[div align=\\\"center\\\"]DSFL Draft Needs: A Primer By A Newbie That Has No Idea What They're Doing[/div]
I know, I know. Come draft time, the most highly-coveted bits of advice includes the sage wisdom of someone who joined the league less than a week ago. And here I am, dispensing said wisdom, free of charge other than that which is dispensed by grading and this media week boost (which I do quite like, thanks).
Let's level here: I have literally no idea what I'm doing here. I took a look at the index and the size of team rosters and was, admittedly, pretty overwhelmed. I don't know if my defensive end build works, and I like defense better than offense, but I'm only writing about offensive positions in this article I've written. In an ideal world, I'd write about all of the defensive positions in exhausting detail - but if I'm this green to the NSFL 'meta' it doesn't make as much sense for me to waste twice as much of your time musing about positional demand.
That being said, I'm going to give it my best shot. I pored over recent post history, looked at overall post count and recent previous players from current prospects, and I've unfairly lumped them into "top prospects" and everyone else, which may also be largely misguided. All I ask is you give this a read and, uh, don't kill me for all of the inaccuracies.
Because there are going to be a lot of those.
[div align=\\\"center\\\"]Quarterback
Current Prospects: 3
Top Prospects: Reginald Covington III (TPE: 69 (nice)), Game Manager
Charmin Glassley (TPE: 59), Game Manager[/div]
As expected, the quarterback prospect pool is relatively small. And if you’re a top earner or sim league veteran, it makes plenty of sense: QB is a highly demanding position and governs the fate of much of the offense, even in the setting of a high-quality running back. Every team only truly needs one, and as a result, new members seeking quarterback glory and fame may be turned away, either by other members who understand the situation a bit better or because they’re unable to find a job. One confounder in the drafting pool is a third prospect – Bradley Owens, who’s managed by veteran member Keyg_an; Owens, a pocket passer, is an obvious high-quality prospect who declared at the very end of March with representation that speaks volumes about his potential. He’s already completed the vast majority of pre-draft point tasks.
In the DSFL, quarterback demand is limited but at least exists. Kansas City
has Chika Fujiwara, a S21 prospect from Georgia Tech, but did attempt to reinforce the position Dude Doggo last season. Unfortunately, he’s looking a bit worse for the wear, so the Baltimore, Maryland native may be replaced with someone else as Fujiwara continues to approach NSFL-readiness. The Pythons 
find themselves in a vaguely similar position with George O’Donnell, another Season 21 QB without a true backup. There are a couple of other teams that have a number of QB prospects that could theoretically opt for a high-potential prospect like Owens but might wait until much later rounds. In short, there doesn’t appear to be any teams desperate for quarterback in my DSFL/NSFL-naïve mind.
[div align=\\\"center\\\"]Running Back
Current Prospects: 5
Top Prospects: Danny King (TPE: 89), Speed Back
Carl Wheezer (TPE: 67), All-Purpose Back[/div]
Though slightly deeper, the running back prospect pool has a clear leader in Danny King. Thankfully for RB prospects, there’s a bit more positional flexibility than QBs – in a pinch, they can play receiver, fullback, tight end, and so on, and many teams are perfectly fine using running back by committee, so there’s inherently higher personnel demand. That being said, there are two more eye-catching prospects in Carl Wheezer and Quanter Skrills, both of whom are represented by agents with significant league history (including championship-winning players!).
As far as demand, the Portland Pythons may hope to add some depth to their roster. They found an offensive spark in Tatsu Nakamura, who’s rapidly progressed from intrepid young prospect to definite lead-back and may hope to add to their arsenal by adding a third back behind/next to Zed Keppler. Myrtle Beach 
has Ricardo Rose, an aging Season 20 prospect, and J.B. Apollo, a 126-TPE Season 22 player with intermittent activity who could use another hand. Kansas City has a few running back prospects, but most have fallen by the wayside – including Kevin Fakon, one such back that showed marked improvement at first and eventually was nowhere to be seen at the practice facility as of a few weeks ago. Norfolk has an obvious lead back in Flash Panda at 348 TPE, who may be a bit closer to being called up than most; should the NSFL bring him up, the SeaWolves 
will want a second back to pair with Tequila Sunrise.
[div align=\\\"center\\\"]Wide Receiver
Current Prospects: 9
Top Prospects: …all of them?[/div]
The Wide Receiver pool this draft around is a bit of a tough one to assess. There are obviously the most prospects at wideout as compared to the draft pools at other positions covered so far; similarly, every team will run with at least a few wide receivers, with the ability to flex them to RB or TE. As a result, it may be the laxest in terms of TPE required to grace the field – after all, if you’re opting to run 3 or 4 WR, they’re likely not all immediate impact player quality. What makes differentiating these players so difficult, then, is that they’re all active and putting in the hours needed to be top prospects – I think it’d be unfair to sort them when scheme fit will probably be a large determinant in draft position.
Because there are so many wide receivers, it’s therefore difficult to assess need. For example, on the first page of the Coyotes’ roster, there are five wide receivers, all of whom are above 100 TPE and two of which are above 200 TPE. Similarly, Cash and Kaepercolin occupy the top two slots for London. One team that may opt for an early or mid-round WR prospect is the Minnesota Grey Ducks 
, who have season 22’s William Alexander to continue to track, but with plenty of room for passing targets otherwise – even then, however, they have excellent options at tight end that they can flex to wideout as the play demands. The Pythons may also opt for an early receiver in this draft, as they’ve a single receiver over 100 TPE (Raheem Okusi, 217 TPE), and Dallas 
has two clear top targets in William Lin and Mike Lee but no receiver to put in the slot otherwise. The SeaWolves are potentially in even higher need than the Pythons, as their sole >100 TPE receiver (Kevin Koh) has developed well and could use a second target to take a little heat off of him.
Ultimately, about half of DSFL teams have a clearly delineated need for receivers, while a couple of others could probably use the depth. It’s not the best market for a nine-receiver class, but they’ll all certainly find a home that could use their services, especially provided they’ve all shown good activity.
[div align=\\\"center\\\"]Tight End/Full Back
Current Prospects: 5
Top Prospects: Tomage McGullager (TPE: 52), Possession Tight End[/div]
Unlike some of the more demanding positions, tight end doesn’t have a uniformly deep draft class. Some of the early draft prospects have waned in activity since creation, making way for some of the newest prospects to float to the top. And for run-heavy teams, two tight end sets or formations that include a fullback make TE/FB a position in relatively high demand. They may not get the receiving yards of a first or second receiver, but certainly can make a significant impact with decent earning. As someone with relatively little experience in the league, however, it’s unclear to me how in-demand run and pass blocking skills are for these players.
Demand is difficult to assess provided I don’t truly know how valuable tight ends are in the sim engine. One team that may look to draft a tight end with a mid- or late-round selection are London
, who have a single promising TE in Donatello Arrabiata. Beyond that, however, it’s somewhat slim pickings unless teams tend to run more than a couple of tight ends. Endurance could certainly play a role in team depth requirements, but it’s unlikely that most teams will demand an early TE selection unless some 150-250 TPE players are unceremoniously pulled up to the NSFL before reaching the D-league cap.
[div align=\\\"center\\\"]Offensive Line
Current Prospects: 2
Top Prospects: Kevin Malone (TPE: 63), Run Blocker
Dick Thunder (TPE: 50+), Athletic Lineman[/div]
I don’t think demand for this position is difficult to explain. GMs may have their own demands for player build, but nothing replaces sweet, sweet TPE – and every team could use a high-quality blocker. Since fillers/bots have just 50 TPE, basically any user-created offensive lineman will be superior to current DSFL players and would probably have a fast track to a professional team.
The difficult part to assess is which teams would want to take an OL with a high selection. Positions like (high-TPE) QB, CB, and defensive line tend to be in high demand for early draft rounds, with a couple of wideouts and linebackers sprinkled in between. The first offensive lineman drafted last season wasn’t taken until the eighth round – so those patient users who make one of these beefy blockers don’t really have a good idea of when their compatriots will be taken. And that’s not an inconsistency: Douglas Quail, first O-Lineman off the board in Season 20, wasn’t selected until the eighth round either. There’s an obvious need for good linemen, but it would seem as though teams bide their time before selecting all of them in a cluster around the eighth to tenth rounds.
I know, I know. Come draft time, the most highly-coveted bits of advice includes the sage wisdom of someone who joined the league less than a week ago. And here I am, dispensing said wisdom, free of charge other than that which is dispensed by grading and this media week boost (which I do quite like, thanks).
Let's level here: I have literally no idea what I'm doing here. I took a look at the index and the size of team rosters and was, admittedly, pretty overwhelmed. I don't know if my defensive end build works, and I like defense better than offense, but I'm only writing about offensive positions in this article I've written. In an ideal world, I'd write about all of the defensive positions in exhausting detail - but if I'm this green to the NSFL 'meta' it doesn't make as much sense for me to waste twice as much of your time musing about positional demand.
That being said, I'm going to give it my best shot. I pored over recent post history, looked at overall post count and recent previous players from current prospects, and I've unfairly lumped them into "top prospects" and everyone else, which may also be largely misguided. All I ask is you give this a read and, uh, don't kill me for all of the inaccuracies.
Because there are going to be a lot of those.
[div align=\\\"center\\\"]Quarterback
Current Prospects: 3
Top Prospects: Reginald Covington III (TPE: 69 (nice)), Game Manager
Charmin Glassley (TPE: 59), Game Manager[/div]
As expected, the quarterback prospect pool is relatively small. And if you’re a top earner or sim league veteran, it makes plenty of sense: QB is a highly demanding position and governs the fate of much of the offense, even in the setting of a high-quality running back. Every team only truly needs one, and as a result, new members seeking quarterback glory and fame may be turned away, either by other members who understand the situation a bit better or because they’re unable to find a job. One confounder in the drafting pool is a third prospect – Bradley Owens, who’s managed by veteran member Keyg_an; Owens, a pocket passer, is an obvious high-quality prospect who declared at the very end of March with representation that speaks volumes about his potential. He’s already completed the vast majority of pre-draft point tasks.
In the DSFL, quarterback demand is limited but at least exists. Kansas City
has Chika Fujiwara, a S21 prospect from Georgia Tech, but did attempt to reinforce the position Dude Doggo last season. Unfortunately, he’s looking a bit worse for the wear, so the Baltimore, Maryland native may be replaced with someone else as Fujiwara continues to approach NSFL-readiness. The Pythons find themselves in a vaguely similar position with George O’Donnell, another Season 21 QB without a true backup. There are a couple of other teams that have a number of QB prospects that could theoretically opt for a high-potential prospect like Owens but might wait until much later rounds. In short, there doesn’t appear to be any teams desperate for quarterback in my DSFL/NSFL-naïve mind.[div align=\\\"center\\\"]Running Back
Current Prospects: 5
Top Prospects: Danny King (TPE: 89), Speed Back
Carl Wheezer (TPE: 67), All-Purpose Back[/div]
Though slightly deeper, the running back prospect pool has a clear leader in Danny King. Thankfully for RB prospects, there’s a bit more positional flexibility than QBs – in a pinch, they can play receiver, fullback, tight end, and so on, and many teams are perfectly fine using running back by committee, so there’s inherently higher personnel demand. That being said, there are two more eye-catching prospects in Carl Wheezer and Quanter Skrills, both of whom are represented by agents with significant league history (including championship-winning players!).
As far as demand, the Portland Pythons
may hope to add some depth to their roster. They found an offensive spark in Tatsu Nakamura, who’s rapidly progressed from intrepid young prospect to definite lead-back and may hope to add to their arsenal by adding a third back behind/next to Zed Keppler. Myrtle Beach has Ricardo Rose, an aging Season 20 prospect, and J.B. Apollo, a 126-TPE Season 22 player with intermittent activity who could use another hand. Kansas City has a few running back prospects, but most have fallen by the wayside – including Kevin Fakon, one such back that showed marked improvement at first and eventually was nowhere to be seen at the practice facility as of a few weeks ago. Norfolk has an obvious lead back in Flash Panda at 348 TPE, who may be a bit closer to being called up than most; should the NSFL bring him up, the SeaWolves will want a second back to pair with Tequila Sunrise.[div align=\\\"center\\\"]Wide Receiver
Current Prospects: 9
Top Prospects: …all of them?[/div]
The Wide Receiver pool this draft around is a bit of a tough one to assess. There are obviously the most prospects at wideout as compared to the draft pools at other positions covered so far; similarly, every team will run with at least a few wide receivers, with the ability to flex them to RB or TE. As a result, it may be the laxest in terms of TPE required to grace the field – after all, if you’re opting to run 3 or 4 WR, they’re likely not all immediate impact player quality. What makes differentiating these players so difficult, then, is that they’re all active and putting in the hours needed to be top prospects – I think it’d be unfair to sort them when scheme fit will probably be a large determinant in draft position.
Because there are so many wide receivers, it’s therefore difficult to assess need. For example, on the first page of the Coyotes’
roster, there are five wide receivers, all of whom are above 100 TPE and two of which are above 200 TPE. Similarly, Cash and Kaepercolin occupy the top two slots for London. One team that may opt for an early or mid-round WR prospect is the Minnesota Grey Ducks , who have season 22’s William Alexander to continue to track, but with plenty of room for passing targets otherwise – even then, however, they have excellent options at tight end that they can flex to wideout as the play demands. The Pythons may also opt for an early receiver in this draft, as they’ve a single receiver over 100 TPE (Raheem Okusi, 217 TPE), and Dallas has two clear top targets in William Lin and Mike Lee but no receiver to put in the slot otherwise. The SeaWolves are potentially in even higher need than the Pythons, as their sole >100 TPE receiver (Kevin Koh) has developed well and could use a second target to take a little heat off of him.Ultimately, about half of DSFL teams have a clearly delineated need for receivers, while a couple of others could probably use the depth. It’s not the best market for a nine-receiver class, but they’ll all certainly find a home that could use their services, especially provided they’ve all shown good activity.
[div align=\\\"center\\\"]Tight End/Full Back
Current Prospects: 5
Top Prospects: Tomage McGullager (TPE: 52), Possession Tight End[/div]
Unlike some of the more demanding positions, tight end doesn’t have a uniformly deep draft class. Some of the early draft prospects have waned in activity since creation, making way for some of the newest prospects to float to the top. And for run-heavy teams, two tight end sets or formations that include a fullback make TE/FB a position in relatively high demand. They may not get the receiving yards of a first or second receiver, but certainly can make a significant impact with decent earning. As someone with relatively little experience in the league, however, it’s unclear to me how in-demand run and pass blocking skills are for these players.
Demand is difficult to assess provided I don’t truly know how valuable tight ends are in the sim engine. One team that may look to draft a tight end with a mid- or late-round selection are London
, who have a single promising TE in Donatello Arrabiata. Beyond that, however, it’s somewhat slim pickings unless teams tend to run more than a couple of tight ends. Endurance could certainly play a role in team depth requirements, but it’s unlikely that most teams will demand an early TE selection unless some 150-250 TPE players are unceremoniously pulled up to the NSFL before reaching the D-league cap.[div align=\\\"center\\\"]Offensive Line
Current Prospects: 2
Top Prospects: Kevin Malone (TPE: 63), Run Blocker
Dick Thunder (TPE: 50+), Athletic Lineman[/div]
I don’t think demand for this position is difficult to explain. GMs may have their own demands for player build, but nothing replaces sweet, sweet TPE – and every team could use a high-quality blocker. Since fillers/bots have just 50 TPE, basically any user-created offensive lineman will be superior to current DSFL players and would probably have a fast track to a professional team.
The difficult part to assess is which teams would want to take an OL with a high selection. Positions like (high-TPE) QB, CB, and defensive line tend to be in high demand for early draft rounds, with a couple of wideouts and linebackers sprinkled in between. The first offensive lineman drafted last season wasn’t taken until the eighth round – so those patient users who make one of these beefy blockers don’t really have a good idea of when their compatriots will be taken. And that’s not an inconsistency: Douglas Quail, first O-Lineman off the board in Season 20, wasn’t selected until the eighth round either. There’s an obvious need for good linemen, but it would seem as though teams bide their time before selecting all of them in a cluster around the eighth to tenth rounds.
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