Byron Dolls had an eventful draft day. A top tier talent, Dolls should have been set to be a top 10, or maybe even top 5, pick in the draft. Talent-wise, he is exceptional. Teams are a little bit scared of drafting offensive linemen though, and so Dolls expected a little bit of a slide.
Unfortunately for Dolls, in a shocking break, it appeared that his twitter account and/or his phone, possibly his iCloud account, was hacked. A pair of images were posted from his own twitter account that showed him smoking an unknown substance from a gas mask bong. The tweet came shortly after the draft started, the media storm kicking up shortly after the 10th pick was made - Dolls had not been selected yet.
While Dolls was waiting in the wings at the draft, he had to try and deal with his twitter account and possibly more being under digital attack, while also trying to keep himself composed and focus on the draft at hand. Following his selection to Baltimore, about an hour later Dolls came to speak with the media. His statement:
"Well... um. This whole day was already a day of exceptional nerves. I was preparing myself to be drafted to the NSFL. In the heat of the draft, after I'd seen quite a few teams already pass on me, I heard that I had apparently released pictures of me smoking from a bong. Look, I understand every reaction to the images. I will tell my story of what happened, and you can take it however you want. I did smoke from the gas mask bong, there is no denying that. It was several years ago, and it was just weed, after a road game against Washington. It was legal, and I knew it would not effect any football. I was young, and stupid, as we all are. I understand how that looked to teams getting ready to draft me. I am grateful to Baltimore for looking at that and seeing that it was a simple mistake, and it's not representative of how I conduct myself as a member of an NSFL organization. As far as dealing with the situation... it was a challenge. I was in the green room, I don't know if it was my phone or my iCloud and my twitter. I only had my phone, so I did what I could to change my password, and had to try and scramble to figure out how to force all accounts to log out. It was kind of chaos. I was sweating, not going to lie. Anyway, it's all sorted out now. I want to again thank the Baltimore Hawks for picking me despite what happened tonight."
So out of character now, you guys remember that article I did where I polled the GMs about where they'd pick me if I was each position? Well I did and I got some nifty results for how GMs valued the positions. It gave some interesting information that I probably should have used more when submitting my mock draft PT. Anyway, if you recall, I omitted the details of where the GMs valued me for OL, since at the time the pre-draft hadn't quite started.
Well since the draft is over, now I can discuss those results.
I didn't want to spoil any draft boards (as much fun as it may have been to try and climb may way up the boards if teams knew someone wanted me in the 3rd). I got a submission where one of the 9 GMs valued me in the 3rd round. So, that gave me the idea that someone would bite on me in the 3rd round. I took this data as anonymously as I could, so I didn't really know who it was, and I didn't try to figure it out.
What I did know, was that Baltimore was high on me. Cool, lined up with the 3rd round that someone valued me at. Fast forward to today, turns out Baltimore did draft me in the 3rd round, with their 2nd pick of the round at #33. As that pick got closer, I was getting the feeling that was gonna be the one. It was, but when I got into the Baltimore LR and talked about it, it turns out Duilio wasn't even the one who put me at the 3rd round.
So, I did correctly pick out where I would get drafted. But after the fact it turned out my basis for that prediction was totally wrong. But now that leaves the question, who did value me in the 3rd round?
There were 3 teams that didn't respond to the google form. I'm not positive which teams didn't fill it out, but my best guesses are Chicago, San Jose, and Yellowknife. Which means that one of New Orleans, Austin, Honolulu, Orange County, Philadelphia, Sarasota, Arizona, or Colorado valued me at a 3rd round pick (I already know it wasn't Baltimore). In my scouting talks, OCO had told me they'd be looking at rounds 4-5 for me. New Orleans didn't have a 3rd rounder, and neither did Austin - but they got one.
Given my draft destinations article, my gut was telling me one of the teams I ranked higher on my list would rank me higher on theirs. So my thoughts were Austin, Colorado, or Philadelphia.
When that 3rd round started, I started to squirm in my seat a little bit. At the time, I thought it possible it was Baltimore. With 2 3rds, would they take me at 27? Nah, even if they did value me at 3rd round, they'd wait until their 2nd pick for OL. 33 probably. Philly traded out of the round. Then Austin traded in to 31. Joe was happy I was OL. Joe is cool (did you know moment - one time I asked him to be my co-GM in Toronto in the SHL, he said no lol). But I thought, surely they can't be trading up into the 3rd round to take an OL. What a moment that would have been in the Fair Rub Club. Anyway, they didn't. But then Colorado was next. They really wanted me, maybe they value me 3rd round. Then came pick 33. Basically everything up to this draft, I was thinking "Baltimore wants me in the 3rd". And then that was the pick to do it. But then the pick came and it was "Well what if it wasn't Baltimore?". Was it actually OCO, changing their minds after Laser originally told me 4th-5th? Or maybe I was valued there, but no one actually pulled the trigger on a 3rd round OL?
In the end, I was both right and wrong. I was right all along, Baltimore took me in the 3rd round. I was also wrong, because it turns out Baltimore wasn't actually the one who valued me at the 3rd round in the poll.
It still doesn't answer the question of who did value me 3rd round though. The only answer I can give for that? Response #8.
Unfortunately for Dolls, in a shocking break, it appeared that his twitter account and/or his phone, possibly his iCloud account, was hacked. A pair of images were posted from his own twitter account that showed him smoking an unknown substance from a gas mask bong. The tweet came shortly after the draft started, the media storm kicking up shortly after the 10th pick was made - Dolls had not been selected yet.
While Dolls was waiting in the wings at the draft, he had to try and deal with his twitter account and possibly more being under digital attack, while also trying to keep himself composed and focus on the draft at hand. Following his selection to Baltimore, about an hour later Dolls came to speak with the media. His statement:
"Well... um. This whole day was already a day of exceptional nerves. I was preparing myself to be drafted to the NSFL. In the heat of the draft, after I'd seen quite a few teams already pass on me, I heard that I had apparently released pictures of me smoking from a bong. Look, I understand every reaction to the images. I will tell my story of what happened, and you can take it however you want. I did smoke from the gas mask bong, there is no denying that. It was several years ago, and it was just weed, after a road game against Washington. It was legal, and I knew it would not effect any football. I was young, and stupid, as we all are. I understand how that looked to teams getting ready to draft me. I am grateful to Baltimore for looking at that and seeing that it was a simple mistake, and it's not representative of how I conduct myself as a member of an NSFL organization. As far as dealing with the situation... it was a challenge. I was in the green room, I don't know if it was my phone or my iCloud and my twitter. I only had my phone, so I did what I could to change my password, and had to try and scramble to figure out how to force all accounts to log out. It was kind of chaos. I was sweating, not going to lie. Anyway, it's all sorted out now. I want to again thank the Baltimore Hawks for picking me despite what happened tonight."
So out of character now, you guys remember that article I did where I polled the GMs about where they'd pick me if I was each position? Well I did and I got some nifty results for how GMs valued the positions. It gave some interesting information that I probably should have used more when submitting my mock draft PT. Anyway, if you recall, I omitted the details of where the GMs valued me for OL, since at the time the pre-draft hadn't quite started.
Well since the draft is over, now I can discuss those results.
I didn't want to spoil any draft boards (as much fun as it may have been to try and climb may way up the boards if teams knew someone wanted me in the 3rd). I got a submission where one of the 9 GMs valued me in the 3rd round. So, that gave me the idea that someone would bite on me in the 3rd round. I took this data as anonymously as I could, so I didn't really know who it was, and I didn't try to figure it out.
What I did know, was that Baltimore was high on me. Cool, lined up with the 3rd round that someone valued me at. Fast forward to today, turns out Baltimore did draft me in the 3rd round, with their 2nd pick of the round at #33. As that pick got closer, I was getting the feeling that was gonna be the one. It was, but when I got into the Baltimore LR and talked about it, it turns out Duilio wasn't even the one who put me at the 3rd round.
So, I did correctly pick out where I would get drafted. But after the fact it turned out my basis for that prediction was totally wrong. But now that leaves the question, who did value me in the 3rd round?
There were 3 teams that didn't respond to the google form. I'm not positive which teams didn't fill it out, but my best guesses are Chicago, San Jose, and Yellowknife. Which means that one of New Orleans, Austin, Honolulu, Orange County, Philadelphia, Sarasota, Arizona, or Colorado valued me at a 3rd round pick (I already know it wasn't Baltimore). In my scouting talks, OCO had told me they'd be looking at rounds 4-5 for me. New Orleans didn't have a 3rd rounder, and neither did Austin - but they got one.
Given my draft destinations article, my gut was telling me one of the teams I ranked higher on my list would rank me higher on theirs. So my thoughts were Austin, Colorado, or Philadelphia.
When that 3rd round started, I started to squirm in my seat a little bit. At the time, I thought it possible it was Baltimore. With 2 3rds, would they take me at 27? Nah, even if they did value me at 3rd round, they'd wait until their 2nd pick for OL. 33 probably. Philly traded out of the round. Then Austin traded in to 31. Joe was happy I was OL. Joe is cool (did you know moment - one time I asked him to be my co-GM in Toronto in the SHL, he said no lol). But I thought, surely they can't be trading up into the 3rd round to take an OL. What a moment that would have been in the Fair Rub Club. Anyway, they didn't. But then Colorado was next. They really wanted me, maybe they value me 3rd round. Then came pick 33. Basically everything up to this draft, I was thinking "Baltimore wants me in the 3rd". And then that was the pick to do it. But then the pick came and it was "Well what if it wasn't Baltimore?". Was it actually OCO, changing their minds after Laser originally told me 4th-5th? Or maybe I was valued there, but no one actually pulled the trigger on a 3rd round OL?
In the end, I was both right and wrong. I was right all along, Baltimore took me in the 3rd round. I was also wrong, because it turns out Baltimore wasn't actually the one who valued me at the 3rd round in the poll.
It still doesn't answer the question of who did value me 3rd round though. The only answer I can give for that? Response #8.
Code:
1171 words