Sunday, 21 November 2021

1966 NAAF Draft

1966 NAAF Draft

Round 1

1 - Pittsburgh Blacksmiths | QB Louis Vaughn | New England - Brooklyn, NY - DireBear
The Blacksmiths opened up the draft by taking who they hope will be their franchise QB, Louis Vaughn. Now, that statement has been said many times about a Pittsburgh-based team taking a QB early in a draft, and it did not work out the last few times for the Hammers of the ACFL. The fans will certainly be cautious to start believing that Vaughn will reach his potential. However, Vaughn has all the tools to find success at the next level, drawing a lot of comparisons to fellow #1 overall pick, Lyle Painter. He is smart, accurate, calm under pressure, and seems to be an overall great leader, which is a great foundation for a franchise gunslinger.

2 - Providence Gold Stars | LB Kurt Warlock | Rhode Island State - New London, CT - DireBear
It was one of the worse kept secrets that the Gold Stars were going to take Warlock with the second overall pick. Ever since the team hired Garrett Boone (the coach at Rhode Island State) as the new head coach, it became obvious that the coach wanted his defensive centrepiece. The good news is the LB looks like an absolute tank down the middle that could give the Gold Star defence a massive overhaul centred around him. He draws a lot of comparisons to LB Konrad Aust of the Independents as being a guy who loves to hit but can fly across the field and make plays in coverage. 

3 - Halifax Mariners | DL Bernard King | St-Laurent - Caribou, ME - Kingsfan11
The Mariners were the first team that no one knew what they were going to do. In the end, they surprised many by taking 8th ranked prospect, Bernard King. King is certainly not a bad pick. The quiet laid-back persona of King leaves him a little hidden, but once he gets on the field he will roll right through O-line’s like a bulldozer. The addition of King to an already strong D-line with Wayne Baxton and Pat Butler could be very dangerous.

4 - Ottawa Royals | DB Sergio Alvarez | Haynes - Hartford, CT - Dan O’Mac
The Royals were hoping to be able to get DL Bernard King since they lost DL Olaf Viktorsson to retirement but were surprised to see him go to Halifax before them. However, the consolation was getting the top DB in Sergio Alvarez which should create a strong secondary for the Royals for years to come. Alvarez was one of the best coverage DBs in college last season. His ability to stick to WRs in man coverage is at an elite level, and his speed and catching ability are strong enough to create even more problems for QBs in zone coverage. Alvarez joins fellow 4th overall pick, DB Jerome Caldwell, in the Royals' secondary that could be the foundation from something great in Ottawa. 

5 - Montreal Rouge | OL Elliot Barrett | New England - Albany, NY - ZO82
With the injury to QB Gene Bishop, the Rouge knew it would be important to bring on more protection for their QB. Barrett was hands down the best prospect on the line who made life really easy for QB Louis Vaughn at New England. He is one of the most athletic OL the league has seen in a while with speed and strength that makes him dynamic and adaptable on both run and pass blocking. Barrett still needs to clean up on some of the technical aspects, but good coaching should set him up for a long career.

6 - Indiana Victors (from Buffalo) | RB Reggie Whitehead | New England - Portland, ME - Stickman
The Victors have not had the most stable run-game since RB Rodney Clark left for Louisville in 1961. They hope to finally fix that by taking a big RB from New England. Whitehead is a big power-back that specializes in going through defenders instead of around them, much like more old-school backs like Joel Bonner and Laurent Brazeau. Whitehead should be a great partner to young QB Tom Applewhite as the face of the franchise for Indy.

7 - London Tigers | DB Bernard Wilkins | Western New York - Buffalo, NY - Wallflower
London did take a DB in Rob Risker last season, they still were desperate to bring some youth to the secondary. Wilkins’ strength is in man coverage and being able to stick to WRs. However, he is quite conservative as a defender. He looks to make the tackle or knock the ball away over jumping for an interception. Overall, he should be a solid player, but won’t necessarily be a game-changer.

TRADE ALERT
The first trade of the 1966 draft saw the Pittsburgh Blacksmiths make a jump back into the first round. They would send the 13th overall pick, DL Theo Conte, and a 3rd rounder from next year’s draft in exchange for the 8th pick, RB Cody Barnes, and DL Khalid Al-Amin. 

The Victors were looking for some more veteran help on the D-line and would grab Conte for that role, and then they would send RB Cody Barnes to the Blacksmiths to make room for RB Reggie Whitehead. 

The Blacksmiths were excited to get another veteran in the backfield to add some more help for RB Stavros Black. They also add the former 3rd round pick in Al-Amin to help add more youth. 

8 - Pittsburgh Blacksmiths (from Indiana) | WR Taylor Austin | Louisville State* - Louisville, KY - ZO82
With the pick they got in the trade, the Blacksmiths would look to give their new QB a star WR. They would take the first non-hybrid conference player in WR Taylor Austin. Austin is a speedy WR who will certainly become a deep threat. His speed is electric and compares to other WRs like Samuel Floyd and Derek Cross. Austin could be an amazing weapon for the team with his speed that can be turned up with the ability for a running start at the line. 

9 - Boston Independents | WR Felix Fontaine | St-Laurent - Quebec City, QC - Darknes
The Independents have consistently been looking for a new weapon for QB Nathaniel Braddock. Last season, WR Evan Clanton had a solid season, but Fontaine could likely be a step up. There were concerns about the WR after fellow St.Laurent alum WR Alexei Dubois ended up being not quite what people expected. However, Fontaine looks to have a much different skill set. The WR has shown an immaculate ability to make something out of nothing. He led all of college in YAC yards and showed why on a 74-yard touchdown in the CEHC Championship that saw him break 3 separate tackles. Boston may finally have a game-changing weapon.

10 - Providence Gold Stars (from Toronto) | DB Perry Ferris | Rhode Island State - Provincetown, MA - ItDoesntMatter
Many thought the Gold Stars would grab QB Ivan Sanchez to be their future, but they decided to continue to pick out of Rhode Island State. HC Garrett Boone likes his boys and he added DB Perry Ferris to his new home in Providence. Ferris is usually the guy seeking the ball. He likes going for interceptions and finding ways to punch the ball out on players while trying to tackle them. His style does lend him to struggle in tackling and leave WRs open in attempting to go for interceptions. It’s a risky pick for the Stars, but it could work in the end.

11 - Louisville Thunder | LB Le'Darius Wynn | Western New York - Cheektowaga, NY - Enigmajones
With the retirement of LB Scotty Williams, the Thunder were desperate to fill the giant hole in the LB core so they would reach a little to take Wynn with their pick. Wynn is a strong tackler up the middle and should be able to be a sturdy starter for the long run. He does lack some of the pure skill that the top LBs will have, but he’s got a lot of room to grow.

12 - Long Island Raiders | OL Mason Fitzpatrick | New England - Boston, MA - ZO82
With the final pick of the first round, the Raiders decided to take a bit of a reach with OL Mason Fitzpatrick. They decided to pass over the two Toronto University OL’s to go for the New England product. Fitzpatrick has a few more risks, but they are hoping that UNE’s coaching staff can continue to bring forward great OL.

1966 NAAF Draft - Rounds 2-5

Round 2

The second round of the draft ended up being one of the most hectic in the league’s history. There was still a lot of talent available and most notably QB Ivan Sanchez remained on the board. It started fairly quiet with Indiana using the pick they got in the trade with Pittsburgh to add to their O-line. Andrew Parsley should be a great piece to add some more depth after being passed on by the Raiders. Providence took another defensive player, this time a DL in Bartolo Cruz out of U of America. Halifax looked to provide QB Lyle Painter with more weapons adding WR Edward Webb out of Brooklyn Metropolitan. 

At this point, there was a small trade between the Raiders and Blue Wings that saw the teams swap LB Brady O’Connor (LI) and LB Harvey Phillips (BUF) and then the 36th and 30th picks in the 3rd round. 

Following that announcement, the Royals took an OL in Crawford Starrick to continue to rebuild their O-line for the future. Shortly after, they would make a trade with the Rouge to move up to the next pick (17). They would send LB Hector Greenville to help Montreal fill their 3rd LB role along with the 28th pick in the draft. At this point, almost everyone in the league thought they were going to take Ivan Sanchez, but they decided to take S Marc Bellecourt instead. It is a bit of a questionable move since they still have S Randall Green (who is one of their best players) in his prime, but the Royals felt they couldn’t miss out on another solid safety. 

QB Ivan Sanchez started to get nervous about continuing to fall at this point. Buffalo was up to pick next, so he was not expecting to go to them. Buffalo would go for DL help in Albert Sullivan to add some needed depth to the roster. Providence was up next and Sanchez was feeling like this could be the pick, however, they instead traded the pick to Toronto. The Steelheads ended up sending the 22nd pick and a 5th rounder next year to move up to 19. They would end up going with DL Johnathan Ellison out of Louisville State, looking to the future on the aging D-line.

Sanchez had to just relax for a second as the next spot he was expecting to go to would be Providence at 22. However, another trade changed the tide again. The Raiders, who had moved up in the 3rd earlier, would use the pick (30th) paired with young DL Douglas Jackson and the 60th pick to trade up with Indiana to the 20th pick. The Victors were targeting Ellison, who was taken by the Steelheads ahead of them, who wanted to regroup and move back. With the pick, the Raiders would draft the NYC native, QB Ivan Sanchez in a bit of a surprise move. However, GM Wayne Tillman has always wanted to have a younger QB in his pocket (exemplified by Matt Fletcher and Joshua Nolan being picked in recent years) and sees lots of potential in the young man. 

Following the drama, there were still a few more picks to be made. Boston would take a bit of a reach with LB Mitch Mulligan to start to look for replacements for LB Brent Harper and LB Harrison Bennett. With Providence’s 4th pick of the draft, they would take their third Rhode Island State player with DB Charles Grimm. 

With the last couple of picks in the second, there would be a pair of QBs taken. The Thunder would take Louisville State QB Rider Wandrey. Louisville loves their hometown talent and were targeting Wandrey from the start. Wandrey could add a new dynamic to the Thunder offence being a very mobile QB. It could be the case that he could see the field in some interesting packages. Finally, the Royals would take a QB. They would grab QB Michael Miranda with the 24th pick. Miranda is the son of a former NAAF backup QB Norman Miranda (who only played in 1949 with Hartford) but has shown a lot more promise than his father. Micheal Miranda has modelled a lot of his game after QB Jean Matieau as he watched the Royals throughout his teen years after the Hawks left his hometown. He is super stoked to be able to play for his favourite team and learn from his idol in Matieau.

Round 2 Picks
13 - IND (from PIT) | OL Andrew Parsley | Toronto - Toronto, ON - ItDoesntMatter
14 - PRO | DL Bartolo Cruz | America* - Washington DC - QCS
15 - HFX | WR Edward Webb | Brooklyn Metropolitan* - Huntington, NY - Osctheg
16 - OTT | OL Crawford Starrick | Toronto - London, ON - Darknes
17 - OTT (from MTL) | S Marc Bellecourt | Majeure Montreal - Drummondville, QC - ItDoesntMatter
18 - BUF | DL Albert Sullivan | New England - Boston, MA - Wallflower
19 - TOR (from LDN via PRO) | DL Johnathan Ellison | Louisville State* - Louisville, KY - NoE83
20 - LI (from IND) | QB Ivan Sanchez | Brooklyn Metropolitan* - New York City, NY - ZO82
21 - BOS | LB Mitch Mulligan | Cambridge of Boston - Boston, MA - Darknes
22 - PRO (from TOR) | DB Charles Grimm | Rhode Island State - Hartford, CT - QCS
23 - LOU | QB Rider Wandrey | Louisville State* - Cincinnati, OH - Sevsdast
24 - OTT (from LI) | QB Michael Miranda | West Mass State - Hartford, CT - ItDoesntMatter

Round 3
The 3rd round was much more straightforward. The main event in the 3rd round was the Rouge acquiring QB Mike Key from the Blacksmiths. The Blacksmiths need to open up a roster spot for their new franchise QB in Louis Vaughn and they really wanted to grab OL Ben Jammin out of the local Allegheny University. Montreal would get the 34th pick in the deal and would take S Nick Prince to fill in the backup role. They also took another OL with their first pick in the round. 

Round 3 Picks
25 - PIT | DB Aiden Sargent | Central Ohio* - Columbus, OH - ZO82
26 - TOR (from PRO) | LB Lincoln Webster | St.George - Toronto, ON - ItDoesntMatter
27 - HFX | DB Janek Rodoslav | Upstate* - Sharon Springs, NY - Jayhawk
28 - MTL (from OTT) | OL Tony Walker-Jones | Western New York - Detroit, MI - Stickman
29 - PIT (from MTL) | OL Ben Jammin | Allegheny* - Pittsburgh, PA - Stickman
30 - IND (from BUF via LI) | TE Eric Peterson | London - Blenheim, ON - AJHFTW
31 - LDN | DL Timothy Bits | Hamilton - Timmins, ON - Dan O’Mac
32 - IND | WR Bennie Braverman | Central Ohio* - Danville, OH - Dan O’Mac
33 - BOS | OL Griffin Morningstar | New England - Boston, MA - Kingsfan11
34 - MTL (from TOR via PIT) | S Nick Prince | Hamilton - Hamilton, ON - DireBear
35 - LOU | DL Craig Cromwell | Concord-Manchester - Portsmouth, NH - ItDoesntMatter
36 - BUF (from LI) | WR Sebastian Dassler | Montreal Provincial - Munich, WG - Kingsfan11

Round 4
The Halifax Mariners became the first team to make 4 draft picks in the same round. They took local RB Byron Rodham at 38, then OL Hamish Esposito out of West Mass State at 39, DL Cal Ericsson from UPNB would be the last of their 3 straight before they took the other Nova Scotia prospect in Buddy Harwick with the 45th pick. There were 3 other RBs taken as well with Bob Sanders going to Pittsburgh, Alex Herbco heading to Ottawa, and Richard Morin going to London.

Round 4 Picks
37 - PIT | RB Bob Sanders | Ben Franklin* - Philadelphia, PA - Sevsdast
38 - HFX (From PRO) | RB Byron Rodham | Nova Scotia - Halifax, NS - Stickman
39 - HFX | OL Hamish Esposito | West Mass State - Worcester, MA - Dan O’Mac
40 - HFX (from OTT) | DL Cal Ericsson | Provinciale du Nouveau-Brunswick - Moncton, NB - Darknes
41 - IND (from MTL) | OL Gregg Rosenberg | King’s* - Trenton, NJ - DireBear
42 - OTT (from BUF) | RB Alex Herbco | Kitchener-Waterloo Provincial - Chatham, ON - AJHFTW
43 - LDN | RB Richard Morin | St-Laurent - Thetford Mines, QC - Kingsfan11
44 - IND | DL Nazario Piacenza | Brooklyn Metropolitan* - New York City, NY - ZO82
45 - HFX (from BOS) | LB Buddy Harwick | Nova Scotia - Halifax, NS - Darknes
46 - PRO (from TOR) | OL Czesław Krasowsk | Haynes - Hartford, CT - ZO82
47 - LOU | LB Brian O’Flaherty | Central Pennsylvania* - Allentown, PA - JamHeronArk
48 - LI | DB Bob Carter | Vermont Republic - Burlington, VT - ItDoesntMatter

Round 5
The final round saw the last QB finally go. Halifax would take Gilles Doucet out of St-Laurent. Doucet does have a lot of accuracy issues but has good mobility which makes him difficult to tackle. Finally, the last pick of the draft would be RB Rockey Newton out of North Indiana who was picked by the Victors. 

Round 5 Picks
49 - PIT | LB Garret DeGraaf | Erie - Warren, OH - ItDoesntMatter
50 - PRO | WR Maynard Lowe | Western New York - New York City, NY - ZO82
51 - HFX | QB Gilles Doucet | St-Laurent - Quebec City, QC - Kingsfan11
52 - OTT | LB Blake Dawson | Toronto - Melbourne, AU - Stickman
53 - IND (from MTL) | S Chase Penrod | Maine State - Saco, ME - Dan O’Mac
54 - BUF | WR Jimmy Franks | Western New York - Buffalo, NY - Wallflower
55 - LDN | DB Jace Smith | Montreal Provincial - Montreal, QC - Wallflower
56 - IND | DL Ron Prumple | North West Virginia - Violet, WV - Dan O’Mac
57 - PRO (from BOS via TOR) | OL Seamus Cronin | Cambridge of Boston - Milton, MA - Darknes
58 - TOR | WR Rick O’Shea | WNY-Rochester - Batavia, NY - Dan O’Mac
59 - LOU | TE Ross Hämäläinen | Louisville State* - Owensboro, KY - Jayhawk
60 - IND (from LI) | RB Rocky Newton | North Indiana* - South Bend, IN - ItDoesntMatter

Undrafted
OL Ben Salem | Ben Franklin - Philadelphia, PA - ItDoesntMatter
WR Barney Barber | Vermont Republic - Barre, VT - ItDoesntMatter
RB Joe Rider | Maine State | Augusta, GA - ItDoesntMatter 
TE Buddy Bing | Jersey State | Toms River, NJ - Scratch

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