1956 NAAF Draft

1956 NAAF Draft

1 - Montreal Rouge - RB Scott Mallard-White - Oshawa, ON
It came down to the final minutes on the clock but the Montreal Rouge ultimately went with their future RB Scott Mallard-White. Marchal will still be around, but he will make a great mentor for Mallard-White for his first season or two.  

Ronald Wilke’s Scouting Report - ThisIsFine
Mallard-White is a dedicated player. He always gives it his all, and that enough makes him a top tier prospect, but on top of that, he has great speed and elusiveness that makes him into a premier running back. There will be a lot of comparisons to Élisée Marchal, and rightfully so, with his ability to take over a game. The one concern might be about his overall strength, but when he can outrun you, it may not matter.  

2 - Boston Independents - LB Konrad Aust - Staten Island, NY
Boston might have had the easier choice when compared to Montreal as they would likely pick the other of the top two picks between Mallard-White and Aust. They would take Aust which would mark their 3rd straight first-round Linebacker, which causes some concern, but Aust is hard to pass up on especially with expansion teams coming next season.  

Barry Williams’ Scouting Report - ZO82
Aust is a top tier run stopper. He has great athletic abilities that help him keep up with some of the fastest backs he has gone up against. He has some issues with shedding blocks as he usually gets to the players with his speed rather than strength. Should still be a strong LB next to Brent Harper and the other youngsters in the LB core.  

3 - Ontario Tigers - RB Clifford Russell - Manhattan, NY
The Tigers picked up a possible Laurent Brazeau replacement with Russell at #3. The Tigers are hoping that Russell can make an immediate jump up behind Brazeau and can be a part of the future of the team. 

Jack Barkley’s Scouting Report - GoRedSox96
Russell has blazing speed. If he gets into open space, he is most likely going to take the ball to the house. Drawing many comparisons to Alexei Volkov who has that same big-play ability. Russell also makes for a great leader and team player being heavily involved in his community. He has also been very vocal and active in the fight for civil rights and against racism.  

4 - Providence Gold Stars - WR Sammy Moss - Cortland, NY
The Gold Stars were very happy to add a young WR to help out WR Peter Brooks and possibly take his place in the future. Providence desperately needed to add in the position which includes 3, 31-year-old players. Moss will also be great for the young QB Connor O’Rourke to have an extra weapon on offense.  

Johnny Singleton’s Scouting Report - Captain Mort 3D
Moss is a big and tall receiver that takes up a lot of space. While he doesn’t have great speed, he has a quick first step and can catch DB’s off guard. Of course, his size is his biggest asset being able to beat out defenders to the ball using his height and strength. His hands are pretty average and won’t be making any amazing one-handed catches, but they are good enough to trust in key moments.  

TRADE ALERT
Following Boston’s pick of Konrad Aust, the Independents were left with 3 1st round Linebackers. The extra Linebackers would attract several teams looking to make an upgrade on their defense. At the end of the day, the Worcester Athletics would be the first to take from Boston by acquiring, 1954 5th overall pick, LB Silas O’Brien. O’Brien would be paired up with veteran WR Ethan Walters in order for Boston to grab the 5th overall pick from Worcester. The Athletics will still have to sign Walters, but he could be a big addition, but Silas O’Brien will be a great 3rd LB next to Harrison Bennett and, of course, Scotty Williams. 

5 - Boston Independents (via Worcester) - DL Robin Hill - Burlington, VT
Boston would go with the player that a few had thought they might reach for at #2. Hill will be a big addition to the D-line that desperately needs an injection of youth in Boston.  

Roger Roy’s Scouting Report - Thehealthiestscratch
Hill is an explosive lineman, very quick to react on plays. Throughout much of college, Hill would find himself hitting the quarterback before he finished his 3-step-drop or the running back before he got the ball. Hill is good against both the pass and run in that respect, but his quick reactions and commitment can lead him into being way out of position or running into penalty trouble. 

6 - Buffalo Blue Wings - OL Georgio Stephan - Fall River, MA
Buffalo adds to their already strong OL with another good OL prospect. With the ageing depth on the line, Buffalo was expected to take a small hit on the line, but with Stephan, they may be able to avoid any decline. 

The Gains Report - Darknes
The son of a marine, Stephan is a strong and passionate leader on the football field. Stephan will make a great piece on the line with a great mix of strength and technique in his blocking ability. He’s got a big wingspan which makes him just a bit bigger on the line. He hasn't got great footwork but will still make a great man on the line. 

7 - Long Island Raiders - OL Elliot Winterbottom - Utica, NY
The Raiders don’t take the #1 pick for the first time since 1952, and with their first selection, they look to add protection for their young QB Lyle Painter.  

Brad Cumberland’s Scouting Report - DireBear
Winterbottom is a strong O-lineman, great at being able to block and create holes for the Running back. He has a great release being able to knock defenders off balance, but he struggles with holding blocks for pass coverage for too long. 

8 - Ottawa Royals - DL Troy Hunt - Williamsport, PA
The Royals become the first team to reach as they go for Hunt. It was expected that either Ottawa would look to move the pick or reach for a player they wanted and they felt it fit to just go for the guy they liked in Hunt. 

Johnny Singleton’s Scouting Report - Captain Mort 3D
Troy Hunt was projected to be a superstar out of high school, but his years and injuries through college had brought him down a bit. Despite that, he was still a super consistent player fundamentally. He also has great speed off the edge and can cause some issues in the backfield. Being solid throughout his college career, but it might be the high expectations that dropped his capital down so far and might be a steal for the Royals at the end of the day. 

2nd Round
The second round would kick off with Montreal taking the first QB of the draft in Oscar Rigano. Rigano is a strong arm QB that shares some similarities to Lee Rogers, which could be a cause for concern, but with some development could become a good player in the future. Boston would grab OL Pete Brackenridge right after to boost their line. Ontario would go Safety with Drew Porter for the next pick.  A small trade would occur with Ottawa and Providence. The Royals would move up to the 12th pick and Providence would take the 16th and 32nd later on in the draft. The Royals would go for DB Henderson Durant to kick off the defensive back selections in the draft.  Worcester would continue the DB train with Dennis Kirchner next to add some depth behind Alexander Bradley. Buffalo would finally grab a WR with Daniel Irons after being too far back to grab Sammy Moss in the first. Long Island would grab Xander Devereaux with their pick who could grow into a piece on the line with Vernon Spears and Tyrone Affalo. The final pick of the 2nd round was Providence taking OL Mila O’Hara, who happens to be a diehard Boston Independents fan...ironic.  

Round 2
9 - MTL - QB Oscar Rigano - Bronx, NY - ZO82
10 - BOS - OL Pete Brackenridge - Rochester, NY - Dan O’Mac
11 - ON - S Drew Porter - Baltimore, MD - Captain Mort 3D
12  - OTT (via PRO) - DB Henderson Durant - Terrebonne, QC - Darknes
13 - WOR - DB Dennis Kirchner - Dearbon, MI - DireBear
14 - BUF - WR Daniel Irons - Rochester, NY - Darknes
15 - LI - DL Xander Devereaux - Fort Drum, NY - Darknes
16 - PRO (via OTT) - OL Milo O’Hara - Boston, MA - Darknes 

3rd Round 
Long Island would start the 3rd round with grabbing RB Bernard Alston who had fallen from the 10th ranked player in the draft. Could be quite the steal at the end of the day with a player expected to go in the second round. The next interesting moment would be Ottawa acquiring the 22nd pick in a trade with Buffalo sending over WR Thomas Oezescki. The Royals would then take Troy Hunt’s twin brother DL Tim Hunt which may end up being a dynamic duo on the D-line. Boston would also trade to the 23rd pick following that with Long Island taking LB Charlie Finster. Boston would take S Roy Conley with the pick to look at replacing S Michael O’Brien.  

Round 3
17 - LI (via MTL) - RB Bernard Alston - Portland, ME - Captain Mort 3D
18 - BOS - DB Patrick Lindsey - Montreal, QC - Wallflower
19 - ON - DB Bob Ellis - Toronto, ON - GoRedSox96
20 - PRO - LB Apollo Paeans - Niagara Falls, ON - Thehealthiestscratch
21 - WOR - OL Chuck Rendell - Andover, MA - GoRedSox96
22 - OTT (via BUF) - DL Tim Hunt - Williamsport, PA - Captain Mort 3D/Wallflower
23 - BOS (via LI) - S Roy Conley - Albany, NY - ZO82
24 - OTT - S Reginald Barnaby - London, ON - Darknes 

4th Round
The final round would not be too exciting besides RB Don Gregson who was ranked at 11 heading into the draft and fell all the way down to 26th overall. Could be a big steal for Boston at the end of the day. Ontario would also take a QB in Pete Christie as the only other QB taken. The lone TE taking in the draft was Corbin Stanton heading to Long Island at 30th overall.  

Round 4
25 - MTL - WR Fredrick St.Pierre - Quebec City, QC - Wallflower
26 - BOS - RB Don Gregson - Uxbridge, MA - TigerFan93
27 - ON - QB Pete Christie - Albany, NY - GoRedSox96
28 - PRO - RB Vance MacDougall - Moncton, NB - Darknes
29 - BUF (via WOR) - DL Jack Mosely - New York City, NY Wallflower
30 - LI (via BUF) - TE Corbin Stanton - Providence, RI - ZO82
31 - LI - WR Mickey Auger - Boston, MA - BlogDunk
32 - PRO (via OTT) - OL Billy Simon - Gettysburg, PA - Captain Mort 3D 

TRADES