1954 AFL Draft


Round 1

1 - Detroit - RB Jesse Brown - Brooklyn College - Dr. Pepper

2 - Cleveland - WR Joey Stanikovski - Brooklyn College - Wallflower

3 - Cincinnati (from TRI) - DL J.J. Worthington - Kentucky Commonwealth - Dr. Pepper

4 - Cincinnati - LB Edgar Abney - Ohio - TheEnigmaticOne

5 - Buffalo - QB Brendan Turnbull - Brooklyn College - Darknes

6 - Chicago - DL Benjamin Walkins, Jr. - New York State - Stickman

7 - Pittsburgh - WR Ron Guy - Ohio - Kingsfan11

8 - Washington - LB Russel Bauer - Cincinnati State - DireBear


Before the draft, many had pegged Detroit to take either a RB or a WR with the first overall pick, and trading away RB Jeffery Spears during the offseason made their choice clear. The Knights selected RB Jesse Brown first overall, planning to pair him up with second-year QB Terry Kadlec to revitalize their offense. Brown showed off his immense raw talent while at Brooklyn College, being one of the fastest backs in recent memory and squeezing through holes made for him in the trenches. His attitude and known clashes with teammate Brendan Turnbull over how the offense should be run have come into question for most scouts, but Detroit believes they can coach his attitude down to be more manageable. Already with a quality QB and RB, Cleveland added to their young core by taking the only non-problematic member of the “Brooklyn Boys” with WR Joey Stanikovski. He made himself known in college as a player that could make almost any catch thrown at him. He’s able to make great plays if given the opportunity and slip through defenders if given space, but doesn’t have the speed or ability to shed off defenders. Regardless, he should make a great top option for the young QB Denzel Collingsworth. Cincinnati was going to trade away the #4 pick, but instead decided to take back-to-back with the 3rd and 4th selections, going with defense on both. They went with the top defensive option with DL JJ Worthington with the 3rd pick to improve their defensive line that needs significant improvement. Worthington is a great leader, making sure his entire team is working at 110%, while powering through offensive linemen with a steadfast attitude. Worthington should make a great addition on the line from day 1, as well as the Rivermen’s next pick in LB Edgar Abney. At 6’6”, Abney towers over the line to quickly read the offense and cause chaos once he gets past the line. His height does usually tip off what he is going to do on any given play, but he has pretty much every attribute of a starting linebacker and will slot in nicely as an #1 option. After Buffalo QB Don Melton retired this offseason, the Hammers needed a star QB, and Brendan Turnbull fell right into their laps. Able to throw both quick darts and massive shots down the sideline, Turnbull is the perfect pocket passer that Buffalo wants to develop into their definitive starter. He can be a bit of a nuisance with his temper, which he gained in college due to the command over the offense, but Buffalo hopes that his temper will be kept under check and his leadership skills excel to lead them to the championship. Chicago was hoping that Buffalo would pass on Turnbull for some reason, but instead went with their third option in DL Benjamin Walkins. Walkins blew linemen out of the water with his speed of the line and strength to knock them off their feet, and Chicago desperately needed depth on the line after retirements. While Walkins can come off as aggressive, the Hogs hope that he pairs well with young phenom DL Eric Forbes to form a defensive tandem that teams will fear for years. As Pittsburgh already had their QB of the future with O.J. DeMille, they bettered their receiving room by taking WR Ron Guy with the 7th pick. Originally a defensive back, Guy switched to receiver at Ohio at the behest of his coach, and excelled at that position throughout college. He didn’t play a full season until his senior year due to injuries, but he is ready to be a player in the fairly lackluster Shamrocks receiving room. With their offense already set up to win titles, the Federals went defensive for their first pick, selecting LB Russell Bauer with the 8th pick. Bauer was a fiery player in college, both in how he played and how he acted on the field. His sheer strength could put any player on their backs, and would frequently taunt players after crushing both their body and their mind. His antics did get him into trouble in games, serving a one-game suspension after taunting a player already down and instigating a brawl between Cincinnati State and the University of Cleveland. The Federals’ young winning culture should shape his antics into plays that they need to bring them more titles to the nation’s capital.

 


Round 2

9 - Detroit - DL Johnathan Bynum - Washington State - idm

10 - Cleveland  - OL Andreas van Alphen - Brooklyn College - Wallflower

11 - Tri-Cities - OL Dave Gill - Connecticut - DireBear

12 - Cincinnati - OL Marc Lyons - Connecticut - DireBear

13 - Buffalo - OL Jon Strickland - Lyons - DireBear

14 - Cleveland (from CHI) - LB Lloyd Motta - DireBear

15 - Pittsburgh - LB Butcher Callahan - Massachusetts State - Darknes

16 - Cleveland (from WAS) - S Aaron Enville - Calvert - Wallflower


After Detroit selected a defensive lineman with Johnathan Bynum with the 9th pick, a run on offensive linemen began, with 4 being taken in a row. Cleveland took the slipping Andreas van Alpen at 10, followed by Connecticut teammates Dave Gill and Marc Lyons to Tri-Cities and Cincinnati, respectively. Buffalo finished the run by selecting Jon Strickland from Lyons, located down the road in New Haven from Connecticut, located in Hartford. Each lineman has their own different specialties: van Alpen is more of a pass blocker, Gill is adaptable in both the running and passing game, Lyons focuses on his footwork, and Strickland has the best hands of the group. After the run, the rest of the round was all defensive, with Cleveland and Pittsburgh taking LB’s on back-to-back picks, and Cleveland made their third pick of the round by selecting S Aaron Enville for some depth behind aging backups in the secondary.


Round 3

17 - Detroit - DB Boogie Jones - Michigan - Dan O’Mac

18 - Cleveland - DL Rufus Fallon - Illinois - idm

19 - Chicago (from TRI) - QB Nathan Aldenburg - Wisconsin State - Wallflower

20 - Cincinnati - WR Harvey King - Arkansas - Dan O’Mac

21 - Buffalo - WR Harry Chilton - Chicago Christian - Wallflower

22 - Chicago - DL Ronnie Hatfield - Rockefeller - DireBear

23 - Cleveland (from PIT) - DB Bradán Clancy - Staten Island - Darknes

24 - Washington - DB Alan Small - Delaware - DireBear


After teams passed on offensive weapons in the second round in favor of other pieces, Chicago took a chance at pick 19 by selecting QB Nathan Aldenburg to potentially be the successor to Alfred Walton. Many argued that Mike Major should have been selected as the next QB, but the Hogs thought that Aldenburg’s playstyle most fitted their own offense. Aldenburg will sit his first season, but expect him in action for his second year once Walton retires next season. Buffalo and Cincinnati both selected WR’s to help with their relatively weak core for separate reasons. The Rivermen’s receiving game is still mainly focused on WR Alfred Dunn, while the Hammers needed a younger option to their aging core. Cincinnati took the speedy Harvey King to complement Dunn, and Buffalo took the reliable route runner Harry Chilton. Cleveland and Washington ended the round by strengthening their secondary, with the Crows taking the ballhawk DB Bradán Clancy and the Federals taking the towering DB Alan Small to help DB Johnthan Moon with man-to-man coverage. 

 


Round 4

25 - Detroit - RB Troy Maxey - University of the Bronx - idm

26 - Cleveland - RB Greg Dixon - Fox River College* - idm

27 - Tri-Cities - WR John Smith - Illinois State - Dan O’Mac

28 - Cincinnati - RB Neal Earnhardt - Illinois - idm

29 - Buffalo - WR Curt Speedie - Montana Tech - DireBear

30 - Chicago - OL Orson Thurman - Miami State - Stickman

31 - Pittsburgh - OL Billy Coco - Chicago Christian - Dan O’Mac

32 - Washington - QB Magomed Rasputin - Ohio - TheEnigmaticOne


The 4th round consisted of only offensive players, the first time this has happened during the short history of the draft. Detroit, Cleveland, and Cincinnati each took running backs (Troy Maxey, Greg Dixon, and Neal Earnhardt, respectively) to improve their depth at that position. Tri-Cities and Buffalo selected wide receivers (John Smith and Curt Speedie) to potentially replace their aging receivers. Chicago and Pittsburgh strengthened their offensive lines with their selections of Orson Thurman and Billy Coco. Washington was the only team to make a unique selection at a position, taking QB Magomed Rasputin to improve their QB room behind Johnnie Sellers.

Round 5

33 - Detroit - QB Mike Major - New York State - idm

34 - Cleveland - DB Sean Hamby - Tennessee - idm

35 - Tri-Cities - OL Ronald Maroon - ULA - idm

36 - Cincinnati - DB Peter Palmieri - Manhattan State - idm

37 - Buffalo - DB Howard Hyde - New Hampshire State - DireBear

38 - Detroit (from CHI) - OL Pete McDonald - Coast Guard* - idm

39 - Pittsburgh - QB Freddie Hughes - New Jersey State - DireBear

40 - Washington - DB Kent Travis - Wyoming State - DireBear


Unlike last year, this year’s 5th round probably won’t have any starters from day 1. The only other interesting option is the inclusion of New Jersey State QB Freddie Hughes at the penultimate pick, who was a late addition to the draft pool. He was going to commit to the PAFC, but realized he would be making more in the AFL and put his name in at the last possible second. He would end up getting drafted by the Shamrocks, and will be a decent addition to a QB room in flux after last year’s starter Clarence Stanley left for the PAFC. The Federals made the final selection this year, selecting DB Kent Travis from Wyoming State, the first ever player from Wyoming in the league.

 


Undrafted

TE Billy Phelps - Delaware - DireBear -> Chicago

DB Victor Wynn - Indianapolis State - idm -> Detroit

S Lance Sprint - Vermont - Wallflower -> Tri-Cities

S Tyler Knight - Chicago Christian - Dan O’Mac ->Buffalo

QB Pete Mannix - Pittsburgh State - idm -> Washington

P Alfred Smith - Central Michigan - idm -> Washington

K Duke Lake - Colorado State - idm -> Detroit

K Paul Chesterfield - Worcester State - idm -> Buffalo

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