8) Scouting Report (Buck Thornton)
Buck is a wild card.
Strengths:
Winner. In his three years as a starter at Central Washington, the Wildcats went 33-8 including an undefeated DII national championship his senior year. Buck expects to win.
Natural leader. With three younger brothers, Buck has been a leader his entire life. He captained his college defense for two years. Under Buck’s leadership, CWU fielded their best defenses in history. He expects his teammates to give their all and makes it known that he will accept nothing less.
Work rate. Coaches have praised his work rate throughout his career. Buck is always one of the best conditioned players on the field. He never gives up on a play and has been known to wear down opponents late in games.
Good size. At 6’1” 224lbs, Thornton holds his own as a run-stopping safety. His weight matches up to the larger running backs while not being too tall to meet them low to the ground. While in pass coverage, Buck relies on his physicality but is not completely overmatched in the height department.
Weaknesses:
Inexperienced. Buck has only played football for six years and only three as a strong safety. While he has been an impact player, scouts are nervous about his ability to read the game at a high level.
Unproven against the highest competition. Buck attended a Division II school for college. Despite his dominant performance, scouts are very aware that Thornton’s competition was not at the level of other S22 prospects.
Short wingspan. Standing 6’1”, Buck only sports a 5’10” wingspan. Scouts are worried that Buck’s undersized wingspan will be an issue in pass coverage.
Long-term durability. Thornton enjoys hitting. He likes to hit often and hard. Some scouts are worried that his body might not hold up over several seasons in the NSFL.
Ceiling: Troy Polamalu
Impeccable motor and work rate. Hard hitter and tone setter. Instinctive, physical, explosive. Excellent in run support. Makes receivers hear footsteps.
Floor: Perennial practice squad player
What if DII to the DSFL is too big of a jump? Is six seasons of competitive football enough experience? Thornton may never see the field during an NSFL game.
9) Brotherly Love
This off season it has been a common sight for reporters and scouts to see Chester Sweets and Buck Thornton training together for the upcoming DSFL season. The pair of S22 NSFL DB prospects met at a high school all-star game and immediately formed a friendship.
"We just fed off each others' energy," said Thornton. "We both like hitting people. Sweets brings a physicality to the game that's contagious."
Some have commented on the unlikelihood of their friendship with almost polar opposite personalities and backgrounds. Sweets, coming out of SDSU, plays loud and proud at cornerback. Thornton though, normally a soft-spoken strong safety, had plenty of thoughts about Sweets.
“Yeah, he talks a lot,” said Buck, “but he backs it up on the field, so I don’t have a problem with it. Sweets is a really smart dude. People don’t realize that when you meet him on the street, but the guy baits QBs better than any other corner in our class.”
The two have bonded over their commitment to their families. Sweets told reporters, “We both got a lot of people back home depending on us. We have fun playing hard and bringing the pain to pretty-boy wide receivers, but, at the end of the day, this is a way for us to give our families a better life.”
Sweets and Thornton have not hid their desire to play together at the next level. “If you want quality, physical play, Chester’s your guy,” said Buck. “Put him next to me and watch what we can do.”
12) Interview a Star (Kyle Idlewyld, Copperheads DE)
FurFur: With all these incoming prospects, what would you tell them is the most important thing to make the jump from the DSFL to the NSFL?
Idlewyld: The jump from the DSFL to the NSFL was in my experience actually quite easy. I loved The Tijuana Luchadores locker room when I was there and I was unsure how I would feel about my new locker room in Austin. Fortunately for me the Copperheads locker room is full of great personalities that have experience in this league and are always willing to help. So I wouldn't be too worried, it's the same fun but with tougher competition.
FurFur: You’re fresh off a championship in your rookie season. What do the Copperheads need to do in order to ensure another championship run next season?
Idlewyld: Well the entire core of the squad will still be here next season and only three players are old enough to begin regressing in talent so I think a solid draft would not only cover our losses but improve the team greatly. I'm a little biased as a Defensive End but I think our main target should be Dline followed by linebacker. Strengthening the number one defense in the league is a surefire way to make it back to the Ultimus.
FurFur: As the first pick in the NSFL draft last season, did you feel any pressure to succeed? And how did you deal with that?
Idlewyld: I without a doubt felt the pressure but It was outweighed by the confidence that being first instills. I won awards in the DSFL and Adam and Joe were confident enough in me to say they had their minds made up even before the end of the season. So like I said earlier, I just had to continue doing what I was doing in the DSFL.
FurFur: What’s your guilty pleasure?
Idlewyld: haha I'm not sure I have a guilty pleasure, I'm a pretty straight forward person with everything I do. I guess the closest thing I have to a guilty pleasure is how often I listen to Billy Eilish.
13) Get Interviewed by a Fan (Jay_Doctor interviewing Buck Thornton)
Jay_Doctor: By now, most of us have seen your ability to blitz and light running backs up. Can we expect that right away in the DSFL, or do you think it will take some time to adjust?
Thornton: Obviously the level of play will be higher. The backs are bigger, stronger, faster, and so are the linemen. It’s going to take a lot of work in order to compete. This off season is not really an off season. There’s a lot of work to be done in order to get myself ready to be as effective in the DSFL as I was in college.
Jay_Doctor: Are there any players you try to model your game after?
Thornton: Growing up in Alaska, we didn’t watch a ton of football. But everyone knows Ray Lewis. We’d see him on SportsCenter and I loved the tenacity and energy he brought to the game. You could feel his presence as soon as he hit the field.
But when I started playing football I was wrestling at 182lbs, so I played safety instead of linebacker. By then we were living in Washington state and were watching the Legion of Boom every Sunday. I loved watching Kam Chancellor. You could see wide receivers get scared running across the middle through his zone. He loved to hit guys, and I do too, so I try to emulate him a lot.
Jay_Doctor: Are there any secondary players in your class that you would love to team up with?
Thornton: Cornerback Chester Sweets coming out of San Diego State. He and I met at a High School All Star game and have kept in touch since. He's super smart and is good at getting in receivers' heads. Likes to play physical too. Reminds me of Richard Sherman, one of my favorite cornerbacks.
Jay_Doctor: When you're not playing football, what do you like to do?
Thornton: Honestly, I’m in the gym a lot. I like to train non-football sports, especially martial arts.
If I’m not in the gym or on the field I’m probably at the shooting range with my brothers. We just spend a lot of time at mom’s house too. We do family dinners as often as we can.
Buck is a wild card.
Strengths:
Winner. In his three years as a starter at Central Washington, the Wildcats went 33-8 including an undefeated DII national championship his senior year. Buck expects to win.
Natural leader. With three younger brothers, Buck has been a leader his entire life. He captained his college defense for two years. Under Buck’s leadership, CWU fielded their best defenses in history. He expects his teammates to give their all and makes it known that he will accept nothing less.
Work rate. Coaches have praised his work rate throughout his career. Buck is always one of the best conditioned players on the field. He never gives up on a play and has been known to wear down opponents late in games.
Good size. At 6’1” 224lbs, Thornton holds his own as a run-stopping safety. His weight matches up to the larger running backs while not being too tall to meet them low to the ground. While in pass coverage, Buck relies on his physicality but is not completely overmatched in the height department.
Weaknesses:
Inexperienced. Buck has only played football for six years and only three as a strong safety. While he has been an impact player, scouts are nervous about his ability to read the game at a high level.
Unproven against the highest competition. Buck attended a Division II school for college. Despite his dominant performance, scouts are very aware that Thornton’s competition was not at the level of other S22 prospects.
Short wingspan. Standing 6’1”, Buck only sports a 5’10” wingspan. Scouts are worried that Buck’s undersized wingspan will be an issue in pass coverage.
Long-term durability. Thornton enjoys hitting. He likes to hit often and hard. Some scouts are worried that his body might not hold up over several seasons in the NSFL.
Ceiling: Troy Polamalu
Impeccable motor and work rate. Hard hitter and tone setter. Instinctive, physical, explosive. Excellent in run support. Makes receivers hear footsteps.
Floor: Perennial practice squad player
What if DII to the DSFL is too big of a jump? Is six seasons of competitive football enough experience? Thornton may never see the field during an NSFL game.
9) Brotherly Love
This off season it has been a common sight for reporters and scouts to see Chester Sweets and Buck Thornton training together for the upcoming DSFL season. The pair of S22 NSFL DB prospects met at a high school all-star game and immediately formed a friendship.
"We just fed off each others' energy," said Thornton. "We both like hitting people. Sweets brings a physicality to the game that's contagious."
Some have commented on the unlikelihood of their friendship with almost polar opposite personalities and backgrounds. Sweets, coming out of SDSU, plays loud and proud at cornerback. Thornton though, normally a soft-spoken strong safety, had plenty of thoughts about Sweets.
“Yeah, he talks a lot,” said Buck, “but he backs it up on the field, so I don’t have a problem with it. Sweets is a really smart dude. People don’t realize that when you meet him on the street, but the guy baits QBs better than any other corner in our class.”
The two have bonded over their commitment to their families. Sweets told reporters, “We both got a lot of people back home depending on us. We have fun playing hard and bringing the pain to pretty-boy wide receivers, but, at the end of the day, this is a way for us to give our families a better life.”
Sweets and Thornton have not hid their desire to play together at the next level. “If you want quality, physical play, Chester’s your guy,” said Buck. “Put him next to me and watch what we can do.”
12) Interview a Star (Kyle Idlewyld, Copperheads DE)
FurFur: With all these incoming prospects, what would you tell them is the most important thing to make the jump from the DSFL to the NSFL?
Idlewyld: The jump from the DSFL to the NSFL was in my experience actually quite easy. I loved The Tijuana Luchadores locker room when I was there and I was unsure how I would feel about my new locker room in Austin. Fortunately for me the Copperheads locker room is full of great personalities that have experience in this league and are always willing to help. So I wouldn't be too worried, it's the same fun but with tougher competition.
FurFur: You’re fresh off a championship in your rookie season. What do the Copperheads need to do in order to ensure another championship run next season?
Idlewyld: Well the entire core of the squad will still be here next season and only three players are old enough to begin regressing in talent so I think a solid draft would not only cover our losses but improve the team greatly. I'm a little biased as a Defensive End but I think our main target should be Dline followed by linebacker. Strengthening the number one defense in the league is a surefire way to make it back to the Ultimus.
FurFur: As the first pick in the NSFL draft last season, did you feel any pressure to succeed? And how did you deal with that?
Idlewyld: I without a doubt felt the pressure but It was outweighed by the confidence that being first instills. I won awards in the DSFL and Adam and Joe were confident enough in me to say they had their minds made up even before the end of the season. So like I said earlier, I just had to continue doing what I was doing in the DSFL.
FurFur: What’s your guilty pleasure?
Idlewyld: haha I'm not sure I have a guilty pleasure, I'm a pretty straight forward person with everything I do. I guess the closest thing I have to a guilty pleasure is how often I listen to Billy Eilish.
13) Get Interviewed by a Fan (Jay_Doctor interviewing Buck Thornton)
Jay_Doctor: By now, most of us have seen your ability to blitz and light running backs up. Can we expect that right away in the DSFL, or do you think it will take some time to adjust?
Thornton: Obviously the level of play will be higher. The backs are bigger, stronger, faster, and so are the linemen. It’s going to take a lot of work in order to compete. This off season is not really an off season. There’s a lot of work to be done in order to get myself ready to be as effective in the DSFL as I was in college.
Jay_Doctor: Are there any players you try to model your game after?
Thornton: Growing up in Alaska, we didn’t watch a ton of football. But everyone knows Ray Lewis. We’d see him on SportsCenter and I loved the tenacity and energy he brought to the game. You could feel his presence as soon as he hit the field.
But when I started playing football I was wrestling at 182lbs, so I played safety instead of linebacker. By then we were living in Washington state and were watching the Legion of Boom every Sunday. I loved watching Kam Chancellor. You could see wide receivers get scared running across the middle through his zone. He loved to hit guys, and I do too, so I try to emulate him a lot.
Jay_Doctor: Are there any secondary players in your class that you would love to team up with?
Thornton: Cornerback Chester Sweets coming out of San Diego State. He and I met at a High School All Star game and have kept in touch since. He's super smart and is good at getting in receivers' heads. Likes to play physical too. Reminds me of Richard Sherman, one of my favorite cornerbacks.
Jay_Doctor: When you're not playing football, what do you like to do?
Thornton: Honestly, I’m in the gym a lot. I like to train non-football sports, especially martial arts.
If I’m not in the gym or on the field I’m probably at the shooting range with my brothers. We just spend a lot of time at mom’s house too. We do family dinners as often as we can.
![[Image: ckZLtM5.png]](https://i.imgur.com/ckZLtM5.png)
![[Image: VGzd91I.png]](https://i.imgur.com/VGzd91I.png)
