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*An overview of S34 class- offense edition - yonggarius - 02-17-2022
So with the season drawing to the close with Playoffs happening as I write this article, the time for ISFL draft also looms closer. And that means it's time for (along with everyone's favorite double media bonus) draft- related articles, which I can finally write once again after being effectively barred from writing such articles due to being in an ISFL war room. And as a couple mock drafts have been out already, I thought I would write a sort of "big board" article, where I would put on a general overview of each position groups.
Before we begin
First off, I would like to state that this article will not be an accurate portrayal of how teams rank their prospects. All teams have different methods of scouting and ranking their prospects, and they often have different needs, both for players and users. And then there's position switch. While the new position switch rules might lessen movement between positions a bit, I don't think it would affect the current draft dynamics a lot. That means a lot of teams will primarily "draft the user", and use position switches when needed. So some teams might internally see a player of some position as something else, if the user agreed to a position switch and so on. The only way of knowing those kind of things is to scout the prospects, which I can't outside the war rooms. So alas, this article's ranks will be mostly inaccurate, and is more of a something for fun and league money than anything.
Also, TPE is not everything. As a matter of fact, TPE level itself is not a very big concern for GMs and scouts. They're more interested in earning trends, and other things like discord activity and personality. So even if I'll be grouping players based on their TPE levels (mostly because I have no other means of ranking), it doesn't mean a player with less TPE is necessarily a lower ranked prospect. There's a lot of other points that can turn that difference around, and I'll try to explain those points when they come around. Now, on to the main article
General overview
As a whole, the S34 class have 70 players. However, as rules state that inactive players that have 57 or less TPE are ineligible for the draft, only 58 among those players will be eligible for the draft. This will put the draft class around the average of post-lockdown classes, with slightly more than 4 full rounds. Of the eligible players, 35 have been active within the last 2 weeks, and 1 has been last seen little less than 3 weeks ago. So overall that's around 60% activity rate, and teams will be getting active players until mid third round or so.
Position wise, among the 59 draft eligible prospects there are 4 Quarterbacks, 8 Running Backs, 10 Wide Receivers, 4 Tight Ends, 4 Offensive Linemen, 5 Defensive Ends, 1 Defensive Tackle, 9 Linebackers, 4 Cornerbacks, 6 Safeties, and 3 Kickers. Overall the prospects are evenly distributed, with 31 on offense, 25 on defense, and 3 on special teams. Wider receivers, linebackers and running backs are the 3 largest position groups, showing the preference players have on more "flashy" skill positions on both sides of the ball. On the other hand there is only one defensive tackle, which I think is the result of people avoiding the position as the position got significantly less stats since the sim switch, something I heard the new patch is aiming to improve on.
Quarterbacks
The Board
Bagshwari Singh (Bondi Beach Buccaneers, 251TPE)
Ozamataz Buckshank (Norfolk Seawolves, 199TPE)
Boone McCoy (Portland Pythons, 191TPE)
Trevor Lorenzen (Kansas City Coyotes, 180TPE)
Quarterbacks are the position with the most unique dynamics, without a doubt. Unlike other positions quarterbacks changing teams in free agency or trade is very rarely seen, especially in recent ISFL. And therefore teams almost solely rely on draft to select their quarterback of the future. That's why we see quite a few of "arranged" quarterback players- i.e. high caliber recreates (usually war room members) creating quarterbacks in accordance of their team's quarterback change timeline, with the intention of being the next QB of that team. And while there are also quite a few quarterbacks not belonging to that category who end up getting starting spots, quite a few also end up changing positions either in DSFL or when they come up to ISFL.
The latter bit happened in this class, as it does in almost all other draft classes. From my memory, there was initially 8 quarterbacks in this draft class, an unusually high number especially for a draft class ranging around 70 prospects strong. However, 3 ended up changing positions after the DSFL draft, and only 4 of those initial 8 will end up entering the ISFL draft as quarterbacks as one of the quarterbacks- Roscoe White- was in fact a multi and got banned, making the player ineligible for ISFL draft. Among those four, I suspect that Boone McCoy will have an ISFL spot with his name, as I think he is one of those "arranged" quarterbacks, with links to the New Orleans Second Line. McCoy's user, Nokazoa, is a long time veteran of the team, with his first player finishing the whole of his long career with the Second Line. And the Second Line will need to make preparations for a quarterback change with their S28 quarterback (whose TPE earning pace is a little slow for an ISFL starting QB) nearing regression. Even if that is not the case, it would make a lot of sense for the Second Line to draft a player who has previously been a franchise player for them, and proved to have the longevity to continue at quarterback position. I can see them taking McCoy with their second round pick, or a first round pick if they acquire an additional one through trade.
Other teams with a quarterback need include Honolulu Hahalua who has a S27 quarterback who is due to enter regression this upcoming offseason, and Berlin Fire Salamanders who also have a S28 quarterback like the Second Line. San Jose Sabercats, Baltimore Hawks and Chicago Butchers all have S29 quarterbacks, but it's most likely that they won't seek to draft a quarterback this draft as teams like to put 7 season differences between their quarterbacks. The most likely scenario is that the top two TPE quarterbacks- Bagshwari Singh and Ozamataz Buckshank- are going to occupy the Hahalua and Fire Salamanders spots. Both quarterbacks belong to users who had good careers with their former players, and in my opinion possess the longetivity and earning levels to be an ISFL quarterback. Rapideagle- Singh's User- enjoyed a long and prolific career with his S21 defensive end, and is a very well known user in graphics community. And ConnorM123, Buckshank's user, Also enjoyed a good career with his S25 cornerback turned defensive end, and coincidentally also is a well known figure in graphics, especially dotts. Both are earning TPE in a good pace, and they probably will for the rest of their careers. In my opinion the decision to take either of these quarterbacks will be down to user-team fit, and because of that I cannot predict which team they will end up in as that bit requires very in-depth scouting. It is most likely that both players go off the board in late first or second round.
Slightly behind the 2 (again in my opinion) is Trevor Lorenzen. While his TPE level of 180 is still in a good range, and his pace has been good, although the fact that he has been inactive for the past 2 weeks might be a slight point of concern for GMs. Another potential point of concern is that WildfireMicro, Lorenzen's user, have retired her previous player early to create this player, although she did earn at a very good pace with said former player, a S27 wide receiver. I feel like Lorenzen and WildfireMicro have a chance to compete with aforementioned two quarterbacks and win a spot if WildfireMicro does well in scouting interviews. Thus, her landing spot or draft position is a total mystery to me.
Running backs
The Board
Michaelangelo McTurtle (Tijuana Luchadores, 240TPE)
Rumble Ronson (Dallas Birddogs, 231TPE)
Ains Ool Gown (Bondi Beach Buccaneers, 175TPE)
Michael Patrick Porkins (Tijuana Luchadores, 146TPE) *FB*
Ram1500 (Kansas City Coyotes, 129TPE)
Orange Justice (Dallas Birddogs, 129TPE)
Smasha Face (Portland Pythons, 106TPE)
Lenny Lyons (London Royals, 97TPE)
This is a big position group, the 3rd biggest group of this draft as a matter of fact. And there's a good reason why there's this many people creating in running back position. Running backs are one of the positions that are in high demand, with teams usually having 2 running backs, or 3 if they have a fullback. And because of that there's a consistent need for the position in basically every draft. This draft there's 6 teams that will need a running back barring position changes. Berlin Fire Salamanders Have 2 older running backs, with their S22 RB2 nearing the end of his career. Philadelphia Liberty is in a similar situation, with their RB2, who is also S22, probably on his last season. Honolulu Hahalua's two running backs will both be in regression this coming offseason, and their RB2 has a low TPE level, and thus will need a replacement very soon. While the New Orleans Second line have 3 running backs, 2 of them are lower TPE players relatively deep into regression, so they will need replacements soon as well. The New York Silverbacks might look like they have 3 running backs on the roster at the time, but their RB2 recently retired and their long time fullback Buster Bawlls is also in regression. And while the San Jose Sabercats also have 3 running backs on the roster, 2 of them are deep in regression with their RB2 being a S22 player. All those 6 teams have no running backs sent down in the DSFL, although we cannot rule out the possibility of them switching someone else to fill in the hole at the position.
Prospects wise, this is quite a deep group with 6 of the 8 prospects being active within the last 2 weeks. At the top of the TPE scale are 3 recreates- Michaelangelo McTurtle, Rumble Ronson and Ains Ool Gown. While Ool Gown might seem like he has significantly less TPE than the other two on the surface, he's still a max earner nontheless as he joined later in the class as a post draft waiver add. The 3 users behind those players- slothfacekilla, MrStennet and scorycory- are all renowned users, who had (in some cases several) players who had long careers, and held various league jobs while being a staple on the community. As max earners I expect all 3 to find a spot in ISFL, and eventually become RB1 for their teams. They might have a chance of going in the early 1st round, as quite a few teams with a running back need have those picks. While they might pick someone else based on positional value, one of these 3 running backs would be a very solid choice in terms of user value. So why not draft them when you have a need at their position, anyways?
The fourth prospect is the sole fullback of the group, Michael Patrick Porkins. While his earning levels are not exactly max from what the TPEs indicate, that won's matter that much because I don't think fullbacks have to max earn in order to help out the team. Moreover, Speculadora, Porkins' user, is another well known veteran who held various league jobs in the past, and is a great person to hang out with in discord as well. As such I can imagine Porkins will be able to find a spot for him with relative ease. I can see teams like the New Your Silverbacks or Honolulu Hahlua -who have regressing fullbacks- taking him somewhere in the 2nd round.
Next, there are 3 newcomers who created their first players at running back. Of the 3, Smasha Face has been inactive for the last month or so as he sits at 106 TPE currently. He will have a chance of securing a a RB2 spot somewhere if he comes back and continues his pace of earning. The other two on the other hand has a lot more potential. Both Orange Justice and Lenny Lyons has been active in forums very recently, and I have seen both users being active in discord too. While I admit that I don't know much about Lyons' user because I don't have a lot of connections with them, I have seen Gator, Justice's user, being very active in Dallas locker room for quite some time. I feel like they will find their place in ISFL as RB2s first, but they can very possibly eye an RB1 job down the line if they improve on their TPE earning a little bit. I can see them going off the board anywhere between mid to late second round and third round.
Finally, there's Ram 1500, another recreate of a well known user, this time 24redcrayons. While he has been inactive for the past 4 weeks or so and his TPE level sits at 129, the same number with Orange Justice, I know that 24redcrayons have it in him to turn it around and earn at a very good pace when he come back, as he had shown through the long career of his previous player. Like the previous 3 I can see him going in late 2nd to 3rd in the draft if this current trend continues, but I'll note that he has RB1 potentials if he comes back and earns well again.
Wide receivers
The Board
Louis Blondin (London Royals, 262TPE)
Zayne Dangle (Bondi Beach Buccaneers, 256TPE)
"Captain" Billy Stinkwater (Minnesota Grey Ducks, 236TPE)
Darius Bailey (Tijuana Luchadores, 233TPE)
Erwin Kemp (Norfolk Seawolves, 223TPE)
Alex Armstrong (Kansas City Coyotes, 211TPE)
Lucas Salem (Norfolk Seawolves, 208TPE)
Derrick Armstrong (Dallas Birddogs, 134TPE)
Ayomide Ayodele (London Royals, 96TPE)
Abe Froman (Minnesota Grey Ducks, 74TPE)
There it is, the biggest position group of the draft. As a former wide receiver myself I can tell you that the position has its charms that draws people in, and the fact that wide receiver is probably the most needed position in ISFL doesn't hurt, too. A typical ISFL team have 3 wide receivers in their roster, although I have seen teams run with 4 or 2 based on their circumstances. As such there always tends to be some form of need for wide receivers in every draft, and it is not uncommon to see wide receivers being the largest position group in any draft class. Currently around the half of the teams have a need at wide receiver position. The Yellowknife Wraiths currently have 2 of their 3 wide receivers deep in regression, and they just cut their sole wide receiver senddown, Lane Frost II. The Arizona Outlaws also have 2 of their 3 deep in regression. The Honolulu Hahalua have 2 wide receivers entering regression, and a third that has a little slow pace in earning TPE. And the San Jose Sabercats have one of their two wide receivers deep in regression. The Sarasota Sailfish and the New York Silverbacks have lesser needs at the position with 1 of their 3 receivers in regression with no senddowns of the position. While there are quite a teams with wide receiver needs, non of those needs are urgent in my opinion, as most of the regressing wide receivers out I mentioned have the ability to hang for an extra season, and it's likely that there would be a big wide receiver class next season. So I expect teams to address wide receivers after they hit on their major needs, and therefore wide receivers will slide in the draft unless they impress the scouts in interviews.
This wide receiver class is very top-heavy, with 7 players above 200TPE mark at this point. On the top of this wide receiver class are 3 first gen players- Lucas Salem, Louis Blondin and Zayne Dangle. Of the 3 I think Salem will have the best appeal to GMs although his TPE level is the lowest of the 3 at 208, as his user ImSatanJunior is one of the rising new users of the S34 class with him recently being hired as the new GM for Norfolk Seawolves DSFL team. Blondin and Dangle are quite similar prospects. They are both near the top of their class in TPE with 262 and 256 TPE respectively, and they're both users who have skills in graphics, something that is very much appreciated in this league. If they continue on with their current pace of earning, all 3 will have very good chances on becoming a team's WR1 someday. I can see Salem going in mid to late first round and Blondin and Dangle going in late first to second round mostly due to the possibility of WR slide I mentioned above.
A little behind Blondin and Dangle in terms of is another prospect of similar profile, Alex Armstrong. One thing of note about his TPE level is that Armstrong is a post draft waiver player whereas Blondin and Dangle are (I think) trade deadline players, so he should be classified as a max earner. Like the aforementioned 2 players Armstrong is a max earner who is relatively quiet in the user side of things, a type of player which is quite common among first gen wide receivers. Armstrong's projected draft position will also be around late first to second round, but this can vary very much depending on how he does on his scouting interviews. (something that applies to most wide receiver prospects here)
Those 4 alone would have made a very good position group on their own. But no, that was only about half of the wide receivers. Now we move on to the recreates. Stinkwater is the recreate of BRNXB0MBERS, whose former player had a long career with the Arizona Outlaws, and Darius Bailey is the recreate of Drizzy who is a graphics guy and also had a good long career with the Sarasota Sailfish. Both these users show from their current earning pace and their history that they have what it takes to be a team's WR1 unless something happens. On the other hand, Erwin Camp, the recreate of user jdourtled, didn't go very far with their last player. However it seems like they're earning at a very good pace so far with this player, so we'll see how he fares out over time. These prospects will probably land in the same range as the guys I mentioned before, namely the late first through second round range. But again, there's so many variables on this like position change willingness, locker room fit and the user's desires so they might end up in dramatically different spots. Moreover, as I feel like there's too many WR1 caliber players in this draft compared to the spots available, I wouldn't be surprised if some of those players I have mentioned so far changed position in ISFL.
Apart from the 200+TPE prospects, there are several mid to low earner wide receivers. The prospect with highest TPE along them is Derrick Armstrong, who is at 134TPE. He's still very much active, so I think he will be turn out as a solid mid earner if he continues on this pace. this means he will certainly get a starting spot in the ISFL down the line, and maybe he'll have a shot at WR1 if the circumstances are to his favor. I can see him going in anywhere from late 2nd to 3rd round. Next up is Ayomide Ayodele, who is at 96TPE. Ayodele was seen in the forums very recently, but hasn't updated or posted anything since January 8th. Unless he comes back and earns well I think he's a late 3rd to 4th round prospect. Finally there's Abe Froman, who currently has 74 TPE. He has been inactive for last 3 weeks or so, and unless he comes back I think he will end up in late 3rd to 4th round like Ayodele.
Tight ends
The Board
Nacho Macho Man (Bondi Beach Buccaneers, 160TPE)
Virginia Emmet (Kansas City Coyotes, 152TPE)
JJ Lopez- Daniels (Kansas City Coyotes, 134TPE)
Benny Hana (London Royals, 100TPE)
Tight ends are one of the "less flashy" skill positions, and thus you don't see as many people creating in this position. The demand for the position isn't that high compared to wide receivers/ running backs either, as most teams run with 1 tight end, with some teams running 2 according to their circumstances. And there's not a huge demand for tight ends, too. This season the only team that has a real need at tight end position is the Austin Copperheads, as they have no tight ends on their roster currently with no senddowns. Orange County Otters are in the same situation, but they have a tight end down in the DSFL, probably waiting to be called up this offseason. The Arizona Outlaws are in the same situation, with a tight end senddown. And while the Colorado Yeti doesn't have any tight ends in either ISFL in DSFL, I doubt they will have a need for one as they currently have 4 wide receivers, and one of them are probably filling in as tight end. But there's still a possibility that they'll draft a tight end if they have the chance in later rounds.
Prospect wise this class is quite straightforward. There are 4 prospects in total, who are all between 100 and 200 TPE. The top TPE player among those 4 is Nacho Macho man, a player created by a first- gen user who has been relatively quiet in the forums so far. However, I saw him quite often in discord and he's earning TPE in a good pace, so I feel like he'll get a spot somewhere. I see him going in 2nd to 3rd round. Next up are 2 players from the Kansas City Coyotes, Virginia Emmet and JJ Lopez-Daniels. Both are activly earning -but otherwise quiet in forums- first gen users. I have no information regarding their locker room activity or personality, and thus I'll have them going in 2rd to 3rd round range like Nacho Macho Man. Finally there's Benny Hana from London Royals, who is at exactly 100TPE. Hana is a recreate of user Doomraider, who previously had a S25 running back, and is mostly quiet on forums as well. I think Hana will be a solid mid tier earner like the other 3, and he'll probably go in the same range as them.
Offensive linemen
The Board
Franz Udo Culman-Kaiser (Bondi Beach Buccaneers, 163TPE)
Dane Johnson Jr. (London Royals, 133TPE)
Larry Jenkins (Tijuana Luchadores, 124TPE)
Kuma Bear (Norfolk Seawolves, 67TPE)
In ISFL offensive line is the epitome of "luxury" position in draft. While they are significantly better than boys of the same TPE level because of adjustments in weights and traits, teams with a lot of holes to fill tend to use bots instead, using their draft picks in positions they need more urgently. Contenders, however, often seek to draft an offensive lineman in their drafts as human linemen are significantly cheaper than bots, therefore saving cap space that can be used to bolster other positions through trade or free agency. Basically if you are seeking to getting your team ready for a championship run and signing some free agents, a human offensive lineman is a must. So, "need" for offensive line is very hard to gauge. A team can have a lot of strategies in the offseason, and quite a few of those involve offensive line. As rebuilding can be done in a very short time in this league (to the point that one can build a consistently contending team for a long time), it is not uncommon to see rebuilding teams draft an offensive lineman in addition to currently contending teams. You basically have to think that every team has a chance to draft one.
This season's offensive line class consist of 4 prospects, with 3 being above 100TPE. The top TPE player among them is Franz Udo Culman- Kaiser, a recreate of user Evok, who is very well known figure across multiple sim leagues. And she was a great presence in discord from what I experienced, too. I can see her going in the second round, or in the late first round even. Next up on TPE is Dane Johnson Jr, who currently has 133TPE. Johnson is a mid earner in TPE side of things, and has a user who has been mostly quiet in forums, although I admit to not knowing about a lot of users' discord activity. He seems like a second to early third round prospect to me. Larry Jenkins might seem like a mid earner at first glance, but as a matter of fact he is a post draft waiver player, and thus he is actually earning at a much better pace. Jenkins' User PaytonM34 is a long time veteran of the league, and is well regarded in locker rooms. I think he will find a good home in late first to second round. The Final member of this offensive line class is Kuma Bear from the Norfolk Seawolves, who only has 67TPE and hasn't updated since January 8th, despite being seen in the forums about 2 weeks ago. I feel like he's going to be a 4th round prospect unless he comes back and starts earning well.
RE: An overview of S34 class- offense edition - Jangorhino - 02-19-2022
Your offense and defense articles are great! Thanks for the insight and hard work!