1967 Draft Preview

1967 College Results

Canada East Hybrid Conference
WEST
(2) Hamilton Howlers
(4) St. George Maples
(6) Toronto Dukes
London Foresters
Rideau Rams
Kitchener-Waterloo Prov. Beavers

EAST
(7) St-Laurent Cavaliers de Riviere
(10) Majeure Montreal Insularies
Nova Scotia Armada
Montreal Provincial Panthers
New Brunswick Pirates
Mont-Bellevue Geais Bleus

CEHC Playoffs
EF (7) ST-L 24-6 (10) MMTL
WF (2) UHAM 31-23 (4) STG

CEHC Championship
(2) UHAM 38-16 (7) ST-L

America East Hybrid Conference
(1) New England Cardinals
(3) Western New York Whitetails
(5) Rhode Island State Bulldogs
(8) Cambridge of Boston Cubs
(9) Haynes Colonials
West Mass State Rangers
Maine State Acadians
Vermont Republic Mountaineers
Concord-Manchester Fighting Pike
Erie Sailors
WNY-Rochester Eagles

AEHC Playoffs
(1) UNE 37-21 (8) CUB
(3) WNY 24-27 (5) RISU

AEHC Championship
(1) UNE 28-20 (5) RISU

Hybrid Football Championship
(1) UNE 17-27 (2) UHAM

1967 Draft Preview
It was a dominant season for the Hamilton Howlers. They rolled through everyone this season led by a flurry of excellent talent ready to make the jump to the NAAF. The twin duo of Bernhard and Matthias Hartmann dominated on the D-line for the Howlers creating trouble for many offences this season. The two have contrasting playing styles that make it difficult to adjust especially when they are easily flipped around on the line. Bernhard has a more calculated and tactical approach, using his technical skill to beat players. As for Matthias, he is more about overpowering and beating guys based on his pure talent at the position. Beyond the defensive anchors, the Howlers had a pair of offensive weapons like the speedy WR Cole Fletcher and elusive RB Scott Norton. 

The only other team that seemed to hold a candle to the dominant UHamilton squad was New England. The Cardinals again finished the season ranked #1 in hybrid football. They were backed by defensive stars DL Aaron Henderson and LB Mads Strahlman. Anderson has all the makings to be a star DL in the NAAF. A big guy that can just stuff the run game, being able to understand how offensive run blocking works as well as a QB. Strahlman on the other hand is more like a blood-thirsty dog. He just hunts down the ball carrier and doesn’t ever let him get away. WR Al Allmindinger helped out a much younger offence with his ability to burst past DB’s like it’s his hobby.

Rhode Island State had fallen back a little this season with HC Garrett Boone leaving for the Gold Stars, but they still had some top talent with RB Ronnie Byers and LB Byron Turner. Byers has amazing vision while running that allows him to be shifty and find holes in the defence, while Turner is easily the most talented LB available, however, some may be pushed away with some reported bad communication skills.

Of course outside of all the talent from the big schools, many get curious about the quarterback talent in this years’ class. At the top of the list is QB David Simmons. Simmons is an extremely smart guy. He wanted to attend King’s University in New York, but his family didn’t have the money. However, when he showed off his talents in back-to-back routes of Scranton College and Huntington College while attending Newark College, he was noticed by a scout from Cambridge University of Boston. After seeing his smarts, the school gave him a full scholarship. In his senior year, Simmons turned the school’s program around, giving them their best finish since QB Connor O’Rourke attended. His ability to get out of trouble would make up for a lack of supporting talent at the school, which could be a great thing for a team with a weaker roster. There are concerns about arm strength and deep accuracy, but he could be a great piece if he develops well.

QB Martin Keller is another intelligent QB out of St.George. He shows immense smarts on the field, being able to know what is the best choice in the situation. It helps that he also can learn playbooks in record time, which means he also knows the defence as well as offence and reads it well. However, he does have a tendency to play it a bit too safe and not take a lot of risks. Overall, he should be a stable option for teams to build around.

QB Xerxes Wynn, the younger brother of Le'Darius Wynn, had an overall successful year at Western New York. The left-handed QB is known for running the ball quite a bit, but has some issues with his throwing ability, but has shown to improve over time. Wynn did have a lot of help around him this season which helped the team rise to 2nd in the AEHC. WR Tracy Driscoll is the key piece for the offence with his quick and elusive style. He was able to make a lot out of Wynn’s typically short passes which makes him a prime WR prospect.

Lastly is Peter Dooling. The Haynes QB is looked at as a bit of an anomaly. Every single time the QB throws the ball looks like it was a duck that’s been shot in mid-air. However, the ball gets to its target more times than not. He has good accuracy which still allowed Haynes to have a solid season. 

The Gains Report top 25 Draft Prospects

*I have done this year's rankings a little differently which has created a lot less certainty with the top guys being the top and some later guys being better. Also, a lot of the rankings are also based on which schools these guys go to as the more successful schools showing more talent. In short, just because your player is rated low, does not mean they are guaranteed to be bad or at that level.

1 - DL Aaron Henderson - New England - Wally Flowers - Wallflower
2 - OL Bradley Clark - New England - Brad Cumberland - DireBear
3 - DL Bernhard Hartmann - UHamilton - Sterling Brantley - Darknes
4 - WR Cole Fletcher - UHamilton - George Stefanakis - Dan O’Mac
5 - DL Matthias Hartmann - UHamilton - Sterling Brantley - Darknes
6 - LB Byron Turner - Rhode Island State - Wally Flowers - Wallflower
7 - DB Dwayne James - Toronto - James Herr-O’Nark - JamHeronArk
8 - WR Tracy Driscoll - Western New York - Brad Cumberland - DireBear
9 - RB Ronnie Byers - Rhode Island State - Johnny Singleton - Captain Mort 3D
10 - QB David Simmons - Cambridge of Boston - Johnny Armando - Stickman
11 - WR Al Allmendinger - New England - George Stefanakis - Dan O’Mac
12 - RB Scott Norton - UHamilton - Barry Williams - ZO82
13 - LB Mads Strahlman - New England - Sterling Brantley - Darknes
14 - DL Newton Dalton - Rhode Island State - Sterling Brantley - Darknes
15 - QB Martin Keller - St.George - Wally Flowers - Wallflower
16 - OL TJ Overton - North Indiana - George Stefanakis - Dan O’Mac
17 - OL Tommy Reynolds - Toronto - Barry Williams - ZO82
18 - S Sully Callahan - New England - Sterling Brantley - Darknes
19 - WR Erik Hodge - London - Wally Flowers - Wallflower
20 - OL Lars Nordssen - Allegheny -  Johnny Armando - Stickman
21 - QB Xerxes Wynn - Western New York - Kenneth Jones - Enigmajones
22 - LB Brent Mayiski - Louisville State - Timmy Bjarnanthan - NoE38
23 - LB Frederic Mcnamara - Nova Scotia - Sterling Brantley - Darknes
24 - TE Walter Lafleur - UHamilton - George Stefanakis - Dan O’Mac
25 - DL Ross Jackson - U-America - Travis Ronnigen - Edgeworth
—---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
26 - TE Rex Williamson - North Indiana - Jay Hawkins - Jayhawk
27 - S Mathieu Cazenave - Majuere Montreal - Vincent Desjardins - Kingsfan11
29 - OL Mike Normal - Indiana Tech - Ivan Di Marco - ItDoesntMatter
30 - QB Peter Dooling - Haynes - Sterling Brantley - Darknes
33 - OL Matt Helmut - Jersey State - Jimmy Yamamoto - QCS
35 - TE Lucas Warmer - Kitchener-Waterloo Provincial - Roger Roy - Scratch

1st Round Draft Order - Needs
1 - Louisville Thunder - DL, LB, OL
2 - Boston Independents - LB, OL, DL
3 - Ottawa Royals - DL, QB, WR
4 - London Tigers - DL, WR, DB
5 - Pittsburgh Blacksmiths - DB, LB, DL
6 - Providence Gold Stars - OL, DL, DB
7 - Ottawa Royals (from Halifax) - DL, QB, WR
8 - Toronto Steelheads - LB, DL, WR
9 - Indiana Victors - WR, OL, DB
10 - Boston Independents (from Long Island) - LB, OL, DL
11 - Montreal Rouge - OL, DB, DL
12 - Buffalo Blue Wings - WR, LB, OL

HFX - 1st Pick: 19th - OL, RB, DB
LI - 1st Pick: 22nd - RB, TE, OL