Heading into the Season 22 National Simulation Football League Draft, the were a few mock drafts put out. It seemed like Dawkins would probably be a mid-late pick somewhere in the 6-8 round range. Being part of a large draft class that wasn't really a surprise as there was quite a bit of talent in the defensive backs in the class of S22. This was also before any planned/discussed switches that may have been discussed behind the scenes. The 6-8 round range was about where I thought Dawkins would go in, but who knows, I went a fair bit earlier than I thought I would in the S21 DSFL Draft.
I was pretty upfront with my answers and expressed my interest in playing in Chicago along with the expansion franchises, Honolulu and Sarasota when scouts from other teams reached out. I also mentioned that it was probably unlikely that I would be a max earner, since at the time I wasn't sure whether I could sustain myself on graphics alone as I don't enjoy writing and I wasn't planning on applying for a job in the league. I didn't hear from Philadelphia or Orange County, so I figured that it would be unlikely that I ended up on either of those teams on draft night. Talks with Honolulu were pretty positive so I was hopeful that I might end up there. Come draft night, Dawkins ended up being selected in the 4th round (37th overall) by Honolulu. It was a surprise to be picked that early, but I was pretty excited at the opportunity to be part of Honolulu's future secondary alongside fellow safety Buck who was one of the S22 defensive backs I met early on.
I ended up spending another season in the DSFL to develop and came into S23 in a better position to contribute to the team. The second season in the DSFL was helpful to for my cash flow. Entering S22 close to the DSFL cap, there wasn't a need to purchase equipment immediately (not that I could afford to). During the season, I ended up posting weekly graphics which helped to be to build up my bank account and be in a better position to make an equipment purchase at the beginning of the season while also being able to afford weekly training.
I was pretty upfront with my answers and expressed my interest in playing in Chicago along with the expansion franchises, Honolulu and Sarasota when scouts from other teams reached out. I also mentioned that it was probably unlikely that I would be a max earner, since at the time I wasn't sure whether I could sustain myself on graphics alone as I don't enjoy writing and I wasn't planning on applying for a job in the league. I didn't hear from Philadelphia or Orange County, so I figured that it would be unlikely that I ended up on either of those teams on draft night. Talks with Honolulu were pretty positive so I was hopeful that I might end up there. Come draft night, Dawkins ended up being selected in the 4th round (37th overall) by Honolulu. It was a surprise to be picked that early, but I was pretty excited at the opportunity to be part of Honolulu's future secondary alongside fellow safety Buck who was one of the S22 defensive backs I met early on.
I ended up spending another season in the DSFL to develop and came into S23 in a better position to contribute to the team. The second season in the DSFL was helpful to for my cash flow. Entering S22 close to the DSFL cap, there wasn't a need to purchase equipment immediately (not that I could afford to). During the season, I ended up posting weekly graphics which helped to be to build up my bank account and be in a better position to make an equipment purchase at the beginning of the season while also being able to afford weekly training.
