Breaking from tradition of the first 8 rounds, the final 9 rounds are going to be bundled together in order to save time and bring further content updates on the league. This will include more updates on picks out of the end of pre-season and also give room for the form book for fantasy this year. Let's detail the rounds one by one and detail the key points.
Round 9
Pick 129: The Edinburgh Knights Select Mecole Hardman, Wide Receiver, Kansas City
Pick 132: The London Steelers Select Cole Kmet, Tight End, Chicago
Pick 133: The Dundee Spinners Select Irv Smith Jr., Tight End, Minnesota
Pick 134: The Cork City Rebels Select Trevor Lawrence, Quarterback, Jacksonville
Pick 135: The Nottingham Sheriffs Select Tua Tagovailoa, Quarterback, Miami
Pick 136: The Swansea Smelters Select Robbie Anderson, Wide Receiver, Carolina
Pick 137: The Birmingham Bulls Select J.D. McKissic, Running Back, Washington
Pick 138: The Belfast Giants Select Logan Thomas, Tight End, Washington
Pick 139: The Glasgow Pipers Select Raheem Mostert, Running Back, Miami
Pick 140: The Newport Coal Miners Select Marlon Mack, Running Back, Houston
Pick 141: The Bristol Buccaneers Select The Buffalo Bills, Defence/Special Teams
Pick 142: The Cardiff Dragons Select The New Orleans Saints, Defence/Special Teams
Pick 143: The Dublin Brewers Select The Green Bay Packers, Defence/Special Teams
Pick 144: The Aberdeen Oilers Select The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Defence/Special Teams
Defences start to fly off the board in the ninth round with the best choice being Buffalo. Cork City surprise by taking 2nd year Trevor Lawrence over Tua Tagovailoa who arguably has the better offence to throw to while Birmingham shock everyone by having their first 2 running backs off the board both be from Washington. Edinburgh and Galway fight hard over Kansas City wide receivers and Dundee look to Irv Smith Jr, back after missing last season.
Round 10
Pick 145: The Aberdeen Oilers Select The San Francisco 49ers, Defence/Special Teams
Pick 146: The Dublin Brewers Select The Baltimore Ravens, Defence/Special Teams
Pick 147: The Cardiff Dragons Select The Indianapolis Colts, Defence/Special Teams
Pick 147: The Cardiff Dragons Select The Indianapolis Colts, Defence/Special Teams
Pick 148: The Bristol Buccaneers Select The Dallas Cowboys, Defence/Special Teams
Pick 149: The Newport Coal Miners Select The Washington Commanders, Defence/Special Teams
Pick 150: The Glasgow Pipers Select The Pittsburgh Steelers, Defence/Special Teams
Pick 151: The Belfast Giants Select Justin Tucker, Kicker, Baltimore
Pick 152: The Birmingham Bulls Select Evan McPherson, Kicker, Cincinnati
Pick 153: The Swansea Smelters Select Matt Gay, Kicker, Los Angeles Rams
Pick 154: The Nottingham Sheriffs Select Harrison Butker, Kicker, Kansas City
Pick 155: The Cork City Rebels Select Daniel Carlson, Kicker, Las Vegas
Pick 156: The Dundee Spinners Select Brandon McManus, Kicker, Denver
Pick 157: The London Steelers Select Nick Folk, Kicker, New England
Pick 158: The Barry Islanders Select Tyler Bass, Kicker, Buffalo
Pick 159: The Galway Tribesmen Select Matt Prater, Kicker, Arizona
Pick 160: The Edinburgh Knights Select Graham Gano, Kicker, New York Giants
Completely filling out needs for defence and for kicking, this becomes more of a gamble for teams. The best kickers last season either got a lot of extra point attempts or were put a lot into field goal range. That makes picks like Nick Folk and Graham Gano great for London and Edinburgh while teams like Glasgow pick the most expensive defence in the league in Pittsburgh. Birmingham have a great pick in Evan McPherson who made 2 kicks in week 1 of pre-season from the logo of 59 and 57 yards.
Round 11
Pick 161: The Edinburgh Knights Select DeVante Parker, Wide Receiver, New England
Pick 162: The Galway Tribesmen Select Dameon Pierce, Running Back, Houston
Pick 163: The Barry Islanders Select Joshua Palmer, Wide Receiver, Los Angeles Chargers
Pick 164: The London Steelers Select Zach Wilson, Quarterback, New York Jets
Pick 165: The Dundee Spinners Select Ronald Jones II, Running Back, Kansas City
Pick 166: The Cork City Rebels Select Jamison Crowder, Wide Receiver, Buffalo
Pick 167: The Nottingham Sheriffs Select Tim Patrick, Wide Receiver, Denver
Pick 168: The Swansea Smelters Select Isaiah Spiller, Running Back, Los Angeles Chargers
Pick 169: The Birmingham Bulls Select Alexander Mattison, Running Back, Minnesota
Pick 170: The Belfast Giants Select Michael Gallup, Wide Receiver, Dallas
Pick 171: The Glasgow Pipers Select Jalen Tolbert, Wide Receiver, Dallas
Pick 172: The Newport Coal Miners Select Rondale Moore, Wide Receiver, Arizona
Pick 173: The Bristol Buccaneers Select Van Jefferson, Wide Receiver, Los Angeles Rams
Pick 174: The Cardiff Dragons Select Tyler Higbee, Tight End, Los Angeles Rams
Pick 175: The Dublin Brewers Select Gus Edwards, Running Back, Baltimore
Pick 176: The Aberdeen Oilers Select DJ Chark Jr., Wide Receiver, Detroit
A lot of good talent going in the eleventh, the big hits come towards the end with DJ Chark looking like an excellent pick for Aberdeen. Both Zach Wilson and Tim Patrick have picked up injuries since the draft, the latter out for the whole season which is a big hit for Nottingham. It will be a great idea to have a look at the battle between Belfast and Glasgow who both take Dallas wide out options here.
Pick 162: The Galway Tribesmen Select Dameon Pierce, Running Back, Houston
Pick 163: The Barry Islanders Select Joshua Palmer, Wide Receiver, Los Angeles Chargers
Pick 164: The London Steelers Select Zach Wilson, Quarterback, New York Jets
Pick 165: The Dundee Spinners Select Ronald Jones II, Running Back, Kansas City
Pick 166: The Cork City Rebels Select Jamison Crowder, Wide Receiver, Buffalo
Pick 167: The Nottingham Sheriffs Select Tim Patrick, Wide Receiver, Denver
Pick 168: The Swansea Smelters Select Isaiah Spiller, Running Back, Los Angeles Chargers
Pick 169: The Birmingham Bulls Select Alexander Mattison, Running Back, Minnesota
Pick 170: The Belfast Giants Select Michael Gallup, Wide Receiver, Dallas
Pick 171: The Glasgow Pipers Select Jalen Tolbert, Wide Receiver, Dallas
Pick 172: The Newport Coal Miners Select Rondale Moore, Wide Receiver, Arizona
Pick 173: The Bristol Buccaneers Select Van Jefferson, Wide Receiver, Los Angeles Rams
Pick 174: The Cardiff Dragons Select Tyler Higbee, Tight End, Los Angeles Rams
Pick 175: The Dublin Brewers Select Gus Edwards, Running Back, Baltimore
Pick 176: The Aberdeen Oilers Select DJ Chark Jr., Wide Receiver, Detroit
A lot of good talent going in the eleventh, the big hits come towards the end with DJ Chark looking like an excellent pick for Aberdeen. Both Zach Wilson and Tim Patrick have picked up injuries since the draft, the latter out for the whole season which is a big hit for Nottingham. It will be a great idea to have a look at the battle between Belfast and Glasgow who both take Dallas wide out options here.
Round 12
Pick 177: The Aberdeen Oilers Select Darrell Henderson Jr., Running Back, Los Angeles Rams
Pick 178: The Dublin Brewers Select Alec Pierce, Wide Receiver, Indianapolis
Pick 179: The Cardiff Dragons Select Justin Fields, Quarterback, Chicago
Pick 180: The Bristol Buccaneers Select Daniel Jones, Quarterback, New York Giants
Pick 181: The Newport Coal Miners Select Evan Engram, Tight End, Jacksonville
Pick 182: The Glasgow Pipers Select Austin Hooper, Tight End, Tennessee
Pick 183: The Belfast Giants Select Curtis Samuel, Wide Receiver, Washington
Pick 184: The Birmingham Bulls Select James White, Running Back, New England
Pick 185: The Swansea Smelters Select Tyler Allgeier, Running Back, Atlanta
Pick 186: The Nottingham Sheriffs Select Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Wide Receiver, Tennessee
Pick 187: The Cork City Rebels Select Jamaal Williams, Running Back, Detroit
Pick 188: The Dundee Spinners Select Kenyan Drake, Running Back, Las Vegas
Pick 189: The London Steelers Select The Cleveland Browns, Defence/Special Teams
Pick 190: The Barry Islanders Select The Cincinnati Bengals, Defence/Special Teams
Pick 191: The Galway Tribesmen Select Jake Elliott, Kicker, Philadelphia
Pick 192: The Edinburgh Knights Select Cade York, Kicker, Cleveland
Every position managed to go in the twelfth round with the biggest pick most likely with Cork City and Jamaal Williams after his emotional speech on hard knocks. Evan Engram and Austin Hooper are two tight ends moving teams this year so it will be interesting to see how their fortunes pan out while Justin Fields and Daniel Jones both are in years where they have to prove how good they are. The quiet selection here is Curtis Samuel who spent a lot of 2021 injured and will need to get going quickly in the new season.
Every position managed to go in the twelfth round with the biggest pick most likely with Cork City and Jamaal Williams after his emotional speech on hard knocks. Evan Engram and Austin Hooper are two tight ends moving teams this year so it will be interesting to see how their fortunes pan out while Justin Fields and Daniel Jones both are in years where they have to prove how good they are. The quiet selection here is Curtis Samuel who spent a lot of 2021 injured and will need to get going quickly in the new season.
Round 13
Pick 193: The Edinburgh Knights Select Hayden Hurst, Tight End, Cincinnati
Pick 194: The Galway Tribesmen Select Carson Wentz, Quarterback, Washington
Pick 195: The Barry Islanders Select Deshaun Watson, Quarterback, Cleveland
Pick 196: The London Steelers Select John Metchie III, Wide Receiver, Houston
Pick 197: The Dundee Spinners Select Mark Ingram II, Running Back, New Orleans
Pick 198: The Cork City Rebels Select Rachaad White, Running Back, Tampa Bay
Pick 199: The Nottingham Sheriffs Select Chris Carson, Running Back, Seattle
Pick 200: The Swansea Smelters Select Ryan Tannehill, Quarterback, Tennessee
Pick 201: The Birmingham Bulls Select The Philadelphia Eagles, Defence/Special Teams
Pick 202: The Belfast Giants Select Rex Burkhead, Running Back, Houston
Pick 203: The Glasgow Pipers Select The New England Patriots, Defence/Special Teams
Pick 204: The Newport Coal Miners Select Ryan Succop, Kicker, Tampa Bay
Pick 205: The Bristol Buccaneers Select Darrel Williams, Running Back, Arizona
Pick 206: The Cardiff Dragons Select George Pickens, Wide Receiver, Pittsburgh
Pick 207: The Dublin Brewers Select Damien Williams, Running Back, Atlanta
Pick 208: The Aberdeen Oilers Select Jerick McKinnon, Running Back, Kansas City
Round 13 is lucky for some and unlucky for others. For the league, this is the fireworks round. The Islander's first pick of quarterback has been suspended 11 games which leaves them heavily in the lurch moving towards week one with the same being said for Nottingham with Chris Carson retiring from the NFL due to neck related injuries. Ryan Tannehill at 200 could be an almighty steal from Swansea who look great with their pick while Cardiff will also be quietly confident about George Pickens who has looked brilliant in training camp.
Round 13 is lucky for some and unlucky for others. For the league, this is the fireworks round. The Islander's first pick of quarterback has been suspended 11 games which leaves them heavily in the lurch moving towards week one with the same being said for Nottingham with Chris Carson retiring from the NFL due to neck related injuries. Ryan Tannehill at 200 could be an almighty steal from Swansea who look great with their pick while Cardiff will also be quietly confident about George Pickens who has looked brilliant in training camp.
Round 14
Pick 209: The Aberdeen Oilers Select Kenneth Gainwell, Running Back, Philadelphia
Pick 210: The Dublin Brewers Select Velus Jones Jr., Wide Receiver, Chicago
Pick 211: The Cardiff Dragons Select Cedrick Wilson Jr., Wide Receiver, Miami
Pick 212: The Bristol Buccaneers Select Robbie Gould, Kicker, San Francisco
Pick 213: The Newport Coal Miners Select Jameis Winston, Quarterback, New Orleans
Pick 214: The Glasgow Pipers Select Mac Jones, Quarterback, New England
Pick 215: The Belfast Giants Select Albert Okwuegbunam, Tight End, Denver
Pick 216: The Birmingham Bulls Select Jared Goff, Quarterback, Detroit
Pick 217: The Swansea Smelters Select The Miami Dolphins, Defence/Special Teams
Pick 218: The Nottingham Sheriffs Select Brian Robinson Jr., Running Back, Washington
Pick 219: The Cork City Rebels Select Nico Collins, Wide Receiver, Houston
Pick 220: The Dundee Spinners Select Gerald Everett, Tight End, Los Angeles Chargers
Pick 221: The London Steelers Select Khalil Herbert, Running Back, Chicago
Pick 222: The Barry Islanders Select Robert Tonyan, Tight End, Green Bay
Pick 223: The Galway Tribesmen Select Brevin Jordan, Tight End, Houston
Pick 224: The Edinburgh Knights Select The Los Angeles Rams, Defence/Special Teams
As talent starts to be tougher to find, there are some great gems in the fourteenth. Robert Tonyan might be a sleeper pick in Green Bay for the Barry Islanders while Jared Goff could be some subtle value for Birmingham at 216. Kenneth Gainwell might get some substantial running minutes for Aberdeen and there is the small matter of Gerald Everett going to a mega offence in the chargers. This for Dundee could be a great fit for them.
As talent starts to be tougher to find, there are some great gems in the fourteenth. Robert Tonyan might be a sleeper pick in Green Bay for the Barry Islanders while Jared Goff could be some subtle value for Birmingham at 216. Kenneth Gainwell might get some substantial running minutes for Aberdeen and there is the small matter of Gerald Everett going to a mega offence in the chargers. This for Dundee could be a great fit for them.
Round 15
Pick 225: The Edinburgh Knights Select Matt Ryan, Quarterback, Indianapolis
Pick 226: The Galway Tribesmen Select Davis Mills, Quarterback, Houston
Pick 227: The Barry Islanders Select Greg Joseph, Kicker, Minnesota
Pick 228: The London Steelers Select Odell Beckham Jr., Wide Receiver, Free Agent
Pick 229: The Dundee Spinners Select Riley Patterson, Kicker, Detroit
Pick 230: The Cork City Rebels Select The Los Angeles Chargers, Defence/Special Teams
Pick 231: The Nottingham Sheriffs Select The Tennessee Titans, Defence/Special Teams
Pick 232: The Swansea Smelters Select Kenny Pickett, Quarterback, Pittsburgh
Pick 233: The Birmingham Bulls Select Marcus Mariota, Quarterback, Atlanta
Pick 234: The Belfast Giants Select Jonathan Garibay, Kicker, Dallas
Pick 235: The Glasgow Pipers Select Cameron Brate, Tight End, Tampa Bay
Pick 236: The Newport Coal Miners Select C.J. Uzomah, Tight End, New York Jets
Pick 237: The Bristol Buccaneers Select Mo Alie-Cox, Tight End, Indianapolis
Pick 238: The Cardiff Dragons Select Wan'Dale Robinson, Wide Receiver, New York Giants
Pick 239: The Dublin Brewers Select Mason Crosby, Kicker, Green Bay
Pick 240: The Aberdeen Oilers Select Adam Trautman, Tight End, New Orleans
The first free agent goes off the board in an unexpected twist as Odell Beckham gets drafted by the London Steelers. It could be a bad move considering the rules and they will have to hope he finds a team before the waiver wire kicks in. Matt Ryan going to the Knights is a fantastic pick at the start of the fifteenth while it may be worth keeping an eye on C.J. Uzomah at the Jets for Newport, that might bear some fruit. Nottingham may have also snuck a great defence out of Tennessee too who looked great there last year.
Round 16
Pick 241: The Aberdeen Oilers Select Dustin Hopkins, Kicker, Los Angeles Chargers
Pick 242: The Dublin Brewers Select Dan Arnold, Tight End, Jacksonville
Pick 243: The Cardiff Dragons Select Chris Boswell, Kicker, Pittsburgh
Pick 244: The Bristol Buccaneers Select Tommy Tremble, Tight End, Carolina
Pick 245: The Newport Coal Miners Select The Denver Broncos, Defence/Special Teams
Pick 246: The Glasgow Pipers Select Younghoe Koo, Kicker, Atlanta
Pick 247: The Belfast Giants Select The Minnesota Vikings, Defence/Special Teams
Pick 248: The Birmingham Bulls Select The Carolina Panthers, Defence/Special Teams
Pick 249: The Swansea Smelters Select The New York Giants, Defence/Special Teams
Pick 250: The Nottingham Sheriffs Select Joey Slye, Kicker, Washington
Pick 251: The Cork City Rebels Select Ryan Santoso, Kicker, Jacksonville
Pick 252: The Dundee Spinners Select The Las Vegas Raiders, Defence/Special Teams
Pick 253: The London Steelers Select Randy Bullock, Kicker, Tennessee
Pick 254: The Barry Islanders Select Sam Darnold, Quarterback, Carolina
Pick 255: The Galway Tribesmen Select The Arizona Cardinals, Defence/Special Teams
Pick 256: The Edinburgh Knights Select Drew Lock, Quarterback, Seattle
The last of the tight ends and quarterbacks fly off the board here, leaving just defences and kickers left to draft. The Barry Islanders will need to make moves on the waivers for quarterbacks with Sam Darnold losing out the starting job seemingly to Baker Mayfield. Chris Boswell is a good pick for Cardiff at kicker and so too is Randy Bullock for London. There are some interesting defences that have dropped down and I think it may be a good pick for Galway getting the Arizona Cardinals defence.
The last of the tight ends and quarterbacks fly off the board here, leaving just defences and kickers left to draft. The Barry Islanders will need to make moves on the waivers for quarterbacks with Sam Darnold losing out the starting job seemingly to Baker Mayfield. Chris Boswell is a good pick for Cardiff at kicker and so too is Randy Bullock for London. There are some interesting defences that have dropped down and I think it may be a good pick for Galway getting the Arizona Cardinals defence.
Round 17
Pick 257: The Edinburgh Knights Select The New York Jets, Defence/Special Teams
Pick 258: The Galway Tribesmen Select The Chicago Bears, Defence/Special Teams
Pick 259: The Barry Islanders Select The Seattle Seahawks, Defence/Special Teams
Pick 260: The London Steelers Select The Atlanta Falcons, Defence/Special Teams
Pick 261: The Dundee Spinners Select The Kansas City Chiefs, Defence/Special Teams
Pick 262: The Cork City Rebels Select The Jacksonville Jaguars, Defence/Special Teams
Pick 263: The Nottingham Sheriffs Select The Detroit Lions, Defence/Special Teams
Pick 264: The Swansea Smelters Select Will Lutz, Kicker, New Orleans
Pick 265: The Birmingham Bulls Select Greg Zuerlein, Kicker, New York Jets
Pick 266: The Belfast Giants Select The Houston Texans, Defence/Special Teams
Pick 267: The Glasgow Pipers Select Rodrigo Blankenship, Kicker, Indianapolis
Pick 268: The Newport Coal Miners Select Cairo Santos, Kicker, Chicago
Pick 269: The Bristol Buccaneers Select Jason Myers, Kicker, Seattle
Pick 270: The Cardiff Dragons Select Zane Gonzalez, Kicker, Carolina
Pick 271: The Dublin Brewers Select John Christian Kaʻiminoeauloamekaʻikeokekumupaʻa "Kaʻimi" Fairbairn, Kicker, Houston
Pick 272: The Aberdeen Oilers Select Jason Sanders, Kicker, Miami
The draft concludes with Jason Sanders being selected by Aberdeen as Mr. Irrelevent. Dundee's selection of Kanas City isn't as bad as it seems on paper and I like that as an end pick, while Swansea have found a gem of a kicker in WIll Lutz who spent all of last season out with injury. Glasgow also have a great kicker in Rodrigo Blankenship and I will be excited to see how he does this year, along with Dublin's pick, as they take Ka'imi Fairbairn who may once again have a lot of kicking to do.
With all of the teams now drafted, it is important to note where everyone is in terms of power rankings. Power rankings are decided by ESPN obviously and IBM Watson who has evaluated who looks the best coming out of the draft.
16th: The Dundee Spinners (4th in Scotland Division)
The draft concludes with Jason Sanders being selected by Aberdeen as Mr. Irrelevent. Dundee's selection of Kanas City isn't as bad as it seems on paper and I like that as an end pick, while Swansea have found a gem of a kicker in WIll Lutz who spent all of last season out with injury. Glasgow also have a great kicker in Rodrigo Blankenship and I will be excited to see how he does this year, along with Dublin's pick, as they take Ka'imi Fairbairn who may once again have a lot of kicking to do.
With all of the teams now drafted, it is important to note where everyone is in terms of power rankings. Power rankings are decided by ESPN obviously and IBM Watson who has evaluated who looks the best coming out of the draft.
16th: The Dundee Spinners (4th in Scotland Division)
Of all the drafts constructed by the teams as ESPN intended, this was one of them. The positives are clear with the wide receivers looking very good up top with Justin Jefferson and Jaylen Waddle and there is a good amount of service that can be done at Quarterback. Tight end looks a little sketchy but the glaring hole is the lack of a run game with Ronald Jones and Kenyan Drake both secondary running options with their RB1 sharing with the quarterback. It will be a long uphill road for the spinners this season.
Wide receiver looks fantastic with Davante Adams and Tee Higgins looking to bolster Birmingham's run. Tight end looks great too with Pat Freiermuth and Dawson Knox both higher end options overall. The two glaring holes are Quarterback, where Jared Goff is going to need LA Rams form and running back where the strategy of picking both options out of Washington is a massive risk that hampers options in the future. Kicking looks good too so there will be some subtle points climbing through.
14th: The Barry Islanders (4th in Wales Division)
13th: The Glasgow Pipers (3rd in Scotland Division)
Glasgow's draft on paper looks good but maybe not great hence their thirteenth placement in the power rankings. I really like their defence options in Pittsburgh and New England while there is good depth at wide receiver with Diggs, Williams and Sutton as a great three. Running back might be a little low with Ken Walker III unproven at the position as their two and with a struggle at tight end too, but this should be a serviceable team that does have a chance to make playoffs, maybe a slim chance but a chance.
12th: The Belfast Giants (4th in Ireland Division)
Belfast cornered the market at quarterback and will not be beaten this season at that position. Everywhere else though in their team took a hit for their troubles. Tight end looks average at best along with a wide receiving core that while with depth, looks like it will struggle for larger scores. They do have an automatic kicker in Justin Tucker but when you figure that running back also looks "mid" as the cool kids would say, Belfast could be a team on the outside looking in come playoff time.
11th: The Swansea Smelters (3rd in Wales Division)
This is the first time I disagree with the power rankings because I believe Swansea could comfortably be a playoff team. Great value was picked up late in Ryan Tannehill and Will Lutz, the wide receivers look great, and even more so when DeAndre Hopkins comes back from suspension and to top it all off, the duo of Gesicki and Fant are great tight end options in this draft. Yes, quarterback can be considered safe and there is a lot of umming and ahhing at running back but I like this, Swansea did well this draft.
10th: The Galway Tribesmen (3rd in Ireland Division)
No doubts about it, the wide receiver core for the Galway Tribesmen looks incredible along with some solid tight end and running back selections. Quarterback is a gamble though with Carson Wentz and Davis Mills, leaving a tricky situation in terms of getting points on the board at the most points heavy position. Defence could also be a small problem too, leaving Galway on the bubble, potentially on the outside looking in but when you have Cooper Kupp, you always have a chance.
9th: The Bristol Buccaneers (3rd in England Division)
~I don't believe there is a better wide receiver core in the entirety of the league. Bristol will be very reliant on them to carry the bulk of the points yet there also positives with a good quarterback and a decent running game too. Their defence also looks fantastic so this team could go a long way overall but what will cost them in the long term will be the tight ends. Mo Alie-Cox and Tommy Tremble won't set the world alight in terms of points and that could be costly come the end of the season, maybe the only difference between in and out.
8th: The Aberdeen Oilers (2nd in Scotland Division)
Aberdeen look great at the top end of almost all of their positions, but behind that can be some of the trouble. Running back seems to be where the most of the trouble is with the least being at wide receiver. Quarterback is a lock with Mahomes and Prescott being absolute locks in their place so avoiding injuries should see them be a tough team to handle, but later on will be where the issues lie. They're in for now, but a team like Swansea could comfortably find a way to get by them if they go awry.
7th: The Cork City Rebels (2nd in Ireland Division)
Cork's draft has a lot of quality to it and while it never truly stood out as the best draft overall, it is certainly not the worst and may be one of the most rounded drafts. Each position looks like they have at least 2 strong options at their positions with particulars being put towards Lamar Jackson and Ja'Marr Chase. Eyes will need to be kept on Saquon Barkley though with the hope that he will stay injury free while there might be a small issue at Defence, with the Chargers and Jacksonville both not the best option here.
6th: The Cardiff Dragons (2nd in Wales Division)
The picks here for Cardiff wasn't style but it was all substance. There may not be another great running back core in the league with four viable RB1's along with a tight end team that has a lot of room to make points. Defence and Kicker both look good too and with Tom Brady at quarterback, they could be really be a force to be reckoned with. The only issue might be depth at wide receiver with George Pickens needing to do well from the WR3 position, especially as Hollywood Brown might get worse as the season goes on.
5th: The Edinburgh Knights (1st in Scotland Division)
Edinburgh are predicted to take the Scotland division and do so with a nicely rounded team and the number one overall, Jonathan Taylor. Running back is a big strength with a slight gamble with having both Dallas rushers. George Kittle brings great value at Tight End and there is enough to be solid at defence and kicker. Wide Receiver is a little doubtful but there should be enough depth that three of the five options each week will look good and there is a worry at quarterback with how much work Matt Ryan will go through, at odds with pick number one.
4th: The Newport Coal Miners (1st in Wales Division)
Newport's draft strength lies well in their wide receiver core along with Joe Burrow at quarterback. When you have Deebo, DK and a Jerry Jeudy sans Tim Patrick, this is a team that could fly in the right mode. More so with a great pass-catch running back core too which is devilishly underrated. The only issues for Newport in terms of making an automatic place into the playoffs could be tight end which could flounder in comparison to the rest of the field and at defence, that could be a small sticking point too.
3rd: The Nottingham Sheriffs (2nd in England Division)
I think Nottingham, although IBM Watson doesn't believe this is the best team, are the best team in the league even though there is no Tim Patrick or Chris Carson. Quarterback looks like a small risk but both Trey and Tua are expected to shine. Derrick Henry and David Montgomery look like a great combination at running back and the tight ends with a Z at the end are great value too. Sky is the limit with this team and their middling position in the draft proved to be a huge boon for them.
2nd: The Dublin Brewers (1st in Ireland Division)
Dublin fans will have an expectency that this draft was great and that they should be a force right away. With Murray and Hurts at quarterback along with Mixon and Fournette at running back, points could be ratcheted onto the board in very quick chunks. Kyle Pitts also being expected to fly on in his second season, this could be a brilliant season with great defence and solid kicking. There will be a concern from the wide receiver position, all the more so with how everyone last season was decent, and to win they must be great.
1st: The London Steelers (1st in England Division)
The big reason why the London Steelers are considered the best team in the league is their fantastic running core of Ekeler, Jacobs and Patterson. It gets coupled up with Mark Andrews and Matthew Stafford, leaving the main bulk of the side as a tour de force in 2022. Yet it is also the little things that work, Folk and Bullock at kicker is great. Cleveland is a brilliant defensive pick. There is a huge question mark at wide receiver, and it is about who will do well with three rookies, and Odell not on a team?
There will be an update tomorrow on rosters as the first waivers get selected. Keep an eye on this space for more developments. Schedules will also be released within the next week too.
All artwork done by Althea Charlie.
