inactive but young.
Final Teams:
Sarasota Sailfish:
WR Rayne Gordon
RB Dax Frost
S Mason Blaylock
LB Tony Gabagool
DE Kyle Idlewyld
DE Steco Ocewilder
WR Jah Bur’Berry
CB Quentin Sinclair
TE Jammerson Irving
K/P Alex D.
LB Jaylen Storm
CB Xerxes Ridley
DT Freezer Riposte
DT Reggie Culbertson
Honolulu Hahalua:
QB Corvo Havran
CB Xavien Adams
CB AJ Lattimer
WR Randy Vuxta
LB Mack Arianlacher
RB Fuzzy Dotson
S Chase Jensen
DE Jayson Kearse
LB Warren Stephens
WR Jacoby Clay
DE Terry Taffy
K/P ForThe Brand
DE Stevie Vassallo
Words: 5400
Disclaimer: This is based on my own research and brief help from PMoney (who enlightened me on some aspects of the complicated draft) and since official protection lists are not out yet, I will be choosing protection lists based on my own assessment of teams needs. Nothing in this article should be taken too seriously, it’s entirely opinionated and likely inaccurate.
To begin this task of mocking the S22 Expansion draft, I first had to go through each teams roster, including all their S21 send downs that will be joining them this season, and record each position, TPE, Total season played, and their forum activity. I couldn’t take Locker room presence or GM personal feelings into account as I’m not in these locker rooms and of course I am not the GMs. I also compiled a the long list of S22 draftees that make up this gigantic class, to assess which positions are extra deep, and which may be more scarce and this filtered (slightly) into my process of deciding which players should be protected from expansion. That being said let’s get to the first team on the list…

With the retirement of GM CB Marquees Acho, The Baltimore Hawks only have 1 GM to auto protect. On top of this, they are losing star QB Corvo Havran to the Honolulu Hahalua and while that stings bad, it counts as 1 player already taken and therefore are supplied with an additional protection slot as well as limiting the players taken in the draft to just 2. With 8 protection slots to use, the Hawks are able to protect all their young actives and more. WR Errol Maddox will be able to complete his career with the Hawks and even they also had room to protect their inactive safety Logan Uchiha. They are losing their star QB Corvo Havran to the expansion and this will thrust QB Chika Fujiwara into the spotlight earlier than most would have expected, and therefore she’ll need a strong and active team for when her TPE gets into the high hundreds. Along with being able to keep practically their whole squad, the Hawks also have a strong S21 group of players that will be joining the team this season. Baltimore are in a very nice situation, even with the loss of their QB.
Protected:
1. S Walt Green (GM)
2. WR Errol Maddox
3. S Logan Uchiha
4. RB Apollo Reed
5. DE Fabricio Baldari
6. RB Darrel Williams
7. WR Asher Quinn
8. CB Juan Marston

The GM situation was recently resolved and Bayley and Muford will be the new GMs. Luckily neither are in the NSFL this season so theyre protection slots can go on the other players. Star RB Ryan Leaf Jr has declared he will not be playing for the Butchers next season, but his talent warrants a protection slot in the hopes they’ll be able to trade him in the offseason for some picks, and if not then so be it. There isn’t much talent left worthy of a protection slot anyhow so Leaf Jr gets the slot. The list of top TPE guys for the Butchers are not all that old, though will begin to see regression ever so slightly and are all very active and of key positional roles. QB Rose Jenkins is a must keep. She is going to be moving into her 9th season which does bring regression, but this team needs her for two possibilities. Firstly they could just use her for the remainder of her career and hope to snag a nice QB late in the draft with 1 of their limited picks (there are a fair few thanks to the large S22 class), or they can ship her to another team such as Honolulu or Hawks for more draft picks. That would be up to the new GMs, but either way a must keep. With the departure of WR turned CB Ahri Espeeyeeseetee, Sean O’Leary becomes the teams WR1 and also is an easy protection player as he is super young and off to a great start TPE wise. RB Frank Clark, LB Mike Hockhertz and S Jack Lambo fill out the rest of the top 6 players on the squad and all active is very nice to see for Chicago. The final protection slot I chose young safety Beat. He has low TPE but is active and updating and right now Chicago needs active players to be in the locker room, now more than ever.
Protected:
1. RB Ryan Leaf Jr
2. QB Rose Jenkins
3. RB Farley Hank
4. WR Sean O’Leary
5. LB Mike Hockhertz
6. S Jack Rambo
7. S Beat

The Colorado Yetis have a lot of young, high earning and active players on their team and they will for sure lose some young talent. LB Mo Berry and DT Bubba Thumper are the GMs and are auto protected leaving 5 spots left. It was a simple decision to lock up the top 4 remaining players as all are very active, high in TPE and none will hit regression for another season, some even more so. WR James Bishop has played 10 seasons in the league and that brings big regression. Sitting at 792 TPE, he’ll be one to let go. For the final protection slot, it was between LB Tony Gabagool, S Pete Parker and TE Earl Sauce. Fortunately for Colorado, LB is not a big position of need a Mo Berry is the best LB in the league currently and regression is only just starting to chip at him. I chose to protect S Pete Parker over TE Earl Sauce as the position is more in demand and if Colorado decide they need a replacement TE, there are some extremely solid options in the S22 Draft. Colorado, like the Hawks also had a spectacular S21 draft and luckily for them they will get strong talent moving up to join them this season. Not to mention DE Immanuel Blackstone and WR Red Arrow from the S21 draft are already putting in work for the Yeti.
Protected:
1. LB Mo Berry (GM)
2. QB Wolfie McDummy
3. WR Lazlo Forty-Two
4. DT Bubba Thumper (GM)
5. RB Ashley Owens
6. CB Louisiana Purchase
7. S Pete Parker

Philadelphia appear to have a crazy active team. Aside from their dreadful S21 draft that sees most are already inactive, the current team is swarming with actives, albeit all fairly young. CB Julian McMorris is a GM but announced their retirement during the year so only 1 protection slot is autoed in for Philly. Philly have 5 active players a top the squad with 1000+ in TPE, this would make them all easy protection players. With 1 more slot available, it has to be spent on young QB Brock Pheonix. As mentioned, this team has a lot of young active talent and it’s lucky that a maximum of 3 can be taken.
Protected:
1. WR Nacho Varga
2. S Richard D’Attoria V
3. RB Sam Torenson
4. CB Emondov Emoji
5. S Lamont McKinnie
6. QB Brock Pheonix
7. DE ILove Gimmy (GM)

Yellowknife are a little luckier than most teams in the sense that one of their GMs is currently in the DSFL as the QB for the London Royals and will eventually become the successor to QB Cooter Bigsby who will be fighting off regression for the rest of his career. They also have already lost a great WR in Rayne Gordon who has gone to GM for Sarasota along with S21 RB Dax Frost. This means they have two extra protection slots, and only 1 other player may be poached in this expansion draft. Based on my protection list, it’s fairly easy to tell who will be getting taken. It comes down to the two young actives in RB Orien Drake or DE Jayson Kearse. The rest are either deep into regression or inactive. With a whopping 9 protection slots, the Wraiths can protect a whole swarm of players. Lucky for me this makes it easy. Their top 9 are all active and either very high in TPE or young. Some are both. This team has no worries heading into the expansion draft.
Protected:
1. DE Nero Alexander (GM)
2. QB Cooter Bigsby
3. CB Johnny Snuggles
4. WR Nate Swift
5. DT Giannis Kroustis
6. CB Marvin Leonard
7. LB Maurice Virtanen
8. RB Mathias Hanyadi
9. WR Bender B. Rodriguez

Arizonas protection list was another one that wasn’t super hard to decide on although there will be young talent that they could be saying goodbye to. CB Desmond Scarlett and S Jamie Nkiah are the teams GMs and are auto protected. 5 remaining protection slots go to the top 5 active earners, and as it happens, are all fairly young. Jammerson Irving has been a target machine but has not updated in a while and is inactive as far as I can tell. He’ll be heading into his regression years now and with no updating, he’ll fall fast and so is not a viable option to protect in my opinion. DT Shane Masters and WR Jah Bur’Berry are two young and active players with decent TPE in the 400’s. They’ll be sought after in this expansion draft for sure and the Outlaws will be sad to not be able to protect them here. They will be able to save one though. Which one depends on how the draft goes. If Shane Masters were to go then S21 draftee DT Pete Miller will soften the blow to losing Masters greatly as he looks to become one of the leagues best in the years to come. If this happen then WR will be a focus for the Outlaws in this S22 draft though.
Protected:
1. CB Lucas Knight
2. QB Jay Cue
3. WR Saba Donut
4. LB Galf Wilf
5. RB Riff Ruff
6. CB Desmond Scarlett (GM)
7. S Jamie Nkiah (GM)

Austin is another team with a heavy load of active players. Though only for a small S21 draft signings, this team from what I can tell only has 3/23 inactives. Remarkable. Sad times for an expansion draft though. QB Easton Cole and RB Mako Mendonca are the teams GMs players and are auto protected. With the remaining 5 slots, like most other teams, I began looking at the top earning actives. Luckily none are going too seriously into regression. Of those saved, Only WR Rod Tidwell will start to see regression, but he is a strong active and can fight it off for at least a few more seasons. S Chase Jensen is a high TPE player but has been inactive for some time. An expansion team will likely pick him to fill a DB hole that could sustain decent productivity for the team for at least a season, maybe two, as regression is only just beginning for him. I also gave up TE Peter Larson’s protection slot to S Awkward Sexjoke as most are aware, he is a valued member within the locker room. DE Kyle Idlewyld will be a very sad loss for the Copperheads but unfortunately you can’t save everyone.
Protected:
1. CB Dermot Lavelle Jr
2. QB Easton Cole (GM)
3. RB Mako Mendonca (GM)
4. WR Rod Tidwell
5. LB Honda Edmond
6. WR Net Gaines
7. S Awkward Sexjoke

New Orleans team is just chock-a-block with talent that both expansion teams will want to sink their hands into. I expect early in the expansion draft, the 3-player limit will be in effect for NOLA. RB Forrest Gump and QB Stan Francisco are the GMs and are auto protected. LB Johnny Slothface will be retiring come the offseason as he has recreated at QB. This means the top 5 remaining players on the team are all worthy of the remaining protection slots and allows them to fit Marcella Toriki into the safe. Toriki and Forrest Gump creates a deadly duo for the Second Line and they’ll be happy to keep him. Unfortunately, star TE Austin McCormick is not safe currently and as he’s sitting on 728 TPE with only 3 years in the league, NOLA need to find a way to keep him. In the top 5, NOLA possess two top CBs. One being Deon Taylor with 916 TPE, and the other David Rector at 858 TPE. Both active, but the key difference is Taylor is 3 years ahead and will start to see regression. My mindset to let him go is that even without him you still boast strong talent at the position with Rector around and two younger CBs in Xavien Adams and Jordan Andrews. With the extra protection slots that NOLA will get to use with the draft, they will for sure keep at least 1 of them, if not two.
Protected:
1. RB Forrest Gump (GM)
2. LB Quenton Bode
3. QB Stan Fransisco (GM)
4. CB David Rector
5. DT Bjorn Ironside
6. RB Marcella Toriki
7. TE Austin McCormick

After researching Orange County’s team, Id have to say I’d feel fairly okay if I were them going into the expansion draft. They clearly have a lot high TPE players but with the protection slots, they’re able to secure almost all the active, high TPE players. The rest they wouldn’t be hurt so bad to lose... with one exception. As always, my first thought is to lock up all the top earners, but to do that would leave young star CB Kacey Dream who sits at 723 TPE after just 3 seasons. He is a must keep. In my eyes it was between 2 players to let go. LB Lanzer Grievous or CB AJ Lattimer. Both are over 1000 TPE. The differences are that Grievous is inactive and Lattimer is active so would seem like a clear choice. But when I look closer, to lose Lattimer is not such a big loss as CB Korrin Abernathy is protected due to being a GM, and along with Kacey Dream, the position is fairly secure for a long time, and if need be, grab a third in the draft. But I believe to keep strength at LB for next couple seasons is more valuable. Beyond that, the rest are easy to predict.
Protected:
1. QB Franklin Armstrong
2. LB Lanzer Grievous
3. WR Hugh Mongo
4. S Tyrone Biggums (GM)
5. WR Dexter Banks II
6. CB Korrin Abernathy (GM)
7. CB Kacey Dream

With one of the San Jose GMs currently in the DSFL as the QB for the Dallas Birddogs, San Jose are allowed an extra protection slot. This gives them 6 plus S Trey Staley, the other GM. To be honest, San Jose has the least to worry about in the expansion draft. They’re actually able to lock up every single one of their actives. Only Inactives available to the expansion teams and none are too high in TPE for that matter or that young. That was super easy.
Protected:
1. QB Dan Wright
2. LB Tyron Brackridge
3. DT Brayden Ennis
4. S Trey Staley (GM)
5. WR Action Jaction
6. WR Deondre Thomas-Fox
7. LB Inspectah Deck
The Mock
1.


The first player off the board is S Mason Blaylock. Blaylock is a super active, high earning and young Safety that Sarasota are thrilled to be able to take as he can be a cornerstone of the defence for many years to come. It’s a sad day for NOLA to let him go. Regrettably, NOLA now look empty at the Safety position and will certainly look to draft one early in the draft, but luckily, there is a swarm of talent at the position in the coming S22 draft.
Protected:

With the loss of S Mason Blaylock NOLA’s defensive backs get significantly weaker, and so NOLA assign their new protection slot to CB Deon Taylor. Not only is Deon a DB, but he has the highest TPE of the remaining players and even though he will start to see some regression, he’s active enough to fight it off and NOLA will be happy to be able to retain him.
2.


Honolulu decide to go DB aswell with their first pick. This time Cornerback. And once again they come out of NOLA. Much like Blaylock, Adams is a very young, talented and active player and will be big help to the Hahalua secondary for a long time. He has 4 years under his belt and so regression years are a way off.
Protected:

Just two picks in and NOLA are already down 2 players. No matter, another protection slot comes their way, and this time they use it on young WR Jed Podolak. NOLA’s WR core is weak. Strangely weak and so you must retain a quality player here and Jed is the guy as he sits at 554 TPE with only 3 years in the league. Active and updating, he will be their WR1 for some time. Although NOLA will need to address the WR position in the coming S22 draft also.
3.


Back to back CBs here. Luckily, this entire draft is mostly about BPA since both teams need every position. And AJ is the best player available by a country mile at this point. He’s the only player that sits above 1000 TPE in this draft and even though he’s not as young as some others, he’s a well-respected member of the community and will be able to produce very solidly for Honolulu until they eventually find his replacement.
Protected:

With the first Otter coming off the board, a protection slot becomes available and looking at the roster, the only remaining player that isn’t hitting regression and is still active is very young DE Bobby Boucher. He hasn’t the best TPE but as I said, he’s young and active. Not to mention at a position that OCO find themselves pretty weak at.
4.


For Sarasota’s second pick they pick up the best LB on the board. While there is talent at LB in the S22 draft, it’s not as deep as other positions. Better to get a strong one here in case you miss out on the top prospects and need extra time to develop someone to the role. Tony has one of the highest TPE counts in this draft and is only really just entering regression. He’s active though so not too big of a problem.
Protected:

First Yeti is gone. TE Earl Sauce is the clear candidate to use their protection on. COL see that NOLAs Austin McCormick was protected pre-draft and so Earl is a hot commodity right now. They take this opportunity to keep him with them in Colorado. DE Steco Ocewilder is also an option here, however Colorado have some very talented S21 Defensive lineman which will see them just fine.
5.


This was always going to happen. DE Kyle Idlewyld is a beast and racking up TPE very nicely. Super young and active, Austin knew they’d have little hope of being able to retain him. He’ll be able to develop nicely in the coming years for the Sailfish and create the foundation on that Defensive line.
Protected:

Austin use their newfound protection slot on TE Peter Larson. Larson almost made the pre-draft protection list but Awkward Sexjoke edged him out due to his age and locker room presence. However, he’s back in Austin’s protection as the highest active TPE count left on the roster and since TE Earl Sauce was just protected by Colorado, protecting your TE seems like a nice idea right now.
6.


With no wide receivers on the team, Honolulu take the best available WR on the board. GM and QB Corvo Havran is going to want some decent receivers to get the ball to and Vuxta is the best available since NOLA locked up Podolak. Being a young S20 player, he has lots of time to develop to be a weapon on this team.
Protected:

Philly follow suit and lock up their own TE Avon Blocksdale Jr. With this trend I imagine the expansion teams will be looking to get one of the top TE’s in the S22 Draft. The TE’s remaining are not going to be able to add a whole lot to the team as they’re either inactive or deep into regression.
7.


With Honolulu’s 4th pick, they decide to target NOLA players as only 1 remain available and they go with young LB Mack Arianlacher. In terms of LBs, beyond Arianlacher there is just 0 viable options to take that offer more than just a season of mediocre production, so the Hahalua get their guy and at the same time knock off a ton of talent from the board.
Protected:

As stated, Mack Arianlacher becomes the third and final player to leave the NOLA team and so all other NOLA players become auto protected and from here on out, NOLA can just watch with no more worries.
8.


While already having Idlewyld at DE, they decide to get the next best option at the position also since from analysing the board, DE starts to drop off pretty big. Ocewilder is an active with only 4 years in the league and will really give the team a strong boost to the DLine early in the franchise. I also like this pick as the DE class for the S22 draft is not so deep besides a few standouts.
Protected:

Ocewilder marks the second player taken from the Colorado team. I chose to protect young Safety Thor Kirkby as the remaining players were either inactive or too old. But Kirby at 399 TPE with only 2 years in the league is not bad at all and his activity could see that number increase nicely.
9.


Sarasota take their first offensive player in the 5th round. This is because their GMs are both on offense as well and so they focus heavy on defence earlier on. Jah Bur’Berry is young and active with very decent TPE numbers from where he is at in his career and he’ll make a solid WR2 option just behind GM and WR Rayne Gordon. QB is an issue for this team though but they’re not going to be able to address it in this draft most likely.
Protected:

Arizona knew either Bur’Berry or DT Shane Masters were going to be leaving, but with one gone, they can now secure the other, so they protect Shane here.
10.


While Sarasota have GM and RB Dax Frost joining the team, the Honolulu have no RB options as of current. So they pick the best option right here. Dotson is nowhere near regression and at 541 TPE will provide very solid production at the position early on. But I definitely could see Honolulu trying to make a trade for Ryan Leaf Jr this offseason, while whoever their rookie may be, progresses a bit further.
Protected:

With Philly’s second protection addition, they lock up star Kicker Venus Powers, since their recent draftee Lefty Louis has not been updating for some time and so they can’t rely on him anymore. And every team needs a Kicker, and Venus looks to become one of the leagues best.
11.


At this point the young actives are of super short supply and none that appear to be making very steady TPE earning at all. And Safety Chase Jensen may not be active as of late, but has very nice TPE and though he’s headed into early years of regression, it should still make him a nice addition to the defence for a year or two while rookies develop.
Protected:

Austin have a decision to make here with their new protection slot. They could protect young and active WR Jacoby Clay who has okay TPE numbers for his age but with Tidwell and Gaines still on the team, WR is not a huge concern at this time especially with the talent coming in the S22 Draft. So they choose to protect their OL player Edmond Beaver-Dantes.
12.


Sarasota back on the clock and they take a similar approach and take the highest TPE defensive player left on the board, and while this player is inactive, they still have a year or two production in them that will help to keep the team from being annihilated early on in the franchise and plummeting team moral.
Protected:

The third yeti comes off the board and with it, a lot of talent. Colorado become fully protected from here on out.
13.


Sarasota follow suit and take another inactive but higher TPE guy. With all the TE’s getting protected, Irving becomes the best TE available and even though inactive, has a high enough TPE with minimal regression to be of use early on.
Protected:

With no more active players left on the roster, Arizona decide o just lcok up the next highest TPE player and that’s WR Willie Hardagain. Also, with the loss of Jah Bur’Berry, its not a terrible idea to protect you other WR here.
14.


Honolulu need to start getting help on that Dline, and Sarasota have already taken the two best DE’s available. So Honolulu get to take the next best in Jayson Kearse. Jayson is young and active which is fantastic for Honolulu and it also takes the rest of the YKW players off the board.
Protected:

Yellowknife were only going to be losing 1 extra player in this draft and with Kearse being taken, that’s them done right here.
15.


Another talent to add to the front 7 is LB Warren Stephens. Another super young active that they’ll be delighted to grab. Stephens also becomes the 3rd Philly player taken and with it, another load of players comes away from the draftboard.
Protected:

Philly boasted a ton of actives on their team and Sarasota will now be starved for actives moving forward.
16.


All teams need a Kicker and Alex D. is the best remaining on the board by a long shot. He will start to see regression, but Kickers don’t need a lot of TPE to be effective and the more important thing here I believe is that Alex is an active player.
Protected:

Orange County are running out of actives to protect and with only one RB on the roster besides Siddhu’s retired player, they decide to lock up RB Ludicolo Bigby. He’s an inactive but of decent enough TPE for 1 more season, even if QB Armstrong will likely do most of the rushing again. But still, gotta have a RB.
17.


Sarasots go back to back OCO players, and take LB, Jaylen Storm. Another inactive but decent TPE and will see only minimal regression moving into his 7th season. And while there are some gems in the LB class for the S22 Draft, its not incredibly deep, so you’ll want LB production in the team’s first year while the rookies rise in TPE.
Protected:

Two consecutive OCO players taken and the rest of the team gets auto protected.
18.


Honolulu are ecstatic to find a young active WR late in the draft. Randy Vuxta is their only WR currently and he’ll need some help. Clays TPE progression has been a little slow, so hopefully he can bring it up. And Honolulu would still be looking for WR talent in the draft who will potentially surpass Clay on the depth Chart, but for now, QB Corvo Havran has at least a couple weapons to throw to.
Protected:

The third and final Austin boy comes off the board and now the entire team gets protected. From here its now looking super bleak. Only BAL, CHI, AZ and SJS have players that are available, and none are of great value in either the active or TPE department. But pick they must.
19.


Honolulu take their second Defensive End in Baltimore’s Terry Taffy. A long time inactive and soon to hit regression but okay for year one when there’s not a whole lot of pressure to do too well.
Protected:

Baltimore only really have low TPE and inactive players to protect at this point. And the ones with okay TPE are about to go into regression. So, they go with LB Sandip Bakshi. An inactive but highest TPE with not too much regression.
20.


So far Sarasota has only selected 1 CB and so I believe the mind set would be to target the big Corner class in S22 but at this point all you’re doing is selecting best player available, and here its Corner Xerxes Ridley from Chicago. Inactive but okay TPE with minimal regression. Should be okay for a season.
Protected:

Leighton Lee is an active vet player so Chicago take no time to lock him up to keep people in their Locker room.
21.


With Sarasota’s penultimate pick, they go DT, Freezer Ripposte from San Jose. Not much good at this pick at all really but has 670 TPE and even though will hit big regression, it’s the best DT available at this point.
Protected:

Every player left on San Jose is inactive and so they protect the youngest player with the most TPE, being S Joseph Wozniak.
22.


Honolulu yet to take a Kicker this draft, and a team must have a Kicker. ForThe Brand is also inactive and wont hit regression too bad, and luckily Kickers don’t need a ton of TPE. But Honolulu will definitely need to grab their Kicker of the future in the S22 Draft.
Protected:

Baltimore were only ever going to lose 2 players and with the loss of the kicker, the rest are now safe. Not that is matters much at this point.
23.


Best player available is another DE Stevie Vassallo. Low TPE and inactive is a bad combo but he’s young so at least regression won’t be coming for him for a while.
Protected:

Chicago protect DT Johnson Harding, as they begin to run exceptionally low on DL talent.
24.


The final pick of this expansion draft belongs to Sarasota and they take DT Reggie Culbertson from Arizona. Low TPE and inactive but young.
Final Teams:

WR Rayne Gordon
RB Dax Frost
S Mason Blaylock
LB Tony Gabagool
DE Kyle Idlewyld
DE Steco Ocewilder
WR Jah Bur’Berry
CB Quentin Sinclair
TE Jammerson Irving
K/P Alex D.
LB Jaylen Storm
CB Xerxes Ridley
DT Freezer Riposte
DT Reggie Culbertson

QB Corvo Havran
CB Xavien Adams
CB AJ Lattimer
WR Randy Vuxta
LB Mack Arianlacher
RB Fuzzy Dotson
S Chase Jensen
DE Jayson Kearse
LB Warren Stephens
WR Jacoby Clay
DE Terry Taffy
K/P ForThe Brand
DE Stevie Vassallo
Words: 5400