1953 NAAF Draft

1953 NAAF Draft 

ROUND 1

Hello everyone, welcome to the 1953 NAAF draft. I am Jeff Montgomery and I am joined today by author of “The Gains Report”, Lawrence Gainsborough, and New England’s resident NAAF expert, Johnny Singleton. We will also be joined by several other scouts today to talk about other prospects. Without further ado let's get to the stage where the Hartford Hawks will soon make the first selection of the draft.  

Moments later commissioner Ryan Jameson announces the pick:

“With the first selection in the 1953 NAAF draft the Hartford Hawks select, from London, Ontario, Quarterback, Lee Rogers”  

1 - Hartford Hawks - QB Lee Rogers - London, ON
The Hawks have taken who they hope will be their franchise quarterback. After a rough season jumping between Andrew Sexton and Michael Kramer, it is a much-needed change for the Hawks.  

Johnny Singleton’s Scouting Report
Rogers is a classic Gunslinger. He loves throwing it deep and scoring loads of touchdowns. He has an arm much like Duane Logan and Oliver Callahan and can lead an explosive offense. However, with his natural abilities, Rogers' decision making and recklessness have resulted in many interceptions. He has cleaned it up over the last year, but this is a definite high-risk, high reward pick at #1. 

2 - Worcester Athletics - OL Cliff Strautzenberger - Cheesequake, NJ
The Athletics grab what should be the true centerpiece to their offensive line of the future and what looks to be the best talent in the entire class.  

George Stefanakis’ Scouting Report
The man is known as the “Baby-Faced Mauler” for his baby-face, yet mean and brutal style of play. Strutzenberger is a tough guy to get through, and the last guy you wanna see barrelling down the field to block for his running back. Cliff does lack a bit of speed with his size which means he gets beat sometimes on the pass coverage, but pretty sound otherwise. Great pick for Worcester. 

3 - Ontario Tigers - OL Ulysses Fairgrove - New Haven, CT
With their first selection as the Ontario Tigers, the team takes an Offensive Lineman to address their biggest need heading into the offseason and should be the first piece to keeping Duane Logan happy in Kitchener.  

The Gains Report - Lawrence Gainsborough
One of the best linemen I have ever scouted. He is technically sound and has the ability to cover both the run and pass quite well.  He will add a lot to a line that has to protect Logan and make a hole for Laurent Brazeau. Fairgrove plays with loads of confidence but has the skill to back it up, we will see if he can keep it up at the next level. 

4 - Montreal Rouge - LB Rusty McVee - Brampton, ON
Head Coach Guy Clarke loves both strong defensive players and those native to Quebec. Seems about right to go back to the defense with the best defender in the draft. McVee should be able to grow under the leadership of superstar LB Quinton Brewer.  

Roger Roy’s Scouting Report
McVee is a hit machine through and through. He will always go for a game shaking hit over a simple tackle any day. While his aggressive nature can take over, it can usually fire a team up and keep the defense going and he still has an ability to see what’s happening on the field to make the stop. McVee only makes Montreal’s defense scarier.

5 - Providence Gold Stars - QB Connor O’Rourke - Weymouth, MA
With the first true surprise in the draft, the Gold Stars decide to go quarterback over O-Line or D-Line which are far more dire needs at least I would say so. To be fair, we don’t know what to expect from GM Virgil Gross in his first season. The good news is O’Rourke can grow under QB Bruce Woodard who is getting up there in age. 

The Gains Report
To me, Connor O’Rourke is the best QB in the draft. He is scary accurate. Rarely misses the mark and has a great ability to see what’s going on out on the field. Fits the field general style of Larry Larson and Jean Matieau which bodes well for the young QB. The weakness for O’Rourke would be his abilities down the field as he lacks the arm strength that Rogers has, and can play it too safe at times.  

TRADE ALERT!!
The Royals have traded the 6th overall pick to the Hartford Hawks for the 9th overall pick and a third-rounder for next year.  

6- Hartford Hawks (via OTT) - RB Pierre LeStrange - Montreal, QB
The Hawks missed out on RB Alexei Volkov after the Royals had jumped them in last year’s draft, and now they trade up with that very team to get a running back this year. This does come just one year after the Hawks took RB Johnnie Stafford in the second round and RB Maurice Fergerson in the fourth. It is clear they were not quite satisfied with the two. 

Dewey Thomas’ Scouting Report
LeStrange is an intense running back. Loads of power and strength that makes him hard to take down and a great blocking back. LeStrange’s size and strength with bring many comparisons to Laurent Brazeau and it is rightfully deserved. He is also a leader in the locker room and has been praised for his speeches. LeStrange should be a major factor for the Hawks moving forward and bring some success in the backfield.  

7 - Boston Independents - WR Ellis Lindholm - Rochester, NY
Boston was definitely interested in getting either O’Rourke or McVee, but they end up being too far back, but they still grab the top receiver in the class which will hopefully back up Walters and Floyd in the Boston offense which has been looking for a strong 3rd WR.  

The Gains Report
Lindholm is an expert route runner, that plays primarily in the slot. He is a very coachable player, takes criticism well, and is always willing to improve. He has a bit of a disadvantage in height but his shiftiness more than makes up for it. Looks to be the next Eugene Burns or Jean-Yves Vallotton, with potential to surpass both of them 

8 - Buffalo Blue Wings - OL Jean Mathieu-Baptiste - Laval, QB
With the final pick of the first round the Blue Wings add to an already fantastic O-line with Mathieu-Baptiste. The Blue Wings want to keep Medina healthy to continue their march towards more titles in the future, a smart pick for Buffalo. 

The Gains Report
Mathieu-Baptiste is an excellent blindside blocker that will provide great protection for Medina. He is a smart player that is as disciplined as it gets. For the Blue Wings to add this to the great O-line that had All-Stars Casey York and Melvin Marshall on it, will only make Buffalo that much better. 

That concludes the first round of the draft, Ottawa will kick off the rest of the draft with the 9th selection coming up. I'm Jeff Montgomery joined by Lawrence Gainsborough and Johnny Singleton, as well as many other today, we will be carrying on the draft fairly shortly, but let's get the thoughts from everyone on the first round, what surprised you? Who has made the best decision so far? Who has made the most concerning move?

ROUND 2 

9 - Ottawa Royals (via HAR) - DL Olaf Viktorsson - Bar Harbor, ME
The Royals grabbed some much needed defensive help with Viktorsson to start the second round. 

The Gains Report
Viktorsson is a complete gym rat, always working to get better. He’s a fast rusher who can get right around the line. He also plays with a bit of a mean streak. Comparisons to Sean Bowen, but is a bit of a smaller player.  

10 - Worcester Athletics - RB Marcus Devonshire - Boston, MA
Barry Williams’ Scouting Report
Devonshire has a good balance of speed and power. He stands at 6’5” and will be a tough guy to bring down. He also has played LB and knows the defensive side as well. Devonshire will still need to work on his finesse moves to truly make the next step. 

11 - Ontario Tigers - WR David Burrows - Rochester, NY
Johnny Singleton’s Scouting Report
Another top tier slot option, Burrows is very elusive and can kick up some speed to get into open space. He lacks size and will have to use his speed to get open. It has worked for Boston WR Samuel Floyd, so it's very possible for Burrows to find his place in the Tigers offense. 

12 - Hartford Hawks (via MTL) - WR Truman Harry - Bangor, ME
Dewey Thomas’ Scouting Report
Harry is your typical WR and should be a solid pick up for the Hawks. The biggest factor is his ability to perform under pressure, it’s almost like he plays better when the pressure is on.  

TRADE ALERT
The Boston Independents have moved up 2 spots in a trade with the Gold Stars. The Gold Stars drop back and pick up the 31st pick as well. 

13 - Boston Independents (via PRO) - LB Brent Harper - Portland, ME
Johnny Singleton’s Scouting Report
Jack of all trades, master of none: The perfect definition of Harper. He is a good all-around player but doesn’t have a specific skill he excels in. In the locker room, he is a genuine leader but may clash with veterans. Harper will also need time to develop and can’t be thrown to the fire immediately, hopefully, Boston will give him that chance.   

14 - Ottawa Royals - DB Mingan Oliver - Sept-Îles, QB
The Gains Report
Oliver is the top DB in this draft and is a pure ballhawk. Very comparable to Lee Wolfe and Oscar Patterson. He also plays well in press coverage. Very quiet player, but is always learning. He’s a leader off the field, being involved in the community, especially his Cree community. 

15 - Providence Gold Stars (via BOS) - RB Corey King - London, ON
The Gains Report
A complete workhorse, and strong downhill runner. He will be hard to stop if he gets into a flow, but he also lacks some elusiveness and isn’t always fast off the first step. 

16 - Buffalo Blue Wings - TE Johann Traeger - Hartford, CT
Barry Williams’ Scouting Report
A great all-around TE, and I am stunned he has fallen this far down. Can block, get downfield, and catch anything that is thrown at him. Traeger should be the next best TE and would have been the top TE in last year’s draft. 

ROUND 3 

17 - Harford Hawks - DL Tyrone Affalo - Bronx, NY
The Gains Report
Brute Strength DL, Stuffs up the middle to stop the run. Very loud and in your face on the field, can get him into trouble. 

18 -Worcester Athletics - LB Liam O’Brien - Hempstead, NY
The Gains Report
Able to clog the lanes for running backs and can still drop into coverage. He has a vengeful side and doesn’t like getting beat, which can become a distraction in the game.  

19 - Ottawa Royals (via ON) - K Maurice Lafayette - Quebec City, QB
Barry Williams’ Scouting Report
The former soccer player has a big leg that is also quite accurate. He also has speed which may open up some trick plays for the Royals.  

20 - Montreal Rouge - QB Rigobert St-Hilaire - Montreal, QB
Barry Willliams’ Scouting Report
Running QB, and has a solid level of accuracy especially on the run. He was able to get loads of passing yards and still managed to lead his team in rushing yards as well. Comparisons will be made to Angelo Medina, but he still has a lot to learn in terms of decision making and adapting to a faster style of football.  

21 - Providence Gold Stars - OL Kevin Holcombs - Hamilton, ON
Johnny Singleton’s Scouting Report
Holcombs is a good run blocker and should help Fischer find some space. He still struggles with the pass coverage at times but has shown the ability to grow. The biggest concern with Holcombs is that he has a major in broadcasting and journalism and if he isn’t happy might jump to a career sooner than others. 

22 - Ottawa Royals - WR Thomas Oezescki - Buffalo, NY
The Gains Report
He's got hands like glue and has the range to go over the top or cross through the middle. A very humble player, but will go all out on the field. He can lack some more physical traits like speed and jumping ability.  

23 - Boston Independents - DB Clayton Malone - Buffalo, NY
Barry Williams’ Scouting Report
Malone likes to slow down the tempo of play and keep the play in his control but may result in getting beat by the faster receivers in the league.  

24 - Buffalo Blue Wings - OL Bruce Wesley - New York City, NY
Montgomery’s Notes
Wesley should be a solid lineman which will help Buffalo solidify their O-line even further after taking Mathieu-Baptiste in the first round. However, Wesley needs lots of development to become a starter. 

ROUND 4 

25 - Hartford Hawks - DL Benjamin Hart - Boston, MA
Barry Williams’ Scouting Report
Hart has an all-around ability and can shift between DL and LB even in the middle of play. Has all the right tools as a DL, but will still need to work to fit in at the next level. 

26 - Worcester Athletics - DL Vinny Brown - Albany, NY
Johnny Singleton’s Scouting Report
Brown has lots of pure talent and it has gotten him a long way, but he seems to lack even some fundamentals which may start to affect him at the next level. Brown seemed like a top tier player a year ago but has flashed more weaknesses over his last year of college which could explain his fall to the fourth round. 

27 - Ontario Tigers - DL Dee Floyd - Nassau County, NY
Johnny Singleton’s Scouting Report
For the third DL to go in a row, the Tigers get a DL that uses lots of speed and finesse moves to get around the line. While he has become great at it, the strength of the players in the NAAF may leave him outmatched until he can gain some more power.  

28 - Montreal Rouge - K Arthur Kettinger - New Andover, MA
Dewey Thomas’ Scouting Report
Another soccer player/kicker that will provide Montreal with a kicker to take over the older Jack Barnett.  

29 - Providence Gold Stars - RB Connor Riley - Boston, MA
Johnny Singleton’s Scouting Report
Riley is not a powerful runner but has the ability to be a good receiving back. A reliable player that can fit into an offense where the coach sees fit. Still an interesting pick yet again from Providence. 

30 - Ottawa Royals - QB Bart Swayze - Halifax, NS
Dewey Thomas’ Scouting Report
Otis Ward loves his quarterbacks and he gets another on here. Swayze has a big arm and can hit many receivers down the field. Decision making still needs a lot of work but could become a strong backup in the near future. Comparable to Evan Morrow.  

31 - Providence Gold Stars (via BOS) - OL Patrick Reinsdorf - Albany, NY
The Gains Report
Reinsdorf has made transitions between both O-Line and D-Line, but his ability to open up holes for the running back gives him lots of potential as an offensive lineman. 

32 - Buffalo Blue Wings - RB Darryl Whitney - Harrisburg, PA
Johnny Singleton’s Scouting Report
The Blue Wings take a chance with a RB that is widely considered inefficient, he can rack up the yards with his elusiveness and solid strength, but he doesn’t have very high yards per carry, which causes lots of concerns in a 3 down league.  

With the draft now complete, the teams will regroup and look at their teams looking forward and figure out who they will keep and who will be moving on to new places. But before we get too far into that, it is time to ask who is a draft winner? or loser? Who are you most excited to see in action this season or in seasons in the future?