Season 20 CSFL Pro Draft Scouting Tiers

By: Cole Mantell (@lightningdragon)

The third edition of the CFSL Pro Draft is almost upon us. Once again I have taken this opportunity to look back at some great CFSL players. Their careers might be over, but it’s time to celebrate them one last time. This season, 16 teams will draft over 7 rounds for 112 CFSL players to be picked. I’ll give a scouting report for all 112 players, from Tier 1 to Tier 4. It’s the same tier list as last season for those familiar. This is the tier list for our newer readers:

Not every position will have someone from each tier. Nor will each tier be completely representative of the talent a player showed. For example, there are 26 eligible wide receivers in this draft. Even if many of them might be a possible first round talent, I have to cut the tier off somewhere. Still, there are certainly going to be differences in how I think versus every other GM. I’ll take into account past draft preferences, and it plays a small factor in these tier rankings. So without further ado, let’s begin.

Quarterback

Tier 1: Beau Dale, Greg Cooksey

Tier 2: N/A

Tier 3: Andrei Belov

Tier 4: N/A

Let’s start with maybe the most interesting position group in this draft. After 11 QBs were available last season, we only have three in a much smaller class this time around. No doubt this is a weak class compared to Season 19. For the record, if all three QBs were in last season’s class, I would have both Cooksey and Belov pushed down one-tier. There were so many great QBs last season, I think even Beau Dale’s passing touchdown record he earned this season wouldn’t make him the first drafted QB last season.

Still, that isn’t a slight for these three guys. Dale as mentioned was the best touchdown passer ever. Cooksey rode a monster senior season to lead his Wolverines to the Final Four. And while Belov won’t be graded as high, he still was able to crack 3000 passing yards and 23 passing touchdowns in his junior season at Pittsburgh. Teams who need QBs will push these three up higher, and I’d expect Beau Dale in particular to go early, potentially as #1 overall. But he isn’t the only guy in the running for that spot.

Halfback

Tier 1: Tyrone Blake

Tier 2: Nick Cal, Braxton McFadden, Chef Wyatt

Tier 3: Christian Davis, Tyler Johnson

Tier 4: Bucko Bonds, Linwood Faulk III

Similar to QB, Halfback is a position with much less depth this season than last season. Tyrone Blake is the only surefire first-rounder of the group, winning All-American at HB in Season 20. He is the only one of the eight in the group with an All-American at all. He will be pushed up the board due to the relative lack of talent in the group compared to last season.

Beyond Blake the trio of Nick Cal, Braxton McFadden, and Chef Wyatt all provide great talent. McFadden in particular had over 700 rushing yards in his senior season at Notre Dame. Tyler Johnson could be another dark horse pick, putting up over 600 rushing yards in his senior season at Clemson as well.

Wide Receiver

Tier 1: Wren Chucci, Ryan Hall, JJ Lang, Gavin Lussier, Logan Wetzel

Tier 2: Josiah Baker, Joshua Campbell, Duke Dawkins, Cait Graziano, Jeff Frey, Shaud Sanders, Nathaniel Thomas, Thompson Thunder, Cooper Wiersema

Tier 3: Andrew Byrd, Matt Cavitt, Dareon Hall, Billi Hendrix, Aaron Kellogg Jr., Jacob Perkins, Nate Schnier

Tier 4: Zach Bennett, Kayvon Bibbins, Christopher Gentry, BrySon Homan, Demetrious Jenkins

While not quite as large as the historic class of 31 last season, wide receiver is nearly as stacked this season as well with 26 total guys and multiple first-round talents. Wide Receiver is probably the deepest position group in this class, and it is led by five guys who all have special talents in different ways. Wren Chucci, Ryan Hall, JJ Lang, Gavin Lussier, and Logan Wetzel all have been top options on teams at some points in their careers, with the five likely all first-round picks.

Tight End

Tier 1: Jordan Tank

Tier 2: N/A

Tier 3: Tom Creedon, Zay Ryan, Hunter Scheuren, Justin Sharpless, Barrett Steele

Tier 4: David Doukas, Connor Martin, Zavy Thomas

To be honest, tight end was incredibly hard to judge this season. Jordan Tank, eternally underrated, leads the pack as a first-round lock. Then there are the five guys in Tier 3. I know at least one will be picked in the Tier 2 range of the 2nd or 3rd round. But none had careers that truly stood out.

Take Tom Creedon for example. He is #2 in this class behind Jordan Tank in terms of career-receiving yards. He was consistent but never had over 400 receiving yards in a season. He played in 32 career games for NIU and Syracuse and went without scoring a touchdown in 31. His only game with a touchdown was Week 3 of his senior season, with two against Clemson. Not to throw shade, but it was a similar story for all five of these Tier 3 guys, hence the ratings. However, in terms of late-round gems, all eight of these guys provide value later in this draft.

Defensive Line

Tier 1: Autrie Fendall, Brayden Freeman, Marvin Johnson, Ryan Windley

Tier 2: Jimbo Culvert, Bronco Dukes, Plano Greene, Jacob Hammer, Bethany Moreland, John August Smith, Dior Washington

Tier 3: Niklas Brown, Daniel Ciarcia, Archer Fox, David Goldsmith, Prince Nicolas, Alberto Smalls, Brantford Winston

Tier 4: Duck DeLeon, Kyle Jones, Alex Kawczynski, Shawn Malone

It’s another deep class in the trenches as well. Brayden Freeman leads the class in tackles and is my only 1st round-graded DT. Autrie Fendall was an All-American, joining Marvin Johnson and Ryan Windley as my three Tier 1 DEs.

Behind those four are at least a dozen quality options. Names like Bronco Dukes, Plano Greene, and Bethany Moreland struck me as later-round possible gems. There were only four Tier 4 grades in this class, and it indicates the talent available. I could see a lot of these players being gone by Pick 100. Get them while you can, GMs.

Linebacker

Tier 1: Jackson Bando, Bishop Guerrero, Gaff Hudson, Joe Mac

Tier 2: Ajani Abu, Zeus Banks, Danny Ringer, Brody Rockmore

Tier 3: Biff Beardsley, Jake James

Tier 4: Mickey Arnold

Linebacker seems to be a bit of an opposite to this season’s Tight End class. There is a lot of depth near the top and almost none after Tier 2. To be clear, I don’t expect the four of Bando, Guerrero, Hudson, or Mac to compete for a Top 5 pick. All four were excellent, but none dominated the class. However, from say Pick 6 to Pick 40 in the third round, I could see all eight linebackers in the 1st and 2nd tiers drafted.

There is not as big of a gap as you think from this group. Bishop Guerrero, with his 243 career tackles and 74 tackles in his senior season, probably is the first linebacker taken. Ajani Abu, a solid Tier 2 linebacker, may have had only 157 career tackles. But he also had a 74 tackle season as well, albeit in his freshman season at Oregon. But past Round 3, I only project three linebackers to be available. It is shaping up to be a feeding frenzy at this position, and a story to watch as the draft goes on.

Cornerback

Tier 1: Jordan Holt

Tier 2: Josh Hess, Cash Johnson, Ganny Smith, Jaxson Vernal, Arthur Wilson

Tier 3: Gabi Blanco, Joshua Mcginnis, Ryzen Rodriguez, Craig Smith, Willie Walker III

Tier 4: Dee Clay, Royce Gaudin, Angelo Perez, Trenton Steele, Cory Tomlinson

Jordan Holt is the leader of this class, no doubt. An All-American on the Season 20 National Champion USC Trojans, Holt leads the class in interceptions with 19. That includes an incredible 9 in his senior season, more than anyone in Tier 3 or below had in their entire career. If I had to choose any defensive player to go #1 overall, my guess would be Holt.

Behind him are the five guys in Tier 2. My guess is none go in the 1st Round, but if I had to choose, I think Ganny Smith has the best chance. She is 2nd in the class with 14 career interceptions, including six in her senior season at Georgia. Moving down the list, there is a bunch of depth available too. Someone like Gabi Blanco or Ryzen Rodriguez might be ranked a tier too low here, for instance. No matter what round, there will be quality available at this position this season.

Safety

Tier 1: Jamal Davis

Tier 2: Sasha Belov, JoDeci Billups, Daniel Bingham, Chet Owens

Tier 3: Alex Abernathy, Tanya Brown, Willie Davis, Carlos De Leon, Demetrius James III, Tatum Quirk, Sean Tee

Tier 4: Jackson Harrison, Joey McCue, Tyler McKnight

This position group was the hardest to grade this season. It all starts at the top. Do any of Sasha Belov, Jamal Davis, or Chet Owens deserve to be a 1st Rounder? In a draft with 16 draft picks per round? If you’ve been following along, I’ve given out 19 Tier 1 grades which equal the 1st Round. I usually give a few more 1st round grades than picks, as I know opinions will differ around the league and I’m grading on talent, not likelihood someone will be a 1st Rounder.

Still, this one was tough. I almost had zero Tier 1 safeties this season. I put Jamal Davis in as a late 1st round grade for two reasons. First, he was Defensive Player of the Year in Season 19. Second, I think his talent can bounce back. Davis had a down year in his senior season, hurting his draft stock. But beyond the first round, I think all three of Belov, Owens, and Davis will provide excellent value. Beyond Round 1, much like CBs there is plenty of talent later on. It’s all about finding that value, and I think GMs will be happy as the draft goes on at this position group. So keep an eye on this grouping and where they may go.

Kicker

Tier 1: N/A

Tier 2: N/A

Tier 3: N/A

Tier 4: Ship Harris, Preston Legg

Not too much to write home about here. Only two kickers are eligible in this season’s draft, and both grade out as league-average kickers. I’m sure some joker will take a kicker in Round 3 to have some fun with me, but that’s on them.

Congrats to all of the seniors, including Harris and Legg, on graduating into the draft. But other than that I don’t have too much more to report on this group of kickers this season.