I‘d like to take some time to review the rookie season of every NSFL skill player and how they developed this season so far. This means that only players who played in both season 22 and 23 will be reviewed, as I‘m mostly interested if we have some serious cases of sophomore success or players who really turned it around after a disappointing rookie year. Why only this group, you may ask yourself. Well, mostly because I‘m lazy and this write-up was already way more work than I expected. I highly appreciate the work defensive players put on the field and they are of course essential to the success – or lack thereof – for every single team, but like I said, I‘m lazy.
Disclaimer: This article was written after 11 or 12 games had been played in the NSFL. If you had an exceptional performance after that and it isn't mentioned here, sorry.
Quarterbacks
Chika Fujiwara – Baltimore Hawks – Drafted season 21, round 5, pick 41
Season 22: Our only rookie quarterback of the season. As you‘ve probably heard a million times, quarterback is considered to be the hardest position in all of sports and with Fujiwara you could see that it‘s extra hard for a rookie.
Fujiwara finished the season with the least amount of yards, completions, the second least touchdowns and second worst quarterback rating among all quarterbacks who played the full 13 game season. As a positive, he threw the least amount of interceptions and was ranked 8th out of eleven in completion percentage, so you see it‘s not a problem with his accuracy. He also added 51 yards on the ground in 19 attempts.
You often hear how the game slows down for more experienced quarterbacks and I can see that happening for Fujiwara in his second year. He gained some valuable experience this year and I‘m sure he‘ll show a much stronger performance next season.
Season 23: It seems that Fujiwara is slowly getting used to the level of competitiveness in the NSFL. While he is still the quarterback with the second least attempts and completions in the league, barely in front of rookie Monty Jack, he is now in fourth to last place for yards. He also managed to throw 12 touchdowns so far, up by three compared to last year, while also throwing more interceptions at 11. Unfortunately his completion percentage dropped to fourth to last in the league, although it‘s just slightly lower than last year‘s (54.8 compared to 55). His quarterback rating saw an improvement, now at 72.8.
Conclusion: Although you can see that Fujiwara‘s play improved since last year it is safe to say there‘s still room for improvement. But like I stated, with the difficulty of the quarterback position in general, it‘s not surprising to see a young player struggle in this role.
Running backs
Julio Tirtawidjaja – Chicago Butchers – Drafted season 22, round 6, pick 66
Season 22: Tirtawidjaja led all rookie running backs in yards in a Chicago Butchers offense that had the second least rushing attempts of all teams in the NSFL with 355. Tirtawidjaja was handed the ball 230 times (that‘s 65% of all the Butchers‘ rushing attempts) and finished with 925 yards, an average of 4 yards per attempt.
Unsurprisingly for a team that struggled to put points on the board, finishing dead last with little more than half the points of the next worse teams, Tirtawidjaja only scored two touchdowns. I fully expect those numbers to go up once the Butchers feel confident about not tanking anymore.
Season 23: Tirtawidjaja had another great season so far, only overshadowed by season 22 rookie Tatsu Nakamura and rookie Jamar Lackson. As the top three have the same amount of carries so far, it‘s easy to compare their performances and while Tirtawidjaja is a bit behind the other two backs in yards and yards per carry (3.9 compared to 4.3 and 4.2) it was still a very good season for him, although he still had some trouble finding the end zone, adding only three touchdowns so far this season.
Conclusion: Tirtawidjaja has shown that his rookie season wasn‘t a fluke and that he is a force to be reckoned with in the years to come. If he manages to score more touchdowns it will only strengthen his case but he is already a great player as it is. It seems the Butchers love him so much as a runner that they don‘t need him much as a receiver but it could be another side of his game to make him only more dangerous.
Acura Skyline – Yellowknife Wraiths – Drafted season 22, round 4, pick 47
Season 22: Skyline had a strong rookie campaign, as to be expected by one of the fastest guys on the field. He finished the season with 911 yards on 212 carries, an impressive 4.3 yards per attempt. That wasn‘t only enough to lead all rookies but also 0.3 yards more than the next best rookie players. Skyline‘s nine touchdowns was the most for all running backs in the league as he has already established himself as an important member of the Wraiths and offensive rookie of the year winner. Skyline was named to the pro bowl as a reserve running back, also proving that he can be a big factor in the receiving department with 358 yards.
Season 23: Skyline was the Wraiths‘ number two back behind Mathias Hanyadi again and although he didn‘t have a bad year by any means, he couldn‘t repeat the impressive numbers of his rookie season. While his yards per attempt stayed almost the same, he received significantly less touches this year, down by almost 80 with two more games to play. Naturally his total yards dropped as well, down to 541 after last year‘s 911 and so did his touchdowns, almost half of his nine TDs last season to five this year. His receiving numbers are about the same as last season so far, so that‘s an aspect of his game that wasn‘t forgotten by the Wraiths.
Conclusion: Skyline didn‘t have the best of years, which surely isn‘t because his level of play but the limited amount of touches he received this year. I‘m not sure why the Yellowknife Wraiths showed him less love this year but let‘s hope they rediscover his abilities next season, as Skyline could become one the young stars of this league.
Baby Yoda - Arizona Outlaws - Drafted season 21, round 3, pick 24
Season 22: Yoda was featured heavily on the Outlaws‘ offense with the most rushing attempts of all rookies (241), as well as the seventh most in the entire league. He ended up just behind his fellow rookies Tirtawidjaja and Skyline with 907 yards, an average of 3.8 yards per carry. He added an impressive seven touchdowns in a great rookie campaign.
Season 23: Yoda‘s rushing numbers look surprisingly similar to last year‘s, his average per attempt and touchdown numbers stayed the same and he‘s on course to rush for the same amount of yards as last year. He may not be the fastest or flashiest player on the field but his game is well rounded and it shows in his numbers.
Conclusion: Yoda‘s rushing numbers stayed roughly the same since last season, proving his consistency as Arizona‘s number one back. What did drop off though were his receiving stats, dropping from 320 yards and two touchdowns to 177 yards and zero touchdowns in year two. Unless he decides to retire early, which we don‘t hope, Yoda should be a reliable back for years to come for the Outlaws.
Tatsu Nakamura - Orange County Otters – Drafted season 22, round 4, pick 46
Season 22: Another successful rookie on the running back position. Maybe the rumors are true and the players on this position have the least trouble adapting to the big league. Nakamura rushed for 822 yards on 211 attempts for the ever successful Orange County Otters, helping the team with five touchdowns. His 20 yard run also was the longest among all rookie running backs.
Season 23: Nakamura is currently in second place among all running backs in total yards. He also showed big improvements to his average yards per attempt, which is up by an impressive 0.3 yards per carry. To cap off his stellar performance this year, Nakamura has already scored six touchdowns, more than last season with two games remaining.
Conclusion: While his season 22 was nothing to be ashamed of, Nakamura showed what he can bring to the table for the Otters this year. If he keeps up this pace, he‘ll be one of the top running backs in the league for years to come. The only way he could be more valuable is if the Otters used him more in their passing game, an area in which Nakamura hasn‘t been involved much with roughly 100 yards in his first two seasons combined.
Keʻokeʻo Kāne-Maikaʻi - Honolulu Hahalua – Drafted season 22, round 2, pick 13
Season 22: Kane-Maika'i shared the backfield with Ruff Ruff and still managed to get his hands on the ball 186 times, using his opportunities to rush for 702 yards, an average of 3.8 and four touchdowns. He also added 381 yards receiving, the best for all rookies this year. Considering that Ruff Ruff was the second best running back in the entire league, the rookie put up great numbers and certainly helped his cause in establishing himself as a number one back in the long run (no pun intended).
Season 23: While he still has strong competition in Ruff Ruff, Kane-Maika'i showed great improvement this season, raising his yards per attempt from 3.8 to 4.4 and already scoring six touchdowns. An even bigger increase came in the receiving game, adding 482 yards and two touchdowns so far for his team. I‘m sure those numbers make a couple of wide receivers jealous and it‘s an even bigger feat for a running back, which of course made him number one among his peers.
Conclusion: Kane-Maika'i has shown that he is a versatile back that can run as well as he can catch a ball. Given his improvement in yards per attempt since last season, great things can be expected from him next year as he‘ll – hopefully - only get better.
Rick Skuff - Baltimore Hawks - Drafted season 21, round 5, pick 49
Season 22: Skuff didn‘t get many touches behind Baltimore‘s established running backs Darrel Williams and Apollo Reed, but he made the most of them and ended the regular season with 119 yards on 30 carries, a good average of 4 yards per carry. Unfortunately he wasn‘t rewarded with a touchdown for his efforts. Given that he also had 109 yards, it seems he was featured as some kind of hybrid player.
Season 23: Skuff got even less touches this season, so far only 13, but still managed an average of four yards per attempt. His numbers in the receiving game stayed about the same, adding 115 yards to his totals.
Conclusion: Skuff shows what he can do with his limited playing time. I don‘t know if that will be enough for the youngster or if he‘ll look for another team where he can play a more important role. Either way, he showed that he could probably play a bigger role than he currently does in Baltimore.
Wide receivers
First off, you can see that what they say is true and that most wide receivers struggle in their first season, especially with the limited playing time they get, usually the number three receiver on the team. So please lower your expectations, no super flashy numbers coming up for this whole group.
Ed Barker - New Orleans Second Line – Drafted season 21, round 2, pick 18
Season 22: Barker was the second best receiver on his team with 580 yards and an average of 12.9 yards per reception. His three touchdowns was also tied for first place among all rookie wide receivers.
Season 23: Barker showed his talent in his second year as the number one receiver, putting up 770 yards, six touchdowns and a great increase in yards per reception to 17.5.
Conclusion: While he wasn‘t quite able to fill the hole McCormick left, he looks like he will be able to do so in the future.
Red Arrow – Colorado Yeti – Drafted season 21, round 3, pick 27
Season 22: Red Arrow showed that he is in fact as fast as an arrow with the highest yards per reception among rookie wide receivers with 15.7. With his skill set he was able to turn his 36 receptions into 566 yards and two touchdowns.
Season 23: I don‘t know if Arrow insulted the coach‘s dog in the off-season or what happened but it looks like he lost his team‘s trust. He only managed to get 199 yards on 17 receptions and his average also plummeted to 11.7 yards.
Conclusion: Whatever happened to Arrow, I hope he can work it out and come back stronger because the raw talent is certainly there. He has been outplayed by several receivers on the Yeti this season so maybe a fresh start on a different team would help.
Thomas Passmann – Arizona Outlaws – Drafted season 22, round 4, pick 44
Season 22: Passman was close behind Barker and Arrow with 539 yards but with a much lower average of 10.6. Still he scored three touchdowns and the numbers he put up were a very good rookie season.
Season 23: Judging by his yards total you could think that the season was a bit of a disappointment but Passman not only got more yards on less receptions but he also more than doubled his touchdowns scored with seven this year, tied for fifth in the entire league.
Conclusion: Passman proved to be a very good receiving option for his team while competing with league leader Saba Donut and Jah Bur‘Berry. Let‘s see if Passman is happy with his role or wants to be a legit number one receiver on another team.
Michael Witheblock – Sarasota Sailfish – Drafted season 22, round 3, pick 36
Season 22: A solid start to his career for Witheblock who got 427 yards in his first year and was the third best rookie wide receiver when it came to yards per reception.
Season 23: His numbers didn‘t improve much this year as he was the number two receivers on the Sailfish but was outplayed by rookie tight end James Angler.
Conclusion: Witheblock definitely has the talent to improve a lot next season. Hopefully he can put it all together on a young team like the Sailfish.
Jerome Davis – Chicago Butchers – Drafted season 21, round 2, pick 20
Season 22: Davis put up solid numbers for the Butchers, especially considering their weird quarterback situation for part of the season. 375 yards was one of the better results for a rookie wide receiver and 11.7 yards per reception certainly promised more things to come for the future.
Season 23: Davis is currently a free agent and has not played this season.
Conclusion: I don‘t know why it‘s so difficult for Davis to find a new team but I know that young players need to play to improve. I hope he finds a new home soon.
Chris Kross – Baltimore Hawks – Drafted season 21, round 1, pick 5
Season 22: Kross got limited targets in his first season in the league and ended the season with two touchdowns and 362 yards on 30 receptions.
Season 23: Kross was targeted even less this season, getting the ball just 24 times which resulted in 326 yards and three touchdowns.
Conclusion: I‘m not sure if there is a problem between Kross and the Hawks but you‘d expect a former first round pick to get some more attention from his team. Whatever the matter, Kross is still young and can turn his career around if he doesn‘t want to become one of so many receivers that never really made it.
Flash Panda – Philadelphia Liberty – Drafted season 21, round 1, pick 3
Season 22: Panda is another player with a solid rookie season. 336 yards, three touchdowns and an average per reception of 12 yards looked like he would be a solid receiver for many years.
Season 23: Things haven‘t really gone too well for Panda this year. He only got the ball 17 times, scoring an incredible three touchdowns with such limited touches. His yards dropped to 187 but who cares when the guy can score?
Conclusion: Panda showed great efficiency in his play but I‘m sure he would like to be a bigger part of the Liberty‘s receiving game. That‘s why you‘re a wide receiver after all, because you want to get the ball and make big plays.
William Lim – Colorado Yeti – Drafted season 22, round 3, pick 32
Season 22: If you want to see the negative side, Lim only got 310 yards. If you want to see the positives, he did so on only 21 receptions, making him the second best rookie wide receiver when it comes to yards per reception with 14.8. That‘s quite an impressive feat, to make the most of the limited chances you get.
Season 23: Lim showed that he was in fact as good as you could see flashes of last season. He‘s currently the receiver with the fifth most yards in the league and his 16.9 yards per average are also good for fifth place. Again, if you‘re looking for negatives you could complain that he only scored three touchdowns.
Conclusion: Lim has quickly established himself as one of the top receivers in the league and there‘s no reason why it should change anytime soon. Playing on a good team always helps but don‘t forget that it‘s also players like Lim that make teams good.
William Alexander – Honolulu Hahalua – Drafted season 22, round 5, pick 49
Season 22: Alexander played a season he would prefer to quickly forget about. Not only that he only managed 207 yards, he also needed 27 attempts for that. Unsurprisingly 7.7 yards per reception is quite at the bottom of the league. He also got three yards in two attempts on the ground. Unsurprisingly his season ended with zero touchdowns.
Season 23: While Alexander‘s numbers improved they were still anything but impressive. 339 yards and 10.6 yards per reception are average at best. I don‘t know how Alexander managed to score four touchdowns like that but that‘s about the only good stat he has.
Conclusion: There‘s still hope, I guess but the Hahalua will rightfully expect more from him next season. You can only get so far on talent and promise alone.
Eddie Jeeta – Austin Copperheads – Drafted season 22, round 3, pick 31
Season 22: Jeeta is another player with a rookie season he would probably like to forget. Just 141 yards at the end of the year but at least he managed to score three touchdowns.
Season 23: Jeeta more than tripled his production this year, getting 392 with 13.1 on average and four touchdowns. Not an incredible season but a definite improvement compared to last year.
Conclusion: Jeeta has shown that he can ball when given the chance. Maybe he just needs more chances.
Tight ends
Jeffrey Phillips - Orange County Otters - Drafted season 22, round 1, pick 10
Season 22: Phillips excelled in his role as a tight end, finishing not only at the top of his position class but as the best receiver among all eligible rookies. He caught a total of 66 passes for an impressive 822 yards, an average of 12.5 with his longest reception at 52 yards and three touchdowns. All that with the body of a tight end. Phillips rushed for an additional 14 yards in two tries. Unsurprisingly he was named a pro bowler as the reserve tight end.
Season 23: Phillips showed that his rookie campaign wasn‘t based on luck with even better numbers this year. 907 yards and eight touchdowns are the numbers of a young superstar in the league and make him the receiver with the fourth most yards and a shared second place for most touchdowns. I‘m sure the Otters are very excited about the future with Phillips and rightfully so.
Conclusion: Jeffrey Phillips is one of the best players in the league, no doubt about it. Perhaps his best skill is his ability to make big plays, resulting in over 15 yards per reception this year. I really don‘t know how to praise his game even more, he‘ll be a key asset of his team for years to come.
Heath Evans – Arizona Outlaws – Drafted season 22, round 2, pick 15
Season 22: Another tight end with a great rookie year. Heath Evans had the fourth most yards of all receivers in his rookie year with 556, an average of nine yards per reception, scoring two touchdowns in the process. Evans added one yard on three rushing attempts. An all around very good season for a young player.
Season 23: This season Evans took a bit of a step back. He wasn‘t targeted as often and when he was, he managed 7.6 yards per reception for a total of 370 yards. Not bad by any means but not quite like the season he had last year.
Conclusion: I‘m sure Evans can be a big factor for the Outlaws and I‘m sure he‘ll prove that again next season.
Von Hayes – Chicago Butchers – Drafted season 22, round 10, pick 114
Season 22: Considering the tough season the Butchers had last year, Von Hayes put up good numbers. 305 yards for a team that didn‘t even play with a real quarterback for part of the season is an impressive feat.
Season 23: Unfortunately Hayes couldn‘t make the next step this year. He hardly got any targets but when he did, he managed to get some yards for his team, improving his yards per reception from 7.4 last year to 7.7.
Conclusion: As a player who is still waiting for his first touchdown, I‘m sure Hayes will be extra motivated to work hard in the off-season and be a contributor for his team next year. He has some competition in this season‘s rookie Gelbman but it should be a good battle.
James Lewandowski – Baltimore Hawks – Drafted season 21, round 7, pick 65
Season 22: Another young tight end that scored around 300 yards in his first season, Lewandowski showed his playmaking ability, reaching this number on fewer targets and with more yards per reception (8.6).
Season 23: He proved to be a reliable target for the Hawks, getting even more yards per reception this year and more yards total. While he is certainly not the most dangerous receiver on the Hawks, he is a reliable player that will make the best out of the situation.
Conclusion: Lewandowski looks to be one of those guys that never get much attention or praise but does his job on the field. Probably not one for the hall of fame but one of those guys that will have a very solid career.
Rainier Wolfcastle – New Orleans Second Line – Drafted season 21, round 3, pick 28
Season 22: Another tight end of the 300 yards club, Wolfcastle was also one to get the ball when it mattered, as you can see by his three touchdowns he scored last season.
Season 23: This season Wolfcastle managed to make more plays, resulting in a 0.9 yard per reception boost. Unfortunately he didn‘t find the end zone but it‘s only a matter of time if he keeps working hard.
Conclusion: Another solid player, like Lewandowski. I‘m sure his team is glad they drafted him but also nobody that will show up in any of the best draft steals of all times lists.
Gronk Robertoswki – Colorado Yeti – Drafted season 21, round 6, pick 54
Season 22: Could he have put up any more fitting numbers than his total of 69 yards with an average of 6.9 yards per reception? I doubt it.
Season 23: Robertowski did not record any receiving stats so far.
Conclusion: Robertowski probably reached all his goals in his first season and has since decided not to catch any more balls. I applaud his commitment to his cause.
Disclaimer: This article was written after 11 or 12 games had been played in the NSFL. If you had an exceptional performance after that and it isn't mentioned here, sorry.
Quarterbacks
Chika Fujiwara – Baltimore Hawks – Drafted season 21, round 5, pick 41
Season 22: Our only rookie quarterback of the season. As you‘ve probably heard a million times, quarterback is considered to be the hardest position in all of sports and with Fujiwara you could see that it‘s extra hard for a rookie.
Fujiwara finished the season with the least amount of yards, completions, the second least touchdowns and second worst quarterback rating among all quarterbacks who played the full 13 game season. As a positive, he threw the least amount of interceptions and was ranked 8th out of eleven in completion percentage, so you see it‘s not a problem with his accuracy. He also added 51 yards on the ground in 19 attempts.
You often hear how the game slows down for more experienced quarterbacks and I can see that happening for Fujiwara in his second year. He gained some valuable experience this year and I‘m sure he‘ll show a much stronger performance next season.
Season 23: It seems that Fujiwara is slowly getting used to the level of competitiveness in the NSFL. While he is still the quarterback with the second least attempts and completions in the league, barely in front of rookie Monty Jack, he is now in fourth to last place for yards. He also managed to throw 12 touchdowns so far, up by three compared to last year, while also throwing more interceptions at 11. Unfortunately his completion percentage dropped to fourth to last in the league, although it‘s just slightly lower than last year‘s (54.8 compared to 55). His quarterback rating saw an improvement, now at 72.8.
Conclusion: Although you can see that Fujiwara‘s play improved since last year it is safe to say there‘s still room for improvement. But like I stated, with the difficulty of the quarterback position in general, it‘s not surprising to see a young player struggle in this role.
Running backs
Julio Tirtawidjaja – Chicago Butchers – Drafted season 22, round 6, pick 66
Season 22: Tirtawidjaja led all rookie running backs in yards in a Chicago Butchers offense that had the second least rushing attempts of all teams in the NSFL with 355. Tirtawidjaja was handed the ball 230 times (that‘s 65% of all the Butchers‘ rushing attempts) and finished with 925 yards, an average of 4 yards per attempt.
Unsurprisingly for a team that struggled to put points on the board, finishing dead last with little more than half the points of the next worse teams, Tirtawidjaja only scored two touchdowns. I fully expect those numbers to go up once the Butchers feel confident about not tanking anymore.
Season 23: Tirtawidjaja had another great season so far, only overshadowed by season 22 rookie Tatsu Nakamura and rookie Jamar Lackson. As the top three have the same amount of carries so far, it‘s easy to compare their performances and while Tirtawidjaja is a bit behind the other two backs in yards and yards per carry (3.9 compared to 4.3 and 4.2) it was still a very good season for him, although he still had some trouble finding the end zone, adding only three touchdowns so far this season.
Conclusion: Tirtawidjaja has shown that his rookie season wasn‘t a fluke and that he is a force to be reckoned with in the years to come. If he manages to score more touchdowns it will only strengthen his case but he is already a great player as it is. It seems the Butchers love him so much as a runner that they don‘t need him much as a receiver but it could be another side of his game to make him only more dangerous.
Acura Skyline – Yellowknife Wraiths – Drafted season 22, round 4, pick 47
Season 22: Skyline had a strong rookie campaign, as to be expected by one of the fastest guys on the field. He finished the season with 911 yards on 212 carries, an impressive 4.3 yards per attempt. That wasn‘t only enough to lead all rookies but also 0.3 yards more than the next best rookie players. Skyline‘s nine touchdowns was the most for all running backs in the league as he has already established himself as an important member of the Wraiths and offensive rookie of the year winner. Skyline was named to the pro bowl as a reserve running back, also proving that he can be a big factor in the receiving department with 358 yards.
Season 23: Skyline was the Wraiths‘ number two back behind Mathias Hanyadi again and although he didn‘t have a bad year by any means, he couldn‘t repeat the impressive numbers of his rookie season. While his yards per attempt stayed almost the same, he received significantly less touches this year, down by almost 80 with two more games to play. Naturally his total yards dropped as well, down to 541 after last year‘s 911 and so did his touchdowns, almost half of his nine TDs last season to five this year. His receiving numbers are about the same as last season so far, so that‘s an aspect of his game that wasn‘t forgotten by the Wraiths.
Conclusion: Skyline didn‘t have the best of years, which surely isn‘t because his level of play but the limited amount of touches he received this year. I‘m not sure why the Yellowknife Wraiths showed him less love this year but let‘s hope they rediscover his abilities next season, as Skyline could become one the young stars of this league.
Baby Yoda - Arizona Outlaws - Drafted season 21, round 3, pick 24
Season 22: Yoda was featured heavily on the Outlaws‘ offense with the most rushing attempts of all rookies (241), as well as the seventh most in the entire league. He ended up just behind his fellow rookies Tirtawidjaja and Skyline with 907 yards, an average of 3.8 yards per carry. He added an impressive seven touchdowns in a great rookie campaign.
Season 23: Yoda‘s rushing numbers look surprisingly similar to last year‘s, his average per attempt and touchdown numbers stayed the same and he‘s on course to rush for the same amount of yards as last year. He may not be the fastest or flashiest player on the field but his game is well rounded and it shows in his numbers.
Conclusion: Yoda‘s rushing numbers stayed roughly the same since last season, proving his consistency as Arizona‘s number one back. What did drop off though were his receiving stats, dropping from 320 yards and two touchdowns to 177 yards and zero touchdowns in year two. Unless he decides to retire early, which we don‘t hope, Yoda should be a reliable back for years to come for the Outlaws.
Tatsu Nakamura - Orange County Otters – Drafted season 22, round 4, pick 46
Season 22: Another successful rookie on the running back position. Maybe the rumors are true and the players on this position have the least trouble adapting to the big league. Nakamura rushed for 822 yards on 211 attempts for the ever successful Orange County Otters, helping the team with five touchdowns. His 20 yard run also was the longest among all rookie running backs.
Season 23: Nakamura is currently in second place among all running backs in total yards. He also showed big improvements to his average yards per attempt, which is up by an impressive 0.3 yards per carry. To cap off his stellar performance this year, Nakamura has already scored six touchdowns, more than last season with two games remaining.
Conclusion: While his season 22 was nothing to be ashamed of, Nakamura showed what he can bring to the table for the Otters this year. If he keeps up this pace, he‘ll be one of the top running backs in the league for years to come. The only way he could be more valuable is if the Otters used him more in their passing game, an area in which Nakamura hasn‘t been involved much with roughly 100 yards in his first two seasons combined.
Keʻokeʻo Kāne-Maikaʻi - Honolulu Hahalua – Drafted season 22, round 2, pick 13
Season 22: Kane-Maika'i shared the backfield with Ruff Ruff and still managed to get his hands on the ball 186 times, using his opportunities to rush for 702 yards, an average of 3.8 and four touchdowns. He also added 381 yards receiving, the best for all rookies this year. Considering that Ruff Ruff was the second best running back in the entire league, the rookie put up great numbers and certainly helped his cause in establishing himself as a number one back in the long run (no pun intended).
Season 23: While he still has strong competition in Ruff Ruff, Kane-Maika'i showed great improvement this season, raising his yards per attempt from 3.8 to 4.4 and already scoring six touchdowns. An even bigger increase came in the receiving game, adding 482 yards and two touchdowns so far for his team. I‘m sure those numbers make a couple of wide receivers jealous and it‘s an even bigger feat for a running back, which of course made him number one among his peers.
Conclusion: Kane-Maika'i has shown that he is a versatile back that can run as well as he can catch a ball. Given his improvement in yards per attempt since last season, great things can be expected from him next year as he‘ll – hopefully - only get better.
Rick Skuff - Baltimore Hawks - Drafted season 21, round 5, pick 49
Season 22: Skuff didn‘t get many touches behind Baltimore‘s established running backs Darrel Williams and Apollo Reed, but he made the most of them and ended the regular season with 119 yards on 30 carries, a good average of 4 yards per carry. Unfortunately he wasn‘t rewarded with a touchdown for his efforts. Given that he also had 109 yards, it seems he was featured as some kind of hybrid player.
Season 23: Skuff got even less touches this season, so far only 13, but still managed an average of four yards per attempt. His numbers in the receiving game stayed about the same, adding 115 yards to his totals.
Conclusion: Skuff shows what he can do with his limited playing time. I don‘t know if that will be enough for the youngster or if he‘ll look for another team where he can play a more important role. Either way, he showed that he could probably play a bigger role than he currently does in Baltimore.
Wide receivers
First off, you can see that what they say is true and that most wide receivers struggle in their first season, especially with the limited playing time they get, usually the number three receiver on the team. So please lower your expectations, no super flashy numbers coming up for this whole group.
Ed Barker - New Orleans Second Line – Drafted season 21, round 2, pick 18
Season 22: Barker was the second best receiver on his team with 580 yards and an average of 12.9 yards per reception. His three touchdowns was also tied for first place among all rookie wide receivers.
Season 23: Barker showed his talent in his second year as the number one receiver, putting up 770 yards, six touchdowns and a great increase in yards per reception to 17.5.
Conclusion: While he wasn‘t quite able to fill the hole McCormick left, he looks like he will be able to do so in the future.
Red Arrow – Colorado Yeti – Drafted season 21, round 3, pick 27
Season 22: Red Arrow showed that he is in fact as fast as an arrow with the highest yards per reception among rookie wide receivers with 15.7. With his skill set he was able to turn his 36 receptions into 566 yards and two touchdowns.
Season 23: I don‘t know if Arrow insulted the coach‘s dog in the off-season or what happened but it looks like he lost his team‘s trust. He only managed to get 199 yards on 17 receptions and his average also plummeted to 11.7 yards.
Conclusion: Whatever happened to Arrow, I hope he can work it out and come back stronger because the raw talent is certainly there. He has been outplayed by several receivers on the Yeti this season so maybe a fresh start on a different team would help.
Thomas Passmann – Arizona Outlaws – Drafted season 22, round 4, pick 44
Season 22: Passman was close behind Barker and Arrow with 539 yards but with a much lower average of 10.6. Still he scored three touchdowns and the numbers he put up were a very good rookie season.
Season 23: Judging by his yards total you could think that the season was a bit of a disappointment but Passman not only got more yards on less receptions but he also more than doubled his touchdowns scored with seven this year, tied for fifth in the entire league.
Conclusion: Passman proved to be a very good receiving option for his team while competing with league leader Saba Donut and Jah Bur‘Berry. Let‘s see if Passman is happy with his role or wants to be a legit number one receiver on another team.
Michael Witheblock – Sarasota Sailfish – Drafted season 22, round 3, pick 36
Season 22: A solid start to his career for Witheblock who got 427 yards in his first year and was the third best rookie wide receiver when it came to yards per reception.
Season 23: His numbers didn‘t improve much this year as he was the number two receivers on the Sailfish but was outplayed by rookie tight end James Angler.
Conclusion: Witheblock definitely has the talent to improve a lot next season. Hopefully he can put it all together on a young team like the Sailfish.
Jerome Davis – Chicago Butchers – Drafted season 21, round 2, pick 20
Season 22: Davis put up solid numbers for the Butchers, especially considering their weird quarterback situation for part of the season. 375 yards was one of the better results for a rookie wide receiver and 11.7 yards per reception certainly promised more things to come for the future.
Season 23: Davis is currently a free agent and has not played this season.
Conclusion: I don‘t know why it‘s so difficult for Davis to find a new team but I know that young players need to play to improve. I hope he finds a new home soon.
Chris Kross – Baltimore Hawks – Drafted season 21, round 1, pick 5
Season 22: Kross got limited targets in his first season in the league and ended the season with two touchdowns and 362 yards on 30 receptions.
Season 23: Kross was targeted even less this season, getting the ball just 24 times which resulted in 326 yards and three touchdowns.
Conclusion: I‘m not sure if there is a problem between Kross and the Hawks but you‘d expect a former first round pick to get some more attention from his team. Whatever the matter, Kross is still young and can turn his career around if he doesn‘t want to become one of so many receivers that never really made it.
Flash Panda – Philadelphia Liberty – Drafted season 21, round 1, pick 3
Season 22: Panda is another player with a solid rookie season. 336 yards, three touchdowns and an average per reception of 12 yards looked like he would be a solid receiver for many years.
Season 23: Things haven‘t really gone too well for Panda this year. He only got the ball 17 times, scoring an incredible three touchdowns with such limited touches. His yards dropped to 187 but who cares when the guy can score?
Conclusion: Panda showed great efficiency in his play but I‘m sure he would like to be a bigger part of the Liberty‘s receiving game. That‘s why you‘re a wide receiver after all, because you want to get the ball and make big plays.
William Lim – Colorado Yeti – Drafted season 22, round 3, pick 32
Season 22: If you want to see the negative side, Lim only got 310 yards. If you want to see the positives, he did so on only 21 receptions, making him the second best rookie wide receiver when it comes to yards per reception with 14.8. That‘s quite an impressive feat, to make the most of the limited chances you get.
Season 23: Lim showed that he was in fact as good as you could see flashes of last season. He‘s currently the receiver with the fifth most yards in the league and his 16.9 yards per average are also good for fifth place. Again, if you‘re looking for negatives you could complain that he only scored three touchdowns.
Conclusion: Lim has quickly established himself as one of the top receivers in the league and there‘s no reason why it should change anytime soon. Playing on a good team always helps but don‘t forget that it‘s also players like Lim that make teams good.
William Alexander – Honolulu Hahalua – Drafted season 22, round 5, pick 49
Season 22: Alexander played a season he would prefer to quickly forget about. Not only that he only managed 207 yards, he also needed 27 attempts for that. Unsurprisingly 7.7 yards per reception is quite at the bottom of the league. He also got three yards in two attempts on the ground. Unsurprisingly his season ended with zero touchdowns.
Season 23: While Alexander‘s numbers improved they were still anything but impressive. 339 yards and 10.6 yards per reception are average at best. I don‘t know how Alexander managed to score four touchdowns like that but that‘s about the only good stat he has.
Conclusion: There‘s still hope, I guess but the Hahalua will rightfully expect more from him next season. You can only get so far on talent and promise alone.
Eddie Jeeta – Austin Copperheads – Drafted season 22, round 3, pick 31
Season 22: Jeeta is another player with a rookie season he would probably like to forget. Just 141 yards at the end of the year but at least he managed to score three touchdowns.
Season 23: Jeeta more than tripled his production this year, getting 392 with 13.1 on average and four touchdowns. Not an incredible season but a definite improvement compared to last year.
Conclusion: Jeeta has shown that he can ball when given the chance. Maybe he just needs more chances.
Tight ends
Jeffrey Phillips - Orange County Otters - Drafted season 22, round 1, pick 10
Season 22: Phillips excelled in his role as a tight end, finishing not only at the top of his position class but as the best receiver among all eligible rookies. He caught a total of 66 passes for an impressive 822 yards, an average of 12.5 with his longest reception at 52 yards and three touchdowns. All that with the body of a tight end. Phillips rushed for an additional 14 yards in two tries. Unsurprisingly he was named a pro bowler as the reserve tight end.
Season 23: Phillips showed that his rookie campaign wasn‘t based on luck with even better numbers this year. 907 yards and eight touchdowns are the numbers of a young superstar in the league and make him the receiver with the fourth most yards and a shared second place for most touchdowns. I‘m sure the Otters are very excited about the future with Phillips and rightfully so.
Conclusion: Jeffrey Phillips is one of the best players in the league, no doubt about it. Perhaps his best skill is his ability to make big plays, resulting in over 15 yards per reception this year. I really don‘t know how to praise his game even more, he‘ll be a key asset of his team for years to come.
Heath Evans – Arizona Outlaws – Drafted season 22, round 2, pick 15
Season 22: Another tight end with a great rookie year. Heath Evans had the fourth most yards of all receivers in his rookie year with 556, an average of nine yards per reception, scoring two touchdowns in the process. Evans added one yard on three rushing attempts. An all around very good season for a young player.
Season 23: This season Evans took a bit of a step back. He wasn‘t targeted as often and when he was, he managed 7.6 yards per reception for a total of 370 yards. Not bad by any means but not quite like the season he had last year.
Conclusion: I‘m sure Evans can be a big factor for the Outlaws and I‘m sure he‘ll prove that again next season.
Von Hayes – Chicago Butchers – Drafted season 22, round 10, pick 114
Season 22: Considering the tough season the Butchers had last year, Von Hayes put up good numbers. 305 yards for a team that didn‘t even play with a real quarterback for part of the season is an impressive feat.
Season 23: Unfortunately Hayes couldn‘t make the next step this year. He hardly got any targets but when he did, he managed to get some yards for his team, improving his yards per reception from 7.4 last year to 7.7.
Conclusion: As a player who is still waiting for his first touchdown, I‘m sure Hayes will be extra motivated to work hard in the off-season and be a contributor for his team next year. He has some competition in this season‘s rookie Gelbman but it should be a good battle.
James Lewandowski – Baltimore Hawks – Drafted season 21, round 7, pick 65
Season 22: Another young tight end that scored around 300 yards in his first season, Lewandowski showed his playmaking ability, reaching this number on fewer targets and with more yards per reception (8.6).
Season 23: He proved to be a reliable target for the Hawks, getting even more yards per reception this year and more yards total. While he is certainly not the most dangerous receiver on the Hawks, he is a reliable player that will make the best out of the situation.
Conclusion: Lewandowski looks to be one of those guys that never get much attention or praise but does his job on the field. Probably not one for the hall of fame but one of those guys that will have a very solid career.
Rainier Wolfcastle – New Orleans Second Line – Drafted season 21, round 3, pick 28
Season 22: Another tight end of the 300 yards club, Wolfcastle was also one to get the ball when it mattered, as you can see by his three touchdowns he scored last season.
Season 23: This season Wolfcastle managed to make more plays, resulting in a 0.9 yard per reception boost. Unfortunately he didn‘t find the end zone but it‘s only a matter of time if he keeps working hard.
Conclusion: Another solid player, like Lewandowski. I‘m sure his team is glad they drafted him but also nobody that will show up in any of the best draft steals of all times lists.
Gronk Robertoswki – Colorado Yeti – Drafted season 21, round 6, pick 54
Season 22: Could he have put up any more fitting numbers than his total of 69 yards with an average of 6.9 yards per reception? I doubt it.
Season 23: Robertowski did not record any receiving stats so far.
Conclusion: Robertowski probably reached all his goals in his first season and has since decided not to catch any more balls. I applaud his commitment to his cause.