DUBLIN STRONGBOWSTop 6 picks: RB Left Lane Jones
WLB Jerry Rooney
QB Luther Conrad
MLB Jay Orr
FS Andrew Salls
DT Buford Yates
At a glance: The Strongbows drafted a mostly young squad with some veteran leadership in the secondary. Very little investment in providing stud RB Left Lane Jones (number one on my draft board but was plucked two picks prior, not bitter) run blocking support. Everyone thought it was nice that the Hudson twins ended up on the same team.
Need: Top tier offensive line to unlock Jones gamebreaking potential
Eyes on in camp: Several volatile players on defense. CB William Russell has potential to become centerpiece of the secondary
ATHENS OWLSTop 6 picks:WR Joseph Perkins
CB Daniel Dennis
QB Charles Davenport
RB Winston Arriola
WR Humberto Wenzel
CB Lee Mateer
At a glance: Other than their first pick, Athens chose to draft relatively safe. The Owls were the second team to pick a kicker, taking Sam Good with their 8th pick. They also chose a punter with their 13th pick. With several veterans, they seem to be able to contend out of the gate. Arriola will look to lead the rushing attack to open up chances for Davenport to get the ball to his speedy wideouts (three 94+ max speed WRs drafted in the first 11 picks). On defense, Athens seems to favor speed over talent and will field a fast linebacker corps.
Need: Offensive line help, faster defensive ends
Eyes on in camp: Perkins has potential to become an elite playmaker. QB Vasquez has a chance to win the starting QB role.
OXFORD STREET URCHINSTop 6 picks:WR Huss - Lynn Grifter
QB Cheekie - Fat Rascal
FS Franklin Fontana
CB Mark Kirkland
SS Bob Ventura
RB Rick Shaw
At a glance: Street Urchins are making a clear attempt to keep the ball in front of their secondary by drafting 3 defensive backs in their first 6 picks and 5 of the first 14. They also chose three QBs within the first 10 picks which will lead to a tense competition for the rights to start. It is apparent that Oxford puts a premium on speed as they will be fielding one of the fastest overall teams in the league.
Need: Urchins need to choose which QB to go with as a starter and trade the others as to not waste value. Also need to beef up the offensive line...seems focus on that group may have been an afterthought.
Eyes on in camp: Cheekie - Fat looks to validate the Urchins investment in him. RDE James Nye Has all the traits of a DE that can hurry opposing QBs.
PRAGUE SPIRESTop 6 picks:RB Solomon Dodge
MLB Night Train Jenkins
MLB Brandon Scales
QB Ryan Moreno
WLB Peter Kennedy
WR Justin Orsini
At a glance: Spires are lucky to land RB Dodge with the 4th pick in a QB happy draft. Fielding several skilled vets, they are among the teams to compete in their first year. By using 4 of their first 7 picks on linebackers they hope to instill a proud tradition of intimidation in Myron Sarmientos 3-4 defense.
Need: Speed. Spires drafted just one player with speed over 80. Also need talented youth in defensive backfield
Eyes on in camp: QB Moreno has potential to be the most skilled QB in the league. The linebacker corps of Jenkins, Scales, Kennedy & SLB Jonathan Marti could be a lethal unit.
SHANGHAI PIRATESTop 6 picks:CB Ray Best
MLB Dennis Giannini
WLB Loren Cole
SS Charles Blake
RB Oscar Cho
QB Robert Sizemore
At a glance: The Pirates focused on defense with their early picks - first four picks were on defensive players and six of their picks from 8 - 18 were used on the defensive line. CB Best may very well be the premier DB for years to come.
Need: The Pirates have a strong need for playmaking at the WR position and could use more muscle on the offensive line - an offensive lineman was not chosen until the 20th pick
Eyes on in camp: A camp boom for DT John Lawson could cement the Pirates ambitions of a top tier defense.
TOYOMA ZIPPERSTop 6 picks:QB Wendall Yardley
WR White Shoes Johnson
WR Joshua Rector
CB Condor Mendoza
CB Eric Bradley
MLB Scott Bradley
At a glance: The Zippers understand the importance of a strong defensive secondary proving so by using 9 of their first 28 picks on cornerbacks and safeties - and they are all fast. Yardley will be among the most accurate QBs in the league which suits their trio of burners at wide out (Johnson, Rector & WR Michael Chagoya) just fine. They are actively holding open tryouts for kicker and punter. Drafting fairly young, Zippers look to be able to contend in short order.
Need: Speed at running back. Would not be surprised to see a WR to transition to RB. Also need improvement to the defensive line
Eyes on in camp: Offensive line is hyper volatile - only 3 of the 14 suiting up for camp are 40 VOL or less.
TEL AVIV KINGSTop 6 picks: C Beast Rodgerson
CB Jaques de Molay
LDE stone in ma shoe (?)
SLB Michael Nagel
DT I.C. Yadere Judas
WR Dead Sea Floater
At a glance: Tel Aviv focused on youth and balanced position distribution. Among the least volatile teams drafted. There is plenty of speed to go around on both sides of the ball. The linebacker unit may be the fastest in the league & the Kings have 8 WRs with plus 85 max speed. With vet QB Christopher Silcox taking snaps, Kings could be in contention early despite only ten of their current 56 players having more than 3 years of experience. Defensive line will cause problems/
Need: An every down RB with both speed and fumble avoidance.
Eyes on in camp: With a good camp, DT Wade McCain could become a premier force giving the Kings a terrifying defensive line.
JOHANNESBURG 86ersTop 6 picks:WR Brain Hankinson
SS Antonio Collins
MLB Carlson Williams
WLB Gilbert Grant
FS Vernon Mack
CB William Patterson
At a glance: 86ers went big on defense and volatility using 11 of their first 13 picks on that side of the ball and drafting just one (!) player with less than 64 VOL. They are also among the youngest teams drafted with just one player with 5 years of experience. Easily the most volatile team drafted. My crystal ball predicts the 86ers to be involved in several low scoring affairs for the first couple seasons.
Need: Offensive line and offensive playmakers. Drafting so heavy on defense has left the 86ers with a puny offensive line. First pick on the offensive line didn't happen until the 26th pick. Whichever of their five QBs gets the starting nod will have to specialize in getting rid of the ball quickly. With only two players on offense with 80+ speed, the 86ers seem to be a team that will be simple to contain
Eyes on in camp: Entire team, but mainly the offensive line which needs the most help. Johannesburg has 8 offensive linemen that are 80+ VOL. This will be a fun experiment to watch.
LAGOS LIONSTop 6 picks: SLB Drederick Tatum
CB Norbert Osgood
LG Nate Blocklinger
DT Wentworth Dickens
RB Sherrif Thompson
RDE Yarnie Clemmons
At a glance: Lions went with a balanced approach slightly favoring defense and the run game. By drafting young, they signal intent to contend with a few seasons. Veteran slinger Regie Gunn will take snaps while QBs Tito Santana & Christopher Woodard will battle to become successor.
Need: Speed in defensive secondary and playmakers on offense
Eyes on in camp: WR Icarus Newton could become everything the Lions need on offense. Dickens, Osgood and SS JJ Azuma will become Lagos legends with a strong camp.
BRAZZAVILLE STAMPEDETop 6 picks:QB Dennis Cobb
MLB Dean Mack
TE Maxwell Boudreaux
LG Joshua Johnson
C Scott Davis
RB Daniel Ruiz
At a glance: Dennis Cobb is a world class athlete and has the tools to become the premier QB of the league. By using 8 of their next 9 picks on protection and help, his progress could come pretty fast. After drafting the help they needed for their young QB, the Stampede used their next eleven picks on defense with a focus on their secondary. Brazzaville is another team that drafted young and volatile. Their linebackers are among the fastest in the league.
Need: A veteran QB to take the reins during Cobbs development. Despite investing heavily into defense with picks 11 - 26, the Stampedes defensive line did not get any help until the 37th pick. Look for teams to have their way on the ground despite their speedy linebackers.
Eyes on in camp: The Stampede will enter training camp with 32 (!) 80+ VOL players. How their young trio of cornerbacks (Melvin Rodgers, Andrew Blain and Dale Knott) fare in camp will have a large impact on the success of their pass defense.
CAIRO DEITIESTop 6 picks:TE Barry Wilson
WR Kermit Legg
CB Xavier Domingo
RDE David Cedeno
WLB Blitz Mackenzie
MLB Joseph Ortiz
At a glance: Cairo looks to be a bruising sort of team - 10 of first 15 picks go to defense and of the other five, 3 are tight ends/full back. However, the offensive line was not addressed until the 18th pick, so they may have difficulty controlling the clock. This becomes even more of a concern considering the lack of sure hands in the backfield. Seems the defense is gonna have to hold down the fort while the Deities look to land the dependable playmakers they will need on offense.
Need: Offensive line, a dependable RB & man 2 man coverage among defensive backs.
Eyes on in camp: QB Randall Cunningham and Legg could become the hookup that Cairo needs to contend early, they both have top tier potential.
AUCKLAND ANCHORSTop 6 picks: QB Conner Manning
TE Barny Dixon
LDE Stonewall Jackson
MLB Chainsaw Coles
WR Ziggy Stardust
SLB Babyface Henderson
At a glance: The Anchors have the top draft grade according to my research. A well balanced roster riddled with speed and playmakers. Auckland has one of the least volatile squads in the league and should come out of camp ready to win. RB Mudtail Redd will look to lead the backfield group of Redd, White, Blue & Tunieaiteatua and could become one of the great steals of the draft (11th round). Fastest group of linebackers in the league. They are one of my picks to win the inaugural Ultimate Showdown.
Need: Pass blocking and speed on defensive line
Eyes on in camp: C Thomas Smith could become the keystone of an offensive line. Anchors enter training camp with just three players 80+ VOL
MANILA PRIZEFIGHTERSTop 6 picks: QB Randy Jackson
CB Michael Taylor
MLB Joseph Arrington
MLB Zachary Couch
LG Timothy Overman
K Boomer Legaspi
At a glance: The Prizefighters were first to pull the trigger on a kicker & punter, securing the premier legs in the game. Their roster is almost impossibly young, by far the youngest in the league with just one player having more than 3 years experience. Manilas draft focus was mostly on the defensive side of the ball, secondary to be precise. Four of their first 12 picks went to CBs, while 4 of their top 13 went to MLBs. the Defensive line was not addressed until their 21st pick.
Need: Help on the defensive line and transition of CB to S.
Eyes on in camp: LDE Hector Garcia could become the imposing force the Prizefighters need on the defensive front.
JAKARTA MANTA RAYSTop 6 picks: QB Thomas Webb
WR James Whitham
RB Chas Black
DT Patrick Camacho
LT Timothy West
RDE Bruce Wiley
At a glance: Jakarta has drafted the oldest team (just 4 players under 3 years!) and look to contend immediately. No other team is even close to the commitment the Manta Rays have made to the now. Roster is pristinely balanced. With a few speedy playmakers, a dependable QB and competent defense, Jakarta is one of my picks to win the inaugural Ultimate Showdown.
Need: youth and faster CBs
Eyes on in camp: FS Michael Banks has the potential to become a defensive juggernaut able to play every position and could be among the steals of the draft (15th round)
