Farm System Rankings

Okay, I’m going to bring up a touchy subject for some– Major League Baseball. I was born and raised a Cardinals fan and I just can’t quit them. Having said that, I must admit, they have made it hard to be a fan lately. Growing up, I got to experience some of the golden years of Cardinals baseball during the ‘00s-early ‘10s. Being a Cardinals fan in the present day is much more difficult. I attribute most of that to our now former GM John Mozeliak or “Mo”. Mo was notorious for producing fringe playoff-level teams, but never being willing to make the big trade splash or trade away the stars to get younger. This developed an endless cycle of pain up until his departure last year. 

Our new GM, Chaim Bloom, came into his role this year and was upfront with Cardinals fans in saying that the process of becoming a contender again was going to take time. His biggest priority was something that is crucial in Major League Baseball– strengthening the farm system. Under Mo’s leadership, the Cardinals were consistently neglecting this. As long as I can remember, I had tracked farm system rankings by MLB Pipeline, and I was always disappointed to find the Cardinals ranked around 20. In Bloom’s first year at the helm, The Cardinals jumped all the way from 18th to as high as 2nd (Now 4th). The struggles of the current St. Louis Cardinals are obvious, but as a fan, I believe most of us are very content with Bloom’s approach. In a losing season, I can still be excited about the prospects of Cardinals baseball. If I’m lucky, my boys will get to experience the joys of October baseball soon.

As an FCS owner, I feel eerily similar. The Rippers suck, but the beautiful thing about this league is that we have the ability to build for the future. That starts with a farm system. I define farm systems as draft picks and any players that are on their first FCS rookie year contract (rookies and rookie tagged players). With that information, I’m going to give you my own version of MLB Pipeline farm system rankings– FCS style.

TIER I- ELITE

This is the tier a rebuilding team strives to be in. The three teams in this tier were difficult to rank because, while all elite, each team has their own strengths and drawbacks. Despite this, these are the teams set up to lead the league for the next era of the FCS.

1. LRC

-TreVeyon Henderson (Tag)

-Jeremiyah Love

-Jordyn Tyson

-De’Zhaun Stribling

-Omar Cooper Jr.

-Fernando Mendoza

-27 LRC 1RP (Projected Lottery Pick)

-27 BER 1RP

-27 CHA 1RP

-28 REN 1RP

-29 DCA 1RP

-27 REN 2RP

-27 TCB 2RP

-29 POR 2RP

Little Rock has a beautiful collection of current young studs highlighted by Jeremiah Love and Jordan Tyson. While Love has underperformed and Tyson hasn’t been healthy in their rookie years, the duo projects well long term. Stribling, Cooper, and Mendoza are also not dead. In addition to the rookies, the Caps collection of picks really stick out. In particular the quantity (8 picks). The lone drawback is that Little Rock only has one projected lottery pick in the loaded 2027 class and one first rounder for 2028

2. REN

-Tyler Warren (Tag)

-Tre Harris (Tag)

-Kenyon Sadiq

-Germie Bernard

-Ja’Kobi Lane

-Mike Washington

-Kaytron Allen

-CJ Donaldson

-27 DCA 1RP (Projected Lottery Pick)

-28 NAS 1RP

-29 REN 1RP

-29 LRC 1RP

-28 REN 2RP

-28 LRC 2RP

-28 TCB 2RP

-29 REN 2RP

-29 LRC 2RP

The Reno farm system just got stronger. The Cutthroats are the only team in the league with two tagged players in Tyler Warren and Tre Harris. Warren is probably worth extending. Sadiq still has the makings of a franchise TE. Current rookies Bernard and Lane have shown flashes, but neither are sure fire bets at the given moment. They have a large quantity of picks, including a newly acquired crown jewel in a projected lottery pick in 2027. The Cutthroats also boast a first rounder in 2028 and two first rounders in 2029.

3. POR

-Carnell Tate

-Makai Lemon

-Nicholas Singleton

-Brenen Thompson

-27 NAS 1RP (Projected Lottery Pick)

-27 NOR 1RP (Projected Lottery Pick)

-28 DCA 1RP

-28 BER 1RP

-29 POR 1RP

While Portland’s Farm System is considerably lower in quantity than Little Rock’s and Reno’s, they make up for it in quality. Their current rookies are led by ROY candidate Carnell Tate. Makai Lemon, while disappointing this year, is also notable and still possesses upside to grow into a meaningful fantasy role in the future. The Rippers have two projected lottery picks in this upcoming rookie draft as well as two in the 2028 class that also is highly touted. The lack of quantity may also be due to the fact that they do not currently have a 2nd round pick in their arsenal for the next three years.

TIER II- GREAT

This Tier is dedicated to teams that have the structure of a healthy farm system, but may be a tad behind the elite teams. Teams in this tier may lack the star power or draft pick equity to be considered elite. But make no mistake, this tier is a good place to be with hopes of contending in the not-too-distant future.

4. NOR

-Malachi Fields

-27 POR 1RP (Projected Lottery Pick)

-27 REN 1RP

-27 TCB 1RP (Projected Lottery Pick)

-28 NOR 1RP

-29 NOR 1RP

-27 NOR 2RP

-27 NAS 2RP

-27 POR 2RP

-28 NOR 2RP

-28 KEN 2RP

-29 NOR 2RP

I won’t lie. Before tonights trade, I had the Goldies in the elite tier. I still think their draft capital is elite, but it took a hit in losing a projected lottery pick in 2027. Despite that, they still have two projected lottery picks left and are in as good of a position as any franchise to make Jeremiah Smith a Goldie. The bigger issue is that they currently do not have a meaningful rookie after trading Sadiq. The draft capital still makes this farm system great, but no longer elite.

5. KEN

-Pat Bryant (Tag)

-Denzel Boston

-Kaelon Black

-Jonah Coleman

-Skyler Bell

-27 KEN 1RP

-27 TUC 1RP

-28 KEN 1RP

-28 LRC 1RP

-28 POR 1RP

-29 KEN 1RP

-27 LRC 2RP

-28 TUC 2RP

-29 KEN 2RP

The Bolters have the steal of the 2026 rookie draft in ROY candidate Denzel Boston. It’s also worth noting that Pat Bryant looked like a budding star before hitting IR. Additionally, they possess a healthy cupboard of draft picks. They currently lead the league in possessing three 2028 first round picks. The only thing keeping them from the elite tier is the quality of pieces. While they possess two first rounders in 2027, both picks project to be mid-late round selections. Even though they have promising current players, they just felt a half step behind, as far as name power, compared to some players in the elite tier. However, Kentucky is knocking on the door of making that move up.

TIER III- SOLID

Teams in this tier are where you would expect a team to be. They have a farm system with equity, but they also may not have the fire power that the first two tiers have. Teams in this tier likely have flexibility and are hopeful for the future, but may also be more focused on the current state of their rosters.

6. TCB

-Bhayshul Tuten (Tag)

-KC Concepcion

-Seth McGowan

-Ted Hurst

-28 TCB 1RP

-28 TUC 1RP

-29 TCB 1RP

-29 TUC 1RP

-29 TCB 2RP

The Boots' farm is not high in numbers, but there are some positives. They possess potentially my favorite tagged player in Bhayshul Tuten. Also, Concepcion still has life. Similar to Reno, they have no picks in the 2027 draft, but have two first rounders in the two subsequent drafts. This team is currently straddling the line of winning now and looking toward the future.

7. COL

-Jadarian Price

-Caleb Douglas

-Bryce Lance

-27 COL 1RP

-28 COL 1RP

-29 COL 1RP

-28 COL 2RP

-29 COL 2RP

Colorado's farm system is the definition of "expected",  The jury is still out Jadarian Price  They currently have all of their allotted picks for the next three years except for their 2027 2nd round pick. Retaining their 2027 first, while experiencing a great start to the 2026 season has been impressive. But being good has one drawback-- not as high of a pick. The IceCats have flexibility to sell some of the farm, or to hold, in hopes of keeping a healthy balance.

TIER IV- DEPLETED

This tier consists of teams that have farm systems that are lacking. Teams in this tier better be competing now because they will struggle to strengthen the health of their rosters in the way of youth. These rosters are likely reliant on established players and may be at least a year away from a youth rejuvenation.

8. BER

-Cam Skattebo (Tag)

-Emmett Johnson

-Eli Stowers

-29 BER 1RP

-27 BER 2RP

-27 KEN 2RP

-27 TUC 2RP

-28 BER 2RP

-28 CHA 2RP

-29 BER 2RP

The Rou's farm system has taken a hit since the 2026 season has kicked off. The reasoning, however, is sound as they try to throw their hat in the ring for an Eastern Conference Title in their inaugural year. Cam Skattebo was once looked at as a cornerstone, but has since plummeted. The hope is that it was a punishment more than a trend. Stowers can't even get on the field. They only have one first rounder in the next three years and it is in 2029. The highlight of their farm may be their three 2027 second round picks.

9. CHA

-Zachariah Branch

-Eli Rairdon

-28 CHA 1RP

-29 CHA 1RP

-27 CHA 2RP

-28 DCA 2RP

-28 NAS 2RP

-29 CHA 2RP

Charleston does not have a rookie even worth discussing. I thought the Falcons may cut Branch after two special teams blunders in week 6. They also do not have their 2027 first round selection. The saving grace is a decent portfolio of picks for 2028, but overall, the cupboard is pretty bare. 

10. DCA

-Antonio Williams

-Chris Bell

-Cyrus Allen

-27 DCA 2RP

-27 COL 2RP

-28 POR 2RP

-29 DCA 2RP

DC’s current rookies are not horrible. Both Williams and Bell have, at least, some level of excitement. However, their draft pick allotment is severely depleted. They currently do not possess a first round for the next three years.They get to make a couple of second round selections in 2027, but the upside is absent.

TIER V- EMPTY

Teams in this tier are either all-in or broken. The empty tier is dedicated to teams that need significant work in both quantity and quality of their farm systems. Teams in this tier would need to rely on current contracted players and/or RFA to field a competing team. These teams likely require a “reset” to recalibrate the long-term outlook of their franchises and are likely multiple years away from accomplishing that.

11. NAS

-29 NAS 1RP

-29 NAS 2RP

This one is pretty depressing. We're now nearly 10 years removed from Nashville’s last Victor Bowl. It's been 10 years of mediocrity. This current season’s outlook is bleak, and the future may be even more bleak. No rookies and no draft picks the next two years. A change in philosophy is long overdue, but some things never change.

12. TUC

-Jalon Daniels

-Josh Cameron

-29 TUC 2RP

Making history comes at a cost. The Javies have completely pushed their chips in on a repeat Victor Bowl. They now have two pretty meaningless rookies and only one pick in their arsenal, and it's a ‘29 second. Daniel has made it clear the plan is to get as much as he can in the way of sign and trades this offseason to replenish the farm. If he is unable to, it could be awhile before another rise to prominence.