(S22) - PT3 - Boom or Bust

[Mysa]

With nearly two dozen drafts under its belt the NSFL has plenty of sleeper and bust picks – one of the most egregious of which was Season 7 Colorado Yeti selection Ryan Lefevre. The TCU grad was one of the best defensive players in the nation in college and the DSFL; and Lefevre was in fact just the second defensive player off the board (and the first linebacker). Expectations were high from the get-go.

And in spite of playing just 11 games for Kansas City in the DSFL, the linebacker put up exceptional defensive stats – in fact often outperforming high-earning players who had played the full fourteen. He had a massive 6 TFLs (#4 among all LBs), 6 sacks (T-#5 among LBs), and even an interception to his name, skyrocketing his demand as he demonstrated his huge play making ability. But after the draft, the TCU linebacker never earned another single TPE – a result so horrifying to an already-struggling Yeti team that had failed to win a single game in Season 6… and did so again in Season 7.

Thankfully, brighter days were ahead for the Yeti, who jumped to contention-level regular season records in Seasons 9 through 13. And although they aren’t the picture-perfect earners of yore, they did manage to acquire WRs Howard Miller and Mark Grau in that very same first round. Not-so-coincidentally, they acquired fellow Pro Bowler Ryan Applehort in the process – so the Yeti had plenty of room for error provided they owned half of the entire first round that season. Provided how they’ve done since (and how highly they’re regarded this season), I don’t think too many people look wistfully on the Ryan Lefevre pick.

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