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+---- Thread: *A Review of the DSFL S34 Draft (/showthread.php?tid=38818)
*A Review of the DSFL S34 Draft - Repgnar - 04-16-2022
With Season 34 of the ISFL now completed I wanted to look back at the most recent DSFL Draft Class. I've really enjoyed learning as much as I can about the league when I joined earlier this month. I found myself watching multiple drafts and award shows in an attempt to consume media and get familiar with the system. By focusing on the most recent draft I hope to accomplish two things. This first is to simply look at the players statistically. I have no idea what individual ISFL Teams need going into the S35 draft so I won't be predicting where I see these players go. On the other hand there have been some great draft predictions so I will lean on those professional takes. Secondly, I wanted to list comments made by the General Mangers so that newer players like me can see what teams are looking for in players. Or at least what they're willing to say out loud. Hopefully as I remain active here I can give more insight into not only a team's positional need but who they lost to call-ups and inactive users. With that being said lets take a look at the players drafted in the first round, comments made on draft night, and how they performed statistically to their peers.
NOTE: The representatives that spoke for DSFL's S34 draft included Kotasa (Tijuana Luchadores & London Royals), Painted (Minnesota Grey Ducks & Kansas City Coyotes), TheNC (Dallas Bird Dogs & Norfolk Seawolves), and Trempale (Bondi Beach Buccaneers & Portland Pythons)
First Overall Pick by Portland Pythons: Cob Corning (Stein) – Center Back* Season 34 DSFL Statistics
70 Tackles
3 Forced Fumbles and 2 Recoveries
5 Interceptions
27 Passes Deflected
1 Touchdown
TPE as of Last Update: 269
When the Portland Pythons pulled the trigger on the first overall pick the organization immediately felt like they had knocked the decision out of the park. In fact, multiple General Managers had allegedly reached out to the Pythons to notify them, some with vulgarity, that they were also interested in the player. Cob was expected to fill a major defensive need for the team and the user's active role in media/graphics helped set him apart from the rest of the field.
The Portland Pythons would improve from a 4-10 record to a 7-7 record within a season. The Pythons got off to a great 5-2 record before eventually finding themselves just two wins out of the playoffs. The biggest improvement defensively can be seen in totals points allowed. In S33 the Pythons allowed a league worst 480 points. The next closest team was 415 points allowed by the Luchadores. In S34 though the Pythons allowed 325 points with only three other teams allowing less points. While this improvement should be attributed to the team as a whole there's no denying Cob's immediate impact. Cob Corning put impressive numbers up in both forced fumbles and interceptions for a corner back. He lead the league as a corner back with 3 forced fumbles and 2 recoveries, was only one interception behind the league leader, and had a second best 27 passes deflected. The Pythons ultimately came up short in the regular season but they can sleep peacefully knowing Cob Corning was an outstanding pick. With the DSFL Awards coming upon the 25th of April Cob Corning has done a great job solidifying his name in those discussions. There's no doubt in my mind that Cob Corning will continue his success into the ISFL. With over 250 TPE I fully expect Cob to start somewhere in the ISFL next year. Multiple draft predictions have him at either number one or two in the ISFL draft at this time.
Second Overall Pick by Dallas Birddogs: Ignacio Desoto (Icnamu?) – Defensive Tackle Season 34 DSFL Statistics
49 Tackles
8 Tackles for Loss
3 Sacks
TPE as of Last and Final Update: 192
The Dallas Birddogs also made their pick based on positional need and the user's activity leading up to the draft. The Birddogs wanted to bolster their defensive line and viewed Icnamu as a great user. Icnamu was described as being an active member in the media. The team also liked what they heard in their scouting conversation pre-draft. The team even went as far as saying there is “No doubt in our mind he becomes a legend on the field and site-wide”. The user was in fact already a legend site-wide unbeknownst to the Dallas war room.
On the field Ignacio Desoto put up great stats for a defensive tackle. He lead the position in tackles and was only one tackle for loss behind the league's defensive tackle leader. Unlike the Portland Pythons the Dallas Birddogs only improved their record by one win with a 6-8 record in Season 34. Ironically though this proved enough to find themselves into the playoffs with a Week 14 loss by the Bondi Beach Buccaneers. Viewed as underdogs in both of their post-season matchups the Birddogs would end up winning the Ultimini. Desoto would tally 5 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, a forced fumble, and a sack. If not for off the field activities then this would be a great spring board for the future of the player. Unfortunately the Dallas Birddogs already know the fate of Ignacio Desoto. The user was banned mid-March as it was determined they were also Retrospace111.
Third Overall Pick by London Royals: Glenn Stockton (Dutchff) – Linebacker Season 34 DSFL Statistics
89 Tackles
10 Tackles for Loss
3 Forced Fumbles
13 Sacks
2 Interceptions
7 Passes Deflected
TPE as of Last Update: 135
“Like skipping rope in double dutch this pick came easily to us. We're excited to be 'stock'ing up on linebackers and great users in London. This pick was a 'ton' of fun in the war room after we announced it and we are hoping that Dutch can follow in the footsteps of Pibb as the next great Royal Linebacker named Glenn.”
Glenn Stockton had an average year as a Linebacker for the London Royals. While he wasn't competing for the league best tackles or tackles for loss he put up impressive numbers for sacks and interceptions. Unfortunately the London Royals found themselves in a similar situation as last year although in a much more competitive North. The team finished with the same record as S33 but ended up falling to fourth in the North. Glenn's activity stopped in early March which creates question marks for the player moving forward. When drafted for the ISFL the player will most likely spend another year in the DSFL to accrue more TPE as the DSFL already has a number of active Linebackers that haven't been called up yet. The future is unknown here but I'm sure the Royals would love to have an active user back next year with a slightly higher TPE number than the incoming draft class. Due to the inactivity though Glenn's name hasn't appeared on any mock draft lists.
Fourth Overall Pick by Bondi Beach Buccaneers: Draft Steal (Troen) – Defensive End Season 34 DSFL Statistics
37 Tackles
5 Tackles for Loss
4 Forced Fumbles with 2 recoveries
10 Sacks
TPE as of Last Update: 274
The Bondi Beach Buccaneers came into this season looking to cause problems for opposing quarterbacks. They made it known that they were looking to add another weapon alongside Abel Archer. Their defensive plan was to simply cause mismatches for the offensive line and ultimately get to the quarterback. Draft Steal was the Defensive End they thought would best slot into this role. While the team's record did drop by a win this year the defensive side of the ball only allowed 302 points, tied for second best in the league.
With the defensive game plan revolving around two defensive linemen there were questions around who would ultimately benefit statistically. Both players were comfortably recording above average numbers for the league. This allowed the Bondi Beach Buccaneers to not rely on any one Defensive End. While a player like George Fantobens was able to feast as the sole superstar Defensive End on the Luchadores the Bucs relied on a much more balanced rush. Draft Steal managed to cap out his DSFL TPE so expect to see him at the next level in S35. A talented player in a much needed position will be an appealing option for the majority of the league. Draft mocks have him going anywhere from the sixth overall to the tenth.
Fifth Overall Pick by Kansas City Coyotes: Queen Elizabeth II (Frazzle14) – Quarterback Season 34 DSFL Statistics
249 Completions
467 Attempts
3023 Yards
53.3% Completion Percentage
23 Touchdowns
13 Interceptions
78.3 Passer Rating
TPE as of Last Update: 210
It's no secret that quarterbacks have a long journey before they play their first snap in the ISFL. The Kansas City Coyotes were ready to invest their time and team into building a quarterback after getting burned the year prior. While there was a chance that Queen Elizabeth II may have fallen to a second or third round the Coyotes rightfully valued positional need over best player available. KCC put themselves in position to win with a rookie quarterback their first year. While it's still up for debate the would ultimately falter due to off the field antics this year leaving them undermanned.
Queen Elizabeth II put up very respectable numbers for a year one rookie. There's a reason why quarterbacks are almost always asked to stay multiple year in the ISFL. The difference between a year one and a year three or four quarterback is substantial. Thankfully for Queen Elizabeth II and KCC is that their new quarterback is already putting up reliable numbers. The young (old?) quarterback should only improve from this year's performance. Every other quarterback but one in the DSFL was either a two or three year quarterback. The expectation was for Queen Elizabeth II to learn this year. While she did that she also walked away with only one league-worst stat which was in completion percentage. KCC fans should be excited for the Queen's trajectory with the front office situation now cleaned up.
Sixth Overall Pick by Tijuana Luchadores: Triple Option (Aleris) – Runningback Season 34 DSFL Statistics
9 Rushing Attempts
38 Rushing Yards
4.5 Average Yards
1 Touchdown
TPE as of Last Update: 181
Interesting stats to say the least for a first round draft. At first glance you may think Aleris was extremely active in the preseason before bouncing from the league with a cool 6 million. You'd be dead wrong. The player is a stand up guy (actually, a chair) and made it clear to the Luchadores that he was a team player. The Luchadores were able to get a sneak peak at Triple Option as he had a positive impact in the locker room before the draft. This player initially stumped me until I reached out to the Luchadores for comment.
This player was a flexible option for the Luchadores playing at both the Tight End position and Fullback. At Fullback Triple Option split playtime with Patrick Porkins. In addition to that McTurtle was the primary ball carrier at the Running Back position. With such a loaded backfield already what was Triple Option's role? Thankfully the Luchadores were able to explain a little bit about what he did that contributed to his low stats individually. Triple Option's primary role was a blocker and as a user he wasn't interested in carries. This would help contribute to a 5 yard average per run for the season in Tijuana. Don't let his stats fool you if you're looking to draft a supplemental piece to an already established running game. He still has a season to accrue TPE as well which may allow him to get more carries as Patrick Porkins likely moves up to the ISFL.
Seventh Overall Pick by Minnesota Grey Ducks: Owen Farrell (Asked Madden) – Quarterback Season 34 DSFL Statistics
205 Completions
368 Attempts
2975 Yards
55.7% Completion Percentage
94.4 Passer Rating
TPE as of Last Update: 278
The Grey Ducks came into the draft knowing they needed a quarterback after a call up to the ISFL. Initially the front office wanted to draft a true rookie in the first round in order to give that experience to someone new but ultimately decided locking up a quarterback was just too important. Between positional need and viewing Asked Madden as a great user the team was happy to select a former Dallas member.
Owen Farrell put up solid numbers in his rookie year to include a league best passer rating. I would even give the slight edge to Owen Farrell if we compare his stats to the the other quarterback taken this round. While it appeared the Grey Ducks took a conservative approach to passing it got the job more than done. A league low 205 completions and 268 attempts statistically show that story but he was also tied with the 3rd most touchdowns at 26 and only 10 interceptions which was the second least amount. At the end of the season the Grey Ducks found themselves in the Ultimini but couldn't cap the season off with one final victory. The Grey Ducks have a solid starter and will look to capitalize in the next two or so years to get back to the Ultimini again. As for the ISFL it's been all but confirmed by insiders and mock draft experts that Owen Farrell will be going 7th to the San Jose Sabercats. 100% guaranteed.
Eighth Overall Pick by Norfolk Seawolves: Carissa Van Campen (Myrrh) – Linebacker Season 34 DSFL Statistics
92 Tackles
6 Tackles for Loss
1 Forced Fumble
2 Sacks
4 Passes Deflected
TPE as of Last Update: 180
Myrrh was a relatively late add to the ISFL community which proved to be very beneficial to the Norfolk Seawolves. The Seawolves stated they believed this was the only reason the user fell so low in the draft. Even they were surprised they were able to draft such a high valued user so late in the first round. They initially had trouble reaching out to the user during the scouting process but last season shows that it was worth any extra effort. At least for drafting Carissa Van Campen. I'm sure Seawolves' Fans would love to go back to the S33 Ultimini instead of finishing in the South's last place by a large margin this year.
Surprisingly to me S34's DSFL had quite a few multiyear linebackers at the starting position. Carissa's numbers didn't lead the league but she was right in the mix with at least six other multiyear Linebackers. Something that teams look at as well is the activity the player has outside of the sim. Myrrh has been actively posting media articles and is already known in other sim leagues. The combination of making an impact on the field during her rookie year and her reputation in the community leads to an appealing draft choice for the ISFL. Multiple mock drafts have her listed in the first round so it'll be interesting to see where she actually lands.
RE: A Review of the DSFL S34 Draft - mithrandir - 04-16-2022
Did Dallas really take Zamir multi #2oa? Oof