*Tomatodraft

[speculadora]

Season 7 First Round Mock Draft
A Pichael Thompson joint -- March 29th, 2018


Where will San Antonio's Vladimir Fyodorovich end up?

1 | Colorado Yeti WR Howard Miller, Kansas City Coyotes
Howard Miller is the consensus #1 player in this draft class, and for good reason. At 277 TPE he leads the class in TPE and has the on field production to back that number up. As a part of the Kansas City squad that fell just short of the Ultimini, Miller put up 96 receptions for 1269 yards and two touchdowns. He also showed he can show up on the big stage, posting 14 receptions for 215 yards and 2 touchdowns during the Coyotes’ playoff run. Using two consecutive top draft choices on wide receivers is a move from the Matt Millen book of drafting, but in this case the Yeti can not afford to do anything else. All signs point toward Colorado completely tearing down their roster and building from the ground up, so going best player available is more than okay when the player is this good.

2 | Baltimore Hawks: TE Verso L’Alto, Tijuana Luchadores
Every year we mock the draft’s top tight end to the Baltimore Hawks and every year they throw us a curveball. This year, however, it’s difficult to envision a scenario where the Hawks have the wealth of options required to ignore tight end. The team traded wide receiver Stormblessed as part of the package that moved them up to this spot in the draft, meaning current tight end John Wachter may be needed more out wide this season. Enter Verso L’Alto of the Tijuana Luchadores. L’Alto had a comfortable lead in production over draft eligible tight end prospects at the developmental level this season, recording 46 catches for 369 yards. Not numbers that will blow you away, but the DSFL is known for being far more friendly to defensive production than its professional counterpart. With the Hawks secondary just too talented to consider Vladimir Fyodorovich here, Verso L’Alto is the only pick that truly makes sense as he sits at 178 TPE, just six behind Fyodorovich (184).

3 | Orange County Otters: CB Vladimir Fyodorovich, San Antonio Marshals
The man who dubbed himself the “Siberian Swatter” was the DSFL’s preeminent defensive back this season and earned my vote for defensive player of the year despite some players putting up gaudier numbers. Fyodorovich plays air tight coverage and had 3 interceptions, 8 passes defended, and a touchdown this season. His tackle numbers didn’t impress, but I’m taking that as a sign that quarterbacks knew better than to target him. Orange County already have quite a bit of depth in the secondary, making them something of an unusual fit for a defensive back. They’ve also shed a couple of defensive pieces in the name of creating cap space. At the same time, they have enough talent across the board to afford themselves the luxury of going for the best player on the board over reaching for a linebacker to fill the void left by the recently departed Julian O’Sullivan.

4 | Colorado Yeti: QB Ryan Applehort, Portland Pythons
With the first of the Yeti’s three consecutive first round picks in the middle of the draft, I’ve got them going with a quarterback. This pick defies what most draft prognosticators are projecting, but the Yeti need to find a franchise signal caller. The Nicholas Pierno has run its course. Although he showed signs of improvement from his 3:17 TD-to-INT ratio of last season, he still finished dead last in every passing category and was on track to lead the lead in interceptions with a few more attempts. Pierno’s build is already athletic enough for Colorado to try him at positions like corner or safety. Enter Ryan Applehort, formerly of San Antonio, now with Portland. Applehort struggled statistically this season but spent much of his first DSFL year splitting snaps with Mike Vick and struggled to get into a rhythm. Applehort still brings quite a bit to the table with 215 TPE. He has shown patience splitting snaps in his time with San Antonio that will be much needed with Colorado, however I suspect that with Howard Miller, Dwayne Aaron, and Carlito Crush to throw to his development will come quicker than we expect.

5 | Colorado Yeti: CB Desta Danger, Tijuana Luchadores
One of the best names in the draft, Desta Danger had a fantastic season for Tijuana this year, putting together a line of 49 tackles, 2 forced fumbles, 3 interceptions, and 7 passes defended. Danger is a slight drop-off in quality of prospect from the first four picks, but is far from a slouch himself with 136 TPE. This pick fits a huge need for Colorado as they are currently starting an inactive Storm Woods across from Andre Bly. Danger would be able to show up to camp as the team’s starter opposite Bly and make a huge impact for a Yeti defense that ranked dead last in every statistical category last season. The silver lining there is that Danger would add to a defense that had 15 interceptions, 12 forced fumbles, and 3 defensive touchdowns last season. His coverage could also help them improve on a league-worst 34 sacks last season. This pick is the rare occurrence where the best player available is also one who fills a need.

6 | Colorado Yeti: TE Alvin Chipmunk, San Antonio Marshals
Colorado end their brief run by selecting San Antonio tight end Alvin Chipmunk here. Chipmunk has been a steady TPE earner during his time in the DSFL and makes more sense for Colorado here than drafting Mark Grau, who intends to stay at wide receiver. Chipmunk did not put up fantastic numbers for San Antonio, falling short of the 300-yard mark, but they did not pass much as a team. It is safe to assume, however, that Chipmunk played a large role in the Marshals’ very effective rushing attack. Unless something unforeseen happens with Carlito Crush, Chipmunk would either return to the DSFL or work with the Yeti to find a new position. The team could certainly use a linebacker after trading A.C. Hackett in exchange for one of their many first round picks. With Mason Brown refusing to play for the team, Chipmunk may be their most effective way to fill that hole.

7 | Philadelphia Liberty: LB Mason Brown, Portland Pythons
Mason Brown has already made some waves as one of the most controversial players in the draft. Not one to hold his tongue, Brown broadcasted his feelings about the Colorado Yeti general manager and said that he would refuse to play for them if drafted. He has quite a bit of familiarity with the Philadelphia Liberty management however, and linebackers are always in demand. The Liberty don’t need a linebacker at the moment, but that could work for Brown who has expressed at least a passing interest in returning to Portland next season. Mark Grau could have made a lot of sense here as a replacement for Blessed Storm and eventual heir to Josh Garden, but the Liberty recently added Kendrick Hendrix and routinely move tight end Paul Dimirio into the slot on third downs. For a team looking to make the most of their championship window, Brown is a better bet to make an impact in the next few seasons.

8 | Orange County Otters: WR Mark Grau, Portland Pythons
Finally, the precipitous slide of Mark Grau is over. The slide is less an indictment of Grau’s ability as it is a representation of the needs of the teams prior to this pick. I think a more realistic scenario involves a team trading up with Colorado and the Yeti picking up a future pick, but I’m already making enough inaccurate predictions about the future. Mark Grau would be a tremendous value for Orange County and makes for a solid fit. Despite playing in Portland’s run heavy offense, Grau was dominant at the DSFL level this season, totaling 67 catches for 709 yards and seven touchdowns. The Otters currently have just one receiver who is earning at a max level and may have future decisions to make with respect to the salary cap when it comes to Phelps and Yates. Grau intends to return to Portland for least part of next season and will be able to develop into a weapon for Orange County, who finish the first round with a great value.

Top Ten Remaining Prospects
1 | QB Cole McCoy, Portland Pythons
2 | CB Mike Miles, Kansas City Coyotes
3 | LB Ryan LeFevre, Kansas City Coyotes
4 | S Bubba Beau-Boucher, Kansas City Coyotes
5 | WR Footballer Catcherman, San Antonio Marshals
6 | TE Stone Hans, Kansas City Coyotes
7 | CB Joel Shroeder, Portland Pythons
8 | QB Sam Penner, Tijuana Luchadores
9 | WR DeAndre Green, Kansas City Coyotes
10 | DE Zach Skinner, Portland Pythons

Code:

1475 words

[feve10]

Mason Brown over Ryan LeFevre?

Mistake.

[HENDRIX]

Mason Brown over Ryan LeFevre?

Mistake.

[DestaDanger]

I may or may not have two lines of stats....however, great mock draft sir

[Toasty]

Mason Brown over Ryan LeFevre?

Mistake.

I am more active I am over 100 TPE in less than a month. I am The BIGGEST steal in this draft.

[ExemplaryChad]

This is great! Every pick seems plausible with your accompanying descriptions. This just goes to show how many different ways this draft could shake out... Gonna be an exciting time! Can't wait for Tuesday!

[Official DT]

WR Stone Hans*