With all of us heading into our first season of regression, I think this is a perfect time to talk about the S25 draft class. This class was a special one as it was a major recruitment from r/nfl. The draft had many first time users and famous recreates and has really shaped up to be possibly one of the best classes in ISFL history. Given the recruitment began at the height of the pandemic, this class was extremely large and has some interesting stories to tell. I feel that the most interesting part of any draft is discussing who was drafted too high or too low. I do not like to be a negative person so I am not going to call out players that may have ended up being picked earlier than their production would indicate. Instead I am going to focus on three of the major steals from the S25 draft and how each has made some major contributions to their orgainzations.
To start I want to call out the man I consider the biggest steal, Jake Fencik. Jake was a kicker selected by the Philadelphia Liberty in the 5th round with the 59th overall pick. Jake took over head kicking duties early in his career for Philadelphia. In the 2042 season he hit over 97% of his extra points and field goals including a staggering five for five from over fifty yards. Jake had quickly established himself as one of the top kickers in the league. Jake's career took an interesting turn when before the 2046 season he declared himself to be changing position to WR. Many were skeptical of the kickers ability to make this change, but he has proved them all wrong. Jake had an amazing season amassing nearly 1500 yards and 12 touchdowns. He wound up being one of the best receivers in the whole league in his first year making everyone excited to see what he can possibly have in store for next year. Jake being a top level player in two separate positions makes him the clear choice of steal of the draft.
My next pick for a steal is L'gazzy Burfict. Burfict was picked by the Arizona Outlaws with the 36th overall pick in the 3rd round of the S25 draft. Burfict has been a standout linebacker for the Outlaws since he was drafted. He has been an absolute force in run stopping, increasing his tackle numbers year after year including finally breaking the 100 tackle mark this season. Running backs fear seeing Burfict in the hole on every down. The impact does not stop with just the run game however. Burfict also is a menace when it comes to attacking the quarterback in the passing game. Burfict picked up 15 sacks in the 2045 season and another 14 in 2043. He has amassed double digit sacks in each of the last four seasons. Burfict is a fantastic player and leader for the Outlaws and considering he was picked 36th overall, has to be considered a big time steal for the team.
The last player I want to dive into is Cmon Skiuuup. Skiuup is a player who entered the league in the 5th round with the 69th overall pick (nice). Berlin was excited to pick up the tight end in this spot and could not have imagined the player he would turn in to. Skiuuup was originally selected as a TE but has slimmed out a bit during his time in the ISFL and is now a wide receiver. Skiuuup has been a revelation for the Berlin Firesalamanders, with over 1100 yards in each of the previous 3 seasons, with a career high of 1517 yards during the 2044 season. That season saw Skiuuup set a career high in touchdowns as well as he crossed the goal line a staggering 15 times in the season. Skiuuup has been just an absolute stud for Berlin and does not look like he is going to slow down. Berlin has found a true competitor and one that makes the fanbase happy. Picks this late don't normally turn out, but Berlin found a true diamond in the rough.
So there you have it, my top three steals of the S25 draft, Jake Fencik, L'gazzy Burfict, and Cmon Skiuuup. There are many other players that would likely be worthy of the "steal label" but I felt that these three were the most worthy. Each player has contributed so much to their respective franchises and have truly become cornerstones of their teams. With an upcoming draft this week, these steals reiterate the importance of a good scouting effort by each team. Obviously all of these teams did their job when it came to scouting and were able to land some real steals. Perhaps this can be your team in the future and someone will be writing about your player at that time.
To start I want to call out the man I consider the biggest steal, Jake Fencik. Jake was a kicker selected by the Philadelphia Liberty in the 5th round with the 59th overall pick. Jake took over head kicking duties early in his career for Philadelphia. In the 2042 season he hit over 97% of his extra points and field goals including a staggering five for five from over fifty yards. Jake had quickly established himself as one of the top kickers in the league. Jake's career took an interesting turn when before the 2046 season he declared himself to be changing position to WR. Many were skeptical of the kickers ability to make this change, but he has proved them all wrong. Jake had an amazing season amassing nearly 1500 yards and 12 touchdowns. He wound up being one of the best receivers in the whole league in his first year making everyone excited to see what he can possibly have in store for next year. Jake being a top level player in two separate positions makes him the clear choice of steal of the draft.
My next pick for a steal is L'gazzy Burfict. Burfict was picked by the Arizona Outlaws with the 36th overall pick in the 3rd round of the S25 draft. Burfict has been a standout linebacker for the Outlaws since he was drafted. He has been an absolute force in run stopping, increasing his tackle numbers year after year including finally breaking the 100 tackle mark this season. Running backs fear seeing Burfict in the hole on every down. The impact does not stop with just the run game however. Burfict also is a menace when it comes to attacking the quarterback in the passing game. Burfict picked up 15 sacks in the 2045 season and another 14 in 2043. He has amassed double digit sacks in each of the last four seasons. Burfict is a fantastic player and leader for the Outlaws and considering he was picked 36th overall, has to be considered a big time steal for the team.
The last player I want to dive into is Cmon Skiuuup. Skiuup is a player who entered the league in the 5th round with the 69th overall pick (nice). Berlin was excited to pick up the tight end in this spot and could not have imagined the player he would turn in to. Skiuuup was originally selected as a TE but has slimmed out a bit during his time in the ISFL and is now a wide receiver. Skiuuup has been a revelation for the Berlin Firesalamanders, with over 1100 yards in each of the previous 3 seasons, with a career high of 1517 yards during the 2044 season. That season saw Skiuuup set a career high in touchdowns as well as he crossed the goal line a staggering 15 times in the season. Skiuuup has been just an absolute stud for Berlin and does not look like he is going to slow down. Berlin has found a true competitor and one that makes the fanbase happy. Picks this late don't normally turn out, but Berlin found a true diamond in the rough.
So there you have it, my top three steals of the S25 draft, Jake Fencik, L'gazzy Burfict, and Cmon Skiuuup. There are many other players that would likely be worthy of the "steal label" but I felt that these three were the most worthy. Each player has contributed so much to their respective franchises and have truly become cornerstones of their teams. With an upcoming draft this week, these steals reiterate the importance of a good scouting effort by each team. Obviously all of these teams did their job when it came to scouting and were able to land some real steals. Perhaps this can be your team in the future and someone will be writing about your player at that time.
![[Image: AXVcb1Q.png]](https://i.imgur.com/AXVcb1Q.png)
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