Draft Assessment: Laurel

Laurel is probably the most intelligent player this season. She’s an Ivy League graduate, loves crossword puzzles, and has studied the game of Survivor inside and out. But like with Shirin Oskooi on Survivor: Worlds Apart, will she overthink her strategy and get herself into trouble? On the positive side, she does compare herself to Survivor: China winner Todd Herzog and Survivor: South Pacific winner Sophie Clarke, both smart, underrated players who snuck under the radar and convinced others that they were not threats. If Laurel plays a similar way, she could find herself at the end.

Bottom line: Laurel could make a great Sole Survivor pick. She could also win puzzle-based challenges. However, she needs to make sure to keep her intelligence under wraps or she could become an early target.