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| Joseph Totten, LB, Boston Breakers |
The Boston Breakers hope the third time is a charm.
Boston has owned the first overall draft pick each of the last three seasons. In 1980, they took CB Charles Bowles, who has intercepted nine passes in his two pro seasons and been nominated for Rookie of the Year and All-Pro. In 1981, they had less luck with WR Joseph Clark, whose overall rating dropped 4 points and only played in two games, catching one pass.
This time around, the Breakers took MLB Joseph Totten from Clemson. He has an 83 default ceiling and only 14 volatility, so Totten was certainly a pretty safe pick. With 99 run defense and 93 tackle ability, there will be fewer yards available up the gut for Boston's opponents.
The Florida Blazers, with the second overall pick, selected WLB James Barger. He can excel at all three LB positions plus FS and SS and has great coverage numbers (97 and 88), so Barger is likely to anchor the Blazers defense for many seasons to come.
The third pick went to San Jose. The SaberCats chose LT Brian Woodbury, another low-risk, high-reward selection (87 OVR, 14 VOL) who could be a 12-year starter.
Four teams had two first-round picks:
- Tampa Bay (CB Greg Smith, RDE Eric Rodriquez)
- Charlotte (RB Nathan Fogle, SS Michael Abdullah)
- Denver (FS William Willingham, SLB Julian Dejesus)
- Southern California (WR James Wise, WLB Roderick Vanbrunt)
The Los Angeles Express took a big risk at No. 8 with 70-vol QB Kenneth Hernandez. Charlotte's Fogle was a 68 vol at No. 12 and Michigan went with 82-vol CB Timothy Hunziker at No. 13. The highest-vol pick in the first round was Tampa Bay's Rodriquez (98) at No. 32.
The draft concludes Wednesday at 7 p.m. Eastern Time. Two rounds of late free agency are followed by training camp and the preseason games.
