02-21-2020, 01:28 PM
(This post was last modified: 02-24-2020, 09:34 AM by Fordhammer.)
S21 NSFL Draft Scouting Report: Prince Vegeta
Note: I intentionally left in watermarks and such in the different gifs that I’m posting to provide attribution for the clips.
Prince Vegeta has been the focus of many NSFL scouts starting during his junior year at Florida State University when he declared for the S20 DSFL Draft. Since then Vegeta, formerly known as Jeffrey LaVert, has cemented his place as arguably one of the most physically talented prospects entering the NSFL draft this year. In this write-up I am going to give an in-depth analysis of the star free safety’s game on the field, offering some insight into his playing style as well as comparing his game to other notable players.
Prince entered the league on waivers for the Myrtle Beach Buccaneers during the end of S19. He played in two game for the Bucs, putting up modest numbers of 15 tackles and one pass defended. It wasn’t until S20 that Vegeta would truly shine in the DSFL. He would remain with the Bucs in S20, being drafted by them with the #4 overall pick, beating out fellow safety Matt Murphy who has recently retired. Vegeta, along with other standout secondary members HeHateMe PickSix and Dax Frost ( who is now since changed positions to running back ), immediately proved themselves to be a dominating trifecta. Myrtle Beach’s defense would go on to lead the league in interceptions and passes defended throughout season 20, with Vegeta finishing top 10 in tackles and interceptions. Prince was #1 in the stat books for tackles, tackles for loss, and forced fumbles /fumble recoveries as a free safety.
Play Style Highlights
Speed
![[Image: HiddenThickGoral-size_restricted.gif]](https://thumbs.gfycat.com/HiddenThickGoral-size_restricted.gif)
This one is a no brainer. The one factor of Prince’s game that is obvious to scouts and fans alike is his wicked top speed. If a career in the NSFL doesn’t work out for Vegeta, I’d recommend that he try out as an Olympic sprinter. The highlight above from his time at Florida State is indicative. Coming out of nowhere to blow up a pass play on the quarterback's blindside, Vegeta forces a fumble and creates a huge play for the defense. This speed, combined with Vegeta’s coverage skills, allow for him to stay with any receiver on a downfield route. He frequently shuts down wide receivers with big play potential. This speed contributes to all aspects of the safety’s elite level of play, but his coverage ability is primarily most supplemented by this.
Coverage
![[Image: ValidWarmChameleon-size_restricted.gif]](https://thumbs.gfycat.com/ValidWarmChameleon-size_restricted.gif)
Vegeta continually showcases his best-in-class coverage abilities. Although he had an all-star cast of secondary members around him in Myrtle Beach, Prince was able to elevate the game of those around him game after game. Many scouts are looking to draft Vegeta with their highest picks; an investment here is an investment in your entire secondary. Whether he is covering the middle of the field as a lone safety in a cover 1, or being brought up to chase down a scrambling quarterback who has spent slightly too much time outside of the pocket, Vegeta is valuable in any situation he’s assigned.
Critiques / Considerations
Awareness
![[Image: DI2AcI1.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/DI2AcI1.jpg)
At this point we’ve probably all seen the Vegeta meme. While I think that this was fully just a slip-up and not a fundamental insight into Prince’s game, the viral nature of the issue makes it something that would need to be addressed in a scouting report if it were to be truly comprehensive. Scouts may want to keep an eye on Vegeta’s awareness as his development in the NSFL continues, and his future team may want to make that a key focus in his training.
Hands
![[Image: CornyMelodicDwarfrabbit-size_restricted.gif]](https://thumbs.gfycat.com/CornyMelodicDwarfrabbit-size_restricted.gif)
I wouldn’t necessarily see this as a worry at this point in Vegeta’s career, but it wouldn’t be a scouting report if I didn’t comment on areas for improvement. It is obvious that the free safety has unmatched speed ( and I’ve probably mentioned it about a dozen times at this point ) but that speed is only good for pass deflections if you don’t have the hands to actually bring the ball in. With Vegeta’s quickness, he will see many good opportunities to bring in interceptions for his team. If Prince puts some extra focus on getting an extra hand on the ball and coming down with it his game could elevate to the next level.
Injuries
One point of consideration for Vegeta would be his injury history. While I wouldn’t go so far to say that Prince is injury prone, there is one injury that stands out to me as a possible red flag for future teams to take into consideration. During Prince’s first season as a Seminole, he suffered a non-contact ACL tear in their fifth game of the season, sidelining him for the remainder of the season. I will note that this doesn’t seem to have affected his game in the slightest so far. Vegeta’s speed is unmatched in the DSFL, especially for a safety. The hope is that the injury doesn’t come back to be a nagging issue that affects the longevity of his career, but that isn’t something that I could even hope to guess at at this point in Vegeta’s career.
NSFL Comparison: Walt Green
![[Image: 3000.jpeg]](https://storage.googleapis.com/afs-prod/media/media:1081d79d90114862a26487a4489b8af2/3000.jpeg)
Up to this point in his career, I would say that Vegeta’s fundamentals match that of Baltimore Hawks star safety and S15 Ultimus champion Walt Green. From a purely physical perspective, Vegeta almost looks to be a Green++, measuring in at two inches taller and 20 pounds heavier than Green. This size difference would likely give a slight edge to Green in his agility and low tackling ability if both players were at equal points in their careers, but from a strength perspective it is almost no contest that Prince is the favorite. Along with this, Vegeta’s height advantage likely contributes to him being blazing fast, with his longer stride offering him a downfield top speed that puts him in a league of his own.
![[Image: ResponsibleEnchantedAnophelesmosquito-si...ricted.gif]](https://thumbs.gfycat.com/ResponsibleEnchantedAnophelesmosquito-size_restricted.gif)
In plays like this it is easy to see where this comparison is at its best. Both Green and Vegeta possess superior ball hawking abilities in zone coverage, with Green’s agility and Vegeta’s speed allowing them to snuff out a pass at any given moment. Both of their presences on the field is instantly intimidating to the opposing quarterbacks, and the stat sheet is proof of that.
Draft Projection: Early 1st Round
It probably didn’t take this many words, or really any words at all, to make the claim that Prince Vegeta will be taken in the NSFL draft as an early 1st round pick. A glance at the stat book is pretty much all you need to see to come to that conclusion. Even past the numbers, Vegeta has proven his commitment to the league as the face of a new era of players. His presence in the locker room is likely equally as valuable, if not more so, than his presence on the field. Any team that has the opportunity to pick up Vegeta will get a cornerstone piece of a secondary and a defense that they can build around for years to come.
Note: I intentionally left in watermarks and such in the different gifs that I’m posting to provide attribution for the clips.
Prince Vegeta has been the focus of many NSFL scouts starting during his junior year at Florida State University when he declared for the S20 DSFL Draft. Since then Vegeta, formerly known as Jeffrey LaVert, has cemented his place as arguably one of the most physically talented prospects entering the NSFL draft this year. In this write-up I am going to give an in-depth analysis of the star free safety’s game on the field, offering some insight into his playing style as well as comparing his game to other notable players.
Prince entered the league on waivers for the Myrtle Beach Buccaneers during the end of S19. He played in two game for the Bucs, putting up modest numbers of 15 tackles and one pass defended. It wasn’t until S20 that Vegeta would truly shine in the DSFL. He would remain with the Bucs in S20, being drafted by them with the #4 overall pick, beating out fellow safety Matt Murphy who has recently retired. Vegeta, along with other standout secondary members HeHateMe PickSix and Dax Frost ( who is now since changed positions to running back ), immediately proved themselves to be a dominating trifecta. Myrtle Beach’s defense would go on to lead the league in interceptions and passes defended throughout season 20, with Vegeta finishing top 10 in tackles and interceptions. Prince was #1 in the stat books for tackles, tackles for loss, and forced fumbles /fumble recoveries as a free safety.
Play Style Highlights
Speed
This one is a no brainer. The one factor of Prince’s game that is obvious to scouts and fans alike is his wicked top speed. If a career in the NSFL doesn’t work out for Vegeta, I’d recommend that he try out as an Olympic sprinter. The highlight above from his time at Florida State is indicative. Coming out of nowhere to blow up a pass play on the quarterback's blindside, Vegeta forces a fumble and creates a huge play for the defense. This speed, combined with Vegeta’s coverage skills, allow for him to stay with any receiver on a downfield route. He frequently shuts down wide receivers with big play potential. This speed contributes to all aspects of the safety’s elite level of play, but his coverage ability is primarily most supplemented by this.
Coverage
Vegeta continually showcases his best-in-class coverage abilities. Although he had an all-star cast of secondary members around him in Myrtle Beach, Prince was able to elevate the game of those around him game after game. Many scouts are looking to draft Vegeta with their highest picks; an investment here is an investment in your entire secondary. Whether he is covering the middle of the field as a lone safety in a cover 1, or being brought up to chase down a scrambling quarterback who has spent slightly too much time outside of the pocket, Vegeta is valuable in any situation he’s assigned.
Critiques / Considerations
Awareness
At this point we’ve probably all seen the Vegeta meme. While I think that this was fully just a slip-up and not a fundamental insight into Prince’s game, the viral nature of the issue makes it something that would need to be addressed in a scouting report if it were to be truly comprehensive. Scouts may want to keep an eye on Vegeta’s awareness as his development in the NSFL continues, and his future team may want to make that a key focus in his training.
Hands
I wouldn’t necessarily see this as a worry at this point in Vegeta’s career, but it wouldn’t be a scouting report if I didn’t comment on areas for improvement. It is obvious that the free safety has unmatched speed ( and I’ve probably mentioned it about a dozen times at this point ) but that speed is only good for pass deflections if you don’t have the hands to actually bring the ball in. With Vegeta’s quickness, he will see many good opportunities to bring in interceptions for his team. If Prince puts some extra focus on getting an extra hand on the ball and coming down with it his game could elevate to the next level.
Injuries
One point of consideration for Vegeta would be his injury history. While I wouldn’t go so far to say that Prince is injury prone, there is one injury that stands out to me as a possible red flag for future teams to take into consideration. During Prince’s first season as a Seminole, he suffered a non-contact ACL tear in their fifth game of the season, sidelining him for the remainder of the season. I will note that this doesn’t seem to have affected his game in the slightest so far. Vegeta’s speed is unmatched in the DSFL, especially for a safety. The hope is that the injury doesn’t come back to be a nagging issue that affects the longevity of his career, but that isn’t something that I could even hope to guess at at this point in Vegeta’s career.
NSFL Comparison: Walt Green
Up to this point in his career, I would say that Vegeta’s fundamentals match that of Baltimore Hawks star safety and S15 Ultimus champion Walt Green. From a purely physical perspective, Vegeta almost looks to be a Green++, measuring in at two inches taller and 20 pounds heavier than Green. This size difference would likely give a slight edge to Green in his agility and low tackling ability if both players were at equal points in their careers, but from a strength perspective it is almost no contest that Prince is the favorite. Along with this, Vegeta’s height advantage likely contributes to him being blazing fast, with his longer stride offering him a downfield top speed that puts him in a league of his own.
In plays like this it is easy to see where this comparison is at its best. Both Green and Vegeta possess superior ball hawking abilities in zone coverage, with Green’s agility and Vegeta’s speed allowing them to snuff out a pass at any given moment. Both of their presences on the field is instantly intimidating to the opposing quarterbacks, and the stat sheet is proof of that.
Draft Projection: Early 1st Round
It probably didn’t take this many words, or really any words at all, to make the claim that Prince Vegeta will be taken in the NSFL draft as an early 1st round pick. A glance at the stat book is pretty much all you need to see to come to that conclusion. Even past the numbers, Vegeta has proven his commitment to the league as the face of a new era of players. His presence in the locker room is likely equally as valuable, if not more so, than his presence on the field. Any team that has the opportunity to pick up Vegeta will get a cornerstone piece of a secondary and a defense that they can build around for years to come.
![[Image: 5fKn9dY.png]](https://i.imgur.com/5fKn9dY.png)
![[Image: 018p.png]](https://i.postimg.cc/WbJGDCCK/018p.png)
![[Image: FCsCXyq.png]](https://imgur.com/FCsCXyq.png)
