*Eugene Smoothie Post NSFL Draft Pressure

[Nhamlet]

How was your experience in Myrtle Beach?

Did you expect to be called up right away?

Is there any current NSFL player you model your self after?

I found it to be the perfect place to be as a rookie to the NSFL in general. Loaded with people from all kinds of teams, a nice mix of both younger users as well as veterans who were interested in helping out the younger guys...I don’t think I was ever left wanting and if anything, it was way more active than I could have fully appreciated it for given how it can take me a bit get used to a room. I think that kind of activity level is generally appreciated by most new people because you can get a great first impression of all the individuals in the locker room right after you get drafted. Coming into a quiet room right away is never a great experience. Regardless of whichever channel I looked, there was always something happening and including the general members of that locker room who aren’t part of the team still also added to it. That feature of a lot of NSFL teams is really interesting where I found SHL to be much more exclusive. In some ways that’s nice in that you become really tight knit group but at the same time, it’s going to be those members for better or worse.

With a lot of the teams that were scouting me, many had asked me thoughts on going up/staying down. I was initially inclined to stay in Myrtle Beach for another season just because how things ended left a sour taste in my mouth, and I wanted an opportunity to change that and win an Utimini with a group who I knew was more than capable of that.

However, upon chatting with Philly more I got accustomed to the idea that a rookie season right away. My primary worry was that I wouldn’t be able to contribute with a low TPE total especially since my overall TPE even compared to my class was still not at the top of all prospects. Still, with the knowledge that Brandon Booker was able to step in at a similar TPE level and do really well for them was still quite a relief to hear. Not to mention, getting a chance to get a head start on a potential hall-of-fame career is something that’s also attractive even without an Ultimini to my name. At the end of the day though, I think the thing that was most attractive element to me was playing regularly each week against the best teams in the NSFL. It’s one thing to make predictions without any sort of connection to the teams. Now the entire league becomes much more interesting now that I have a horse in the race.

I think the main players that I would like to model myself after are some current and overall greats in the NSFL for safeties in Walt Green and especially Tyrone Biggums. Both of them are Center Fielders with more speed and much intelligence than I do have. I think my favorite part is their overall intelligence and being huge influences on the defense side of the ball. Biggums in particular is somebody I look up to being a fellow Canada born player out of Western Canada. He’s about as perfect as a player gets with absolutely zero weaknesses in his game. Granted, it sounds like maybe I’ll be playing some corner at the start of my career with the number of young defensive backs in our team, but I’m still more than happy to contribute any way that I can.