(Ready for grading - double draft media - 1236 words)
I have been thinking recently about how joining the DSFL half way through the season affects a player, the perception of them and their draft stock in the following NSFL draft. In this article I will studying 3 of the major midseason signings that happen part the way through this year's DSFL season to help investigate this topic. The players in this study will be Palm Beach Polar Bear's running back Mako Mendonca (first game was game 7), San Antonio Marshall's quarterback (turning tight end) Peter Larson (first game was game 1, he may have played all regular season games but didn't play in the preseason) and Norfolk Seawolves defensive tackle Alberto McGwire (first game was game 9).
The first and most obvious area to look at on this topic of players joining part the way through the season is their reduced amount of training and development compared to players who have joined DSFL teams through the draft process. The reason this is the first place to look at is because when you consider the ability of a player you firstly look at their training and development rating. If we look at the best developed DSFL player in season 16 it would be Dermot Lavelle Jr who has a training and develop rating of a whopping 259. Even when you look at the other top DSFL rookies they all tend to have a training and develop rating of close to or over 200. With the midseason joiners they will never have the same level of training and development as their fellow rookies from the draft class, less time on a squad will always mean less training and development no matter how much an effort a player puts in, we can see this with our case studies where Mako Mendonca has a rating of 147, Peter Larson has a rating of 155 and Alberto McGwire has a rating of 115. So does a lower training and development rating affect your draft stock? Most GMs will tell you that a potential player's training and development rating is not as important as regular and guaranteed participation, as over time regular and continuous development is key for players to reach their potential. However while training and development rating is not the most important factor on a players draft capital it may well affect it, players with lower training and development ratings will be less ready to start playing in the NSFL straight away and when players are similar in other factors their training and development rating may well lead to be a deciding factor of which players to draft higher.
The reduced amount of game time and matches played within the DSFL could also be considered as a potential problem for player joining part the way through the season. On the surface this makes sense, with less touches they are never going to top the charts for yards or sacks for example and without these figures they will also likely not win any awards at the end of the season. When you dig into this however I doubt any GM seriously looks at these figures, it fun for players themselves to look at this level and compare themselves to other but it does not matter for a couple of reasons. Firstly these figures are very much dependent on the talent you have around you, a wide receiver to some extent is only as good as his quarterback, who (again to some extent) is only as good as his offensive line and so on. The second (and for me bigger) factor is that the style of play is significantly different in the DSFL to the NSFL. The DSFL is a league populated by rookies, this means that errors are higher due to the vastly reduced skill level of the players involved. The offensives in the DSFL lean heavily on running backs as this is the safest way to keep the ball moving down the field, this in turn skews all the figures in the DSFL compared to the vastly higher skilled NSFL. With all this in mind you would be mad to consider someone's draft capital based on their on the field numbers in the DSFL.
The key thing that I believe that GM pick players on other than positional need in the NSFL is a player's dedication and personality (I won't go into picking a player for positional needs or best player available as that would be a whole other article). With all players in the NSFL having the potential to reach dizzying heights of greatest a GM has to work out which players will train and work the hardest to build up their ability to the highest level. Now our midseason joiners may have slightly more of a question mark around their dedication to the sport solely on the fact they have had less time to demonstrate it already, but GMs can mitigate against this with careful interviews of the players in question. It is never a guarantee that any player will continue to dedicate themselves to their team and the sport through their entire career, however the understanding of what they have done so far and a good interview will certainly help. Through these interviews they can also get a judgement of the character and personality of the player, this is also important to help to pick players that will not just complement you team on the pitch but also in the locker room.
In conclusion joining part the way through the season should not massively affect a player's draft stock in the NSFL, however if there are similar positional players in the draft with equal perceived levels of dedication and similar personality fits to a team then the newer player may well be picked after the older player just due to the comparisons in current ability levels and readiness for the high level of the NSFL.
BONUS CONTENT
Where will the 3 highlight players most likely land in the upcoming NSFL draft, I give my hot take.
Mako Mendonca: This landing spot is a tricky one to pick, there are plenty of running back needy teams currently in the NSFL with the Yetis, Copperheads, Sabre Cats and Wraiths all in the hunt for one. There is another top running back on the board however in Sam Torenson who many are projecting as a potential number one pick and who certainly won't slip past the Yeti's at 3 if he is still there. With this in mind I believe that the Copperheads or the Wraiths are Mendonca's most likely landing spot, with the later Yeti pick also a possibility.
Peter Larson: Larson is set to be the top tight end in the draft once he changes over from quarterback. Only 1 team is without any tight ends (Wraiths) but a large number of teams only have 1. Other than the Wraiths the most likely spots in my mind would be the Butchers but many teams would like a dedicated second TE so it is anyone's guess.
Alberto McGwire: While there are a couple of defensive ends in this draft class McGwire is the only active defensive tackle putting him in a great position. The Liberties are in a big need for a defensive tackle so are a prime candidate, however the Yeti's and the Sabre Cats could also use a second defensive tackle if McGwire passes the Liberties.
I have been thinking recently about how joining the DSFL half way through the season affects a player, the perception of them and their draft stock in the following NSFL draft. In this article I will studying 3 of the major midseason signings that happen part the way through this year's DSFL season to help investigate this topic. The players in this study will be Palm Beach Polar Bear's running back Mako Mendonca (first game was game 7), San Antonio Marshall's quarterback (turning tight end) Peter Larson (first game was game 1, he may have played all regular season games but didn't play in the preseason) and Norfolk Seawolves defensive tackle Alberto McGwire (first game was game 9).
The first and most obvious area to look at on this topic of players joining part the way through the season is their reduced amount of training and development compared to players who have joined DSFL teams through the draft process. The reason this is the first place to look at is because when you consider the ability of a player you firstly look at their training and development rating. If we look at the best developed DSFL player in season 16 it would be Dermot Lavelle Jr who has a training and develop rating of a whopping 259. Even when you look at the other top DSFL rookies they all tend to have a training and develop rating of close to or over 200. With the midseason joiners they will never have the same level of training and development as their fellow rookies from the draft class, less time on a squad will always mean less training and development no matter how much an effort a player puts in, we can see this with our case studies where Mako Mendonca has a rating of 147, Peter Larson has a rating of 155 and Alberto McGwire has a rating of 115. So does a lower training and development rating affect your draft stock? Most GMs will tell you that a potential player's training and development rating is not as important as regular and guaranteed participation, as over time regular and continuous development is key for players to reach their potential. However while training and development rating is not the most important factor on a players draft capital it may well affect it, players with lower training and development ratings will be less ready to start playing in the NSFL straight away and when players are similar in other factors their training and development rating may well lead to be a deciding factor of which players to draft higher.
The reduced amount of game time and matches played within the DSFL could also be considered as a potential problem for player joining part the way through the season. On the surface this makes sense, with less touches they are never going to top the charts for yards or sacks for example and without these figures they will also likely not win any awards at the end of the season. When you dig into this however I doubt any GM seriously looks at these figures, it fun for players themselves to look at this level and compare themselves to other but it does not matter for a couple of reasons. Firstly these figures are very much dependent on the talent you have around you, a wide receiver to some extent is only as good as his quarterback, who (again to some extent) is only as good as his offensive line and so on. The second (and for me bigger) factor is that the style of play is significantly different in the DSFL to the NSFL. The DSFL is a league populated by rookies, this means that errors are higher due to the vastly reduced skill level of the players involved. The offensives in the DSFL lean heavily on running backs as this is the safest way to keep the ball moving down the field, this in turn skews all the figures in the DSFL compared to the vastly higher skilled NSFL. With all this in mind you would be mad to consider someone's draft capital based on their on the field numbers in the DSFL.
The key thing that I believe that GM pick players on other than positional need in the NSFL is a player's dedication and personality (I won't go into picking a player for positional needs or best player available as that would be a whole other article). With all players in the NSFL having the potential to reach dizzying heights of greatest a GM has to work out which players will train and work the hardest to build up their ability to the highest level. Now our midseason joiners may have slightly more of a question mark around their dedication to the sport solely on the fact they have had less time to demonstrate it already, but GMs can mitigate against this with careful interviews of the players in question. It is never a guarantee that any player will continue to dedicate themselves to their team and the sport through their entire career, however the understanding of what they have done so far and a good interview will certainly help. Through these interviews they can also get a judgement of the character and personality of the player, this is also important to help to pick players that will not just complement you team on the pitch but also in the locker room.
In conclusion joining part the way through the season should not massively affect a player's draft stock in the NSFL, however if there are similar positional players in the draft with equal perceived levels of dedication and similar personality fits to a team then the newer player may well be picked after the older player just due to the comparisons in current ability levels and readiness for the high level of the NSFL.
BONUS CONTENT
Where will the 3 highlight players most likely land in the upcoming NSFL draft, I give my hot take.
Mako Mendonca: This landing spot is a tricky one to pick, there are plenty of running back needy teams currently in the NSFL with the Yetis, Copperheads, Sabre Cats and Wraiths all in the hunt for one. There is another top running back on the board however in Sam Torenson who many are projecting as a potential number one pick and who certainly won't slip past the Yeti's at 3 if he is still there. With this in mind I believe that the Copperheads or the Wraiths are Mendonca's most likely landing spot, with the later Yeti pick also a possibility.
Peter Larson: Larson is set to be the top tight end in the draft once he changes over from quarterback. Only 1 team is without any tight ends (Wraiths) but a large number of teams only have 1. Other than the Wraiths the most likely spots in my mind would be the Butchers but many teams would like a dedicated second TE so it is anyone's guess.
Alberto McGwire: While there are a couple of defensive ends in this draft class McGwire is the only active defensive tackle putting him in a great position. The Liberties are in a big need for a defensive tackle so are a prime candidate, however the Yeti's and the Sabre Cats could also use a second defensive tackle if McGwire passes the Liberties.
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