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The NFL Draft is only two weeks away, and we haven’t seen an official Zacalytics rookie draft in about a month. Not much intel has surfaced across Sixth City; this is typically a quiet period in the offseason, with the MLB season beginning and the NBA playoffs around the corner. But it’s never a bad time to re-assess how the first round might shake out.

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Newfoundland has been tight lipped about their intentions at the top of the draft, but perhaps Mendoza is a good fit. Blowers brass may not be high on the Hoosiers QB, but they can’t deny their need under center. Mayfield is a strong first option, but they need an alternative besides Brissett to carry the weight over the next number of years.

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Jeremiyah Love is an explosive runner whose game is well suited to the NFL, and the Mounties are in desperate need of a lead back. It’s unclear if Love will indeed be passed up by Newfoundland at 1.01, but surely Vancouver is holding their breath to see him drop to 2nd overall.

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The Railfans appear to be making a push to compete in 2026 after back-to-back years in the doldrums. They’ve made some strong additions so far this offseason, and they’ll also enjoy a top-three pick in this draft. Choccolocco is probably set in the backfield with Jacobs, Brown, and Hampton, so a WR like Tate would slot in as a strong second option behind the newly-acquired Egbuka.

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Iqaluit probably has needs in multiple places, particularly as star players like Saquon and Kelce continue to age. But Alec Pierce is, according to the Colts, a top-six receiver in the NFL, so perhaps the Trout will rely on him to lead their WR room in 2026 and beyond. If that’s the case, Jonah Coleman may be the pick to slot in as a RB2 this coming season and ideally a RB1 when Saquon finally hangs it up.

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The previous mock had Jordyn Tyson landing in Queensland, but the Sharks would probably prefer to see Lemon on the board for them. Tyson has some serious injury history, while Lemon is projected to be a higher-floor option at WR. Lemon could become Gold Coast’s primary receiver, ahead of the likes of Courtland Sutton and Parker Washington, so long as he becomes a viable NFL force.

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Mississauga’s lineup is starting to become quite stale, with guys like Gainwell, Njoku, and Keon Coleman shedding value in dynasty formats. The 6th overall pick is not going to be quite early enough to land them a bona fide difference maker, but conventional wisdom would have them entering this full-scale rebuild with a wide receiver. As long as he’s healthy, Tyson can be a blue-chip piece for the Mastodons.

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Fresh off the most successful season in Sarnia’s history, the SeaSnakes will be looking for ways to further boost their potent offense and make another push towards a championship. They are certainly set at QB with Allen and Hurts; they are quite probably set at WR with London and Odunze; so making the luxury pick at RB makes sense enough here. Jadarian Price will have a chance to prove he’s a lead back in the NFL after working behind Jeremiyah Love.

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This is a mock trade between NNY and LOW, where the Benders trade out of this pick and tack on a 2027-1st to acquire De’Von Achane. With no sure thing at RB available here, the Benders are better off pulling the trigger on an elite asset like Achane to complete their roster overhaul. Meanwhile, Lower City adds a young receiver to the roster as a long-term plan after Davante and McLaurin age out of fantasy prominence.

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In addition to an aging wide receiver room, Lower City is faced with an aging tight end room. Davis Allen is currently the youngest TE in Connecticut, and he’s not likely to make a difference any time soon. Bringing in a talent like Kenyon Sadiq could immediately give the Lasercats a new level of pop at a premium position.

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It’s easy to envision Sarnia double-dipping at RB, as most of their shortcomings in 2025 stemmed from the ground game. Drafting another rookie runner alongside Price allows the SeaSnakes to hedge their bets; if one doesn’t quite hit right away, the Eels have a backup option. And surely they won’t BOTH be busts, right?

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To round out their trio of picks in the first round, the Cats may pounce on the chance to draft the potential heir apparent for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Lower City made Will Howard Mr. Irrelevant in 2025, but it’s far from certain that he’ll become a starter in the NFL. Ty Simpson is no sure bet either, but with the right developmental track he may just be ready to take the reins as Stafford nears retirement.

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The Railfans were able to snag Carnell Tate at the top of the first, addressing a weak receiver room, but the way the board has fallen they’re likely not able to add top talent to a QB room that really needs help too. Instead, they may opt to double dip at WR with a player like Boston in order to add depth if any of DK, QJ, or Franklin starts to falter.

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Down here past the top 12, there’s not a ton of immediate opportunity. But Choccolocco, having addressed the wide receiver room, may look towards their thin TE room. Mark Andrews is getting no younger, and who knows what Charlie Kolar can be. Eli Stowers projects as the second TE of the class, and he can be solid depth at least, and a future starter for the Railfans at best.

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If Newfoundland picks Tate way back at the 1.01, they’ll need to go hunting for a RB in the back of the first. Etienne and Dowdle may be serviceable in their new homes in 2026, but they probably aren’t enough to go toe-to-toe with the likes of Bijan and Jeanty within the SCC. Who knows what Mike Washington will be in the NFL, but at least the Blowers can say they gave it a try.

In 2026, five new Bowl Games will be established. After introducing Bowl Games in the 2024 season, franchise pairings have been reworked to emphasize relationships between owners, rather than geographic or historical significance. These new Bowl Games will activate another level of competition and fierceness across the league.

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The Blowers and Islanders have been officially meeting in the Atlantic Bowl since 2024. They represent provinces separated by the frigid water and wind-swept coasts of the Gulf of St Lawrence. PEI has been a consistent HCC presence, with five playoff appearances in five seasons, and most recently a championship appearance; NFD has had their ups and downs, from a dismal 1-13 season to becoming a Cinderella team in two different postseasons, and are always a thrill to follow.

Two formal Atlantic Bowls have been played; the former Pokémon Omega Judge Judy (now PEI) won the inaugural game in 2024, while Newfoundland exacted revenge in 2025. However, their all-time head-to-head history favors the Islanders by a count of 5 wins to 1. Their first meeting was in Week 2 of the 2021 season, while their most recent meeting was in the playoff semifinals of the 2025 campaign. Prince Edward Island would win that game to advance to their first-ever championship game.

These two franchises are all too familiar with one another, even though they compete across conferences and even though the games tend to end in the same way most years. Even despite this, though, ownership in Newfoundland and Prince Edward Island have a mutual respect and a mutual competitiveness that they bring to every Atlantic Bowl.

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The Railfans and Trout have been formally competing in the Blue-Collar Classic since 2024. The two organizations are united by a working-class ethos: Iqaluit toils on the fishing docks in the extreme north; Choccolocco (Alabama) grinds away on the railroad tracks in the deep south. Both franchises represent proud industrial heritages; both franchises have moments of success in the HCC; and both franchises are trying to claw their way back to an ever-elusive former glory.

Two official Blue-Collar Classics have been held, with the record split at 1 win apiece. However, across five total meetings, Choccolocco has won four since 2021. The Trout’s sole victory was in 2024, Week 14, to close the regular season and put an exclamation point on Iqaluit’s sensational 11-3 season and postseason 1-seed.

These two owners share history that extends well beyond the inception of Sixth City Dynasty, making this Bowl Game rich with narratives and always exciting to watch.

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The Atom Bowl is the first of five Bowl Games being established in 2026. It features two premier franchises in the HCC and in Sixth City as a whole: the perennial contender Winnipeg Wranglers, and the two-time champion Bikini Bottom Stars. The game gets its name from the shared nuclear history of the two regions: the Stars’ home of Bikini Atoll is one of the most famous sites of nuclear testing during the Cold War, while Winnipeg was once home to one of the biggest nuclear testing laboratories in Canada.

The Stars and Wranglers have matched up a total of seven times in five seasons, with the all-time record tilting 5-2 to Bikini Bottom. Two of these meetings have occurred in the playoffs, with Winnipeg triumphing in 2022 en route to their championship and Bikini Bottom taking the win in 2023 en route to their championship. In short, the games between these two have always carried such significance, and the results of these games have always shaped the landscape of the league.

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The Cascade Cup is new in 2026 and will feature the former rivals in Mississauga and Lower City. The Cup itself takes its name from the waterfalls common to each team’s region. The Bowl Game programming acknowledges how these franchises can often be overlooked, both in the scope of Sixth City and in their geographical regions at large. Mississauga lives in the shadow of a larger Canadian metro, and Lower City remains permanently overlooked in the small state of Connecticut.

Three total matches have been played between these franchises since Lower City was established in 2024; and the Lasercats have taken all three of them. Extending the historical results out to include the Calgary Cocks, LOW’s former identity, yields three wins to Mississauga and two to the former Cocks.

These two HCC competitors share plenty of common ground, from their underdog mentalities to their waterfall backdrops and through the rivalry between the owners themselves. If the Atom Bowl shapes the narrative at the top of the conference, the Cascade Cup is sure to dictate how everybody else in the HCC will shake out.

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The Dominion Classic is a new Bowl Game established in 2026, named for the formal “Dominion of Canada” and representing the cross-country rivalry between two of the nation’s greatest cities. This all-SCC affair carries considerable symbolic weight: Vancouver represents the old guard of the conference, while Toronto embodies a new era of SCC dominance.

The all-time record between these franchises tells this very same story. From 2021 through 2023, Vancouver was dominant, winning all four matchups against Toronto. However, since the Hogs ascended in 2024, they have taken both meetings, signaling a changing of the guard at the top of the conference. The Dominion Classic will serve as the ultimate test of whether Toronto’s ascent is sustainable, and whether Vancouver can return to its long-lost glory.

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The Gateway Cup, debuting in 2026, is named for the geographical significance each city holds as a gateway to its respective region: Thunder Bay is the natural gateway to western Canada, and Gold Coast is the gateway to the wonders of the Great Barrier Reef. These two SCC franchises have both tasted success but have too often seen their aspirations thwarted on the biggest stages.

While Thunder Bay has been the more consistently successful franchise across Sixth City history, the all-time series belongs to Gold Coast, who leads 4-2 in head-to-head play. The Gateway Cup will be a proving ground for both teams, and a chance for either to cement their claim as a genuine contender rather than a team that merely flirts with relevance.

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The Animation Altercation is a new 2026 Bowl Game, and it is the only matchup pairing two adopted franchises. Both teams are rooted in animated fictional universes. The SeaSnakes refer to a more obscure yet beloved moment in the world of SpongeBob, while New New York overtly draws from Futurama’s 31st-century world. The Bowl Game name is inspired by Fox’s legendary ‘Animation Domination’ Sunday block, and the matchup itself gives two familiar foes a spotlight at the highest level.

Since 2024, when both franchises arrived in their current forms, Sarnia has dominated decisively, taking both matchups. However, when reviewing the full history, including their former identities, the story shifts: the Montreal-Sarnia line leads the all-time series against the Saskatoon-New New York line by a score of 5-2. The Animation Altercation will give the Benders a chance to find their footing in a rivalry both unconventional and familiar.

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