A Retrospective Look at the Season Nineteen Draft(part 1)
Here we are going to take a look back at the season nineteen draft, I figured the best method was to look at each teams picks as a snapshot, whether then to go round by round. In my opinion it tells a better story to look at the team's strategy and only when necessary to provide context talk about two teams at once. So starting from the top of the draft we will see if we can shed some light on where they were and where they have gone and how important this draft was to teams sustained success or lack thereof.
New Orleans Second Line
With the first overall pick the Second Line picked Mack Arianlacher. A one year veteran of the Tijuana Luchadores drafted a year before fourth overall in the dsfl. Arianlacher would be an instant starter switching position to defensive end. Anyone who can start as a rookie in the isfl was a good pick, New Orleans started off on the right foot here with a team player. He would also have a performance that propelled him to defensive rookie of the year. He would continue in his career for three years in New Orleans helping the team win an Ultimus in his third year, before being picked up by Honolulu.
With their second of three first round picks, it becomes to be clear that New Orleans was in the middle of a rebuild. With only five wins and eight losses on the season, they clearly made moves for extra picks. Their second pick was a tight end, a position of need after trading away theirs after a dispute with management. Austin McCormick who played on waivers with the Pythons before being drafted by the Marshals his second year, 12th overall. He also looked to contributed immediately, although without much success his first year, his reputation as a gym-rat paid off in the long run as he really started putting up numbers his second and third year for New Orleans. He would win tight end of the year and his first pro bowl and remains under contract.
Their final first round pick, eighth overall, Mason Blaylock, a safety out of Tijuana who had also played for Kansas City. He put up great numbers all around, as a safety and on special teams as a returner. Although he would not continue his role as a returner in the ISFL. He was an impact player right away. Over sixty tackles and a handful of sacks each season, at free safety he would be another good pick it what was already shaping up to be a great draft for New Orleans. He resigned with New Orleans and his story continues there.
With their first pick of the second round they would take a running back, Jed Podolak. A promising rookie out of Tijuana, he stepped into a loaded back field. Looking as if he would get next to no playing time, he decided together with management to make a change, switching to wide receiver he would make a small impactin the slot before a sophomore campaign saw him at wr2. He only continued to improve before he was lost in the expansion. A great pick, he would move on from the team willingly or otherwise,but would only continue to improve. His most recent campaign ending with over a thousand yard receiving.
With the final pick in the draft after no third round pick they would select Left Toenail, a kicker from the Kansas City Coyotes. This would be their only misstep in an otherwise great draft. He would see no playing time in the isfl.
So their strategy doesn't glare off the page as well as one would hope. They seemed to focus less on position and more on player. They would rather have someone who wants to be their and wants to contribute, flexibility being a big part of this draft, where two players ended up changing positions from their dsfl days. An even split from offense and defense they looked at the holes in their team and found ways to patch them, and their scoutibgg process seems to work as with exception of Toenail, every player went on to see a pro bowl in their career so far. Excellent draft!
Join me next time where we attempt the same with San Jose Sabercats!
Here we are going to take a look back at the season nineteen draft, I figured the best method was to look at each teams picks as a snapshot, whether then to go round by round. In my opinion it tells a better story to look at the team's strategy and only when necessary to provide context talk about two teams at once. So starting from the top of the draft we will see if we can shed some light on where they were and where they have gone and how important this draft was to teams sustained success or lack thereof.
New Orleans Second Line
With the first overall pick the Second Line picked Mack Arianlacher. A one year veteran of the Tijuana Luchadores drafted a year before fourth overall in the dsfl. Arianlacher would be an instant starter switching position to defensive end. Anyone who can start as a rookie in the isfl was a good pick, New Orleans started off on the right foot here with a team player. He would also have a performance that propelled him to defensive rookie of the year. He would continue in his career for three years in New Orleans helping the team win an Ultimus in his third year, before being picked up by Honolulu.
With their second of three first round picks, it becomes to be clear that New Orleans was in the middle of a rebuild. With only five wins and eight losses on the season, they clearly made moves for extra picks. Their second pick was a tight end, a position of need after trading away theirs after a dispute with management. Austin McCormick who played on waivers with the Pythons before being drafted by the Marshals his second year, 12th overall. He also looked to contributed immediately, although without much success his first year, his reputation as a gym-rat paid off in the long run as he really started putting up numbers his second and third year for New Orleans. He would win tight end of the year and his first pro bowl and remains under contract.
Their final first round pick, eighth overall, Mason Blaylock, a safety out of Tijuana who had also played for Kansas City. He put up great numbers all around, as a safety and on special teams as a returner. Although he would not continue his role as a returner in the ISFL. He was an impact player right away. Over sixty tackles and a handful of sacks each season, at free safety he would be another good pick it what was already shaping up to be a great draft for New Orleans. He resigned with New Orleans and his story continues there.
With their first pick of the second round they would take a running back, Jed Podolak. A promising rookie out of Tijuana, he stepped into a loaded back field. Looking as if he would get next to no playing time, he decided together with management to make a change, switching to wide receiver he would make a small impactin the slot before a sophomore campaign saw him at wr2. He only continued to improve before he was lost in the expansion. A great pick, he would move on from the team willingly or otherwise,but would only continue to improve. His most recent campaign ending with over a thousand yard receiving.
With the final pick in the draft after no third round pick they would select Left Toenail, a kicker from the Kansas City Coyotes. This would be their only misstep in an otherwise great draft. He would see no playing time in the isfl.
So their strategy doesn't glare off the page as well as one would hope. They seemed to focus less on position and more on player. They would rather have someone who wants to be their and wants to contribute, flexibility being a big part of this draft, where two players ended up changing positions from their dsfl days. An even split from offense and defense they looked at the holes in their team and found ways to patch them, and their scoutibgg process seems to work as with exception of Toenail, every player went on to see a pro bowl in their career so far. Excellent draft!
Join me next time where we attempt the same with San Jose Sabercats!
![[Image: 5Mrzi23.jpeg]](https://i.imgur.com/5Mrzi23.jpeg)
![[Image: wcWiaSw.gif]](https://i.imgur.com/wcWiaSw.gif)
