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+---- Thread: *S14 DSFL Draft Deep-Dive Part 3 (/showthread.php?tid=13210)
*S14 DSFL Draft Deep-Dive Part 3 - Fordhammer - 04-30-2019
(Ready for grading - double draft media)
It’s time for some round 3 analysis. I’m excited for this round because we’ve got a nice mix of some excellent talent and interesting personalities.
Round 3:
Pick 1:
Ricardo Morris – DT – @RolyNorfolk decided they needed an anchor to their new defense, and went with Ricardo Morris. Defensive Tackle is a little less flashy than the other positions, especially in terms of stats. Morris leads all DTs with 39 tackles, and has added in 6 sacks as well. He’s been an integral part of a defense that performed really well, especially given they are an expansion team. Norfolk nearly pulled off a huge upset over the Pythons in the first round of the playoffs, but Morris was a little quiet in that game, with just 3 tackles. I’m sure the Pythons were focused on him not getting to the QB, with a lot of double teams and chip blocks. Still, making the playoffs and giving the Pythons all they could handle should definitely be considered a successful inaugural season.
Roly has been around the league for a long time now, and the DSFL rookies probably know him from his excellent Prospect Bowl coverage. Roly’s using the Balanced DT build. He’s got his speed up to 73, and he’s pouring TPE into strength, at 87 currently. He’s already at 228 TPE, and given his longevity in the league, I’d expect him to be an early round pick and the first DT off the board come draft day.
Pick 2:
Apollo Lange – QB – @RohnJobertThe Solar Bears selected their QB, Apollo Lange, with their third pick. With a first year QB, the Solar Bears were always going to be a run-first offense. Lange is the mobile QB archetype, so it seemed like a nice fit. Unfortunately, his season has had more downs than ups. There were some sim issues early on that didn’t allow Apollo to make the most of his mobile build, which saw him trying to almost exclusively stand in the pocket. After a few weeks this was remedied and he became at least a more dynamic player. Apollo showed some flashes, but ended up being last in most passing categories. Rookie QBs will struggle, so this doesn’t come as a huge surprise, especially with less TPE in throwing attributes. The Solar Bears had a somewhat disappointing season, and QB play definitely set them back at some points.
RohnJobert has fallen a little behind in TPE compared to the rest of the QB class. He hasn’t been seen on the forums in a couple weeks, but occasionally hops into the Discord channel, so hopefully he get back on track soon. He’s sitting at 139 TPE, which means he’ll definitely be playing with the Solar Bears for another season. I’ve got him going later in the draft after the other top QBs are gone and someone is looking to take a long-term flyer on a QB.
Pick 3:
Richard D'Attoria V - S – @124715Portland took D’Attoria to bolster their secondary in round 3. D’Attoria was really consistent for the Pythons in their Ultimini run. He had a modest 64 tackles, but he managed 7 sacks as well, tying for 4th in the whole league. His speed allowed him to easily cover DSFL receivers, and also gave him the ability to get after the quarterback. The Pythons used him as more of a hybrid linebacker, showing off his versatility. He also forced two fumbles, and recovered three. D’Attoria is definitely in the discussion for Defensive Player of the Year and a lock for the Pro Bowl.
D’Attoria is using the Center Fielder build, which gives him the freedom to use his speed to roam the field and make plays on the ball. 124715 has been in the league since almost the beginning. He is near the top of this class in TPE, and already has his speed at 91, making him a year 1 impact player in the NSFL. I’ve got him going in the first round to a team looking for someone to anchor a secondary for the next several seasons. He’s about as safe a bet as there is in this class, activity and longevity-wise and I think teams will definitely want him with their first pick.
Pick 4:
Quenton Bode – LB – @terriblehippoBack to back studs taken in this round. The Marshals drafted the polar bear coverage linebacker and it paid dividends this season. While the Marshals were stunned in a playoff upset, you can’t really blame Bode. He used his maxed out speed to be seemingly everywhere on the field. He totalled 115 tackles, which is impressive enough, but he also had 2 interceptions and 6 sacks, making him one of the most well-rounded defenders in the DSFL, much like the above D’Attoria. He showed the ability to lock-down TEs and RBs out of the backfield using his speed, but also has the strength to fill gaps in the running game and tackle in the open field.
terriblehippo has been extremely active in the league so far. He’s already been hired as an HO intern, and he’s written some excellent media as well. He’s also one of the more active rookies on Discord. I think he’ll also be a 1st round pick, going in the early 2nd round at the latest. He’s already at the 250 TPE cap for the DSFL, so we can see him making a difference for an NSFL team right away, or possibly being someone the expansion teams look at to play a versatile role in their defense. I never thought I’d see the day where polar be playing in the league, but I’m excited to watch his future in the NSFL.
Pick 5:
Ryan Leaf Jr. - QB - @ValorX77In a move that surprised a lot of people, the Coyotes selected Leaf Jr. in the 3rd round. Memes and copypasta aside, Leaf has been one of the more active rookies this season, so the pick made sense from that standpoint, but the Coyotes already had a QB in Jenkins, so they probably could have waited a while to get another QB. Leaf Jr. didn’t really have much time to make a difference as a QB, as he demanded a trade near the deadline, due to some locker room issues, it seems. His QB numbers were respectable for a 1st year guy, but he only ended up attempting 82 passes. The Coyotes weren’t left with much of a choice but to trade him for pennies on the dollar to the Seawolves. Leaf was relatively quiet as a defensive tackle. He had just 11 tackles, but 8 of those were for a loss. He did have a nice forced fumble in a playoff game, but the Seawolves came up just short this season.
Leaf presents an interesting challenge to NSFL GMs. While he’s active in Discord and on the forums, he has struggled with gaining TPE at a consistent clip. DT is always a need for teams, so I expect him to be a mid-to-late round pick. He’s right around 100 TPE on the year, which is pretty low. He’ll be in the DSFL for another year, and should be able to get that total up quite a bit. I’m pulling for him to make it big in the next league, as I think he’s been an enjoyable addition to the sim so far.
Pick 6:
Johnny Slothface - LB - @slothfacekillaIn what ended up being one of the steals of the draft, the Luchadores got one of the best players in the league with this pick. Slothface absolutely tore it up in the DSFL this season. He was 2nd in the league in tackles with 123. The Luchadores relied heavily on him to be an anchor of their defense, and he delivered. His tackles for loss and sack numbers aren’t as high as some of the others in this class, but that is primarily because he wasn’t asked to rush the passer all that much. The Luchadores came up just short in the Ultimini, but Johnny can hold his head high as he was one of the team’s top performers.
Slothface joined the league a little before the Reddit recruitment group, so he’s got a head start on TPE over most of the class. He’s using the Speed Rusher archetype, which did not result in a ton of sacks, but I think he’ll be utilized more in the pass rushing game with his next team. I’ve got Johnny as a lock to go in the first round this year. This class is stacked with LB talent, but he’s differentiated himself from the pack. He’s a top TPE earner, and has been very active in Discord and on the forums. He made a small fortune in some excellent scouting articles of last year’s class, and has been relatively quiet on that front in the month since, but I’m looking forward to his next series, and his career going forward.
In summary, Round 3 was definitely one of the stronger rounds in the draft. A couple of question marks, but also some first round locks that will more than likely have very successful careers in the NSFL.
*S14 DSFL Draft Deep-Dive Part 3 - 124715 - 04-30-2019
Fantastic article, great analysis! I appreciate the kind words.
*S14 DSFL Draft Deep-Dive Part 3 - slothfacekilla - 04-30-2019
Appreciate the kind words, especially with so many good LB's in this class.
And don't worry gm's, y'all are inspiring me to write more media with how good these articles are...