2022-06-12, 12:59 PM - Word count:
We're a couple weeks into the S4 season now, and the shape of the recent draft is starting to take shape. This was the largest draft class since the inaugural draft, and it actually almost matched the S1 class in size. This big ones to look at of course were the two newest expansion teams, as they both tried to load up and build the direction of their team.
Accra loaded up on first round picks from the expansion draft, and they tried to build their team with high end prospect talent from the draft. That approach so far hasn't been rock solid - their picks of Rigmarole and Selich were stellar, but the rest of their picks aren't looking exceptionally hot. 1st rounders Llewellyn & Kemoeatu still show promise, but there's a number of other players who were kicking around at the time that show some more promise. Their choice of going for goalkeeper Laraque may prove to be the wrong choice, as Elmis the Heretic looks to have been the better option in the draft (peep my mock draft... I had Heretic as the #1 goalkeeper, going in the 1st round).
Paris on the other hand, largely stuck with their own picks. And they found the value at every single one of them. All 5 of Paris's S4 draft picks are currently in the top 10 in TPE. 2 players drafted in the 2nd round, and 2 more drafted in the 3rd round. That kind of late round success has really put Paris in a position to be a bit of a surprise so far this season. They didn't have to sacrifice talent or picks to get multiple high end picks, smart prospect scouting and good expansion drafting meant they could field a pretty solid team out of the gate without sacrificing future pieces. Mac Allister at 2nd overall is the only player for Paris who was drafted ahead of their current TPE rank (Mac is 5th in TPE). Oak and Cortez were high end prospects going into the draft, and both fell into the 2nd round where Paris didn't hesitate to snag 2 top 10 talents. Paris is 3-1-3 so far this season, tied with Hollywood and Inter London for 5th in the league table.
I also want to give props to Montreal for recognizing Manny Calavera's talent, as they snagged him at 38th(!!!) overall, and he is just outside the top 10 in TPE right now at 13th.
Accra loaded up on first round picks from the expansion draft, and they tried to build their team with high end prospect talent from the draft. That approach so far hasn't been rock solid - their picks of Rigmarole and Selich were stellar, but the rest of their picks aren't looking exceptionally hot. 1st rounders Llewellyn & Kemoeatu still show promise, but there's a number of other players who were kicking around at the time that show some more promise. Their choice of going for goalkeeper Laraque may prove to be the wrong choice, as Elmis the Heretic looks to have been the better option in the draft (peep my mock draft... I had Heretic as the #1 goalkeeper, going in the 1st round).
Paris on the other hand, largely stuck with their own picks. And they found the value at every single one of them. All 5 of Paris's S4 draft picks are currently in the top 10 in TPE. 2 players drafted in the 2nd round, and 2 more drafted in the 3rd round. That kind of late round success has really put Paris in a position to be a bit of a surprise so far this season. They didn't have to sacrifice talent or picks to get multiple high end picks, smart prospect scouting and good expansion drafting meant they could field a pretty solid team out of the gate without sacrificing future pieces. Mac Allister at 2nd overall is the only player for Paris who was drafted ahead of their current TPE rank (Mac is 5th in TPE). Oak and Cortez were high end prospects going into the draft, and both fell into the 2nd round where Paris didn't hesitate to snag 2 top 10 talents. Paris is 3-1-3 so far this season, tied with Hollywood and Inter London for 5th in the league table.
I also want to give props to Montreal for recognizing Manny Calavera's talent, as they snagged him at 38th(!!!) overall, and he is just outside the top 10 in TPE right now at 13th.
<div align="center"><img src='https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/574442303226380290/975483192838598706/CortezSig.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' /></div><br><br><div align=center><SELECT style="background-color:#004170; color:#da291c; font-family:Arial; font-size: 12px; width: 400px; "><br><OPTION>Isabela Cortez || RM || AS Paris <br><OPTION>Height: 5'5"<br><OPTION>Weight: 140 lbs<br><OPTION>Birthplace: London, ON, Canada<br><OPTION>Number: 9<br></select><br><br><span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'><div align="center"><a href='https://www.twitch.tv/symmetrikal' rel='nofollow noopener' target='_blank'>https://www.twitch.tv/symmetrikal</a></div></span>
