08-23-2021, 05:59 PM
(This post was last modified: 08-23-2021, 06:00 PM by Michiganonymous. Edited 3 times in total.)
Tier 1, Task 6 -- The Class of 2041: Where are they Now?
Since the first half was already over 1000 words, I decided to split this into two articles, posting the first part here and the second part in Media later on. Please let me know ASAP if this would be considered an unacceptable "double dip." If so, I will post Part 2 here once it is complete.
With another exciting regular season in the books and Ultimus Week upon us once again, let’s take a walk down memory lane and Remember Some People. This time we’ll be revisiting the first round of the 2041/Season 26 ISFL entry draft, and asking everyone’s favorite question: Where Are They Now? This is Part 1; stay tuned for Part 2, coming "Soon!"
1. LB BamBam McMullet -- Berlin Fire Salamanders
The Berlin Fire Salamanders clinched the first overall pick with a 3-13 record on the year and used it on a big, nasty linebacker out of the University Oklahoma via the Tijuana Luchadores. The Sallies wanted to add toughness and strength to their front seven, and boy did they get it! Although he finished his rookie season with just 39 tackles, a whopping 15 of them came behind the line of scrimmage, and the former Sooner has been terrorizing opposition backfields ever since. In his sophomore season he set a franchise record with 14 sacks, and last season finished runner-up to his own teammate Derred de Ville in Defensive MVP voting. He has been an defensive stalwart for Berlin, a regular fixture in Teams of the Week, and a leader of the unit instrumental in their turnaround from bottom-dwellers to Ultimus contenders.
2. S Dogwood Maple -- New York Silverbacks
Managing to eke out one additional win compared to their expansion brethren, the 4-12 Silverbacks used the second overall pick on a safety, the former Georgia Bulldog and Norfolk Seawolf Dogwood Maple. A bit of a surprising pick at the time, since the Silverbacks already had depth at the position, but they clearly saw great potential in Maple, and he continues to be a stalwart in their defensive backfield. Although limited in his impact through his first couple of seasons, Maple has exceeded 50 tackles and recorded multiple sacks in each of the past two seasons. There can hardly be a greater endorsement of New York’s recent draft strategy than last year’s dominant, Ultimus-winning campaign.
3. DE Ernest Lover -- Baltimore Hawks
A third consecutive pick on defense at a third different position, Ernest Lover is a difficult choice to evaluate, as he spent just one unsuccessful season in Baltimore before being traded to the Sarasota Sailfish the following off-season, at his own request, according to rumor. The potential that Baltimore saw but could not unlock proved to be very real, as Lover blossomed following the change of scenery. He earned an Ultimus ring with the ‘Fish that season, and has exceeded 100 tackles for two consecutive seasons. A good draft pick, but unfortunately not for the team which made it. Baltimore received an excellent return for a struggling player, getting DE Mike Karpaasi, a Season 27 1st-round pick, and a Season 28 4th-round pick. Unfortunately, the draft picks were used on OL Maui Wailiki and DT Beefcake Johnson, who are both already out of the league, and Karpaasi is now deep into the regression phase of his career; by contrast Lover looks primed for his best season yet. Could Lover ever have been this good in Baltimore? Unfortunately for the Hawks, we’ll never know.
4. WR Arthur Naught -- Yellowknife Wraiths
The Wraiths took the draft’s first offensive player at 4th overall, an Ivy League wide receiver out of Penn via the Kansas City Coyotes. It would not go well for them. Naught started out very strong for the Wraiths; playing mainly out of the slot, he recorded 51 catches for over 800 yards and 7 touchdowns as a rookie. However, in his second season he recorded just 8 total catches despite starting all 16 games, and there were rumors of trouble brewing around Naught in the Yellowknife locker room. Shockingly, that offseason “Arthur Naught” was arrested by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, charged with identify theft and wire fraud. Tried and convicted, the player, whose legal name remains unknown, was banned for life from the league and is currently behind bars.
5. LB Vincent Jones -- New Orleans Second Line
New Orleans went back to the defensive well for their first pick, taking English linebacker Vincent Jones 5th overall. A very raw prospect with elite physical traits but little experience, the selection was seen as high-risk, high-reward. It has paid off, as Jones has exceeded 80 tackles every single season, and has shown himself to be capable in pass coverage as well. He has developed into a terrific player and helps keep NOLA’s defense consistently among the league’s more dependable units.
6. QB Ryan Negs -- Philadelphia Liberty
Fresh off of his third season after being called up to replace Brock Phoenix, the jury is still out on Negs, who has shown consistent improvement year over year but has yet to climb into the top tier of ISFL quarterbacks. Although “Negs throws interceptions” became something of a meme following a very shaky rookie year where he threw more INTs than touchdowns, he is actually slightly below league average for interceptions thrown for his career. Having come up just shy of 4000 yards passing last season, the Liberty are certainly hoping that Negs is on the verge of a breakout year. Off the field, Negs has shown a keen interest in league operations and serves as the general manager of the DSFL’s Norfolk Seawolves. His latest draft class has received near-universal praise and Negs appears to be set for a long and productive career in the ISFL even after his playing days are finished.
7. RB Cobra Kai -- Honolulu Hahalua
Cobra Kai was the reigning DSFL Running Back of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year; that he fell to 7th overall was seen as something of an upset. “Character concerns” was the speculated reason, as rumor had it that Kai was fond of chatting up other men’s girlfriends and of illegal street fights, with one almost always leading to the other (and in either direction, apparently!). Some teams were also hesitant to use a high pick on a player who was reportedly considering taking his multiple black belts and pursuing an MMA career instead of football. Honolulu dismissed all these concerns and were delighted to land Cobra, reportedly the top-rated player on their board, with Pick 7. Kai spent Season 26 still in the DSFL, where for the second year in a row he was named both RBotY and OPotY. Called up to Honolulu for Season 27, Kai seemed to struggle adjusting to the higher level of competition, with his level of production never quite matching up to his considerable obvious talent. However, in Season 30 Honolulu decided to make him the focal point of their offense, and finally saw him live up to the hype. Cobra Kai exploded for 1039 yards and 12 touchdowns on 245 carries, placing himself firmly in the RBotY conversation and rewarding the faith of both Honolulu and savvy fantasy football managers. (Congratulations Cobra, and this author thanks you!)
Since the first half was already over 1000 words, I decided to split this into two articles, posting the first part here and the second part in Media later on. Please let me know ASAP if this would be considered an unacceptable "double dip." If so, I will post Part 2 here once it is complete.
With another exciting regular season in the books and Ultimus Week upon us once again, let’s take a walk down memory lane and Remember Some People. This time we’ll be revisiting the first round of the 2041/Season 26 ISFL entry draft, and asking everyone’s favorite question: Where Are They Now? This is Part 1; stay tuned for Part 2, coming "Soon!"
1. LB BamBam McMullet -- Berlin Fire Salamanders
The Berlin Fire Salamanders clinched the first overall pick with a 3-13 record on the year and used it on a big, nasty linebacker out of the University Oklahoma via the Tijuana Luchadores. The Sallies wanted to add toughness and strength to their front seven, and boy did they get it! Although he finished his rookie season with just 39 tackles, a whopping 15 of them came behind the line of scrimmage, and the former Sooner has been terrorizing opposition backfields ever since. In his sophomore season he set a franchise record with 14 sacks, and last season finished runner-up to his own teammate Derred de Ville in Defensive MVP voting. He has been an defensive stalwart for Berlin, a regular fixture in Teams of the Week, and a leader of the unit instrumental in their turnaround from bottom-dwellers to Ultimus contenders.
2. S Dogwood Maple -- New York Silverbacks
Managing to eke out one additional win compared to their expansion brethren, the 4-12 Silverbacks used the second overall pick on a safety, the former Georgia Bulldog and Norfolk Seawolf Dogwood Maple. A bit of a surprising pick at the time, since the Silverbacks already had depth at the position, but they clearly saw great potential in Maple, and he continues to be a stalwart in their defensive backfield. Although limited in his impact through his first couple of seasons, Maple has exceeded 50 tackles and recorded multiple sacks in each of the past two seasons. There can hardly be a greater endorsement of New York’s recent draft strategy than last year’s dominant, Ultimus-winning campaign.
3. DE Ernest Lover -- Baltimore Hawks
A third consecutive pick on defense at a third different position, Ernest Lover is a difficult choice to evaluate, as he spent just one unsuccessful season in Baltimore before being traded to the Sarasota Sailfish the following off-season, at his own request, according to rumor. The potential that Baltimore saw but could not unlock proved to be very real, as Lover blossomed following the change of scenery. He earned an Ultimus ring with the ‘Fish that season, and has exceeded 100 tackles for two consecutive seasons. A good draft pick, but unfortunately not for the team which made it. Baltimore received an excellent return for a struggling player, getting DE Mike Karpaasi, a Season 27 1st-round pick, and a Season 28 4th-round pick. Unfortunately, the draft picks were used on OL Maui Wailiki and DT Beefcake Johnson, who are both already out of the league, and Karpaasi is now deep into the regression phase of his career; by contrast Lover looks primed for his best season yet. Could Lover ever have been this good in Baltimore? Unfortunately for the Hawks, we’ll never know.
4. WR Arthur Naught -- Yellowknife Wraiths
The Wraiths took the draft’s first offensive player at 4th overall, an Ivy League wide receiver out of Penn via the Kansas City Coyotes. It would not go well for them. Naught started out very strong for the Wraiths; playing mainly out of the slot, he recorded 51 catches for over 800 yards and 7 touchdowns as a rookie. However, in his second season he recorded just 8 total catches despite starting all 16 games, and there were rumors of trouble brewing around Naught in the Yellowknife locker room. Shockingly, that offseason “Arthur Naught” was arrested by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, charged with identify theft and wire fraud. Tried and convicted, the player, whose legal name remains unknown, was banned for life from the league and is currently behind bars.
5. LB Vincent Jones -- New Orleans Second Line
New Orleans went back to the defensive well for their first pick, taking English linebacker Vincent Jones 5th overall. A very raw prospect with elite physical traits but little experience, the selection was seen as high-risk, high-reward. It has paid off, as Jones has exceeded 80 tackles every single season, and has shown himself to be capable in pass coverage as well. He has developed into a terrific player and helps keep NOLA’s defense consistently among the league’s more dependable units.
6. QB Ryan Negs -- Philadelphia Liberty
Fresh off of his third season after being called up to replace Brock Phoenix, the jury is still out on Negs, who has shown consistent improvement year over year but has yet to climb into the top tier of ISFL quarterbacks. Although “Negs throws interceptions” became something of a meme following a very shaky rookie year where he threw more INTs than touchdowns, he is actually slightly below league average for interceptions thrown for his career. Having come up just shy of 4000 yards passing last season, the Liberty are certainly hoping that Negs is on the verge of a breakout year. Off the field, Negs has shown a keen interest in league operations and serves as the general manager of the DSFL’s Norfolk Seawolves. His latest draft class has received near-universal praise and Negs appears to be set for a long and productive career in the ISFL even after his playing days are finished.
7. RB Cobra Kai -- Honolulu Hahalua
Cobra Kai was the reigning DSFL Running Back of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year; that he fell to 7th overall was seen as something of an upset. “Character concerns” was the speculated reason, as rumor had it that Kai was fond of chatting up other men’s girlfriends and of illegal street fights, with one almost always leading to the other (and in either direction, apparently!). Some teams were also hesitant to use a high pick on a player who was reportedly considering taking his multiple black belts and pursuing an MMA career instead of football. Honolulu dismissed all these concerns and were delighted to land Cobra, reportedly the top-rated player on their board, with Pick 7. Kai spent Season 26 still in the DSFL, where for the second year in a row he was named both RBotY and OPotY. Called up to Honolulu for Season 27, Kai seemed to struggle adjusting to the higher level of competition, with his level of production never quite matching up to his considerable obvious talent. However, in Season 30 Honolulu decided to make him the focal point of their offense, and finally saw him live up to the hype. Cobra Kai exploded for 1039 yards and 12 touchdowns on 245 carries, placing himself firmly in the RBotY conversation and rewarding the faith of both Honolulu and savvy fantasy football managers. (Congratulations Cobra, and this author thanks you!)
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