Here are some of my thoughts on last week's S5 NSFL Draft.
Coming into the draft, pre-update, Cameron Taylor was third in TPE for rookies. I believe Taylor was somewhere in the 210 TPE range. Far enough behind Bly Jr. and Crush that I definitely wasn't going Top 2. While 210 is an impressive TPE total pre-draft, it just so happens that most teams were pretty set at the Safety position. It also seems to be a far less impactful position during the sim in terms of stats.
I was contacted by all teams with a first round pick and not contacted by the few teams that didn't. Fair enough, most people were telling me I'd go first round, so I wasn't butthurt by SJ or PHI not contacting me. I was in contact shortly with LVL but with that whole debacle, I was unsure of where they were picking or what their priorities were. The teams that did were very awesome to talk to. All were pretty excited, but seemed to keep their cards close to their chests about if they were going to draft me or not. It was really starting to affect my Mockdraft. It seems most of the teams were set at Safety, but they were still interested in me playing CB or even at LB in coverage packages. Now I don't know if it's just customary to ask prospects if they'd agree to a position change, but most of the teams did. I responded each that the team should pay for it if they ask me to do it. Here are my thoughts:
1. If you need a corner, draft a corner. There were tons of awesome corners in this draft. I created a safety. I would like to play as a safety.
2. The position change would need to make sense in a scheme. As a safety, I won't be as big as a linebacker. So asking me to change to a blitzing OLB isn't realistic. I wouldn't want to change my height, and I probably wouldn't change my weight much. I know we are in a simulation league, but I'd prefer a hint of realism. The one change I could imagine is becoming a coverage linebacker in certain 3-4 sets like Deone Buccanon with the Cardinals. Or similar to how Mark Barron plays. Hard hitting coverage backers and don't blitz as much. So it is possible, but it would have to make sense in a scheme.
3. In my mind, if the team asks, the team should shoulder the cost. Especially since rookie contracts are pretty unsubstantial, the cost of a position change could impede progression throughout the season.
So while most of the teams asked similar questions, I did have pretty substantial conversations with the Wraiths, even during the GM turnovers, which was very impressive to me and told me they were committed to drafting me if I was available. During my Pythons locker room chats, Crush had in formed me #1, Bly Jr had to go #2, and Wachter was pretty confident at #3 to BAL. So it seemed like I was going #4. Now the bottom half of the first round was really messing with my mockdraft and it showed. I bombed it. But here are some of my thoughts from the rest of the draft.
1. Crush to the Yeti.
Duh. A++ pick
2. Bly Jr. to the Yeti.
Duh. A+. The Yeti picked up the best 2 players in the draft at impact positions on the field. Watch out for the Yeti, even as close as this year. They will be much improved.
3. Wachter to the Hawks.
Reigning DSFL player of the year and triple crown winner "falls" to number 3. Well, the Hawks offense just got a whole lot better. Wachter is versatile so he could slot in a TE in certain packages, play the slot, or play outside as a deep threat. Incredible pick and value at #3. A+
4. Cameron Taylor to the Wraiths
Right now, I'm behind some very talented safeties, so expect some time at 3rd CB or LB. Still, I'm proud I went 4th. A
5. Dean Jackson to Outlaws
Love the pick. Did their team just get ravaged by multis? Yes. Could they have chosen a CB, LB, DL who could plug a hole? Yes. Was it the best value? Probably not. Are good kickers very important to winning? Yes 100%. It's the year of the kicker. B+
6. Fletcher to the Hawks
I think the best CB in the draft, and he was drafted 6th. Great Value. Some people liked Atwell and Brister more, but Fletcher is a great shut down guy. Look at the DSFL stats in pass deflections and you'll see. A+
7. Sierra to the Otters
Great versatility and pretty good TPE earner. I believe he went DT post-draft which means OCO picked up a pretty high TPE defensive lineman. A little bit of grooming and some TPE boosts during the offseason and Sierra could fill a spot on the line in the near future. B+
8. Atwell to the Otters
Secondary was pretty deep in this years draft, so teams that needed secondary help could definitely get it. Atwell may not earn the most TPE, but is experienced with the league and knows how to get the job done. A standout DSFL corner, hopefully can make a smooth NSFL transition. B+
Other highlights:
9. Tilman to the Yeti
Great pick by the Yeti. Some had Tilman pretty high in the mocks. He's been very active in the past litle bid and has accumulated some great money and TPE gains. The Yeti picked up the best TE, the best CB, and the second best S in the draft. For a Yeti team looking for talent, they got a winner at 9. A+.
10. Brister to the Legion.
He had to go here, but man, having the best statistical CB in the DSFL fall to 10 is great value
14. O'Sullivan to the Legion
The best RB in the DSFL dropping to 14 is a travesty. It may have not been a need for many of the teams, but just having the rights to a DSFL standout in case of retirement or trade is an asset. Even just sitting as a RB2, O'Sullivan could make an impact. I was hoping the Wraiths take O'Sullivan, and when they didn't I was hoping he'd drop to the next round. Great Value. A
20. Urlacher to SJ.
Congrats to SJ for having a draft selection finally.
22. Spinelli to PHI
Congrats to PHI for having a draft selection finally.
It was a great draft, and a fun experience overall. I did want to say thank you to HO and any of the other people on this site that put the effort into the draft process that makes it interesting to keep track of, rather than just receiving a notification that you've been drafted. Everything from the Twitch stream to the live draft board was great to watch this "year". This is a long ass article so I'm going to stop now.
GRADED
Coming into the draft, pre-update, Cameron Taylor was third in TPE for rookies. I believe Taylor was somewhere in the 210 TPE range. Far enough behind Bly Jr. and Crush that I definitely wasn't going Top 2. While 210 is an impressive TPE total pre-draft, it just so happens that most teams were pretty set at the Safety position. It also seems to be a far less impactful position during the sim in terms of stats.
I was contacted by all teams with a first round pick and not contacted by the few teams that didn't. Fair enough, most people were telling me I'd go first round, so I wasn't butthurt by SJ or PHI not contacting me. I was in contact shortly with LVL but with that whole debacle, I was unsure of where they were picking or what their priorities were. The teams that did were very awesome to talk to. All were pretty excited, but seemed to keep their cards close to their chests about if they were going to draft me or not. It was really starting to affect my Mockdraft. It seems most of the teams were set at Safety, but they were still interested in me playing CB or even at LB in coverage packages. Now I don't know if it's just customary to ask prospects if they'd agree to a position change, but most of the teams did. I responded each that the team should pay for it if they ask me to do it. Here are my thoughts:
1. If you need a corner, draft a corner. There were tons of awesome corners in this draft. I created a safety. I would like to play as a safety.
2. The position change would need to make sense in a scheme. As a safety, I won't be as big as a linebacker. So asking me to change to a blitzing OLB isn't realistic. I wouldn't want to change my height, and I probably wouldn't change my weight much. I know we are in a simulation league, but I'd prefer a hint of realism. The one change I could imagine is becoming a coverage linebacker in certain 3-4 sets like Deone Buccanon with the Cardinals. Or similar to how Mark Barron plays. Hard hitting coverage backers and don't blitz as much. So it is possible, but it would have to make sense in a scheme.
3. In my mind, if the team asks, the team should shoulder the cost. Especially since rookie contracts are pretty unsubstantial, the cost of a position change could impede progression throughout the season.
So while most of the teams asked similar questions, I did have pretty substantial conversations with the Wraiths, even during the GM turnovers, which was very impressive to me and told me they were committed to drafting me if I was available. During my Pythons locker room chats, Crush had in formed me #1, Bly Jr had to go #2, and Wachter was pretty confident at #3 to BAL. So it seemed like I was going #4. Now the bottom half of the first round was really messing with my mockdraft and it showed. I bombed it. But here are some of my thoughts from the rest of the draft.
1. Crush to the Yeti.
Duh. A++ pick
2. Bly Jr. to the Yeti.
Duh. A+. The Yeti picked up the best 2 players in the draft at impact positions on the field. Watch out for the Yeti, even as close as this year. They will be much improved.
3. Wachter to the Hawks.
Reigning DSFL player of the year and triple crown winner "falls" to number 3. Well, the Hawks offense just got a whole lot better. Wachter is versatile so he could slot in a TE in certain packages, play the slot, or play outside as a deep threat. Incredible pick and value at #3. A+
4. Cameron Taylor to the Wraiths
Right now, I'm behind some very talented safeties, so expect some time at 3rd CB or LB. Still, I'm proud I went 4th. A
5. Dean Jackson to Outlaws
Love the pick. Did their team just get ravaged by multis? Yes. Could they have chosen a CB, LB, DL who could plug a hole? Yes. Was it the best value? Probably not. Are good kickers very important to winning? Yes 100%. It's the year of the kicker. B+
6. Fletcher to the Hawks
I think the best CB in the draft, and he was drafted 6th. Great Value. Some people liked Atwell and Brister more, but Fletcher is a great shut down guy. Look at the DSFL stats in pass deflections and you'll see. A+
7. Sierra to the Otters
Great versatility and pretty good TPE earner. I believe he went DT post-draft which means OCO picked up a pretty high TPE defensive lineman. A little bit of grooming and some TPE boosts during the offseason and Sierra could fill a spot on the line in the near future. B+
8. Atwell to the Otters
Secondary was pretty deep in this years draft, so teams that needed secondary help could definitely get it. Atwell may not earn the most TPE, but is experienced with the league and knows how to get the job done. A standout DSFL corner, hopefully can make a smooth NSFL transition. B+
Other highlights:
9. Tilman to the Yeti
Great pick by the Yeti. Some had Tilman pretty high in the mocks. He's been very active in the past litle bid and has accumulated some great money and TPE gains. The Yeti picked up the best TE, the best CB, and the second best S in the draft. For a Yeti team looking for talent, they got a winner at 9. A+.
10. Brister to the Legion.
He had to go here, but man, having the best statistical CB in the DSFL fall to 10 is great value
14. O'Sullivan to the Legion
The best RB in the DSFL dropping to 14 is a travesty. It may have not been a need for many of the teams, but just having the rights to a DSFL standout in case of retirement or trade is an asset. Even just sitting as a RB2, O'Sullivan could make an impact. I was hoping the Wraiths take O'Sullivan, and when they didn't I was hoping he'd drop to the next round. Great Value. A
20. Urlacher to SJ.
Congrats to SJ for having a draft selection finally.
22. Spinelli to PHI
Congrats to PHI for having a draft selection finally.
It was a great draft, and a fun experience overall. I did want to say thank you to HO and any of the other people on this site that put the effort into the draft process that makes it interesting to keep track of, rather than just receiving a notification that you've been drafted. Everything from the Twitch stream to the live draft board was great to watch this "year". This is a long ass article so I'm going to stop now.
Code:
1172 Words. Ready for GradingGRADED
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