There's a common saying in sports - "The Draft is a Crapshoot" - which speaks on the unpredictability of selecting amateur players who have yet to display how well they will translate to the professional leagues. However, that does not excuse certain cardinal sins such as drafting for need over BPA, spending high capital on projects instead of proven players, and a more unspoken one because it's generally understood never to do so: DO NOT DRAFT SPECIALTY PLAYERS HIGH!
In football, it is foolish to draft a kicker or punter in the draft at all, unfathomable to even relish the thought of spending a high draft pick on one. Yet, in Season 14, the Wraiths committed the fateful error. They drafted Stephen Harris Jr in the first round. Now drafting a kicker is bad enough, but they drafted an average kicker. They created their own Roberto Aguayo situation. To add to the buffoonery, Harris Jr. missed the entire S17 and upon his return, his numbers bombed out. He became one of the most unreliable kickers in the NSFL before finally becoming an IA retiree after S19.
Now let's add some more pain to this already miserable decision. Leighton Lee, a pro-bowl LB, was taken with the next pick after Harris. Think that was bad enough, as LB is one of the most crucial positions in the sport, in a QB rich draft that produced 5 pro-bowlers out of 6 draftees, the Wraiths ended up picking the one QB that didnt make the pro-bowl. Maybe one shouldn't wait until the last round to draft a QB.
To add the final cherry on top, the other kicker taken in the draft, Alfredo Crisco, after a slow start in NOLA ---- blossomed into a massive weapon after being picked up in the S18 expansion draft by the Copperheads and has been one of the best kickers in the league the last 4-5 seasons. Often setting the longest FG distance mark and reigning near the top of the accuracy table. So let this be a lesson learned: draft the BPA, and stay away from special teams players until the end of the draft.
In football, it is foolish to draft a kicker or punter in the draft at all, unfathomable to even relish the thought of spending a high draft pick on one. Yet, in Season 14, the Wraiths committed the fateful error. They drafted Stephen Harris Jr in the first round. Now drafting a kicker is bad enough, but they drafted an average kicker. They created their own Roberto Aguayo situation. To add to the buffoonery, Harris Jr. missed the entire S17 and upon his return, his numbers bombed out. He became one of the most unreliable kickers in the NSFL before finally becoming an IA retiree after S19.
Now let's add some more pain to this already miserable decision. Leighton Lee, a pro-bowl LB, was taken with the next pick after Harris. Think that was bad enough, as LB is one of the most crucial positions in the sport, in a QB rich draft that produced 5 pro-bowlers out of 6 draftees, the Wraiths ended up picking the one QB that didnt make the pro-bowl. Maybe one shouldn't wait until the last round to draft a QB.
To add the final cherry on top, the other kicker taken in the draft, Alfredo Crisco, after a slow start in NOLA ---- blossomed into a massive weapon after being picked up in the S18 expansion draft by the Copperheads and has been one of the best kickers in the league the last 4-5 seasons. Often setting the longest FG distance mark and reigning near the top of the accuracy table. So let this be a lesson learned: draft the BPA, and stay away from special teams players until the end of the draft.
