1963 NAAF Draft

1963 NAAF DRAFT - Round 1

1 - Halifax Mariners - DL Wayne Baxton - Boston, MA
For their first pick as the Halifax Mariners, the team would go with the obvious number 1 pick and take Wayne Baxton. It marks the second straight season that the club takes a DL with their first selection. With DL Pat Butler already looking like a star, Baxton could slot in and make the D-line in Halifax a force to be reckoned with down the line.

Jimmy Yamamoto’s Scouting Report
Baxton is a next-level game-changer on the line. He is great at pushing the O-line back and forcing pressure onto the QB. However, his most unique skill is being able to use his big frame and wingspan to knock down passes out of the backfield. Baxton was certainly one of the most annoying players for QBs to face around the league. Baxton is also a very intelligent player who studies a lot and has every play on the team in his head (both offence and defence). A solid pick for the Mariners to continue to build their team.

2 - Long Island Raiders - LB William Washington II - Albany, NY
The Raiders would be up to pick next and they would land a LB in William Washington II. The younger brother of Boston WR Otto Washington will certainly be looking to make a big impact going significantly higher than his older brother (who went 17th in 1961). Some were a little surprised by the pick, feeling like WR Orland Barrack and OL Viktor Stahl were better players. 

Vincent Desjardins’ Scouting Report
Washington is a strong aggressive LB that is likely going to create a lot of havoc for teams. He is a general on the field, commanding the middle of the field which makes him a great option for a #1 LB. However, there are some issues with getting a little too aggressive and getting caught out of position. Regardless, Washington looks to be a strong addition to the rebuilding Raiders' defence. 

3 - Buffalo Blue Wings - DB Ezra Power - Providence, RI
The Blue Wings had a tough time with their pick seeing as they wanted to add a DB, WR, and OL which all had top-end prospects available. In the end, they decided to pick the position that had the least depth in the draft and that was DB. 

George Stefanakis’ Scouting Report
Ezra Power is hands down the best DB in the entire draft this season. He is fast and had great agility that allows him to shift directions quickly, which allows him to stay with any receiver. His ability to do so gives him opportunities to make a play on every attempt in his direction. He is a little smaller, which means he can be beaten out by the taller WR’s in the league. 

4 - Indiana Victors - OL Viktor Stahl - Markham, ON
The Victors would continue their streak of OL in the first 2 rounds with their 3rd straight lineman, but there really was no passing on the potential franchise OL who dropped out of the top 3. 

Sterling Brantly’s Scouting Report
Stahl is a wall. He is an excellent outside blocker that will be a major piece to make sure the QB stays upright. Stahl is just a very sound OL that could easily be a franchise piece for the Victors. 

5 - Boston Independents - WR Orlando Barrack - Concord, NH
The Independents were hoping to grab a DB with Ezra Power, however, they may have gotten a huge steal with WR Orlando Barrack. The speedy wide receiver is likely going to add a much-needed weapon to the Boston offence. 

Jimmy Yamamoto’s Scouting Report
An absolute jet, Barrack is a speed demon that will shred secondaries across the NAAF. Barrack grabs a lot of comparisons to a former Boston WR in Samuel Floyd who was a famed speedster. Barrack brings a whole new angle to the Boston offence which has lacked a true speedy weapon that can extend the field. Pairing him up with Braddock will likely create a lot of issues for defences around the league. 

6 - Ottawa Royals - DL Zane Tannith - Hamilton, ON
The Royals early on had a deal in place with the Halifax Mariners to potentially move out of the pick, but with the players the Mariners desired to take already gone, the Royals would keep the pick. They would take an Ontario native in Tannith who will likely be the face of the next generation of the Royals D-line. 

Sterling Brantly’s Scouting Report
Tannith is an interesting piece that is going to be added to the Royals this season. While he has a tendency to be a slow starter, once the game gets going, he starts to raise his game. He has a lot of abilities, kinda can do it all, however, if you catch him off guard early, mistakes are going to be made. 

7 - Long Island Raiders (from Providence) - QB Matt Fletcher - Reading, PA
Outside of the 1st pick of the draft, the 7th was likely the second most predictable pick. The Raiders seemed to have their eyes set on Fletcher and were pretty confident he would be available at the #7 pick. They will add him to an already crowded QB room with Lyle Painter, Terry Bourbon, Stanley Troyer, and Joshua Nolan.

Johnny Singleton’s Scouting Report
A near-complete QB, Fletcher is easily the most well-rounded QB of the group this season. He has great awareness of the field that allows him to see where the defence is moving and where holes are going to form. He can easily hit his target with his throws...well at least within his range which is his biggest flaw. He doesn’t have the arm. Most of his throws come up well short of the target or are just off target. However, this still could work for a team that is a run-heavy team that isn’t going to be asking Fletcher to carry the offence with his arm. 

8 - London Tigers - OL Emil Jennings - Toronto, ON
The Tigers decided to reach back a little bit to get an OL since they’ve lost both OL Kazimir Smirnov and OL Ulysses Fairgrove over the last couple of years. They feel that Jennings could be a great piece to add to the line that could keep the team right in contention. 

Wally Flowers’ Scouting Report
Jennings’ biggest strength is in pass protection, which fits well with the Tigers' heavy-passing offence. A strong player overall that should be a stable piece in the long term. 

TRADE ALERT
The Montreal Rouge were aiming to be aggressive this year after a McCallister Cup appearance in 1962. They decided to go after a strong piece in the offence by stealing a piece from the Long Island “purge”. WR Darryl Duke was rumoured to be in trade talks during the deadline last season but was never moved. Montreal decided to go after and grab the veteran WR. They would also receive Long Island’s 12th overall pick. They would send the 9th overall pick, a 5th rounder from next year, and WR Bernard Sandeirs in return. 

Duke will come into a strong WR core with WR Derek Cross and WR Taylor Karis, which makes Montreal an even bigger threat on offence. As for the Raiders, they get a 3rd, 1st round pick and then a younger WR in Sandeirs. 

9 - Long Island Raiders (from Montreal) - WR Casey Coleman - Toronto, ON
The Raiders would grab their WR Darryl Duke replacement with Coleman at 9. After drafting Matt Fletcher, the team is hoping to get a top-tier WR for their young QB.

Wally Flowers’ Scouting Report
Coleman is a strong all-around WR with strong hands and good route running. One thing that makes him stand out is his ability to improvise and find open space. It can be an invaluable skill to have at the WR position that could be a major gamechanger in the future. 

10 - Halifax Mariners (from Louisville) - WR Jav Kerrigan - Williamsport, PA
The Mariners had only 2 WRs in their organization ahead of the draft, so grabbing Kerrigan was a strong choice for the team. They are interested in some other talent, but a younger WR is a great option for the rebuilding team.

George Stefanakis’ Scouting Report
Kerrigan is a very friendly guy. Down to Earth and always looking to make others smile. It seems to come from his ability to feed off of the energy of the crowd. His strong connection to people fuels him to perform better in big moments. He is able to make a big play out of the blue or step up when the team needs him most. A strong route runner, but more importantly an excellent catcher. 

1963 NAAF Draft - Round 2-5

Round 2
The second round would kickoff with the Mariners’ 3rd pick of the draft. They would take OL Clifford Pratt, who looks to be really solid going into this season. Montreal would finally get their first pick and would take the player they were aiming for in RB Hugo Hughes, AKA Hornet, who is likely going to be a decent #2 to Mallard-White. Buffalo would go linebacker with Aristofane Zuccaro followed by DB Adam Levesque heading to Indiana. With Levesque off the board, Boston and Ottawa needed to shift their plans. Boston would go OL with Bubba Hankins, the first of a set of triplets and Ottawa would get a potential new franchise TE in Ryan Hatcher with the following pick. Providence would take DL Ryan Sargent with their first pick of the draft who could really bring the heat on the line. 

The Tigers would be up to pick next, but they ended up deciding to trade the pick to Indiana. They would receive young OL in Jimmy McKay for the pick to try and patch the hole on the OL. Indiana would then take local S Tom Parrish with the pick. 

The Raiders would take the second Hankins triplet with the 19th pick before Louisville surprisingly taking a QB in Nikolas Diakos with the last pick of the round.

Round 2 Picks
11 - HFX - OL Clifford Pratt - Philadelphia, PA - DireBear
12 - MTL (from LI) - RB Hugo Hughes - Yonkers, NY - QCS
13 - BUF - LB Aristofane Zuccaro - Bronx, NY - ZO82
14 - IND - DB Adam Levesque - Sherbrooke, QC - Dan O’Mac
15 - BOS - OL Bubba Hankins - Waverly, KY - Stickman
16 - OTT - TE Ryan Hatcher - Halifax, NS - ItDoesntMatter
17 - PRO - DL Ryan Sargent - Washington DC - Darknes
18 - IND (from LDN) - S Tom Parrish - Indianapolis, IN - DireBear
19 - LI (from MTL) - OL Leroy Hankins - Waverly, KY - Stickman
20 - LOU - QB Nikolas Diakos - Lebanon, OH - ThisIsFine

Round 3
The big story out of the 3rd round was Indiana’s 3 picks. They would take LB Mike Francis, RB Raymond Green and then the last QB of the draft with Magnus Torrensen. Boston, unfortunately, got the player they were aiming for, Mike Francis, taken just ahead of them again so they would fall back onto DL Austin Antonio.

Round 3 Picks
21 - HFX - LB Bear Donnelly - Rutland, VT - Darknes
22 - LI - S Clarence Sale - Lansing, NY - JamHeronArk
23 - BUF - OL Johannes König - Fredericton, NB - JamHeronArk
24 - IND - LB Mike Francis - Islip, IN - Captain Mort 3D
25 - BOS - DL Austin Antonio - Arlington, MA - ItDoesntMatter
26 - IND (from OTT) - RB Raymond Green - Dayton, OH - Rugrat
27 - LOU (from PRO) - DL Ernest Hemminger - McHenry, KY - Stickman
28 - IND (from LDN) - QB Magnus Torrensen - Portland, ME - Osctheg
29 - HFX (from MTL) - OL Millard Streety - New London, CT - ItDoesntMatter
30 - BUF (from LOU) - TE Paul Arturberry - Plymouth, MA - ItDoesntMatter

Round 4
The fourth round featured a trade at the 34th pick with Indy trading down after feeling they were not ready at the 34th spot. Providence would move up in exchange for the 37th and a 1965 5th rounder. Providence would take LB Norman Field with the pick which happened to be the player Boston was targeting so they were left with falling back to plan B, S Peter Sellers. Indy would end up taking the final Hankins triplet with the 37th pick.

Round 4 Picks
31 - HFX - DL Chauncy Overstreet - Sandwich, MA - Dan O’Mac
32 - LI - RB Carter Roy - Harlem, NY - Thehealthiestscratch
33 - HFX (from BUF) - WR Shane Steadman - Lowell, MA - ItDoesntMatter
34 - PRO (from IND) - LB Norman Field - Lynn, MA - CubsOrSoxs
35 - BOS - S Peter Sellers - Toronto, ON - Wallflower
36 - OTT - OL Stephane Lloris - Quebec City, QC - Osctheg
37 - IND (from PRO) - OL Willy Hankins - Waverly, KY - Stickman
38 - LDN - S Todd Sullivan - Boston, MA - Wallflower
39 - MTL - WR James Hess - Baltimore, MD - DireBear
40 - LOU - DB Davidson Moreno - Detroit, MI - Stickman

Round 5
The first-ever 5th round would very much focus on taking more local talent with Long Island taking Hempstead WR Antonio Falcone and London taking Hamilton native OL Carl Harrisburg. Boston would once again get robbed of a player with Indiana taking former QB Larry Larson’s nephew LB Garrett Larson with the pick before them.

Round 5 Picks
41 - HFX - DB Paul Gozdzialski - Rochester, NY - Dan O’Mac
42 - LI - WR Antonio Falcone - Hempstead, NY - Darknes
43 - BUF - OL Wesley Lee - Toronto, ON - Thehealthiestscratch
44 - IND - LB Garett Larson - Boston, MA - Rugrat
45 - BOS - LB Ken Roy - Harlem, NY - Thehealthiestscratch
46 - OTT - OL Tommy Yorke - Levis, QC - Kingsfan11
47 - PRO - OL Harrold Keramiker - Horseheads, NY - JamHeronArk
48 - LDN - OL Carl Harrisburg - Hamilton, ON - Wallflower
49 - MTL - LB Jeremy Trudeau - Ottawa, ON - Kingsfan11
50 - LOU - WR Lucas Paul - Worcester, MA - Darknes