04-20-2020, 10:21 PM
(This post was last modified: 04-21-2020, 08:28 AM by Billybolo53.)
NSFL's Most Wanted! Booker Goes Top Five
By: Mony Kronbon
With the 4th overall pick in the NSFL draft, the Philadelphia Liberty selected Brandon Booker. This pick came to the surprise to many, but not to anyone who followed the Arizona State stand out while he starred for the Myrtle Beach Buccaneers. Booker was one of the key components of an Ultimini winning campaign for the Buccaneers. What’s surprising about Brandon Booker is his draft position in the DSFL. 8 cornerbacks were selected before Booker in the S21 DSFL draft. He was the 35 overall pick and his meteoric rise is only rivaled by his teammate Tom Sofa.
Asked What he felt lead to his incredible rise Booker said,
“I think I'm a good contributor both on and off the field. I came into the draft as the highest TPE corner but it's the off-field stuff that bumped me up to fourth overall.”
Booker went on to recognize a few of the other top picks in the draft,
“If you look at Mendoza, Rikiya and Cross all three are really positive people who motivate others as well as being great players.”
Booker impressed on the field, but it was in his interviews where he really shined. Booker shot up multiple teams draft board leading up to the draft. There were reports that the Austin Copperheads, were looking to move up in the draft to draft Booker. I have also confirmed that both Sarasota with the 2nd overall pick and Arizona with the 4th overall pick would have selected Booker if they did not trade down. Booker explained a little of what went on behind the scenes that set him apart.
“In every interview I asked lots of questions ... I was really interested in learning about the team rather than just answering the questions they had for me… “
Austin and Philadelphia, in particular, stood out to Booker in the pre-draft process.
“With both teams, I had an in-depth conversation with one GM, and then a few days later the other GM messaged me and I had a long chat with them too. I had enjoyable conversations with lots of teams but Austin and Philadelphia are the only teams where I had two or more of them.”
Philadelphia targeted Booker and was willing to outbid Austin for the pick. Philadelphia obviously values Booker as a centerpiece of their franchise. Booker was asked how he feels about joining the Hawks.
“They were my number one destination prior to the draft. They've a young offensive core with Brock Phoenix, a future HoF running back, three good receivers, tight end, and offensive line talent. They had some extra picks in this draft and they used them to draft a defense. There's loads of fantastic people in the locker room and once me and the rest of the guys get up to speed I think we'll be a contender in the NSFC. “
Booker is going to be tested early in his career. The Liberty have confirmed that he will be the CB1 from day one. It’s rare for a cornerback to be thrown to the wolves, but Myrtle Beach tends to develop amazing secondary talent.
Asked about the challenge of playing in the NSFL, Brandon said,
“It's going to be tough, and I'm sure there will be weeks where the opposing WR1 puts up big numbers, but I'm looking forward to it. The experience will make me a much better player in Week 13 than I am now.”
As far as goals, Booker is solely focused on bringing on winning an Ultimus ring to go with this Ultimini ring.
Booker is a model for any DSFL player. He developed into one of the most sought after prospects in the entire draft after being passed on over and over in the DSFL draft. Booker had some advice for the S23 rookies.
“It's a cliché but just be yourself. I was disappointed to fall to Round 5 in the DSFL Draft but rather than bitching about it I earned loads of TPE, continued being kind and helpful, and won a championship. The good GMs will notice you even if you're not talking about yourself. I got picked 31 picks earlier the second time around, and others jumped even further.”
Time will tell if Booker and the Revamped Liberty secondary will lead Philadelphia back to contention. If we can learn anything from Booker’s story, its that he thrives in the underdog role.
Split Payout with @Memento Mori
By: Mony Kronbon
With the 4th overall pick in the NSFL draft, the Philadelphia Liberty selected Brandon Booker. This pick came to the surprise to many, but not to anyone who followed the Arizona State stand out while he starred for the Myrtle Beach Buccaneers. Booker was one of the key components of an Ultimini winning campaign for the Buccaneers. What’s surprising about Brandon Booker is his draft position in the DSFL. 8 cornerbacks were selected before Booker in the S21 DSFL draft. He was the 35 overall pick and his meteoric rise is only rivaled by his teammate Tom Sofa.
Asked What he felt lead to his incredible rise Booker said,
“I think I'm a good contributor both on and off the field. I came into the draft as the highest TPE corner but it's the off-field stuff that bumped me up to fourth overall.”
Booker went on to recognize a few of the other top picks in the draft,
“If you look at Mendoza, Rikiya and Cross all three are really positive people who motivate others as well as being great players.”
Booker impressed on the field, but it was in his interviews where he really shined. Booker shot up multiple teams draft board leading up to the draft. There were reports that the Austin Copperheads, were looking to move up in the draft to draft Booker. I have also confirmed that both Sarasota with the 2nd overall pick and Arizona with the 4th overall pick would have selected Booker if they did not trade down. Booker explained a little of what went on behind the scenes that set him apart.
“In every interview I asked lots of questions ... I was really interested in learning about the team rather than just answering the questions they had for me… “
Austin and Philadelphia, in particular, stood out to Booker in the pre-draft process.
“With both teams, I had an in-depth conversation with one GM, and then a few days later the other GM messaged me and I had a long chat with them too. I had enjoyable conversations with lots of teams but Austin and Philadelphia are the only teams where I had two or more of them.”
Philadelphia targeted Booker and was willing to outbid Austin for the pick. Philadelphia obviously values Booker as a centerpiece of their franchise. Booker was asked how he feels about joining the Hawks.
“They were my number one destination prior to the draft. They've a young offensive core with Brock Phoenix, a future HoF running back, three good receivers, tight end, and offensive line talent. They had some extra picks in this draft and they used them to draft a defense. There's loads of fantastic people in the locker room and once me and the rest of the guys get up to speed I think we'll be a contender in the NSFC. “
Booker is going to be tested early in his career. The Liberty have confirmed that he will be the CB1 from day one. It’s rare for a cornerback to be thrown to the wolves, but Myrtle Beach tends to develop amazing secondary talent.
Asked about the challenge of playing in the NSFL, Brandon said,
“It's going to be tough, and I'm sure there will be weeks where the opposing WR1 puts up big numbers, but I'm looking forward to it. The experience will make me a much better player in Week 13 than I am now.”
As far as goals, Booker is solely focused on bringing on winning an Ultimus ring to go with this Ultimini ring.
Booker is a model for any DSFL player. He developed into one of the most sought after prospects in the entire draft after being passed on over and over in the DSFL draft. Booker had some advice for the S23 rookies.
“It's a cliché but just be yourself. I was disappointed to fall to Round 5 in the DSFL Draft but rather than bitching about it I earned loads of TPE, continued being kind and helpful, and won a championship. The good GMs will notice you even if you're not talking about yourself. I got picked 31 picks earlier the second time around, and others jumped even further.”
Time will tell if Booker and the Revamped Liberty secondary will lead Philadelphia back to contention. If we can learn anything from Booker’s story, its that he thrives in the underdog role.
Split Payout with @Memento Mori