1964 NAAF Draft
1 - Toronto Steelheads - RB Max Tracy - New York City, NYTo very little surprise the Toronto Steelheads would take RB Max Tracy with the first overall pick in the draft. The team has an aging RB core, and they could not pass up the opportunity to grab a potential franchise RB.
Brad Cumberland’s Scouting Report
Tracy has unreal speed which is mixed with a bit of power to make him a very difficult player to bring down. He draws a lot of comparisons to RB Élisée Marchal, the legendary Montreal RB, with his playstyle. He can be a bit reckless, taking a few too many risks and looking for holes when there aren’t any, however, if he can learn some patience, he could be lethal on the field.
TRADE ALERT
There were plenty of teams needing a top DL, and there was only one guy that would likely be an immediate help. That player was Winfield Winchester. Halifax, who had drafted DL Pat Butler and DL Wayne Baxton in the first round in the last two years, were willing to part ways with the second overall selection.
Several teams inquired about the pick (Boston, Ottawa, Long Island, Louisville, Providence), but the deal came down to just Ottawa, Long Island, and Louisville. Seeing the potential bidding war to get more Halifax would decide to try and get more value and ask for a little more. At this point, Ottawa, who was potentially giving up legendary DL Olaf Viktorsson for the trade, decided to step out leaving Long Island and Louisville. The two teams had similar deals with a 1st rounder, a 2nd rounder, and a depth player or later pick. GM Anthony Vigneault of the Mariners would still push both teams to add either another piece or a better piece. Eventually, Thunder GM Calvin Carpenter would give in and make the trade work.
The final trade would send the 2nd and 35th overall selections to the Thunder in exchange for the 7th overall pick, the 18th overall pick, and 24-year-old DL Jordan-Eugene White. In the end, Halifax gets a young DL with the potential to become a strong depth piece on the line, while the Thunder are able to grab a top-end DL for the future.
2 - Louisville Thunder (from Halifax) - DL Winfield Winchester - Ottawa, ON
The Thunder were in desperate need of a younger DL to pair up with DL Bjorn Sigmarsson, and they likely got him here. Winchester should be an immediate impact for the Thunder who are looking to make up for some of the losses they have suffered this offseason.
Timmy Bjarnathan’s Scouting Report
A smart and big DL is often looked at as a great DL. Well, Winchester possesses this and a little bit of speed. He could be a very scary problem for a lot of QBs and RBs. He is quite humble off the field, but he really gets into the game, which can sometimes lead to frustration if things aren’t going his way, which leads to a few mistakes.
3 - Indiana Victors - QB Tom Applewhite - New Haven, CT
Following Louisville’s pick, the Victors would gamble on taking a new direction. While they have signed QB Lyle Painter for two years, it seems like GM Everett Henderson is looking to take the chance on bringing a potential long-term solution at the QB position with Tom Applewhite.
Dewey Thomas’ Scouting Report
Applewhite’s big strength is his big arm. It’s one of the strongest the league has seen, right up there with Gene Bishop and Lee Rogers. He also has quite the instinct to run with the ball, and he’s pretty good at it. Applewhite could be a great dynamic QB for the future of the Victors.
TRADE ALERT
Ahead of the 4th overall selection, the Blue Wings were looking for an OL, but they felt that they might be able to get their guy a little later and opened up the floor to trades. They didn’t get the same volume of offers that the Mariners did at 2, but they would come to an agreement with the Ottawa Royals on a deal they were happy with.
The Royals would get the 4th overall pick in exchange for the 8th overall pick, the 31st overall pick and 25-year-old DB Michael Cornell III. The Royals had both picks 30 and 31 and were more than willing to give up one to move up. Cornell looks to be mainly a depth piece, but Buffalo saw that as a benefit for moving back.
4 - Ottawa Royals (from Buffalo) - DB Jerome Caldwell - Champaign, IL
With the pick, the Royals would aim to get their next big DB. With Uzzia Hayes retiring a couple of years ago and Mingan Oliver in his last season, the secondary was looking quite thin heading into the future.
Wally Flowers’ Scouting Report
Caldwell is a bit of a coach’s dream. He has a strong set of fundamentals which he constantly works on, always looking to improve. He’s a great one-on-one defender that can be counted on to shut down a top receiver throughout the game. He does struggle in seeing the field develop when in zone schemes, which can lead to him being beaten that way.
5 - Long Island Raiders - OL Gary Bies - Bloomington, IN
The Raiders had missed their chance to trade up for Winchester. It left GM Wayne Tillman with a tough decision, but he would go for the safest bet and take an OL. Which certainly was not what Buffalo was hoping would happen.
George Stefanakis’ Scouting Report
Bies is an anchor on the line. He doesn’t move that much off the line, especially in one-on-one situations. However, he is not the most mobile, which means if he does get beat, it's not looking good in the backfield. Still, he is good at positioning himself and seeing where the attack is coming from and can make up for his lack of mobility. Also, he loves hot dogs.
6 - Montreal Rouge - WR Yahui Sun - Hong Kong / Toronto, ON
The Rouge were quiet early on in the draft, and it seemed like they were quite confident in getting their guy at the 6th spot. Adding another young WR in Sun might give Montreal one of the deadliest passing attacks in NAAF history.
Jimmy Yamamoto’s Scouting Report
Yahui Sun is a shifty and deceptive WR. He is able to create space with expert route running and quick direction changes. He has a great first step that can catch many DB’s off guard and give himself the advantage early. Originally born in Hong Kong, he does enter the sport as a bit of an outsider and can sometimes have trouble connecting with players, but when he does finally click, he is a fantastic weapon.
7 - Halifax Mariners (from Louisville) - DB Bobby Bastian - Cincinnati, OH
The Mariners’ gamble to hopefully get Jerome Caldwell later on, did not pay off, but they were still able to grab DB Bobby Bastian with the 7th selection.
Sterling Brantley’s Scouting Report
Bastian is a little bit of a nuisance to the other team. Often getting into WRs heads with trash talk and various other methods. He is great when it comes to breaking up passes in one-on-one situations.
8 - Buffalo Blue Wings (from Ottawa) - LB Randall Lambert - Indianapolis, IN
Buffalo’s gamble also did not pay off which led them to draft LB Randall Lambert at 8. The young LB should be able to provide support to the 1962 Rookie of the Year, LB Orion Carter.
James Herr-O’Nark’s Scouting Report
Lambert is a quick LB that is great at finishing tackles. If he hits a ball carrier, the ball carrier will go no further. He is great against the run, however, his coverage abilities do need some work.
9 - Boston Independents - S Ernie Osborne - Oshawa, ON
The Independents did consider the move up to grab Winchester, but they decided to be patient. In the end, it would pay off with Osborne slipping all the way down to them after being ranked #2 in the Gains Report
Brad Cumberland’s Scouting Report
Osborne is a pure ballhawk who always seems to be right in the play, using his speed to control the field. Osborne could be next among the greats at the safety position.
10 - Providence Gold Stars - S Paul Christopher - Salem, MA
The Gold Stars were starting to hope and pray that Osborne would eventually fall to them, but in the end, they just missed out on getting a strong piece. However, they were still able to get the second-best safety available in Paul Christopher.
Ivan di Marco’s Scouting Report
Christopher doesn’t have the same raw talent that Osborne has, but he is still a strong prospect that can create some issues down the field for QBs. His specialty is being able to keep up with and interfere with the deep ball.
TRADE ALERT
Ahead of the final pick of the first round, there was one last trade. The Mariners were looking for some more players higher up and decided to make the move up to pick at 11. They would send the 18th overall pick, which they got in the trade with Louisville earlier on, and WR Tony Albano to London for the 11th overall pick. London was fine with moving back, seeing their top targets already being taken.
11 - Halifax Mariners (from London) - WR Nathan Murray-Lawrence - Halifax, NS
The Mariners would be very excited to take a hometown talent in Murray-Lawrence to help build on the young WR core the team has been developing.
Vincent Desjardins' Scouting Report
Murray-Lawrence is a bit of a smaller WR, but he has solid speed that allows him to get into open space. He also is good at using his agility to create opportunities for more yards after the catch.
2nd Round
Jumping into the second round, the Steelheads would grab the first tight end of the draft with Jesse Butler to be a potential starter of the future. After Butler, a pair of running backs would go next. Halifax would take George Seahorse to add to their depth in the RB core, and the Victors would take RB Robert Jack. Indiana seems to be following the Blue Wings’ strategy from 1960 when they took RB Jimmy Golden and QB Charles Lemieux.
The Blue Wings would take their OL next with Clancy Harrison at 15. Ahead of the 16th pick, the Steelheads would make a trade up to 16 to take Peterborough, ON native QB Leif Christiansen. They would give up veteran DL Eli McDuff and the 34th pick to make the move.
2nd Round Picks
12 - TOR - TE Jesse Butler - Montreal, QC - Kingsfan11
13 - HFX - RB George Seahorse - Lowell, MA - ThisIsFine
14 - IND - RB Robert Jack - Lansing, MI - H-Town1141
15 - BUF - OL Clancy Harrison - Bowling Green, KY - Darknes
16 - TOR (from LI) - QB Leif Christiansen - Peterborough, ON - ThisIsFine
17 - MTL - OL Mathieu Roy - Moncton, NB - Kingsfan11
18 - LDN (from LOU via HFX) - OL Keith Barker - Guelph, ON - Kingsfan11
19 - OTT - WR Colby Bancana - Portland, ME - Stickman
20 - LI (from BOS) - LB Ed Krzano - Buck Creek, IN - Dan O’Mac
21 - PRO - WR Doug Piva - Framingham, MA - ItDoesntMatter
22 - LDN - S Ezekiel Locke - West Chester, PA - Dan O’Mac
3rd Round
The 3rd round would end up seeing teams start to reach for some players as they were looking for needs rather than pure talent. Toronto was an example by taking the local talent in WR Kyle Hatherley, and then the Victors and Raiders reaching for defensive linemen due to the lack of depth at the position in the draft. London would also reach for a London-born DL to close out the round.
3rd Round Picks
23 - TOR - WR Kyle Hatherley - Toronto, ON - Wallflower
24 - HFX - LB Enzo Morello - Revere, MA - Darknes
25 - IND - DL Khalid Al-Amin - Riyadh, KSA / New York City, NY - QCS
26 - BUF - OL Randall Graham - Cleveland, OH - DireBear
27 - LI - DL Douglas Jackson - Columbia, MD - ItDoesntMatter
28 - BUF (from MTL) - DB Ike Vander Waal - Providence, RI - JamHeronArk
29 - LOU - WR Chad Anderson - Cambridge, MA - Wallflower
30 - OTT - OL Harrold Kera - Horseheads, NY - JamHeronArk
31 - BUF (from BOS via OTT) - LB Billy Frederick - Buffalo, NY
32 - IND (from PRO) - LB Lucas Gladwell - Loogootee, IN - Dan O’Mac
33 - LDN - DL Keith Gavelstein - London, ON - Darknes
4th Round
The 4th round would start to see more QB’s going with the Raiders taking QB Willoughby Sherman, a QB that put himself on the map after a surprisingly good senior year. Halifax would also take a QB in Jace Beleren, who some see as the more well-rounded of the two QB’s taken.
4th Round Picks
34 - LI (from TOR) - OL Aaron Sharpless - Leominster, MA - ItDoesntMatter
35 - LOU (from HFX) - S Tom McDougall - St. Stephen, NB - ItDoesntMatter
36 - LI (from IND) - QB Willoughby Sherman - Scarsdale, NY - ItDoesntMatter
37 - BUF - DB Johnny Fairbanks - Rochester, NY - Kingsfan11
38 - HFX (from LI) - QB Jace Beleren - Cambridge, MA - Darknes
39 - MTL - DL Albert Kirk - Litchfield, NH - ItDoesntMatter
40 - LOU - DL Harvey Stephenson - Louisville, KY - ANDY!
41 - OTT (from LI) - TE Bobby Clark - Boston, MA - DireBear
42 - BOS - RB Virgil Caldwell - Boston, MA - JamHeronArk
43 - PRO - OL Eustace Cloudwell -Pittsfield, MA - JamHeronArk
44 - OTT (from LDN) - DB Anthony Poirier - Windsor, QC - Kingsfan11
5th Round
The final round ended up being more local picks and shots in the dark as teams were just looking to close out the draft. Providence would take one last QB with Joel Joeson at 54 before the Tigers would take DB Gord Honk with the final pick.
5th Round Picks
45 - TOR - OL Winston Teddison - Chatham-Kent, ON - QCS
46 - HFX - DB Finnegan Pike - Plymouth, MA - ItDoesntMatter
47 - IND - WR Pablo Cordova - Sandusky, OH - Dan O’Mac
48 - BUF - RB Kelvin Terrell - Buffalo, NY - Osctheg
49 - LI - DL Abraham Evans Jr. - Nashville, TN - Stickman
50 - BOS (from MTL) - LB Kyle Essena - Louisville, KY - JamHeronArk
51 - LOU - S Chris Crosswell - Murfreesboro, TN - ProsecutorMilesEdgeworth
52 - OTT - LB Eric Dionne -Victoriaville, QC - Kingsfan11
53 - BOS - OL Alexander Updegraff - Wilkes-Barre, PA - ItDoesntMatter
54 - PRO - QB Joel Joeson - New York City, NY - QCS
55 - LDN - DB Gord Honk - Syracuse, NY - Wallflower
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