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1.10 Louie Humphries, RB: There were certainly players still on the board at 1.10 that were more talented than Louie at their respective positions but our rushing game has struggled in recent seasons and we were determined to fix that in this draft. Louie didn't have a single "sub-blue" combine stat and recorded a very impressive 10'10" long jump indicating the type of leg strength required to go all day in this league of ours. We expect a very solid RB who can do it all when everything plays out. A volatility of "3" makes this appear to be a safe pick.
Pre-Camp Rating: 35/42
Post-Camp Rating: 41/51 (+6/+9)
1.19 Neal Kemp, WLB: Neal had a great combine and a volatility of "1" at a position of need. When Newark took Zach Reed at 1.18 the decision to select Kemp became easy. We're expecting a legit starter, if not All-Pro, at WLB for the first time in a while. In my opinion this is a reach at 1.19 but I've witnessed enough to see that the rest of the IFL puts more stock in LBs than I do and if I was to ever have any then I was gonna have to reach as well.
Note: If Ken Swift was available at 1.4 I never would have traded out, picking up 1.15, and then would have used 1.19 instead of 1.15 to trade up to 1.10 for Humphries so Neal would never have had a realistic shot at being a Phantom. Swift will forever be tied to Kemp in Phantom lore.
Pre-Camp Rating: 34/46
Post-Camp Rating: 38/51 (+4/+5)
2.3 Byron Lewandowski, OG: We went back and forth with Byron Lewandowski and Jeremy Harper as the top Guards available and the always alert Orlando Pirates jumped in to take Harper at 1.32 leaving us a short window (2.1, 2.2) of worry before taking the "leftovers" at 2.3. Byron comes out of college with immediate strength and we have reason to believe based on combines that our coaches will coach plenty of pass blocking and run blocking talent to match. Byron should be our starter for years to come - though I'm not sure if it will be the left or right side yet.
Pre-Camp Rating: 28/44
Post-Camp Rating: 35/53 (+7/+9)
2.9 Fernando Crane, LB: I'm very annoyed with this pick! The plan was to move Fernando to MLB but when he arrived much smaller than indicated on all of our records it became apparant that wasn't gonna happen. We're gonna see if Fernando can beef up and play the position by season's end but we might be looking at a back-up OLB at pick 2.9: Not the best use of resources despite a good combine.
Pre-Camp Rating: 21/42
Post-Camp Rating: 25/43 (+4/+1)
2.14 Corwin Lehr, CB: We took a HUGE hit with the loss of Wade Boyd to Murfreesboro. We were never going to realistically get that talent back since we were determined not to spend a 1st rounder on the CB position. Our other needs were too great and we knew Round 2 was where we'd take a shot. Lehr is that shot. We're not expecting an All-Pro or even necessarily a starter. But we do hope we've got a solid player for the next decade to add to our stable. Like most of our picks Corwin had a solid all-around combine. His "97" volatility could make things interesting though.
Pre-Camp Rating: 21/43
Post-Camp Rating: 26/47 (+5/+4)
2.31 Phil Pinkston, OLB->MLB: Pinky! Mr. Pink! I love this pick! After hearing the news on Fernando Crane (2.9) we still needed a MLB. Phil stood at a towering 6'4" and rocks 239lbs of bodyweight so we knew there'd be no problem moving him inside. He's pumped about the idea and believes it'll increase his productivity! The knock on Phil is his lack of strength as evidenced by only mustering 16 reps on the bench press. We're gambling that won't stop him from being a successful IFL MLB and are hoping to see a lot of tipped passes thrown his way.
Pre-Camp Rating: 29/48 at WLB, 28/54 at MLB (after file run)
Post-Camp Rating: 35/55 (+7/+1) at MLB
Gap through rounds 3-5
Late rounders...
6.13 Deron Stills, WR: Decent combine and size. Looks good pre-camp. Probably a mirage.
Pre-Camp Rating: 13/56
Post-Camp Rating: 15/48 (+2/-8)
6.31 Cole Farrell, DE: Towering DE at 6'5" 277lb. Hoping we got a decent pass-rusher. That's about it.
Pre-Camp Rating: 14/29
Post-Camp Rating: 16/30 (+2/+1)
7.17 Randy Flynn, DT->DE: As the DTs fell into the 7th we simply chose a lightweight one to fill our DE needs. Randy is only 272lb so he seems much better suited to DE, though short for both roles.
Pre-Camp Rating: 25/41 at DT, 24/41 at DE (after file run)
Post-Camp Rating: 26/39 (+2/-2)
7.31 Max Tayer SS: 6'3" 218lb monster who could end up as yet another LB out of this draft class. There's no reason to believe he can play safety at this level.
Pre-Camp Rating: 11/26
Post-Camp Rating: 13/29 (+2/+3) after switch to 228lb to test LB position.
Pre-Camp Rating: 35/42
Post-Camp Rating: 41/51 (+6/+9)
1.19 Neal Kemp, WLB: Neal had a great combine and a volatility of "1" at a position of need. When Newark took Zach Reed at 1.18 the decision to select Kemp became easy. We're expecting a legit starter, if not All-Pro, at WLB for the first time in a while. In my opinion this is a reach at 1.19 but I've witnessed enough to see that the rest of the IFL puts more stock in LBs than I do and if I was to ever have any then I was gonna have to reach as well.
Note: If Ken Swift was available at 1.4 I never would have traded out, picking up 1.15, and then would have used 1.19 instead of 1.15 to trade up to 1.10 for Humphries so Neal would never have had a realistic shot at being a Phantom. Swift will forever be tied to Kemp in Phantom lore.
Pre-Camp Rating: 34/46
Post-Camp Rating: 38/51 (+4/+5)
2.3 Byron Lewandowski, OG: We went back and forth with Byron Lewandowski and Jeremy Harper as the top Guards available and the always alert Orlando Pirates jumped in to take Harper at 1.32 leaving us a short window (2.1, 2.2) of worry before taking the "leftovers" at 2.3. Byron comes out of college with immediate strength and we have reason to believe based on combines that our coaches will coach plenty of pass blocking and run blocking talent to match. Byron should be our starter for years to come - though I'm not sure if it will be the left or right side yet.
Pre-Camp Rating: 28/44
Post-Camp Rating: 35/53 (+7/+9)
2.9 Fernando Crane, LB: I'm very annoyed with this pick! The plan was to move Fernando to MLB but when he arrived much smaller than indicated on all of our records it became apparant that wasn't gonna happen. We're gonna see if Fernando can beef up and play the position by season's end but we might be looking at a back-up OLB at pick 2.9: Not the best use of resources despite a good combine.
Pre-Camp Rating: 21/42
Post-Camp Rating: 25/43 (+4/+1)
2.14 Corwin Lehr, CB: We took a HUGE hit with the loss of Wade Boyd to Murfreesboro. We were never going to realistically get that talent back since we were determined not to spend a 1st rounder on the CB position. Our other needs were too great and we knew Round 2 was where we'd take a shot. Lehr is that shot. We're not expecting an All-Pro or even necessarily a starter. But we do hope we've got a solid player for the next decade to add to our stable. Like most of our picks Corwin had a solid all-around combine. His "97" volatility could make things interesting though.
Pre-Camp Rating: 21/43
Post-Camp Rating: 26/47 (+5/+4)
2.31 Phil Pinkston, OLB->MLB: Pinky! Mr. Pink! I love this pick! After hearing the news on Fernando Crane (2.9) we still needed a MLB. Phil stood at a towering 6'4" and rocks 239lbs of bodyweight so we knew there'd be no problem moving him inside. He's pumped about the idea and believes it'll increase his productivity! The knock on Phil is his lack of strength as evidenced by only mustering 16 reps on the bench press. We're gambling that won't stop him from being a successful IFL MLB and are hoping to see a lot of tipped passes thrown his way.
Pre-Camp Rating: 29/48 at WLB, 28/54 at MLB (after file run)
Post-Camp Rating: 35/55 (+7/+1) at MLB
Gap through rounds 3-5
Late rounders...
6.13 Deron Stills, WR: Decent combine and size. Looks good pre-camp. Probably a mirage.
Pre-Camp Rating: 13/56
Post-Camp Rating: 15/48 (+2/-8)
6.31 Cole Farrell, DE: Towering DE at 6'5" 277lb. Hoping we got a decent pass-rusher. That's about it.
Pre-Camp Rating: 14/29
Post-Camp Rating: 16/30 (+2/+1)
7.17 Randy Flynn, DT->DE: As the DTs fell into the 7th we simply chose a lightweight one to fill our DE needs. Randy is only 272lb so he seems much better suited to DE, though short for both roles.
Pre-Camp Rating: 25/41 at DT, 24/41 at DE (after file run)
Post-Camp Rating: 26/39 (+2/-2)
7.31 Max Tayer SS: 6'3" 218lb monster who could end up as yet another LB out of this draft class. There's no reason to believe he can play safety at this level.
Pre-Camp Rating: 11/26
Post-Camp Rating: 13/29 (+2/+3) after switch to 228lb to test LB position.
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