Now that we are halfway through the NSFL season, what better time to take a look at the first round of the draft and see how the prospects are doing. The first round was certainly an interesting one and thus taking a moment to review the draft should spark some interesting comparisons and conversations. Each prospect is listed with a brief overview and a statistics summary up to this point along with a statistical comparison from season 20 and a final draft grade.
The first round went as follows:
Round 1
1.
- Prince Vegeta - S
2.
- Otis Allen - DT
3.
- Juniped Catfish - RB
4. - HeHateMe PickSix - CB
5.
- Chris Kross - WR
6.
- Osiris Firestorm-Fjord - TE
7.
- Immanuel Blackstone - DE
8.
- Dorfus Jimbo Jr - DE
9.
- Douglas Quaid - LB
10.
- Riles McTackle – DT
Prince Vegeta – FS Orange County Otters
Vegeta was a consensus first pick in the draft, even if many didn’t want to believe it. With his ties to many players and management this looked to be a great fit for the young safety. He was called up to start the season and has been a starter in every game thus far. His stats are a little lack luster when compared to other safeties, but he has plenty of potential and time to grow in this league. It is still heavily debated whether or not Vegeta should have gone first overall, but I doubt Orange County is regretting their decision.
Stats as of week 7:
39 tackles, 1 for loss, 1 forced fumble, 3 sacks, and 4 pass deflections
Should this trend continue, Vegeta would finish the year off with:
72 tackles, 2 for loss, 2 forced fumbles, 6 sacks, and 7 pass deflections
Season 20 comparison: Lanzer Grievous LB OCO
Final Grade: A
Otis Allen – DT San Jose Sabercats
Allen was another top talent coming into the draft. He was easily in contention for first overall given his skillset and his high activity in the locker rooms. Even though he had poor statistics in the DSFL and his team went an abysmal 2-12 to finish the season, Allen was still selected second overall. San Jose seemed to have seen something in the player and took the chance on him with one of their first round picks.
Stats as of week 7:
11 tackles, 2 for loss, 1 sack
Should this trend continue, Allen would finish with:
20 tackles, 4 for loss, 2 sacks
Season 20 comparison: John-Caleb Bradberton DT AUS
Final Grade: C
Flash Panda (aka Juniped Catfish) – RB Philadelphia Liberty
Panda was a huge surprise coming off the board at third overall. With Philadelphia already having a solid and young running back core, this pick seemed to be completely out there in terms of team needs especially with higher end running backs still on the board for rounds to come. Word has it that Panda will likely be making a position change entering season 22 when he makes his NSFL debut.
No NSFL stats since he was a send down.
Final Grade: C
HeHateMe PickSix – CB San Jose Sabercats
Coming off a huge second half in the DSFL, PickSix saw his stock rise through the roof. Thought as the best corner in the class, San Jose took him with their second first round pick and slotted him in the backfield immediately. A solid piece for sure for a team that struggled in pass defense just a season ago.
Stats as of week 7:
13 tackles, 1 interception, 6 pass deflections
Should this trend continue, PickSix will finish with:
24 tackles, 2 interceptions, 11 pass deflections
Season 20 comparison: Gary Lazer-Eyes FS OCO
Final grade: B-
Chris Kross – WR Baltimore Hawks
Baltimore needed another target for their star quarterback, Corvo Havran, and they got the top talent in the draft at the fifth pick. Kross fills a huge need for Baltimore and proved himself worthy of the pick coming out of the DSFL at 4th in receiving yards but just missed out on a nomination for wide receiver of the year.
Stats as of week 7:
20 receptions for 354 yards and 5 touchdowns
Should the trend continue, Kross will finish with:
37 receptions for 657 yards and 9 touchdowns
Season 20 comparison: Randy Vuxta WR PHI
Final Grade: A-
Osiris Firestorm-Fjord – TE Chicago Butchers
A little bit of a surprise pick here as Chicago was in need of a tight end but possibly could have waited a round or two. They took the top guy here and filled a need on offense that will certainly help hold down the line and provide an extra target for their quarterback.
Stats as of week 7:
31 receptions for 235 yards along with 10 pancakes
Should the trend continue, Firestorm-Fjord will finish with:
58 receptions for 436 yards with 19 pancakes
Season 20 comparison: Earl Sauce TE BAL
Final Grade: B
Immanuel Blackstone – DE Colorado Yeti
Blackstone was a top defensive line prospect entering the draft. He came off a stunning performance in the DSFL and earned himself a defensive lineman of the year award for his efforts. He was in consideration for first overall but fell to pick 7 where Colorado quickly snatched him up. A huge prospect for the Yeti who will certainly make quarterbacks tremble for seasons to come.
Stats as of week 7:
14 tackles, 4 for loss, 4 sacks
Should the trend continue, Blackstone will finish with:
26 tackles, 7 for loss, 7 sacks
Season 20 comparison: Jojo Burr-Kirven LB SJS
Final Grade: B+
Dorfus Jimbo Jr – DE New Orleans Secondline
A massive surprise pick in the first round. This felt like a huge reach and mistake by a lot of people in the league. With higher end talent still on the board, New Orleans reached to pick up the guy they wanted. He wasn’t going to be an impact player immediately but very well could be in the near future. This begs the question of if they regret this decision knowing the players that were taken behind him.
No NSFL stats since was a send down.
Final grade: D
Douglas Quaid – LB Yellowknife Wraiths
A major steal in the first round. Quaid felt like a top 3 talent for a majority of the DSFL season but saw himself fall like Philip Zadina in the 2018 NHL draft. Yellowknife was quick to snatch him up immediately once their pick came up. This was a no brainer for them and they got an amazing talent so late into the first round.
Stats as of week 7:
26 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 pass deflections
Should this trend continue, Quaid will finish with:
48 tackles, 4 sacks, 4 pass deflections
Season 20 comparison: Kyle Idlewyld DE AUS
Final grade: A
Riles McTackle – DT Austin Copperheads
Austin managed to snag themselves the last pick of the first round and the first pick of the second round so they had back to back picks here. They decided to go with a defensive lineman here in McTackle. A little bit of a surprise to see his name go here, but he was one of the best remaining lineman talents available. Austin wanted to add to their defensive core following their Ultimus victory and they did so here with a solid talent who would make an immediate impact.
Stats as of week 7:
21 tackles and 3 sacks
Should this trend continue, McTackle would finish with:
39 tackles and 6 sacks
Season 20 comparison: Braden Ennis DT SJS
Final Grade: B-
Now that the first round has been reviewed, it is time to reflect on the teams’ strategies and use this as a learning tool for future drafts. With another huge draft and expansion coming up, I’m sure there will be plenty more hot takes and surprise picks in the future.
(1316 words)
The first round went as follows:
Round 1
1.
- Prince Vegeta - S2.
- Otis Allen - DT3.
- Juniped Catfish - RB4.
- HeHateMe PickSix - CB5.
- Chris Kross - WR6.
- Osiris Firestorm-Fjord - TE7.
- Immanuel Blackstone - DE8.
- Dorfus Jimbo Jr - DE9.
- Douglas Quaid - LB10.
- Riles McTackle – DTPrince Vegeta – FS Orange County Otters
Vegeta was a consensus first pick in the draft, even if many didn’t want to believe it. With his ties to many players and management this looked to be a great fit for the young safety. He was called up to start the season and has been a starter in every game thus far. His stats are a little lack luster when compared to other safeties, but he has plenty of potential and time to grow in this league. It is still heavily debated whether or not Vegeta should have gone first overall, but I doubt Orange County is regretting their decision.
Stats as of week 7:
39 tackles, 1 for loss, 1 forced fumble, 3 sacks, and 4 pass deflections
Should this trend continue, Vegeta would finish the year off with:
72 tackles, 2 for loss, 2 forced fumbles, 6 sacks, and 7 pass deflections
Season 20 comparison: Lanzer Grievous LB OCO
Final Grade: A
Otis Allen – DT San Jose Sabercats
Allen was another top talent coming into the draft. He was easily in contention for first overall given his skillset and his high activity in the locker rooms. Even though he had poor statistics in the DSFL and his team went an abysmal 2-12 to finish the season, Allen was still selected second overall. San Jose seemed to have seen something in the player and took the chance on him with one of their first round picks.
Stats as of week 7:
11 tackles, 2 for loss, 1 sack
Should this trend continue, Allen would finish with:
20 tackles, 4 for loss, 2 sacks
Season 20 comparison: John-Caleb Bradberton DT AUS
Final Grade: C
Flash Panda (aka Juniped Catfish) – RB Philadelphia Liberty
Panda was a huge surprise coming off the board at third overall. With Philadelphia already having a solid and young running back core, this pick seemed to be completely out there in terms of team needs especially with higher end running backs still on the board for rounds to come. Word has it that Panda will likely be making a position change entering season 22 when he makes his NSFL debut.
No NSFL stats since he was a send down.
Final Grade: C
HeHateMe PickSix – CB San Jose Sabercats
Coming off a huge second half in the DSFL, PickSix saw his stock rise through the roof. Thought as the best corner in the class, San Jose took him with their second first round pick and slotted him in the backfield immediately. A solid piece for sure for a team that struggled in pass defense just a season ago.
Stats as of week 7:
13 tackles, 1 interception, 6 pass deflections
Should this trend continue, PickSix will finish with:
24 tackles, 2 interceptions, 11 pass deflections
Season 20 comparison: Gary Lazer-Eyes FS OCO
Final grade: B-
Chris Kross – WR Baltimore Hawks
Baltimore needed another target for their star quarterback, Corvo Havran, and they got the top talent in the draft at the fifth pick. Kross fills a huge need for Baltimore and proved himself worthy of the pick coming out of the DSFL at 4th in receiving yards but just missed out on a nomination for wide receiver of the year.
Stats as of week 7:
20 receptions for 354 yards and 5 touchdowns
Should the trend continue, Kross will finish with:
37 receptions for 657 yards and 9 touchdowns
Season 20 comparison: Randy Vuxta WR PHI
Final Grade: A-
Osiris Firestorm-Fjord – TE Chicago Butchers
A little bit of a surprise pick here as Chicago was in need of a tight end but possibly could have waited a round or two. They took the top guy here and filled a need on offense that will certainly help hold down the line and provide an extra target for their quarterback.
Stats as of week 7:
31 receptions for 235 yards along with 10 pancakes
Should the trend continue, Firestorm-Fjord will finish with:
58 receptions for 436 yards with 19 pancakes
Season 20 comparison: Earl Sauce TE BAL
Final Grade: B
Immanuel Blackstone – DE Colorado Yeti
Blackstone was a top defensive line prospect entering the draft. He came off a stunning performance in the DSFL and earned himself a defensive lineman of the year award for his efforts. He was in consideration for first overall but fell to pick 7 where Colorado quickly snatched him up. A huge prospect for the Yeti who will certainly make quarterbacks tremble for seasons to come.
Stats as of week 7:
14 tackles, 4 for loss, 4 sacks
Should the trend continue, Blackstone will finish with:
26 tackles, 7 for loss, 7 sacks
Season 20 comparison: Jojo Burr-Kirven LB SJS
Final Grade: B+
Dorfus Jimbo Jr – DE New Orleans Secondline
A massive surprise pick in the first round. This felt like a huge reach and mistake by a lot of people in the league. With higher end talent still on the board, New Orleans reached to pick up the guy they wanted. He wasn’t going to be an impact player immediately but very well could be in the near future. This begs the question of if they regret this decision knowing the players that were taken behind him.
No NSFL stats since was a send down.
Final grade: D
Douglas Quaid – LB Yellowknife Wraiths
A major steal in the first round. Quaid felt like a top 3 talent for a majority of the DSFL season but saw himself fall like Philip Zadina in the 2018 NHL draft. Yellowknife was quick to snatch him up immediately once their pick came up. This was a no brainer for them and they got an amazing talent so late into the first round.
Stats as of week 7:
26 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 pass deflections
Should this trend continue, Quaid will finish with:
48 tackles, 4 sacks, 4 pass deflections
Season 20 comparison: Kyle Idlewyld DE AUS
Final grade: A
Riles McTackle – DT Austin Copperheads
Austin managed to snag themselves the last pick of the first round and the first pick of the second round so they had back to back picks here. They decided to go with a defensive lineman here in McTackle. A little bit of a surprise to see his name go here, but he was one of the best remaining lineman talents available. Austin wanted to add to their defensive core following their Ultimus victory and they did so here with a solid talent who would make an immediate impact.
Stats as of week 7:
21 tackles and 3 sacks
Should this trend continue, McTackle would finish with:
39 tackles and 6 sacks
Season 20 comparison: Braden Ennis DT SJS
Final Grade: B-
Now that the first round has been reviewed, it is time to reflect on the teams’ strategies and use this as a learning tool for future drafts. With another huge draft and expansion coming up, I’m sure there will be plenty more hot takes and surprise picks in the future.
(1316 words)
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