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+---- Thread: A New Class of Safeties (/showthread.php?tid=2366)
A New Class of Safeties - XxpurplepurpsxX - 07-20-2017
This season two draft contained many talented players and served as the platform for all of the teams, established and expansion, to address positional needs on both sides of the ball. All of the teams drafted pretty well in my opinion, all of the teams addressed positions that needed filling. One position that had a myriad of young new talent coming into the draft was the Safety position. The young safeties in this draft proved to be coveted assets as there would be seven total taken by the end of the day. There were five teams that took safeties in this draft and two teams who doubled up in the position. That means that three teams decided to pass up on drafting the position the Las Vegas Legion, Philadelphia Liberty, and San Jose Sabercats. These teams all missed out on adding depth despite all the young talent that entered the league in yesterday's draft. On the other end of the spectrum the Otters and Hawks both managed to snag two talented young safeties from the draft to supplement their respective teams. All said and done this new class of safeties will be interesting to watch this upcoming season. It will be interesting to see which rookie safety on the Hawks and Otters manages to make themselves stand out from the other as both should be fighting for a starting spot during the preseason. It will also be interesting to see how the teams who did not manage to draft a safety this year approach the position during the season. The sabercats already had two established safeties on the roster and will be fine without any new faces at the position. However, the Las Vegas Legion only currently have one safety on the roster and he has less TPE than some of the rookies drafted this year. So needless to say it will be interesting to see how they approach the position throughout the season. The Philadelphia Liberty are the last team to not find a safety in the season two draft and with only one reliable active safety on the roster they may need to look for trade or free agency to cover their needs. Like I said, this will be an interesting year for the safeties just coming into the league. Now let's get on to the rookie safeties that got drafted yesterday.
Number 15 Roman Thomas Colorado Yeti
The first round of the draft went largely as expected with the top players getting selected in the first round. The first safety to get taken off the draft board was courtesy of the Colorado Yeti. Colorado struck first with Roman Thomas flying off the board number 15 overall. Thomas the 6'1 201 pound safety out of FSU is a solid player for the Yetis to draft. He is a centerfielder type safety who can track the ball across the field and hopes to make an impact in the mountains of Colorado.
Number 20 Jorge Masvidal Baltimore Hawks
Just five picks later Baltimore selected their first safety off the board. Also the centerfielder type safety Masvidal has not tried to hide that he wants to go fast. He has been prioritizing his speed in the open field and he claims to be the fastest safety out of the draft class. Baltimore may have fielded a call from the ghost of Al Davis before making this pick.
Number 22 Ragnar Kronen Orange County Otters
The OC Otters took their first safety in the draft only two picks after Baltimore snagged theirs. Perhaps they had wanted to draft Masvidal and instead settled or perhaps they had been eyeing Kronen all along. Either way Kronen comes in as more of an all around safety with great ability to tackle in the open field while also boasting a decent speed and good hands. Kronen was able to showcase some of his abilities in the prospect games and he must have done enough to impress the Otters.
Number 25 Marcus Kane Yellowknife Wraiths
Again just two picks later there is yet another safety taken off the board. With safeties getting snapped up by other teams so quickly Yellowknife saw their chance to grab one before it was too late. Marcus Kane was the twenty fifth overall pick for the wraiths. It's clear that the wraiths were looking for more of a strong safety with this pick. Kane has the abilities to succeed as a run support safety. He has the strength and the tackling to help bring down those runningbacks who manage to slip into the secondary. Yellowknife managed to fortify their secondary with a stout run stopper in Kane. He should help to fortify what was already a pretty scary defense
Number 35 Allen Davis Arizona Outlaws
Next we have the Arizona Outlaws selecting Allen Davis with the thirty fifth overall selection. This pick looks to be a great fit for both sides on paper. Allen Davis grew up and played his college ball in Arizona and seems to be excited to play for the home crowd. Simultaneously, his playmaking style of safety should help bolster an already strong secondary of Arizona. Davis was a rather late declaration for the draft and only got to play in one prospect game to prove himself to the GMs in the league. He made the most of his time though and managed to come away with an interception and led his team in passes defended in the championship prospect game. Davis himself in a post draft interview claimed that he is ecstatic to put in work with the Outlaws and that he wont disappoint them for taking a chance on his raw potential.
Number 46 Isaiah McGinn Orange County Otters
The Otters double up on safeties in the draft with their pick of Isaiah McGinn. At just over 18 years old McGinn is far and away the youngest safety in the class and possibly the youngest player in the whole draft. McGinn played for the Michigan Wolverines in college when he was just seventeen and now comes into the NSFL at the ripe age of eighteen. Perhaps by doubling up with McGinn the Otters are going to attempt to nurture the unbridled talent of such a young player and try to get him ready for a starting position next season? All that we do know is that McGinn has immense upside as a center fielder safety in this league.
Number 76 James Lillico Baltimore Hawks
Lastly, the Baltimore Hawks doubled up on safeties as well by selecting James Lillico with the 76th overall pick in the S2 draft. Lillico has all the potential to be one of the top sefties of the draft class, but we have yet to see the drive to improve from the young man. He seems to have a come and go as he pleases attitude to improving his player. I suppose Baltimore didn't feel bad about picking Lillico here because if he does develop that motivation and drive to succeed he could make a big impact for the team. If not, then they really didn't lose out on too much
In conclusion, this draft class of safeties is sure to make an impact on the league for years to come and it should be interesting to see how these young players can make an impact on their respective teams. With that being said all of these new rookies will see how they stack up in the NSFL soon enough with the start of season two fast approaching.
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