Breaking down the Season 25 ISFL Expansion Draft
The football world was set ablaze in late August with the announcement that the International Football Simulation League would be expanding its ranks by adding two additional teams. After the announcements of the new GM’s and the teams’ brandings, most fans turned their attention to the expansion draft. Who would teams protect from expansion? Who would get picked and by who? Would anyone refuse to be snatched away from their team?
We are now less than two weeks away from the end of the 24th season of the ISFL and the expansion draft. Teams have published their protected players list and the Expansion Draft order has been decided. Now, the fun part begins: guessing who’s going to be picked.
For a recap, here are the two expansion teams and their respective General Managers:
Berlin Fire Salamanders
@Dewalt27 – Asher Quinn / WR / 954 TPE
@Highhaschdi – Nick Kaepercolin / WR / 736 TPE
New York Silverbacks
@woelkers – Bubba Thumper / DT / 1257 TPE
@Bwestfield – Dukburg QuakStak / CB / 236 TPE
Before we start even talking about the picks and who each team is going to take, we need to take a close look at both the current expansion draft pool as well as the incoming rookie class from the DSFL, as knowing who these teams have a shot at in their inaugural draft will make a big impact on who they decide to poach from other ISFL teams.
Special shout out to @Swanty for providing the unprotected players pool. Without that there’s no way I would have been able to write this article up.
Positional breakdown of unprotected players by volume of players at each position
Wide Receiver
Total Available: 25 | Avg TPE: 584 | Avg Draft: 21
The deepest position in the expansion player pool is by far Wide Receiver. Most available players as well as second highest average TPE behind Quarterbacks (who only have 4 unprotected players). Now, before you go thinking that ISFL teams don’t value their WR’s, I’m positive that there had to be a lot of thought put into this by ISFL General Managers, knowing especially given that the Fire Salamanders two GM’s are both Wide Receivers, so the teams must have an inkling that their WR’s won’t get snagged, ESPECIALLY given each team can have a maximum of two players taken.
There are some VERY high TPE players available at WR, with Sean O’Leary, Rayne Gordon, Bender Rodriguez, and Saba Donut all rocking over 1,000 total TPE for their careers, and all of them with at least a few seasons before they start hitting regression. There are some very good young players in this list too, such as Thomas Passman (S22 – 678 TPE) and Jackson Kingston (S23 – 552 TPE).
Linebacker
Total Available: 22 | Avg TPE: 530 | Avg Draft: 20
Arguably one of the most important defensive positions in the ISFL, it was a bit surprising to see so many Linebackers not be protected by their teams. It does appear, however, that teams saw the very deep LB pool in the upcoming draft and decided to roll the dice. If you take a closer look, however, it seems that a lot of teams had mildly inactive Linebackers they weren’t scared to lose, with only two players out there sporting over 1,000 TPE – Maurice Virtanen (S18 – 1199) and Tyron Brackenridge (S17 – 1123).
Linebacker is the second most plentiful position in the upcoming rookie draft, with 21 players. The LB position is also full of active players, as it has the third-highest average TPE (137).
Running Back
Total Available: 20 | Avg TPE: 522 | Avg Draft: 21
With the ISFL transitioning more to a running back by committee approach, it’s not surprising to see so many running backs go unprotected by their teams. This is a spot where I think you will see both teams pick from in the expansion, as the RB position in the upcoming rookie pool is not very deep at only 9 players. Those players do, however, sport the second highest average TPE of all positions in the draft with 156.
The unprotected running back pool had some surprising players in it, such as Mathais Hanyadi (S18 – 1192), Ashley Owens (S17 – 915), and Joseph Petrongolo (S23 – 544). It will be interesting to see how each of these teams value the position, as there are definitely candidates here to be true workhorse backs.
Cornerback
Total Available: 19 | Avg TPE: 538 | Avg Draft: 21
I am going to be honest here – I have no idea where these teams will place the Cornerback position on their list of priority. It’s a fairly deep pool with some very high earners, but there are also a number of very solid rookies coming up from the DSFL (22 players – 134 AVG TPE). I’ve heard rumblings that ISFL teams prefer to run a lot of Nickel formations, so I would expect both teams to grab at a very minimum one CB each, but wouldn’t be surprised if we had four total taken.
The gem at CB in this player pool is easily Orange County’s Lord Beerus, a season 19 product who’s amassed 1,011 TPE in his career, and is under contract through Season 27. Other notable players available are Tyler Oles Jr (S22 – 714), Lesean Paris Crooks (S23 – 533) and Bane Ka’ana’ana (S23 – 483).
Defensive End
Total Available: 19 | Avg TPE: 466 | Avg Draft: 21
Defensive End might be a position that both these teams value pretty highly in the expansion. There is a lot of good value throughout, especially amongst the younger players. Some candidates that I could see definitely being snatched up are Son Goku (S23 – 570 TPE), Mario VonPebbles (S22 – 646), and Sandro Ryeu (S22 – 663). Defensive End is a strong position in the ISFL, especially as a pass rusher, and we’ve seen time and time again how important putting pressure on your opponent’s Quarterback can be.
Another reason I believe we’ll see teams value DE high in this expansion is because the incoming rookie class is VERY top-heavy. While there might be 18 DE in the incoming class, it actually has one of the lowest average TPE of all positions, and after you get past the top six players, it definitely falls off. I suspect these teams will try to get at least one great DE and then place a high value on someone like Tex Wrecks or Rayland Crowder in the rookie draft.
Safety
Total Available: 17 | Avg TPE: 449 | Avg Draft: 21
Safety was a weird position to analyze for the expansion draft. As you can see, there were a fair amount of Safeties left unprotected by their teams. Most of them were young, and there are definitely a fair amount of solid, high-earning players such as Baltimore’s Gregor MacGregor (S21 – 570), Yellowknife’s Magnus Valdyr (S22 – 538) and Arizona’s Benoit Blanco (S23 – 385). But I think the problem here for Berlin and New York is that while there is some young talent available, the maximum of two players from a single team really hurts. Do you value a 400 TPE Safety over a 700 TPE RB or LB, for instance?
The other reason I don’t see either expansion team placing a premium on a Safety is the quality of the Safeties in the upcoming Rooke Draft. There are 14 Safeties available, which isn’t a huge number, but the average TPE for the position is the highest of all positions in the class (161 TPE Average). You have to go down all the way to the tenth Safety in the draft to find one that’s below average for their position in TPE. I could see these teams attempting to snag someone like Davriel Lavigne (Portland – 233 TPE) or Tayshawn Crunk (London – 215 TPE) early and honestly let them go trial by fire in the secondary.
Defensive Tackle
Total Available: 16 | Avg TPE: 368 | Avg Draft: 22
I know what you’re thinking: “Wow, teams really went out of their way to protect their Defensive Tackles from expansion.” Based on the numbers, it does seem that way. DT have the lowest average TPE of all position groups in the available player pool, but still have a fairly hefty amount of them to choose from at 16 players. However, there are some very promising young players available out of this pool, such as Arizona’s Claude Miller II (S22 – 600 TPE), New Orleans’ Hank Steel (S22 – 535 TPE), and Sarasota’s Big Edd (S22 – 482 TPE). It’s no secret that Defensive Tackle is one of the positions you don’t need to have high TPE to at least make an impact, so I wouldn’t be surprised in the least to see these teams pick at least one each, especially if they get a young player with multiple years still under contract.
Defensive Tackle is also a fairly strong position in the upcoming Rookie Draft, with 12 upcoming players and an average TPE of 132. The DT’s in this upcoming class are full of very active players, with the star of the class being Goat Tank (253 TPE), but there’s talent all the way through, with Vance Slattery, Angelo Cerilli, Sheed Thebaw, and Honk-Tonk Haywood above 200 TPE. Even the pre-deadline creates are very promising active players, Brent Silva and Timmy Dimbi, who both are over 130 TPE even though they were created late.
Tight End
Total Available: 14 | Avg TPE: 542 | Avg Draft: 21
Okay so this was a shock to me, and immediately made me start questioning how ISFL teams value their Tight Ends. With only 14 players unprotected out of 44 total available players at the position (and only 19 of which seeming active), it was weird to see how high the average TPE was on these players. There are some legit studs available, with the cream of the crop being Colorado’s Earl Sauce (S18 – 1004 TPE) and San Jose’s Leon McDavid (S21 – 907 TPE). That doesn’t take away from the rest of these available players. It makes me think that these ISFL GM’s know something I don’t, or that they’re just hoping that the expansion teams’ value other offensive positions over Tight Ends, and that they don’t need to worry about losing their players.
To further confuse yours truly, the Rookie Draft pool at Tight End isn’t very large at only 12 players with an average TPE of 110. However, looking more closely, there are some very good players available to be drafted, like Dave Batista (232 TPE), Djibutee McJimmerson (212 TPE), and C’mon Skiuup (184 TPE). I’m not sure if the New York and Berlin front offices are going to place high value on the position or try to snag one of the top-flight rookies coming in.
Offensive Line
Total Available: 13 | Avg TPE: 457 | Avg Draft: 21
Offensive Line is one of the more interesting player pools to look at in this expansion, as I think it really shows how each team values human players over BOTS. On one end of the spectrum, you have Arizona, who chose to leave three of their OL unprotected – Bruce Buckley, Calvin Golladay (both S22) and Julio Jones (S23) – then on the other end you have teams that simply don’t even have three offensive linemen on their roster that could have been put into the pool (literally half the league). It makes understanding where the expansion teams will value the position, as there aren’t many available in the pool that are above the 550 TPE BOTS.
The incoming Rookie Class boasts some very promising young talent, with five players currently over 200 TPE at the time of writing, with another extremely close. I don’t want to take up too much time, but I want to shout out these guys since OL tends to not get a lot of love: Medicinal Toblerone, Felix Archstone, Adam Mellot, Chuck Roth, Clay Stallworth, Ananda Adyan, and Marlon Alexander are all really solid players and people who I think ISFL teams will all value pretty high in this draft.
Kicker/Punter
Total Available: 11 | Avg TPE: 511 | Avg Draft: 21
Kickers are people, too, dammit! It looks like almost every team chose not to protect their kicker/punter from the expansion, which makes me feel like maybe there isn’t a giant premium placed on the position. Still, I was a little surprised to see some players not get protected, especially perennial superstar Venus Powers (S20 – 1021 TPE). Of all those available, I really think the Honolulu star is the only one that the expansion teams might think about taking, as special teams don’t really need a lot of TPE to be successful.
The upcoming Rookie Pool for KP is very, very thin, with only four players available, and two of those even appearing to be active – Leo Bloomfield and Jake Fencik. Fencik is the star of the KP position in this draft, rocking over 200 TPE and giving us our daily reminders on Twitter of the status of Kickers as people.
Quarterback
Total Available: 4 | Avg TPE: 687 | Avg Draft: 19
The last position to talk about in this player pool is what most people would consider the most important – the Quarterback. It’s evident the value placed on this position by ISFL teams as only four players went unprotected, and one of them has already announced his retirement coming after Season 25 (Wolfie McDummy – COL). I think both of these teams HAVE to pick at least one of these available QBs, and I think you’ll see McDummy and Austin’s Easton Cole both be taken at some point in the expansion. Berlin and New York might only have their QB’s for one season, but it will at least buy them time to develop someone before throwing them to the wolves.
That is the perfect segue to talking about the QB’s available in the Rookie Class. With the surprise announcement of a position switch from Owen Holloway, the number of QB’s available is now four, with only Myrtle Beach’s Jackie Daytona (192 TPE) and Minnesota’s Matt Peterson (131 TPE) appearing to be active. I think you’ll see both these players drafted by one of these expansion teams and stashed down for at least a season to develop.
Now that we've broken down the available player pool and the depth relative to each, let's take a wild stab at who these teams are going to draft! Get ready for some fun!
Expansion Mock Draft
Round 1
NYS – Mathias Hanyadi | RB | Yellowknife Wraiths | 1192 TPE
With two defensive players on their roster to start, I think the Silverbacks look to get themselves an offensive playmaker right away. Hanyadi has the ability to be their feature back for the next few seasons, as he’s under contract until Season 27.
BFS – Maurice Virtanen | LB | Yellowknife Wraiths | 1199 TPE
On the opposite side of the spectrum, Berlin has two very talented WR’s on their roster already, and will definitely need to get some defense. What better way to do that than to take the veteran LB from Yellowknife who is under contract through Season 30. Virtanen is the highest earner in the entire league and will be a force on the Berlin defense for seasons to come.
This pick removes all remaining Yellowknife Wraiths players from the pool.
Round 2
BFS – Govissafare Rubbe | OL | New Orleans Second Line | 1255 TPE
Remember those two WR’s on Berlin’s roster? Well, they’re going to need to give whoever is under center a little time to get them the ball. Enter Rubbe, the max-earning Season 18 product. With him on the line, Berlin’s offense has a nice head start protecting their future QB.
NYS – Sandro Ryeu | DE | Arizona Outlaws | 663 TPE
Now, maybe this might come as a head-scratcher pick here, but I think it makes a lot of sense. As mentioned up top, Defensive End in this upcoming draft isn’t very deep. The Silverbacks already have Bubba Thumper on the interior of the line, so why not grab a speedy defensive end to help him out on passing downs? Pairing the young Ryeu with Thumper already makes the NYS pass rush formidable. As an added bonus, Ryeu is under contract through Seaso 27, meaning that the Silverbacks don’t have to worry about him walking right away.
Round 3
NYS – Leeroy Jenkins | WR | Colorado Yeti | 600 TPE
Playing for the future here, Jenkins checks off a lot of boxes for New York here. Young? Check. Active and high earner? Check. Under contract for multiple seasons? Check (through Season 27). Familiarity with the General Managers? Double check. The speedy WR gives New York two immediate threats when paired up with Hanyadi.
BFS – Lord Beerus | CB | Orange County Otters | 1,011 TPE
Under contract through Season 27, Beerus provides a huge boost to the Berlin defense. A prolific defender in the pass game, Beerus will help make teams think twice before they attempt to run up the score on the new expansion team from Germany.
Round 4
BFS – Rapid Eagle | DT | Orange County Otters | 699 TPE
Taking a second straight Otter (and removing the rest of their players from the pool), the Salamanders have a strong boy to hold down the middle of their defense. Being not a very deep position, it’s important for them to bolster their defense with this pick.
NYS – Dermot Lavelle Jr. | CB | Austin Copperheads | 1079 TPE
Seeing Beerus taken in round 3, I think New York realizes they need to get at least one top flight player in their secondary to help defend against the prolific passing attacks we see commonplace in the ISFL. Lavelle will be hitting regression soon here, but he’s under contract through Season 26, which gives New York a little bit of time to plan for the future.
Round 5
NYS – Sean O’Leary | WR | Chicago Butchers | 1136 TPE
After taking Jenkins in the third round, I know that this seems like more of a luxury pick than anything else, and maybe a poor choice given that New York has holes literally everywhere else. In my opinion, however, this is a huge steal. Not only would they be getting a tremendous talent, but they would also be hurting Chicago’s offense. Pairing O’Leary with Jenkins and Hanyadi immediately gives the Silverbacks one of the best combinations of skill positions in the league. Not bad for an expansion team.
BFS – Son Goku | DE | Sarasota Sailfish | 570 TPE
Okay, so I’m actually really liking this defense that Berlin is assembling. They now have playmakers at every level of the defense with six more picks to go. Goku immediately gives Berlin a young, high-earning DL. The only downside to this pick is that Goku is only under contract through Season 25, so the Fire Salamanders might end up getting more of a rental out of it. However, with the depth of DE in the upcoming rookie draft, maybe one season is all they’ll need out of him.
Round 6
BFS - Rando Caldrissian | RB | San Jose Sabercats | 694 TPE
After spending four of their first five picks on defense, Berlin needs to help out that offense of theirs. They already have two strong options at WR, and with Hanyadi off the board, I think they grab one of the best options available in Cardrissian. This pick gives them a good option at RB through season 26, which gives them enough time to draft and develop a player to plan for the future.
NYS – Wolfie McDummy | QB | Colorado Yeti | 1062 TPE
Desiring to create Yeti-East, the Silverbacks potentially make a reach here and take their Quarterback of the very immediate future. With retirement looming, this pick looks like a short-lived one for New York, but plugging one of the best QB’s in the ISFL into the offense that they’ve assembled instantly makes this team extremely dangerous. With any luck, they’re able to grab and develop a young QB quickly to take over for McDummy.
This pick removes all remaining Colorado players from the pool.
Round 7
NYS – Hingle McCringleberry | LB | Chicago Butchers | 459 TPE
In this installment of, “beat up the Butchers,” we have their young, star Linebacker McCringleberry being plucked away before Chicago could team him and Season 24 draftee Juan Domine. This pick gives New York yet another strong pass rusher, but also gives them one of the best pass defending Linebackers in the ISFL.
This pick removes all remaining Chicago Butchers players from the pool.
BFS – Easton Cole | QB | Austin Copperheads | 1059 TPE
Now, this pick for Berlin is one that I think they wanted to make a lot later if possible. Easton is nearing regression but bringing him in for even a couple of seasons makes this offense very exciting right out of the gate, especially when you consider the weapons that Berlin has assembled. The reason I think Berlin takes him here is out of worry that New York might have taken a second Copperhead and blocking the Fire Salamanders from grabbing him.
This pick removes all remaining Austin Copperheads from the pool.
Round 8
BFS - Byron Dolls | OL | Baltimore Hawks | 525 TPE
Before explaining this pick, let’s do a little recap. So far the Berlin offense has a QB, RB, OL, and two WR. Grabbing a second OL here, especially a young, high earner that the GM’s have familiarity with, is almost too obvious of a choice. This offense is ready to go for next season, and they still have three more picks in the expansion!
NYS – Calvin Golladay | OL | Arizona Outlaws | 531 TPE
Much like the pick right before, snagging Golladay here gives New York a young and active player with multiple years left on his contract. Having a human OL and a decent earner until at least Season 27 adds a lot of help to an offense that has a whole hell of a lot of playmakers, but no protection.
This pick removes all remaining Arizona Outlaws players from the pool.
Round 9
NYS - HeHateMe PickSix | CB | San Jose Sabercats | 746 TPE
Having already picked Lavelle Jr earlier in the expansion, this pick gives the Silverbacks a great 1-2 punch at Corner. With the addition of their GM, QuakStak, at Nickel Corner, this defense is looking very spookly. As with Lavelle Jr, PickSix is locked down through Season 26, so it gives New York some time to find a replacement.
This pick removes all remaining San Jose Sabercats players from the pool.
BFS – Gregor MacGregor | S | Baltimore Hawks | 570 TPE
As mentioned after their last pick, Berlin’s offense is already looking very strong, so now they can spend their last few picks further strengthening their defense. Secondary is the name of the game here, and MacGregor and the Berlin GM’s have familiarity with each other. MacGregor IS an expiring contract, but I think that Dewalt might be able to convince him to come aboard and build something with him over in Germany.
This pick removes all remaining Baltimore Hawks players from the pool.
Round 10
BFS – Big Edd | DT | Sarasota Sailfish | 482 TPE
Sarasota’s defense has been one of the big stories of the 24th season of the ISFL, and I believe one person not getting enough press for it is this man – season 22 DT Big Edd. This pick pairs him back up with his former teammate, Son Goku, and gives Berlin a strong presence in the middle through Season 27. Very good pick near the end of the expansion draft.
This pick removes all remaining Sarasota Sailfish players from the pool.
NYS – Hank Steel | DT | New Orleans Second Line | 535 TPE
With a lot of high-earning players now removed from the pool, the Silverbacks decide to get another big body to pair with Bubba in the middle. Hank Steel is a mountain of a man who has played very well for New Orleans this season. He is under contract through season 27, and I think will end up being a cornerstone of this New York defense for the rest of his career.
This pick removes all remaining New Orleans Second Line players from the pool.
Round 11
NYS - Venus Powers | KP | Honolulu Hahalua | 1021 TPE
So, we’re down to the final pick here. The only teams left to choose from are Honolulu and Philadelphia. The Silverbacks go with Powers here to make sure that their special teams are set for the foreseeable future. Hard to fault grabbing a 1000 TPE player with your last pick, right?
BFS – Spike Suzuki | LB | Philadelphia Liberty | 429 TPE
With their last pick, Berlin grabs another playmaker to add to their stout defense. Suzuki is a solid earner and will slot in nicely opposite Virtanen.
Rosters after expansion draft
Berlin Fire Salamanders
QB – Easton Cole
RB – Rando Caldrissian
WR – Asher Quinn, Nick Kaepercolin
TE – empty
OL - Govissafare Rubbe, Byron Dolls
DE – Son Goku
DT – Rapid Eagle, Big Edd
LB – Maurice Virtanen, Spike Suzuki
CB – Lord Beerus
S – Gregor MacGregor
KP – empty
Initial Thoughts
This roster has some holes to fill, obviously, but it’s off to a really nice start. They would have to fill in their O-Line with some BOTS, but skill positions are looking pretty solid, especially with Cole leading the offense. Where Berlin shines in this scenario is their defense, with a good mix of young talent and older, very high TPE players. They can easily fill in the rest with some free agents and through the rookie draft, which is full of defensive talent.
Overall grade: B minus
Editor’s note: How the eff did I not end up drafting two A+ teams here? This was all made up in my head. Bad Pat. Bad.
New York Silverbacks
QB – Wolfie McDummy
RB – Mathias Hanyadi
WR – Sean O’Leary, Leeroy Jenkins
TE – empty
OL – Calvin Golladay
DE – Sandro Ryeu
DT – Bubba Thumper, Hank Steel
LB – Hingle McCringleberry
CB – Dermot Lavelle, Jr., HeHateMe PickSix
S – empty
KP – Venus Powers
Initial Thoughts
As with Berlin, New York has some gaping holes (hey, you try filling a roster with 11 people!), notably on the offensive line where they’ll need to supplement with some BOTS and free agent signings. They also have no safety on the roster, which was a huge blunder on their part as all of the best ones were already blocked by the time they considered taking one. However, they’ve got the bones of a REALLY good team here. Sure, they’ll only have McDummy for a season, meaning they’ll have to find a way to grab a young QB either in the rookie draft or…some other way. Then you look at that defense and even with six players it’s already looking damn scary. They also have the best KP in the league, to boot.
Overall Grade: B plus
Final Thoughts
I know that there are probably about 5,000 reasons why my mock expansion draft is going to miss the mark on just about every aspect and pick. That doesn’t take away from the fact that these two teams could actually end up coming out of the gates not looking like absolutely dumpster fires, which in my opinion is a huge win for both. This was also a really enjoyable article to write, as I sat there strategizing in my head for both of these teams.
Where do you think I went wrong? Who do you think are some of the players that definitely will or will not get sniped by either of these teams? Let me know in the comments!
Tune in for the ISFL Season 25 Expansion Draft on Monday, September 21st.
The football world was set ablaze in late August with the announcement that the International Football Simulation League would be expanding its ranks by adding two additional teams. After the announcements of the new GM’s and the teams’ brandings, most fans turned their attention to the expansion draft. Who would teams protect from expansion? Who would get picked and by who? Would anyone refuse to be snatched away from their team?
We are now less than two weeks away from the end of the 24th season of the ISFL and the expansion draft. Teams have published their protected players list and the Expansion Draft order has been decided. Now, the fun part begins: guessing who’s going to be picked.
For a recap, here are the two expansion teams and their respective General Managers:
Berlin Fire Salamanders
@Dewalt27 – Asher Quinn / WR / 954 TPE
@Highhaschdi – Nick Kaepercolin / WR / 736 TPE
New York Silverbacks
@woelkers – Bubba Thumper / DT / 1257 TPE
@Bwestfield – Dukburg QuakStak / CB / 236 TPE
Before we start even talking about the picks and who each team is going to take, we need to take a close look at both the current expansion draft pool as well as the incoming rookie class from the DSFL, as knowing who these teams have a shot at in their inaugural draft will make a big impact on who they decide to poach from other ISFL teams.
Special shout out to @Swanty for providing the unprotected players pool. Without that there’s no way I would have been able to write this article up.
Positional breakdown of unprotected players by volume of players at each position
Wide Receiver
Total Available: 25 | Avg TPE: 584 | Avg Draft: 21
The deepest position in the expansion player pool is by far Wide Receiver. Most available players as well as second highest average TPE behind Quarterbacks (who only have 4 unprotected players). Now, before you go thinking that ISFL teams don’t value their WR’s, I’m positive that there had to be a lot of thought put into this by ISFL General Managers, knowing especially given that the Fire Salamanders two GM’s are both Wide Receivers, so the teams must have an inkling that their WR’s won’t get snagged, ESPECIALLY given each team can have a maximum of two players taken.
There are some VERY high TPE players available at WR, with Sean O’Leary, Rayne Gordon, Bender Rodriguez, and Saba Donut all rocking over 1,000 total TPE for their careers, and all of them with at least a few seasons before they start hitting regression. There are some very good young players in this list too, such as Thomas Passman (S22 – 678 TPE) and Jackson Kingston (S23 – 552 TPE).
Linebacker
Total Available: 22 | Avg TPE: 530 | Avg Draft: 20
Arguably one of the most important defensive positions in the ISFL, it was a bit surprising to see so many Linebackers not be protected by their teams. It does appear, however, that teams saw the very deep LB pool in the upcoming draft and decided to roll the dice. If you take a closer look, however, it seems that a lot of teams had mildly inactive Linebackers they weren’t scared to lose, with only two players out there sporting over 1,000 TPE – Maurice Virtanen (S18 – 1199) and Tyron Brackenridge (S17 – 1123).
Linebacker is the second most plentiful position in the upcoming rookie draft, with 21 players. The LB position is also full of active players, as it has the third-highest average TPE (137).
Running Back
Total Available: 20 | Avg TPE: 522 | Avg Draft: 21
With the ISFL transitioning more to a running back by committee approach, it’s not surprising to see so many running backs go unprotected by their teams. This is a spot where I think you will see both teams pick from in the expansion, as the RB position in the upcoming rookie pool is not very deep at only 9 players. Those players do, however, sport the second highest average TPE of all positions in the draft with 156.
The unprotected running back pool had some surprising players in it, such as Mathais Hanyadi (S18 – 1192), Ashley Owens (S17 – 915), and Joseph Petrongolo (S23 – 544). It will be interesting to see how each of these teams value the position, as there are definitely candidates here to be true workhorse backs.
Cornerback
Total Available: 19 | Avg TPE: 538 | Avg Draft: 21
I am going to be honest here – I have no idea where these teams will place the Cornerback position on their list of priority. It’s a fairly deep pool with some very high earners, but there are also a number of very solid rookies coming up from the DSFL (22 players – 134 AVG TPE). I’ve heard rumblings that ISFL teams prefer to run a lot of Nickel formations, so I would expect both teams to grab at a very minimum one CB each, but wouldn’t be surprised if we had four total taken.
The gem at CB in this player pool is easily Orange County’s Lord Beerus, a season 19 product who’s amassed 1,011 TPE in his career, and is under contract through Season 27. Other notable players available are Tyler Oles Jr (S22 – 714), Lesean Paris Crooks (S23 – 533) and Bane Ka’ana’ana (S23 – 483).
Defensive End
Total Available: 19 | Avg TPE: 466 | Avg Draft: 21
Defensive End might be a position that both these teams value pretty highly in the expansion. There is a lot of good value throughout, especially amongst the younger players. Some candidates that I could see definitely being snatched up are Son Goku (S23 – 570 TPE), Mario VonPebbles (S22 – 646), and Sandro Ryeu (S22 – 663). Defensive End is a strong position in the ISFL, especially as a pass rusher, and we’ve seen time and time again how important putting pressure on your opponent’s Quarterback can be.
Another reason I believe we’ll see teams value DE high in this expansion is because the incoming rookie class is VERY top-heavy. While there might be 18 DE in the incoming class, it actually has one of the lowest average TPE of all positions, and after you get past the top six players, it definitely falls off. I suspect these teams will try to get at least one great DE and then place a high value on someone like Tex Wrecks or Rayland Crowder in the rookie draft.
Safety
Total Available: 17 | Avg TPE: 449 | Avg Draft: 21
Safety was a weird position to analyze for the expansion draft. As you can see, there were a fair amount of Safeties left unprotected by their teams. Most of them were young, and there are definitely a fair amount of solid, high-earning players such as Baltimore’s Gregor MacGregor (S21 – 570), Yellowknife’s Magnus Valdyr (S22 – 538) and Arizona’s Benoit Blanco (S23 – 385). But I think the problem here for Berlin and New York is that while there is some young talent available, the maximum of two players from a single team really hurts. Do you value a 400 TPE Safety over a 700 TPE RB or LB, for instance?
The other reason I don’t see either expansion team placing a premium on a Safety is the quality of the Safeties in the upcoming Rooke Draft. There are 14 Safeties available, which isn’t a huge number, but the average TPE for the position is the highest of all positions in the class (161 TPE Average). You have to go down all the way to the tenth Safety in the draft to find one that’s below average for their position in TPE. I could see these teams attempting to snag someone like Davriel Lavigne (Portland – 233 TPE) or Tayshawn Crunk (London – 215 TPE) early and honestly let them go trial by fire in the secondary.
Defensive Tackle
Total Available: 16 | Avg TPE: 368 | Avg Draft: 22
I know what you’re thinking: “Wow, teams really went out of their way to protect their Defensive Tackles from expansion.” Based on the numbers, it does seem that way. DT have the lowest average TPE of all position groups in the available player pool, but still have a fairly hefty amount of them to choose from at 16 players. However, there are some very promising young players available out of this pool, such as Arizona’s Claude Miller II (S22 – 600 TPE), New Orleans’ Hank Steel (S22 – 535 TPE), and Sarasota’s Big Edd (S22 – 482 TPE). It’s no secret that Defensive Tackle is one of the positions you don’t need to have high TPE to at least make an impact, so I wouldn’t be surprised in the least to see these teams pick at least one each, especially if they get a young player with multiple years still under contract.
Defensive Tackle is also a fairly strong position in the upcoming Rookie Draft, with 12 upcoming players and an average TPE of 132. The DT’s in this upcoming class are full of very active players, with the star of the class being Goat Tank (253 TPE), but there’s talent all the way through, with Vance Slattery, Angelo Cerilli, Sheed Thebaw, and Honk-Tonk Haywood above 200 TPE. Even the pre-deadline creates are very promising active players, Brent Silva and Timmy Dimbi, who both are over 130 TPE even though they were created late.
Tight End
Total Available: 14 | Avg TPE: 542 | Avg Draft: 21
Okay so this was a shock to me, and immediately made me start questioning how ISFL teams value their Tight Ends. With only 14 players unprotected out of 44 total available players at the position (and only 19 of which seeming active), it was weird to see how high the average TPE was on these players. There are some legit studs available, with the cream of the crop being Colorado’s Earl Sauce (S18 – 1004 TPE) and San Jose’s Leon McDavid (S21 – 907 TPE). That doesn’t take away from the rest of these available players. It makes me think that these ISFL GM’s know something I don’t, or that they’re just hoping that the expansion teams’ value other offensive positions over Tight Ends, and that they don’t need to worry about losing their players.
To further confuse yours truly, the Rookie Draft pool at Tight End isn’t very large at only 12 players with an average TPE of 110. However, looking more closely, there are some very good players available to be drafted, like Dave Batista (232 TPE), Djibutee McJimmerson (212 TPE), and C’mon Skiuup (184 TPE). I’m not sure if the New York and Berlin front offices are going to place high value on the position or try to snag one of the top-flight rookies coming in.
Offensive Line
Total Available: 13 | Avg TPE: 457 | Avg Draft: 21
Offensive Line is one of the more interesting player pools to look at in this expansion, as I think it really shows how each team values human players over BOTS. On one end of the spectrum, you have Arizona, who chose to leave three of their OL unprotected – Bruce Buckley, Calvin Golladay (both S22) and Julio Jones (S23) – then on the other end you have teams that simply don’t even have three offensive linemen on their roster that could have been put into the pool (literally half the league). It makes understanding where the expansion teams will value the position, as there aren’t many available in the pool that are above the 550 TPE BOTS.
The incoming Rookie Class boasts some very promising young talent, with five players currently over 200 TPE at the time of writing, with another extremely close. I don’t want to take up too much time, but I want to shout out these guys since OL tends to not get a lot of love: Medicinal Toblerone, Felix Archstone, Adam Mellot, Chuck Roth, Clay Stallworth, Ananda Adyan, and Marlon Alexander are all really solid players and people who I think ISFL teams will all value pretty high in this draft.
Kicker/Punter
Total Available: 11 | Avg TPE: 511 | Avg Draft: 21
Kickers are people, too, dammit! It looks like almost every team chose not to protect their kicker/punter from the expansion, which makes me feel like maybe there isn’t a giant premium placed on the position. Still, I was a little surprised to see some players not get protected, especially perennial superstar Venus Powers (S20 – 1021 TPE). Of all those available, I really think the Honolulu star is the only one that the expansion teams might think about taking, as special teams don’t really need a lot of TPE to be successful.
The upcoming Rookie Pool for KP is very, very thin, with only four players available, and two of those even appearing to be active – Leo Bloomfield and Jake Fencik. Fencik is the star of the KP position in this draft, rocking over 200 TPE and giving us our daily reminders on Twitter of the status of Kickers as people.
Quarterback
Total Available: 4 | Avg TPE: 687 | Avg Draft: 19
The last position to talk about in this player pool is what most people would consider the most important – the Quarterback. It’s evident the value placed on this position by ISFL teams as only four players went unprotected, and one of them has already announced his retirement coming after Season 25 (Wolfie McDummy – COL). I think both of these teams HAVE to pick at least one of these available QBs, and I think you’ll see McDummy and Austin’s Easton Cole both be taken at some point in the expansion. Berlin and New York might only have their QB’s for one season, but it will at least buy them time to develop someone before throwing them to the wolves.
That is the perfect segue to talking about the QB’s available in the Rookie Class. With the surprise announcement of a position switch from Owen Holloway, the number of QB’s available is now four, with only Myrtle Beach’s Jackie Daytona (192 TPE) and Minnesota’s Matt Peterson (131 TPE) appearing to be active. I think you’ll see both these players drafted by one of these expansion teams and stashed down for at least a season to develop.
Now that we've broken down the available player pool and the depth relative to each, let's take a wild stab at who these teams are going to draft! Get ready for some fun!
Expansion Mock Draft
Round 1
NYS – Mathias Hanyadi | RB | Yellowknife Wraiths | 1192 TPE
With two defensive players on their roster to start, I think the Silverbacks look to get themselves an offensive playmaker right away. Hanyadi has the ability to be their feature back for the next few seasons, as he’s under contract until Season 27.
BFS – Maurice Virtanen | LB | Yellowknife Wraiths | 1199 TPE
On the opposite side of the spectrum, Berlin has two very talented WR’s on their roster already, and will definitely need to get some defense. What better way to do that than to take the veteran LB from Yellowknife who is under contract through Season 30. Virtanen is the highest earner in the entire league and will be a force on the Berlin defense for seasons to come.
This pick removes all remaining Yellowknife Wraiths players from the pool.
Round 2
BFS – Govissafare Rubbe | OL | New Orleans Second Line | 1255 TPE
Remember those two WR’s on Berlin’s roster? Well, they’re going to need to give whoever is under center a little time to get them the ball. Enter Rubbe, the max-earning Season 18 product. With him on the line, Berlin’s offense has a nice head start protecting their future QB.
NYS – Sandro Ryeu | DE | Arizona Outlaws | 663 TPE
Now, maybe this might come as a head-scratcher pick here, but I think it makes a lot of sense. As mentioned up top, Defensive End in this upcoming draft isn’t very deep. The Silverbacks already have Bubba Thumper on the interior of the line, so why not grab a speedy defensive end to help him out on passing downs? Pairing the young Ryeu with Thumper already makes the NYS pass rush formidable. As an added bonus, Ryeu is under contract through Seaso 27, meaning that the Silverbacks don’t have to worry about him walking right away.
Round 3
NYS – Leeroy Jenkins | WR | Colorado Yeti | 600 TPE
Playing for the future here, Jenkins checks off a lot of boxes for New York here. Young? Check. Active and high earner? Check. Under contract for multiple seasons? Check (through Season 27). Familiarity with the General Managers? Double check. The speedy WR gives New York two immediate threats when paired up with Hanyadi.
BFS – Lord Beerus | CB | Orange County Otters | 1,011 TPE
Under contract through Season 27, Beerus provides a huge boost to the Berlin defense. A prolific defender in the pass game, Beerus will help make teams think twice before they attempt to run up the score on the new expansion team from Germany.
Round 4
BFS – Rapid Eagle | DT | Orange County Otters | 699 TPE
Taking a second straight Otter (and removing the rest of their players from the pool), the Salamanders have a strong boy to hold down the middle of their defense. Being not a very deep position, it’s important for them to bolster their defense with this pick.
NYS – Dermot Lavelle Jr. | CB | Austin Copperheads | 1079 TPE
Seeing Beerus taken in round 3, I think New York realizes they need to get at least one top flight player in their secondary to help defend against the prolific passing attacks we see commonplace in the ISFL. Lavelle will be hitting regression soon here, but he’s under contract through Season 26, which gives New York a little bit of time to plan for the future.
Round 5
NYS – Sean O’Leary | WR | Chicago Butchers | 1136 TPE
After taking Jenkins in the third round, I know that this seems like more of a luxury pick than anything else, and maybe a poor choice given that New York has holes literally everywhere else. In my opinion, however, this is a huge steal. Not only would they be getting a tremendous talent, but they would also be hurting Chicago’s offense. Pairing O’Leary with Jenkins and Hanyadi immediately gives the Silverbacks one of the best combinations of skill positions in the league. Not bad for an expansion team.
BFS – Son Goku | DE | Sarasota Sailfish | 570 TPE
Okay, so I’m actually really liking this defense that Berlin is assembling. They now have playmakers at every level of the defense with six more picks to go. Goku immediately gives Berlin a young, high-earning DL. The only downside to this pick is that Goku is only under contract through Season 25, so the Fire Salamanders might end up getting more of a rental out of it. However, with the depth of DE in the upcoming rookie draft, maybe one season is all they’ll need out of him.
Round 6
BFS - Rando Caldrissian | RB | San Jose Sabercats | 694 TPE
After spending four of their first five picks on defense, Berlin needs to help out that offense of theirs. They already have two strong options at WR, and with Hanyadi off the board, I think they grab one of the best options available in Cardrissian. This pick gives them a good option at RB through season 26, which gives them enough time to draft and develop a player to plan for the future.
NYS – Wolfie McDummy | QB | Colorado Yeti | 1062 TPE
Desiring to create Yeti-East, the Silverbacks potentially make a reach here and take their Quarterback of the very immediate future. With retirement looming, this pick looks like a short-lived one for New York, but plugging one of the best QB’s in the ISFL into the offense that they’ve assembled instantly makes this team extremely dangerous. With any luck, they’re able to grab and develop a young QB quickly to take over for McDummy.
This pick removes all remaining Colorado players from the pool.
Round 7
NYS – Hingle McCringleberry | LB | Chicago Butchers | 459 TPE
In this installment of, “beat up the Butchers,” we have their young, star Linebacker McCringleberry being plucked away before Chicago could team him and Season 24 draftee Juan Domine. This pick gives New York yet another strong pass rusher, but also gives them one of the best pass defending Linebackers in the ISFL.
This pick removes all remaining Chicago Butchers players from the pool.
BFS – Easton Cole | QB | Austin Copperheads | 1059 TPE
Now, this pick for Berlin is one that I think they wanted to make a lot later if possible. Easton is nearing regression but bringing him in for even a couple of seasons makes this offense very exciting right out of the gate, especially when you consider the weapons that Berlin has assembled. The reason I think Berlin takes him here is out of worry that New York might have taken a second Copperhead and blocking the Fire Salamanders from grabbing him.
This pick removes all remaining Austin Copperheads from the pool.
Round 8
BFS - Byron Dolls | OL | Baltimore Hawks | 525 TPE
Before explaining this pick, let’s do a little recap. So far the Berlin offense has a QB, RB, OL, and two WR. Grabbing a second OL here, especially a young, high earner that the GM’s have familiarity with, is almost too obvious of a choice. This offense is ready to go for next season, and they still have three more picks in the expansion!
NYS – Calvin Golladay | OL | Arizona Outlaws | 531 TPE
Much like the pick right before, snagging Golladay here gives New York a young and active player with multiple years left on his contract. Having a human OL and a decent earner until at least Season 27 adds a lot of help to an offense that has a whole hell of a lot of playmakers, but no protection.
This pick removes all remaining Arizona Outlaws players from the pool.
Round 9
NYS - HeHateMe PickSix | CB | San Jose Sabercats | 746 TPE
Having already picked Lavelle Jr earlier in the expansion, this pick gives the Silverbacks a great 1-2 punch at Corner. With the addition of their GM, QuakStak, at Nickel Corner, this defense is looking very spookly. As with Lavelle Jr, PickSix is locked down through Season 26, so it gives New York some time to find a replacement.
This pick removes all remaining San Jose Sabercats players from the pool.
BFS – Gregor MacGregor | S | Baltimore Hawks | 570 TPE
As mentioned after their last pick, Berlin’s offense is already looking very strong, so now they can spend their last few picks further strengthening their defense. Secondary is the name of the game here, and MacGregor and the Berlin GM’s have familiarity with each other. MacGregor IS an expiring contract, but I think that Dewalt might be able to convince him to come aboard and build something with him over in Germany.
This pick removes all remaining Baltimore Hawks players from the pool.
Round 10
BFS – Big Edd | DT | Sarasota Sailfish | 482 TPE
Sarasota’s defense has been one of the big stories of the 24th season of the ISFL, and I believe one person not getting enough press for it is this man – season 22 DT Big Edd. This pick pairs him back up with his former teammate, Son Goku, and gives Berlin a strong presence in the middle through Season 27. Very good pick near the end of the expansion draft.
This pick removes all remaining Sarasota Sailfish players from the pool.
NYS – Hank Steel | DT | New Orleans Second Line | 535 TPE
With a lot of high-earning players now removed from the pool, the Silverbacks decide to get another big body to pair with Bubba in the middle. Hank Steel is a mountain of a man who has played very well for New Orleans this season. He is under contract through season 27, and I think will end up being a cornerstone of this New York defense for the rest of his career.
This pick removes all remaining New Orleans Second Line players from the pool.
Round 11
NYS - Venus Powers | KP | Honolulu Hahalua | 1021 TPE
So, we’re down to the final pick here. The only teams left to choose from are Honolulu and Philadelphia. The Silverbacks go with Powers here to make sure that their special teams are set for the foreseeable future. Hard to fault grabbing a 1000 TPE player with your last pick, right?
BFS – Spike Suzuki | LB | Philadelphia Liberty | 429 TPE
With their last pick, Berlin grabs another playmaker to add to their stout defense. Suzuki is a solid earner and will slot in nicely opposite Virtanen.
Rosters after expansion draft
Berlin Fire Salamanders
QB – Easton Cole
RB – Rando Caldrissian
WR – Asher Quinn, Nick Kaepercolin
TE – empty
OL - Govissafare Rubbe, Byron Dolls
DE – Son Goku
DT – Rapid Eagle, Big Edd
LB – Maurice Virtanen, Spike Suzuki
CB – Lord Beerus
S – Gregor MacGregor
KP – empty
Initial Thoughts
This roster has some holes to fill, obviously, but it’s off to a really nice start. They would have to fill in their O-Line with some BOTS, but skill positions are looking pretty solid, especially with Cole leading the offense. Where Berlin shines in this scenario is their defense, with a good mix of young talent and older, very high TPE players. They can easily fill in the rest with some free agents and through the rookie draft, which is full of defensive talent.
Overall grade: B minus
Editor’s note: How the eff did I not end up drafting two A+ teams here? This was all made up in my head. Bad Pat. Bad.
New York Silverbacks
QB – Wolfie McDummy
RB – Mathias Hanyadi
WR – Sean O’Leary, Leeroy Jenkins
TE – empty
OL – Calvin Golladay
DE – Sandro Ryeu
DT – Bubba Thumper, Hank Steel
LB – Hingle McCringleberry
CB – Dermot Lavelle, Jr., HeHateMe PickSix
S – empty
KP – Venus Powers
Initial Thoughts
As with Berlin, New York has some gaping holes (hey, you try filling a roster with 11 people!), notably on the offensive line where they’ll need to supplement with some BOTS and free agent signings. They also have no safety on the roster, which was a huge blunder on their part as all of the best ones were already blocked by the time they considered taking one. However, they’ve got the bones of a REALLY good team here. Sure, they’ll only have McDummy for a season, meaning they’ll have to find a way to grab a young QB either in the rookie draft or…some other way. Then you look at that defense and even with six players it’s already looking damn scary. They also have the best KP in the league, to boot.
Overall Grade: B plus
Final Thoughts
I know that there are probably about 5,000 reasons why my mock expansion draft is going to miss the mark on just about every aspect and pick. That doesn’t take away from the fact that these two teams could actually end up coming out of the gates not looking like absolutely dumpster fires, which in my opinion is a huge win for both. This was also a really enjoyable article to write, as I sat there strategizing in my head for both of these teams.
Where do you think I went wrong? Who do you think are some of the players that definitely will or will not get sniped by either of these teams? Let me know in the comments!
Tune in for the ISFL Season 25 Expansion Draft on Monday, September 21st.
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