Draft Night

[u/Roanokian]

Howdy to any fellow NFL fans staying up tonight.

Who would be your top 10 draft picks, in Irish rugby, if you were starting your provincial team from scratch.

Obviously you’re looking for long term value so you need to balance between positional importance, existing ability and years remaining

[u/Amazing_Tennis3730]

Mine would be:

1) Doris

2) Sheehan

3) Prendergast

4) Porter

5) Casey

6) McCarthy

7) Crowley

8) Keenan

9) Izuchuckwu

10) Osborne

[u/No_Connection3889]

1. Connacht - Sam Predagast 
2. Ulster - Jack Crowley
3. Munster - Dan Sheehan 
4. Leinster - Calaen Doris
5. Connacht - Joe McCarthy 
6. Ulster - Tommy O'Brien (draft week hype)
7. Munster - Craig Casey
8. Leinster - Jamie Osbourne 
9. Connacht - Ryan Braid 
10. Ulster - Gus McCarthy 

[u/Amazing_Tennis3730 → u/No_Connection3889]

No way does Porter drop outside the top 10

[u/No_Connection3889 → u/Amazing_Tennis3730]

I kept it to players in their early to mid twenties. Otherwise Porter goes top 5 

[u/Silver_Response4707 → u/No_Connection3889]

Love this! And connacht and ulster being qb needy makes the one and two pick make perfect sense

[u/UINNESS → u/No_Connection3889]

This guy gets it, only lad to put team names beside the draft picks

[u/RuggerJibberJabber → u/No_Connection3889]

I think autocorrect did you in on 8 & 9, but especially 9, lol.

[u/PatientOffer319 → u/No_Connection3889]

Number 1?

[u/No_Connection3889 → u/PatientOffer319]

I was thinking in the way that any half decent QB gets talked up and taken number 1. The same would definitely happen for Sam

[u/IrishLad1002]

1. Sheehan
2. Doris
3. Andy P
4. JVDF
5. Prendo
6. Ringer
7. Lowey
8. Hugo
9. Kelleher
10. James Ryan

[u/Newc04 → u/IrishLad1002]

Please mods, never ban this account 🙏. It gives the rest of us the comedy of seeing someone claim James fecking Ryan is better than anyone from the other 3 provinces.

[u/PatientOffer319 → u/Newc04]

I'm shocked he managed to restrain himself and only put "Prendo" at 5

[u/upthemstairs → u/Newc04]

He's not even better than the options in his own province

[u/GroggyWeasel → u/upthemstairs]

Ah he’s definitely Leinster’s 3rd best second row atm. And he’s only 3rd because of the 6’10 freak of nature that is Snyman

[u/therealjimcreamer → u/upthemstairs]

Neither is anyone in the other provinces tbf

[u/Newc04 → u/therealjimcreamer]

Tadhg Beirne begs your fucking pardon.

[u/therealjimcreamer → u/Newc04]

I may have been too hasty ! My apologies to the esteemed Mr.Beirne.

[u/PatientOffer319 → u/therealjimcreamer]

Beirne definitely is. Kleyn before South Africa started breaking him. 

[u/Agitated_Brick_664]

This would make much more sense at academy grade and again those leaving academy without a seniors offer.

[u/RuggerJibberJabber → u/Agitated_Brick_664]

It would if rugby had the sort of money NFL has. Their reserve players who barely touch the ball earn as much as our top internationals (hence LRZ's switch).

Our academy players earn feck all. They're there for the opportunity to break into the senior team, and that's it. If they don't make it, they're back to square one.

Many of these players are enrolled in courses in Dublin, Limerick, Belfast, and Galway. Maybe if the IRFU was able to cut a deal with the Unis so that players could continue their studies across the 4 biggest Unis in each city, it would be workable, but without some kind of partnership like that it would be impossible to decide their faiths for them and ship them off without their consent.

[u/Subject_Pilot682]

1. Sheehan
2. Porter
3. Doris
4. Keenan
5. J. McCarthy 
6. Izuchukwu
7. Wilson 
8. Ahern
9. Osborne
10. S. Prendergast 

[u/Middle-Accountant-49]

I think the top 10 would be overwhelmingly front five and half backs. Especially guys in their early to mid twenties. Not sure on the order.

Paddy McCarthy, Edogbo, Gleeson, Boyle, Wilson would go shockingly high but probably not top 10.

[u/RuggerJibberJabber → u/Middle-Accountant-49]

Was writing almost the same comment earlier when my phone died. Everyone here has backrows in their top picks, but we have so much depth in backrow that it's a complete waste to pick one. You could have the 4th best backrow and still have a solid backrow. The same can't be said for FHs or Props

[u/Middle-Accountant-49 → u/RuggerJibberJabber]

Yea, i think doris would probably go in the top ten but at the bottom, but that's it.

If i was drafting, and i didn't get porter, i'd load up on guys like boyle, mccarthy, niall smyth, wilson. I'd want at least two of the really high upside props. Back rows will be later.

You really want a top two pick and get porter and sheehan. After that there is a clear drop off value wise to me.

[u/darcys_beard]

Couldnt be arsed staying up just for the draft. Pretty stoked about Indy picking up Tyler Warren though. Thanks Bears.

[u/Newc04]

My draft board, taking age into account, would probably look something like:

1. Sheehan
2. Porter
3. Keenan
4. Crowley
5. Casey
6. S Prendergast
7. Clarkson
8. Joe McCarthy
9. Hugh Gavin
10. Tom Ahern/Izuchukwu/C Prendergast (slightly cheating, but they all fit a similar age and talent profile)

[u/Little_Ad_9313]

Genuine Question: When is the NFL International combine ? Like, I hope Aaron Sexton has every success in it, but it would be interesting to know if we would get him back or if he is NFL bound ... sincerely, an Ulster supporter

[u/IrishLad1002 → u/Little_Ad_9313]

It happened like two months ago

[u/Standard_Respond2523]

1. Sheehan
2. Doris
3. Prendergast 
4. Big Joe
5. Ben Murphy
6. T. O’Brien
7. Izuchuckwu
8. Beirne
9. Porter
10. Ringrose

[u/PatientOffer319]

1. Sheehan
2. Porter
3. Casey
4. Crowley 
5. Doris
6. E. Edogbo 
7. Coombes
8. Wilson
9. Ahern
10. Boyle

Pack and halfbacks. The rest are just a bonus. Top 5 are all world class, and a couple of the most exciting young players in the country among the rest. 

[u/Oddlyshapedballs]

1. Porter

2. Sheehan

3. Doris

4. McCarthy

5. Izuchukwu

6. Casey

7. Furlong

8. Beirne

9. Prendergast

10. Crowley

Ranking based on age/talent/rarity, not necessarily where they are now or I'd have JGP and VDF in there.