Mock Draft [Part One]

Here is the first part--picks 1-32--of my mock draft of Quiyk's Fantasy Extravanganza. Players are listed in order of their overall pick, with round number, position and fantasy team listed below. Enjoy!

1. Asher King Abramson
R1 Position: mB Fantasy Team: A

Picking a retired beater at number one is sure to be controversial, but after thinking about this for a while, I believe that Asher King Abramson is the single most dominant player to ever play quidditch. Let me explain. Abramson doesn't have perfect fundamentals, but he commands the field and creates offense. At World Cup VI, Abramson's offensive beating turned Zach Luce from an average keeper to the best keeper in Kissimmee. Without Abramson gunning bludgers and eliminating point defenders, Luce and UCLA couldn't have ripped through two stout Southwest defenses to score 280 combined points on Baylor and Texas. I'll even argue that Abramson outplayed UT's beaters in the final, but his beating partners couldn't play at his level. So when you have a beater that boosts an offense to a whole new level while also bringing  tough defense to the table, I believe he is an almost obvious choice for the first overall pick in a fantasy draft.

2. Augustine Monroe
R1 Position: K Fantasy Team: B

3. Chris Morris
R1 Position: K/mC Fantasy Team: C

Photo by Lauren Carter

The second and third overall picks should belong to the captains of the reigning champions. Monroe and Morris built a dominant team with amazing leadership on and off the field. In addition to leadership, versatility and distributing talents make these two former teammates first round locks.

4. Stephen Bell
R1 Position: K Fantasy Team: D

5. Tony Rodriguez
R1 Position: K Fantasy Team: E

Photo by Kat Ignatova/IQA Staff

If I was going to a "Sportsman of the Year" like the Eighth Man did last year, my award would go to Rodriguez.

6. Peter Lee
R1 Position: mB Fantasy Team: F

7. Drew Wasikowski
R1 Position: mC/K Fantasy Team: G

8. Colin Capello
R1 Position: mB Fantasy Team: H

9. Vanessa Goh
R2 Position: fC Fantasy Team: H

With back-to-back picks at the end of the first round and the beginning of the second round, I started Team H a little differently than the other teams, taking a beater and a female chaser. While taking Vanessa Goh before chasers like Simon Arends and Kody Marshall might raise eyebrows, I believe she is by far the best female chaser available, especially in a fantasy team-like setting.

10. Chris Seto
R2 Position: mB Fantasy Team: G

11. Simon Arends
R2 Position: mC Fantasy Team: F

12. Brittany Ripperger
R2 Position: fB Fantasy Team: E

13. Mollie Lensing
R2 Position: fB Fantasy Team: D

Photo by Jonah Wagoner

The majority of round two should be GMs picking players of the opposite position of the player they drafted in the first round. In my mock draft, Lost Boys beater Chris Seto is paired with his THE Fantasy teammate Drew Wasikowski on team G, Simon Arends is paired with Peter Lee on team F, Brittany Ripperger is paired with Tony Rodriguez on team E, and Lone Star QC teammates Mollie Lensing and Stephen Bell join forces on team D.

14. Kody Marshall
R2 Position: mC/S Fantasy Team: C

However, some teams will pass on the security of having an elite player at each position and splurge on big names still hanging around. In addition to pairing Marshall with his Texas and LSQC teammate Chris Morris, this GM would prevent Marshall from being paired with Augie Monroe. A duo like the Golden Boy and Slipstream could put away this popular vote draft after only two rounds.

15. Andy Abayan
R2 Position: mB Fantasy Team: B

16. Zach Luce
R2 Position: K Fantasy Team: A

Photo by Kat Ignatova/IQA Staff

It'll be interesting to see where Andy Abayan and Zach Luce go. A teammate of Asher King Abramson, Abayan is also retired, but hasn't had the national exposure Abramson has had. If you go back and watch the finals of Western Cup IV it's clear that Abayan belongs in the top 20, but GMs could be tentative to take him early because of lack of name recognition compared to beaters like Jacob Adlis or Colin Capello. As I've already mentioned, Zach Luce probably belongs in the fourth or fifth round, but any GM who already has Luce's former teammate Asher King Abramson, should jump to take Luce as high as possible.

17. Remy Conatser
R3 Position: K/mC/S Fantasy Team: A

Remy Conatser is somewhat of a quidditch legend. In 10 years, when people are talking about the best athletes of the early years, everyone will be talking about the usual names [see picks 1-16] and
then someone will bring up the name Remy Conatser. In a dual point guard system with Zach Luce aided by Asher King Abramson's beating, Conatser lands on Team A at pick 17. Conatser could go anywhere in this draft. I wouldn't rule out the first round, but I also wouldn't be surprised if he lands in the seventh or eighth round.

18. Paul Williard
R3 Position: mC Fantasy Team: B

Former Baylor captain Paul Williard becomes a teammate of Texas captain Augie Monroe. The duo of Williard and Monore creates firepower as well as a lot of experience and leadership. Williard may not be thought of as a classic off-ball chaser, but he is, and paired with Monroe, Williard would be scoring at will.

19. Jacob Adlis

R3 Position: mB Fantasy Team: C

Photo by Jonah Wagoner

20. Sean Pagoada
R3 Position: U Fantasy Team: D

My first non-Southwest/West player rolls in at number 20 in the third round. Utilities like Sean Pagoada are extremely valuable and could go higher. The Florida's Finest founder is the best four-position utility available.

21. Aryan Ghoddossy
R3 Position: mC/S Fantasy Team: E

The sophomore Texas chaser stole the show at THE Fantasy Tournament winning the MPV award for his heroics with the champion Red Team. I'm building Team E around an Emerson-style 1-2-2-1 zone. Defensively, I love the combination of Ghoddossy at the point and beater Brittany Ripperger, and on offense, Ghoddossy paired with first round pick Tony Rodriguez would create a dynamic attack. Whether such a young player goes before established regional superstars from the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and Northeast waits to be seen.

22. David Demarest
R3 Position: mC/S Fantasy Team: F

23. Hope Machala
R3 Position: fB Fantasy Team: G

Hope Machala is taken in the third round to go with Chris Seto on Team G. Both beaters are known for their unbreakable focus and disciplined beating. After drafting Drew Wasikowski in round one, Team G quickly made beating a priority, drafting beaters in their next two spots. Will the mantra "beating wins fantasy tournaments" carry over to the Quiyk Fantasy Extravanganza, or will voters be too enthralled with high-powered offenses?

24. Daniel Daugherty
R3 Position: mC/K Fantasy Team: H

25. Jake Tieman
R4 Position: mC Fantasy Team: H

Photo by Kat Ignatova/IQA Staff

Entering back-to-back picks, Team H is the only team that still doesn't have a male chaser or keeper. They cover that with a big-name in Dan Daugherty and underrated Lost Boys power chaser Jake Tieman.

26. Sarah Holub
R4 Position: fC Fantasy Team: G

27. Harry Greenhouse
R4 Position: mC/S Fantasy Team: F

Harry Greenhouse is the first seeker to come off the board for Team F, but he is at 27 due to his strength, hustle and speed in the chaser game. Greenhouse forms a chaser line with similarly versatile and high-energy chasers Simon Arends (#11) and David Demarest (#22).

28. David Fox
R4 Position: K/mC Fantasy Team: E

Photo by Michael E. Mason/IQA Staff

Who better to fit into an Emerson style defensive zone than David Fox? While there may be concerns that a big keeper like David Fox would clash with a higher round keeper like Team E's Tony Rodriguez, I believe that Fox could fit in nicely to this team. In a two-keeper system, Fox adds physicality in the keeper zone and is certainly a weapon on offense.

29. Brandon Scapa
R4 Position: U Fantasy Team: D

Here's your other big four-position utility player.

30. Melissa White
R4 Position: fC Fantasy Team: C

Photo by Monica Wheeler

31. Kedzie Teller
R4 Position: mC Fantasy Team: B

32. Kody LaBauve
R4 Position: mB Fantasy Team: A

How many teams will primarily use two male beater sets? Team A took Asher King Abramson, a player used to playing in two male beater sets, with the first pick. This reach at the end of the fourth round for retired LSU beater Kody LaBauve might not seem so much like a reach if you can imagine LaBauve and Abramson on a field together.