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2) Tell us about your draft class. Is there anything that makes it special in comparison to other classes? Where did your fellow draftees land, how are they doing? Did anyone turn out to be an unexpected steal of that draft based on what you know today? Do you think anyone in your draft class will become a hall of famer? If you’re new to the league, how do you think your class will do? Where do you think people will get drafted to?As Nero Alexander enters the thirteenth and final season of his storied career, it's time to take a step back and reflect on how this crazy, amazing journey all started. Nero was a member of the iconic season 15 draft class that some have said saved the league, providing a vital influx of new, enthusiastic users that propelled expansion, filled rosters, and set the stage for a generation of league leadership from General Managers to Head Office members and more.
The road really began with the DSFL draft prior to season 14, where the San Antonio Marshals and their GM timeconsumer looked to bring an influx of new blood onto the roster, staying away from recreating league veterans in favor of new users. With his first five picks, he selected running back Morgan Marshall, defensive end Nero Alexander, linebacker Quenton Bode, safety Walt Green, and linebacker Mo Berry. These picks proved to be excellent, with the five users becoming league cornerstones and the players, with the exception of Morgan Marshall, whose career was tragically cut short, have put together incredible careers as both players and users. Three of these users have been ISFL GMs, one has been in Head Office, all but Marshall have won Ultimus rings, and Alexander, Bode, and Berry have strong cases to be made for Hall of Fame induction down the line. Alexander ranks first on the league's career tackles for loss leaderboard with 140, almost 25% more than the second place player. Berry appears in the top ten of both career sacks and forced fumbles. Bode is the league's all-time leading tackler by a substantial margin and also ranks second all time in forced fumbles and third in fumbles recovered. It's safe to say that as the last remnants of the storied Fab V fade away after the upcoming season, their legacy in this league will be secure.
But while the Fab V are a great example of the dominance of the season 15 draft class, they are far from the only important players and users to mention. Every single player selected in the first two rounds of the draft made at least one pro bowl in their career, and only 5 players in the first 4 rounds did not achieve that honor. Names like Johnny Slothface, Richard D'Attoria V, AJ Lattimer, Forrest Gump, Rod Tidwell, Franklin Armstrong, Alex Dasistwirklichseinnachname, Apollo Reed, and more will remain etched into the league's collective memory for years to come. I would expect this draft to provide us with the largest class of Hall of Famers since the earliest seasons of the league, and This draft also provided one of, in my opinion, the greatest draft steals of all time. In the sixth round, after at least 5 inactive players had been chosen, the Yellowknife Wraiths drafted defensive tackle and former quarterback Ryan Leaf Jr, who would go on to become an excellent player with the Wraiths before moving on to the Chicago Butchers, where his user became a General Manager and Leaf lived up to his something of a running back myself legacy as a great player on the other side of the ball. The other steal that I would be remiss if I didn't talk about is the aforementioned Armstrong, who was selected at pick #28 by the Orange County Otters in the third round due to a lack of quarterback need. Armstrong became arguably the greatest quarterback the league has seen since its earlier, pass-happier era, winning too many Ultimus trophies and MVP awards to count (ok, I'm just too lazy to count them) while redefining what a QB can do as a rusher and a passer.
While other draft classes later on may have even more impressive legacies in terms of sheer volume of players, I contend that none has been as important for the league (other than the foundational classes) than season 15. The influx of players from r/nfl provided a blueprint for future recruiting efforts that have helped make possible the thriving league we see today.
The final aspect of the season 15 draft class that I have to mention is that it blessed the league with perhaps its most important player of all time - Gimmy Jaroppolo, who became an inspiration and a rallying cry for a league in search of a source of hope. Although he never logged back into the site after creating his player, he is an invaluable part of the league's history and will continue to shape its future. I eagerly await the 30 for 30 that will bring awareness of his greatness to a new generation of players.
As the composition of the league has shifted over time, the season 15 draft class has begun to wane in the league's consciousness, but its story should continue to be shouted far and wide as the final four players from the class - Alexander, Bode, Gump, and Dasistwirklichseinnachname - embark on the final seasons of their career, and beyond.
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