2X ROOKIE FIRST ARTICLE
With another season come to pass here in the NSFL, it’s time to look forward to the Season 24 Draft. For the players getting drafted, it’s a night full of wonder and excitement, as they finally realize their dreams of playing professional football. For the front offices involved, it’s also a time of excitement, but more so it’s a time of hot takes and harsh criticisms, as their very futures as executives, especially for those near the top of the draft, are at stake. A poor choice in the draft can haunt a team for a generation.
Let’s take a look at each of the teams in this year’s NSFL Draft, and see how they finished the year and where they should look to going forward.
#1 – Chicago Butchers
S23 record | 3-13
Offensive ranks: Scoring – 12/12 | Yards – 11/12 | Pass Yds – 10/12 | Rush Yds – 10/12
Defensive ranks: Scoring – 11/12 | Yards – 10/12 | Pass Yds – 5/12 | Rush Yds – 12/12
Where to start with the Butchers? It’s not hard to see how they ended up with the worse record in the league. Their offense is a mess, averaging only 13 PPG, and their defense wasn’t much better. Don’t let the fact that they finished in the top half in pass defense distract you from the fact that with the rush defense being so putrid teams never had to throw the ball! This team was so pathetic last season that I wish the Butcher’s Union would have won their lawsuit against them, as the only thing this team can cut with any sort of consistency is their attendance numbers.
So, with the first pick, who should they go with? I think there are only really two options here – you either go front seven, or you try to help out that pathetic offense by getting a running back who can actually score touchdowns. With the league moving more towards RBBC, and the team’s strong need for defensive help, I think they need to go defense at #1.
Who they should pick: Juan Domine – LB | London Royals
#2 – San Jose SaberCats
S23 Record | 5-11
Offense: Scoring – 11/12 | Yards – 12/12 | Pass Yds – 12/12 | Rush Yds – 9/12
Defense: Scoring – 12/12 | Yds – 4/12 | Pass Yds – 4/12 | Rush Yds – 8/12
No one was happier to see Chicago have such a bad season than San Jose, since Chicago falling on its face every week made people forget how laughable San Jose was. Let’s be real here: their 5-11 record, while bad, was a mirage. This team was lucky to have won ANY games this year with how horrible their passing attack was. It’s hard to place all the blame on Monty Jack, however, as his receiving corps was made up of guys that they seemingly pulled off the street for him to throw to. Hey, San Jose, I have a tip for you: If you want your young QB to not be laughed out of the league, get him some talent to throw to!
Who they should pick : Taro Raimon – WR | Dallas Birddogs
#3 - Honolulu Hahalua
S23 Record – 7-9
Offense: Points – 10/12 | Yds – 10/12 | Pass – 11/12 | Rush – 7/12
Defense: Points – 5/12 | Yds – 6/12 | Pass – 2/12 | Rush – 11/12
Thanks to Honolulu’s performance, we can finally put a fork in the old adage, “Defense wins Championships” as they had a top 5 scoring defense and the second best pass defense in the league, and still managed to finish under .500. Sure, their pass defense was only so good because teams never had to throw on them. When you can only manage 19 PPG, and have a passing attack that can only be described as “anemic,” all your opponent has to do week in and week out is score first and then play keep away. The big guy in Moana couldn’t have saved this team this past season.
Who they should have picked: Asher Montain – DE | KC Coyotes
#4 – Sarasota Sailfish
S23 Record – 8-8
Offense: Points – 9/12 | Yds – 5/12 | Pass – 6/12 | Rush – 6/12
Defense: Points – 9/12 | Yds – 7/12 | Pass – 7/12 | Rush – 6/12
Now that we got out of the top 3 picks of this draft, we can finally talk about a team that wasn’t a dumpster fire on either side of the ball this year. Finishing at .500 (along with 47 other teams this season), Sarasota is in the precarious position of drafting high, and not having multiple holes to plug.
The Sailfish’ biggest need going into S24 is to get someone, ANYONE, who can carry the ball, and allow their big FB Frost do his damage at the goal line. A little bit of thunder and lightning (but since it’s Florida we’ll call it Bath Salts and Scooters) would do this team good.
Who they should pick: Zoe Watts – RB | Dallas Birddogs
#5 – Baltimore Hawks
S23 Record – 8-8
Offense: Points - 8/12 | Yds - 7/12 | Pass Yds – 9/12 | Rush Yds – 2/12
Defense: Points – 6/12 | Yds – 8/12 | Pass – 6/12 | Rush – 9/12
Baltimore’s entire game plan, no, their identity, is based around three magical words: Ground. And. Pound. On offense they were more than able to live up to those words, with their two headed monster at RB of Williams and Reed combining for over 2,000 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Unfortunately for them, part of playing that way is you need to sometimes stop the other guys from running all over you in return. I guess Baltimore’s coaches are just such big fans of the running game that they wanted to make sure everyone could participate this year. How very thoughtful of them!
Who they should pick: Alejandro Chainbreaker – LB | MN Grey Ducks
#6 – Arizona Outlaws
S23 Record: 8-8
Offense: Points – 1/12 | Yds: 4/12 | Pass: 1/12 | Rush: 11/12
Defense: Points – 3/12 | Yds: 2/12 | Pass: 3/12 | Rush: 5/12
If there is one team in the NSFL that can truly identify with the state that it plays in, it would have to be the Arizona Outlaws. Throughout S23, Arizona consistently disappointed, fielding not only the top offense in the league, but a top 3 defense, and still only managing 8 measly wins. It seems that Arizona is the place where dreams of winning football go to die.
Arizona is, however, lucky in one spot here: they don’t need much to push them over the edge. The only place of improvement for the team is for their piddly rushing attack. Also lucky for them, there is a stud prospect that just happens to still be sitting there at pick 6.
Who they should have picked: Mai Fukusha – RB | Portland Pythons
#7 – New Orleans Second Line
S23 Record: 9-7
Offense: Points – 5/12 | Yds – 6/12 | Pass – 7/12 | Rush – 5/12
Defense: Points – 10/12 | Yds – 11/12 | Pass – 10/12 | Rush – 10/12
If you need proof that there is some real witchcraft going on down in the Bayou, I present to you the NO Second Line – the answer to the question, “what happens if you don’t play defense?” Despite finishing within the bottom two in every single defensive category as a team, New Orleans SOMEHOW still managed to end the year with a winning record. If I’m a team like Arizona, who absolutely dominated on both side of the ball, I’m calling in the Ghost Hunters to do some investigating into the obviously friendly spirits living in New Orleans.
New Orleans survived this season by running a, “bend like a freaking yogi but don’t break” mentality on defense, with their opportunistic unit compiling 28 total forced turnovers (thanks to the aforementioned spirits to be excised). You can’t, however, survive very long in this league playing that way, which is why they need to look to beef up that defense and fast.
Who they should have picked: LeBong Simwell – DT | KC Coyotes
#8 – Philadelphia Liberty
S23 Record: 9-7
Offense: Points – 4/12 | Yds – 9/12 | Pass – 8/12 | Rush – 3/12
Defense: Points – 2/12 | Yds – 3/12 | Pass – 9/12 | Rush – 2/12
Ah, Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love, the home of the Liberty Bell and of Rocky Balboa. A city so full of history and culture, that you forget that it’s still part of Pennsylvania, the North’s Florida. The Liberty this year had one philosophy this season – play football like it’s 1776. Who wants to throw the ball when you can run it 50 times a game? The crazy part is that it actually wasn’t a bad plan! Until they were forced to throw the ball, and we learned that their receiving corps had the agility of Rocky’s kid’s robot from Rocky IV.
Now, not all of the blame for their inability to throw the ball rests solely on the WR’s and the QB. No. This futility was definitely a team effort. It didn’t help that the Liberty had one offensive lineman who apparently knew how to write his own name and take more than four steps without falling over. If there’s one need for this team, it has to be in the trenches.
Who they should have picked: Thad Pennington, Jr. – OL | Norfolk Seawolves
#9 – Colorado Yeti
S23 Record: 10-6
Offense: Points – 6/12 | Yds – 8/12 | Pass – 4/12 | Rush – 12/12
Defense: Points – 1/12 | Yds – 5/12 | Pass – 8/12 | Rush – 4/12
Dear Colorado Yeti,
We get that you, your players, and your fans, are all most likely high. That doesn’t mean that the football needs to be in the air 90% of the time, too! Sure, you might be the Mile High City, but just because the air floats a little longer up in the mountains you don’t have to ignore running the ball!
Look at that defense! The Yeti should have repeated this year with that monstrous unit out there, but because they can’t run the ball to protect a lead, they ended up falling short.
Who they should pick: Captain Rogers – RB | Norfolk Seawolves
#10 – Orange County Otters
S23 Record – 11-5
Offense: Points – 2/12 | Yds – 2/12 | Pass – 5/12 | Rush – 1/12
Defense: Points – 4/12 | Yds – 1/12 | Pass – 1/12 | Rush – 1/12
Now THAT is a team. Orange County was absolutely dominant on both sides of the ball this year, and their regular season record showed it! They have an embarrassment of riches, and if they pick correctly, can set themselves up for another run of dominance in S24.
Who they should pick: Ne Mo – TE | Myrtle Beach Buccaneers
#11 – Austin Copperheads
S23 Record – 8-8
Offense – Points – 7/12 | Yds – 3/12 | Pass – 3/12 | Rush – 8/12
Defense – Points – 8/12 | Yds – 12/12 | Pass – 12/12 | Rush – 7/12
Holy swiss cheese secondary, Batman! It takes a real team effort to perform worse than The Chicago Butchers on defense, but somehow Austin managed to pull it off. Lucky for them, no one else needs secondary as much as they do, so they get the pick of the litter tonight!
Who they should pick: Quentin Button – Safety | Norfolk Seawolves
#12 – Yellowknife Wraiths
S23 Record: 10-6
Offense: Points – 3/12 | Yds – 1/12 | Pass – 2/12 | Rush 4/12
Defense: Points – 7/12 | Yds – 9/12 | Pass – 11/12 | Rush – 3/12
After grinding it out in the NSFC Championship against the Yeti, the Wraiths got a gift from the football gods when they got to go up against Austin in the championship. They need help in the secondary, and if they don’t go that way with this pick, then I will eat my hat.
Who they should pick: Rickie Vaughne – CB | Norfolk Seawolves
With another season come to pass here in the NSFL, it’s time to look forward to the Season 24 Draft. For the players getting drafted, it’s a night full of wonder and excitement, as they finally realize their dreams of playing professional football. For the front offices involved, it’s also a time of excitement, but more so it’s a time of hot takes and harsh criticisms, as their very futures as executives, especially for those near the top of the draft, are at stake. A poor choice in the draft can haunt a team for a generation.
Let’s take a look at each of the teams in this year’s NSFL Draft, and see how they finished the year and where they should look to going forward.
#1 – Chicago Butchers
S23 record | 3-13
Offensive ranks: Scoring – 12/12 | Yards – 11/12 | Pass Yds – 10/12 | Rush Yds – 10/12
Defensive ranks: Scoring – 11/12 | Yards – 10/12 | Pass Yds – 5/12 | Rush Yds – 12/12
Where to start with the Butchers? It’s not hard to see how they ended up with the worse record in the league. Their offense is a mess, averaging only 13 PPG, and their defense wasn’t much better. Don’t let the fact that they finished in the top half in pass defense distract you from the fact that with the rush defense being so putrid teams never had to throw the ball! This team was so pathetic last season that I wish the Butcher’s Union would have won their lawsuit against them, as the only thing this team can cut with any sort of consistency is their attendance numbers.
So, with the first pick, who should they go with? I think there are only really two options here – you either go front seven, or you try to help out that pathetic offense by getting a running back who can actually score touchdowns. With the league moving more towards RBBC, and the team’s strong need for defensive help, I think they need to go defense at #1.
Who they should pick: Juan Domine – LB | London Royals
#2 – San Jose SaberCats
S23 Record | 5-11
Offense: Scoring – 11/12 | Yards – 12/12 | Pass Yds – 12/12 | Rush Yds – 9/12
Defense: Scoring – 12/12 | Yds – 4/12 | Pass Yds – 4/12 | Rush Yds – 8/12
No one was happier to see Chicago have such a bad season than San Jose, since Chicago falling on its face every week made people forget how laughable San Jose was. Let’s be real here: their 5-11 record, while bad, was a mirage. This team was lucky to have won ANY games this year with how horrible their passing attack was. It’s hard to place all the blame on Monty Jack, however, as his receiving corps was made up of guys that they seemingly pulled off the street for him to throw to. Hey, San Jose, I have a tip for you: If you want your young QB to not be laughed out of the league, get him some talent to throw to!
Who they should pick : Taro Raimon – WR | Dallas Birddogs
#3 - Honolulu Hahalua
S23 Record – 7-9
Offense: Points – 10/12 | Yds – 10/12 | Pass – 11/12 | Rush – 7/12
Defense: Points – 5/12 | Yds – 6/12 | Pass – 2/12 | Rush – 11/12
Thanks to Honolulu’s performance, we can finally put a fork in the old adage, “Defense wins Championships” as they had a top 5 scoring defense and the second best pass defense in the league, and still managed to finish under .500. Sure, their pass defense was only so good because teams never had to throw on them. When you can only manage 19 PPG, and have a passing attack that can only be described as “anemic,” all your opponent has to do week in and week out is score first and then play keep away. The big guy in Moana couldn’t have saved this team this past season.
Who they should have picked: Asher Montain – DE | KC Coyotes
#4 – Sarasota Sailfish
S23 Record – 8-8
Offense: Points – 9/12 | Yds – 5/12 | Pass – 6/12 | Rush – 6/12
Defense: Points – 9/12 | Yds – 7/12 | Pass – 7/12 | Rush – 6/12
Now that we got out of the top 3 picks of this draft, we can finally talk about a team that wasn’t a dumpster fire on either side of the ball this year. Finishing at .500 (along with 47 other teams this season), Sarasota is in the precarious position of drafting high, and not having multiple holes to plug.
The Sailfish’ biggest need going into S24 is to get someone, ANYONE, who can carry the ball, and allow their big FB Frost do his damage at the goal line. A little bit of thunder and lightning (but since it’s Florida we’ll call it Bath Salts and Scooters) would do this team good.
Who they should pick: Zoe Watts – RB | Dallas Birddogs
#5 – Baltimore Hawks
S23 Record – 8-8
Offense: Points - 8/12 | Yds - 7/12 | Pass Yds – 9/12 | Rush Yds – 2/12
Defense: Points – 6/12 | Yds – 8/12 | Pass – 6/12 | Rush – 9/12
Baltimore’s entire game plan, no, their identity, is based around three magical words: Ground. And. Pound. On offense they were more than able to live up to those words, with their two headed monster at RB of Williams and Reed combining for over 2,000 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Unfortunately for them, part of playing that way is you need to sometimes stop the other guys from running all over you in return. I guess Baltimore’s coaches are just such big fans of the running game that they wanted to make sure everyone could participate this year. How very thoughtful of them!
Who they should pick: Alejandro Chainbreaker – LB | MN Grey Ducks
#6 – Arizona Outlaws
S23 Record: 8-8
Offense: Points – 1/12 | Yds: 4/12 | Pass: 1/12 | Rush: 11/12
Defense: Points – 3/12 | Yds: 2/12 | Pass: 3/12 | Rush: 5/12
If there is one team in the NSFL that can truly identify with the state that it plays in, it would have to be the Arizona Outlaws. Throughout S23, Arizona consistently disappointed, fielding not only the top offense in the league, but a top 3 defense, and still only managing 8 measly wins. It seems that Arizona is the place where dreams of winning football go to die.
Arizona is, however, lucky in one spot here: they don’t need much to push them over the edge. The only place of improvement for the team is for their piddly rushing attack. Also lucky for them, there is a stud prospect that just happens to still be sitting there at pick 6.
Who they should have picked: Mai Fukusha – RB | Portland Pythons
#7 – New Orleans Second Line
S23 Record: 9-7
Offense: Points – 5/12 | Yds – 6/12 | Pass – 7/12 | Rush – 5/12
Defense: Points – 10/12 | Yds – 11/12 | Pass – 10/12 | Rush – 10/12
If you need proof that there is some real witchcraft going on down in the Bayou, I present to you the NO Second Line – the answer to the question, “what happens if you don’t play defense?” Despite finishing within the bottom two in every single defensive category as a team, New Orleans SOMEHOW still managed to end the year with a winning record. If I’m a team like Arizona, who absolutely dominated on both side of the ball, I’m calling in the Ghost Hunters to do some investigating into the obviously friendly spirits living in New Orleans.
New Orleans survived this season by running a, “bend like a freaking yogi but don’t break” mentality on defense, with their opportunistic unit compiling 28 total forced turnovers (thanks to the aforementioned spirits to be excised). You can’t, however, survive very long in this league playing that way, which is why they need to look to beef up that defense and fast.
Who they should have picked: LeBong Simwell – DT | KC Coyotes
#8 – Philadelphia Liberty
S23 Record: 9-7
Offense: Points – 4/12 | Yds – 9/12 | Pass – 8/12 | Rush – 3/12
Defense: Points – 2/12 | Yds – 3/12 | Pass – 9/12 | Rush – 2/12
Ah, Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love, the home of the Liberty Bell and of Rocky Balboa. A city so full of history and culture, that you forget that it’s still part of Pennsylvania, the North’s Florida. The Liberty this year had one philosophy this season – play football like it’s 1776. Who wants to throw the ball when you can run it 50 times a game? The crazy part is that it actually wasn’t a bad plan! Until they were forced to throw the ball, and we learned that their receiving corps had the agility of Rocky’s kid’s robot from Rocky IV.
Now, not all of the blame for their inability to throw the ball rests solely on the WR’s and the QB. No. This futility was definitely a team effort. It didn’t help that the Liberty had one offensive lineman who apparently knew how to write his own name and take more than four steps without falling over. If there’s one need for this team, it has to be in the trenches.
Who they should have picked: Thad Pennington, Jr. – OL | Norfolk Seawolves
#9 – Colorado Yeti
S23 Record: 10-6
Offense: Points – 6/12 | Yds – 8/12 | Pass – 4/12 | Rush – 12/12
Defense: Points – 1/12 | Yds – 5/12 | Pass – 8/12 | Rush – 4/12
Dear Colorado Yeti,
We get that you, your players, and your fans, are all most likely high. That doesn’t mean that the football needs to be in the air 90% of the time, too! Sure, you might be the Mile High City, but just because the air floats a little longer up in the mountains you don’t have to ignore running the ball!
Look at that defense! The Yeti should have repeated this year with that monstrous unit out there, but because they can’t run the ball to protect a lead, they ended up falling short.
Who they should pick: Captain Rogers – RB | Norfolk Seawolves
#10 – Orange County Otters
S23 Record – 11-5
Offense: Points – 2/12 | Yds – 2/12 | Pass – 5/12 | Rush – 1/12
Defense: Points – 4/12 | Yds – 1/12 | Pass – 1/12 | Rush – 1/12
Now THAT is a team. Orange County was absolutely dominant on both sides of the ball this year, and their regular season record showed it! They have an embarrassment of riches, and if they pick correctly, can set themselves up for another run of dominance in S24.
Who they should pick: Ne Mo – TE | Myrtle Beach Buccaneers
#11 – Austin Copperheads
S23 Record – 8-8
Offense – Points – 7/12 | Yds – 3/12 | Pass – 3/12 | Rush – 8/12
Defense – Points – 8/12 | Yds – 12/12 | Pass – 12/12 | Rush – 7/12
Holy swiss cheese secondary, Batman! It takes a real team effort to perform worse than The Chicago Butchers on defense, but somehow Austin managed to pull it off. Lucky for them, no one else needs secondary as much as they do, so they get the pick of the litter tonight!
Who they should pick: Quentin Button – Safety | Norfolk Seawolves
#12 – Yellowknife Wraiths
S23 Record: 10-6
Offense: Points – 3/12 | Yds – 1/12 | Pass – 2/12 | Rush 4/12
Defense: Points – 7/12 | Yds – 9/12 | Pass – 11/12 | Rush – 3/12
After grinding it out in the NSFC Championship against the Yeti, the Wraiths got a gift from the football gods when they got to go up against Austin in the championship. They need help in the secondary, and if they don’t go that way with this pick, then I will eat my hat.
Who they should pick: Rickie Vaughne – CB | Norfolk Seawolves
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