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This is a look back at our first draft and how the first 10 picks turned out. I plan on doing this once a season. Let me know your thoughts.
1. N. Liberty select QB Myron Allen: Myron Allen was a no brainer pick in 2007. At the time, he was clearly the best QB available at the time and the Enforcers needed a QB badly. Allen struggled in his first two years with the Enforcers and was close to being considered the first #1 pick bust in the history of the OSFL. He had a breakout year in 2009 once N. Liberty’s front office gave him a thousand yard RB in Conrad Bronson and a star WR in Patrick Seigeist. I’m still not convinced that Allen will be as good of a QB as subsequent #1 picks Rico Whalen and Roy Parrish but there is no question that N. Liberty picked the right QB in the 2007 draft.
Good Pick
2. Denver selects QB Jamie Scoggins: Going into the 2007 draft, the big discussion was who is the 2nd best QB in the draft, Jamie Scoggins or Desmond Kaplan. The Grizzlies decided that Scoggins was the better player and selected him with the 2nd pick. Scoggins started 9 games in his first season and had a QB rating just under 70. He looked as if he would start in 2008 but Ellis Austin started all 16 games last year. In 2009, Denver signed star QB Damon Bishop to a FA contract and regulated Scoggins to the 3rd string emergency QB. You can’t blame Denver’s front office because the Bishop signing lead to a 12-3 record in 2009 and a playoff appearance but this team has 15 million wrapped up in the QB position and could have used help in other areas. Kaplan has been a little better in Chicago but I think Denver would have been better suited going defense w/ Motor City DE Clyde Oliva or Lake County DT Blaine Crawford.
Bad Pick
3. Washington selects RB Randy Richardson: What happened? If anyone was a no brainer, it was Randy Richardson. Randy had a great combine and the scouts loved him. His first two seasons lived up to the billing. He had two thousand yard seasons and his only weakness was fumbles but he improved on that in his 2nd and 3rd years. In 2009, he’s struggled though. He won’t rush for 1000 yards for the first time in his career, his yard per carry dropped and his TDs have leveled off. He’s been injured this season but it makes you wonder if Brooklyn RB Tim Hartman or Ohio Valley RB Sherman Ellison may have been the better pick at #3. I won’t go that far but Washington fans better hope that Randy’s struggles have been injury related and not a sign of his true talent.
Good Pick
4. Ohio Valley selects DT Blaine Crawford: I don’t have much to say about Crawford. He is a good young DT who has only missed one game in his career. At the time Ohio Valley were set at QB and CB and planned on filling the RB hole later so picking Hartman, Kaplan, Denver CB Donell Burke or Memphis CB Marcus Schroeder wouldn’t have made sense. They are a little weaker at CB now but Crawford was the most talented D lineman in the draft and filled a need. If Crawford is gone, Ohio Valley should have taken Ellison earlier or Burke.
Good Pick
5. St. Paul selects WR Dwayne Holtzburger: Dwayne Holtzberger was the best WR in the draft by far. I considered trying to trade up to get him before the 2007 draft and I was surprised that 4 teams let him pass before he was drafted. The good news is that he is a sold WR and has a championship ring. The bad news is that he is playing with one of the best QB’s in the league and has never had a 100 yd season. At the time, Holzburger was a talented player who fit a need but looking back I think DE was a bigger need at the time and I think DE Clyde Oliva would have been a better fit. Now Clyde’s numbers have dropped since his rookie season but St. Paul already had two good WR at the time in WR Mercury Humphrey and Bo Stuart.
Average Pick
6. Denver selects CB Donnell Burke: Just like the Richardson- Hartman and Scoggins-Kaplan debate, there was a debate over who was the better CB, Donnell Burke or Marcus Schroeder. Denver chose Burke and it looks like the right pick. Burke has been a turnover magnet with 12 career picks and a solid run defender. If Burke is taken, Schroeder would have been the next pick.
Good Pick
7. Brooklyn selects RB Tim Hartman: Tim Hartman’s stats are skewed because he was injured in his first season and missed 7 games. Since then he’s been one of the most consistent backs in the game and he’s done it all without a passing game. Ohio Valley RB Sherman Ellison has a Rookie of the Year award and three thousand yard seasons but Ellison had a good QB and solid passing game behind him. You can’t go wrong w/ Ellison, Richardson or Hartman but Hartman was the right pick here.
Good Pick
8. Memphis selects CB Marcus Schroder. Picking Schroder here was a need and talent pick. Schroder was the second best CB in the draft and Memphis’s biggest need was CB. Talented players like Kaplan, LT Percy Grier, Ellison and McWilliams were around but none of those areas were needs for Memphis. Schroder hasn’t been a ball hawk like Burke but he’s helped solidify Memphis’ secondary. He is one of the reasons behind Memphis great pass defense.
Good Pick
9. Chicago selects QB Desmond Kaplan. This analysis is supposed to focus solely on the draft so the selection of Desmond Kaplan did fill a need and I think he has done a solid job in his three years as the Reaper’s QB. Still, Chicago allowed star QB Jumbo Clements to leave via FA in 2007. Clements is now Yuma’s star QB and has an MVP award on his shelf. If the Reapers keep Clements, they could have used the pick for LB Tyrus McWilliams who has become the best MLB in the league. Still after losing Clements, Chicago needed a QB and Kaplan was the best available.
Average Pick
10. Kalispel selects T Percy Grier. I have no problems with the Grier pick. The Stags need a tackle desperately and Grier was the best OL available. He hasn’t been a star but he has been consistent and has shown some improvement this year. I have a feeling that Grier will continue to improve and become one of the top T in the league.
So here is how I think the draft would go if it was redone.
1. N. Liberty- Myron Allen
2. Denver – DT Blaine Crawford
3. Washington – RB Randy Richardson
4. Ohio Valley- CB Donnell Burke
5. St. Paul – DE Clyde Oliva
6. Denver – CB Marcus Schroder
7. Brooklyn - RB Tim Hartman
8. Memphis - T Percy Grier or DE Wesley Giles
9. Chicago- QB Desmond Kaplan
10. Kalispel – T Percy Grier
1. N. Liberty select QB Myron Allen: Myron Allen was a no brainer pick in 2007. At the time, he was clearly the best QB available at the time and the Enforcers needed a QB badly. Allen struggled in his first two years with the Enforcers and was close to being considered the first #1 pick bust in the history of the OSFL. He had a breakout year in 2009 once N. Liberty’s front office gave him a thousand yard RB in Conrad Bronson and a star WR in Patrick Seigeist. I’m still not convinced that Allen will be as good of a QB as subsequent #1 picks Rico Whalen and Roy Parrish but there is no question that N. Liberty picked the right QB in the 2007 draft.
Good Pick
2. Denver selects QB Jamie Scoggins: Going into the 2007 draft, the big discussion was who is the 2nd best QB in the draft, Jamie Scoggins or Desmond Kaplan. The Grizzlies decided that Scoggins was the better player and selected him with the 2nd pick. Scoggins started 9 games in his first season and had a QB rating just under 70. He looked as if he would start in 2008 but Ellis Austin started all 16 games last year. In 2009, Denver signed star QB Damon Bishop to a FA contract and regulated Scoggins to the 3rd string emergency QB. You can’t blame Denver’s front office because the Bishop signing lead to a 12-3 record in 2009 and a playoff appearance but this team has 15 million wrapped up in the QB position and could have used help in other areas. Kaplan has been a little better in Chicago but I think Denver would have been better suited going defense w/ Motor City DE Clyde Oliva or Lake County DT Blaine Crawford.
Bad Pick
3. Washington selects RB Randy Richardson: What happened? If anyone was a no brainer, it was Randy Richardson. Randy had a great combine and the scouts loved him. His first two seasons lived up to the billing. He had two thousand yard seasons and his only weakness was fumbles but he improved on that in his 2nd and 3rd years. In 2009, he’s struggled though. He won’t rush for 1000 yards for the first time in his career, his yard per carry dropped and his TDs have leveled off. He’s been injured this season but it makes you wonder if Brooklyn RB Tim Hartman or Ohio Valley RB Sherman Ellison may have been the better pick at #3. I won’t go that far but Washington fans better hope that Randy’s struggles have been injury related and not a sign of his true talent.
Good Pick
4. Ohio Valley selects DT Blaine Crawford: I don’t have much to say about Crawford. He is a good young DT who has only missed one game in his career. At the time Ohio Valley were set at QB and CB and planned on filling the RB hole later so picking Hartman, Kaplan, Denver CB Donell Burke or Memphis CB Marcus Schroeder wouldn’t have made sense. They are a little weaker at CB now but Crawford was the most talented D lineman in the draft and filled a need. If Crawford is gone, Ohio Valley should have taken Ellison earlier or Burke.
Good Pick
5. St. Paul selects WR Dwayne Holtzburger: Dwayne Holtzberger was the best WR in the draft by far. I considered trying to trade up to get him before the 2007 draft and I was surprised that 4 teams let him pass before he was drafted. The good news is that he is a sold WR and has a championship ring. The bad news is that he is playing with one of the best QB’s in the league and has never had a 100 yd season. At the time, Holzburger was a talented player who fit a need but looking back I think DE was a bigger need at the time and I think DE Clyde Oliva would have been a better fit. Now Clyde’s numbers have dropped since his rookie season but St. Paul already had two good WR at the time in WR Mercury Humphrey and Bo Stuart.
Average Pick
6. Denver selects CB Donnell Burke: Just like the Richardson- Hartman and Scoggins-Kaplan debate, there was a debate over who was the better CB, Donnell Burke or Marcus Schroeder. Denver chose Burke and it looks like the right pick. Burke has been a turnover magnet with 12 career picks and a solid run defender. If Burke is taken, Schroeder would have been the next pick.
Good Pick
7. Brooklyn selects RB Tim Hartman: Tim Hartman’s stats are skewed because he was injured in his first season and missed 7 games. Since then he’s been one of the most consistent backs in the game and he’s done it all without a passing game. Ohio Valley RB Sherman Ellison has a Rookie of the Year award and three thousand yard seasons but Ellison had a good QB and solid passing game behind him. You can’t go wrong w/ Ellison, Richardson or Hartman but Hartman was the right pick here.
Good Pick
8. Memphis selects CB Marcus Schroder. Picking Schroder here was a need and talent pick. Schroder was the second best CB in the draft and Memphis’s biggest need was CB. Talented players like Kaplan, LT Percy Grier, Ellison and McWilliams were around but none of those areas were needs for Memphis. Schroder hasn’t been a ball hawk like Burke but he’s helped solidify Memphis’ secondary. He is one of the reasons behind Memphis great pass defense.
Good Pick
9. Chicago selects QB Desmond Kaplan. This analysis is supposed to focus solely on the draft so the selection of Desmond Kaplan did fill a need and I think he has done a solid job in his three years as the Reaper’s QB. Still, Chicago allowed star QB Jumbo Clements to leave via FA in 2007. Clements is now Yuma’s star QB and has an MVP award on his shelf. If the Reapers keep Clements, they could have used the pick for LB Tyrus McWilliams who has become the best MLB in the league. Still after losing Clements, Chicago needed a QB and Kaplan was the best available.
Average Pick
10. Kalispel selects T Percy Grier. I have no problems with the Grier pick. The Stags need a tackle desperately and Grier was the best OL available. He hasn’t been a star but he has been consistent and has shown some improvement this year. I have a feeling that Grier will continue to improve and become one of the top T in the league.
So here is how I think the draft would go if it was redone.
1. N. Liberty- Myron Allen
2. Denver – DT Blaine Crawford
3. Washington – RB Randy Richardson
4. Ohio Valley- CB Donnell Burke
5. St. Paul – DE Clyde Oliva
6. Denver – CB Marcus Schroder
7. Brooklyn - RB Tim Hartman
8. Memphis - T Percy Grier or DE Wesley Giles
9. Chicago- QB Desmond Kaplan
10. Kalispel – T Percy Grier
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