Rookies, recreates and anyone else who is interested - I am here to vaguely answer a question that nobody really asked.
How can I raise my draft stock?
Picture this, thinking that you're going to be the next big thing, top early draft pick - but it's draft day and the rounds are flying by with your name yet to be heard. All that you can think to yourself is "where did I go wrong?". The good news is, that it doesn't actually matter how early you get drafted, you can be an impact player regardless of round.
But I get it, you see other players that are going before you - what have they done that you haven't? Why are other players at your position getting picked over you?
I can't speak for every GM in the league and my views don't even necessarily represent all of the opinions in the war room of either team that I'm a part of, but I have a few ideas and suggestions for how you can go about standing out early in the league, to help you differentiate yourself among a crowded draft class.
#1. Don't be a dick.
This is pretty straightforward and simple, but more people than you'd expect have trouble sticking with it. If you're bringing people down in a public setting, people are going to take notice. This kind of leads into my next point which is
#2.GMs draft more off personality than player skill.
Are you the quiet person that doesn't talk a whole lot but ticks all the boxes when it comes to earning? Don't stress, people will still notice you. But if you're the person who talks to a lot of people, builds relationships and creates engaging conversation you're more likely to have teams fighting over you.
#3 Create as a position of need.
This is tough, a lot of you reading this will have already chosen your position - there's no way I can say that'll prevent you from being a top pick, but if you've created a QB your expectations have to be tempered a little bit in regards to how early you'll be off the board.
#4. Engage and interact with open LRs on discord.
Many teams allow new prospects to participate in their locker rooms, having an active and open LR allows direct engagement with the team, allowing the GMs to see and understand how well you mesh with the team that is already in place. Not only that, but many open LRs actually have GMs from multiple teams who chat and do a bit of scouting in them.
#5. Scouting started the moment you signed up.
This doesn't mean mistakes on your player creation sheet are going to haunt you, but if you went into discord and asked questions, got advice and listened to it, well that makes you look good now doesn't it? You can expect that people are scouting you, even if they haven't spoken to you directly yet. Same goes for the ISFL draft, once you're on a DSFL team you can expect there will be scouts watching how you behave in those team environments and determining whether you're a fit for their squad too.
#6. Make your mark.
What is it you're good at? What can you bring to a team that benefits them off the field (or on the field)? Some of the league's highest draft picks of the last few seasons have been integrated into the league in more ways than just their player. Whether it be helping recruitment drives, applying for jobs to contribute to the effort that goes into running the league or even just helping your fellow users out, there are a lot of ways you can leave a positive impression on scouts and GMs.
#7. Learn (and break) the sim.
This is optional and a lot of high draft picks have never touched the sim engine, but if you have the ability to, or even just show a significant interest in understanding and breaking down how the sim functions this will play to your advantage. This is more of a stock improver for ISFL teams, as new users are not expected to have an in depth understanding of how the sim works yet.
#8. Eat your wheaties and earn that TPE.
Point tasks, activity Checks, predictions, weekly training, I know I've made it sound like this isn't a huge deal, because really it's not - but if it comes down to two people who are very similar in every other aspect, your earning capability can still be a difference maker. If you've joined late, that's fine - you may be at a slight disadvantage on the whole, but many scouts and GMs look at TPE per week as a metric as well as overall TPE.
#9. Stay active.
This is another self explanatory one, but stick around. Make sure people don't forget you and keep talking to other users, creating content and working to improve your player. Don't burn yourself out early, but keep a steady presence.
#10. Ask for help.
If you're not sure about how something works, don't get frustrated, don't give up, just ask for some assistance and people will not only be happy to give it to you, they'll see you as a more genuine player that's willing to learn and improve. You're not expected to know everything (or really anything) on day 1.
How can I raise my draft stock?
Picture this, thinking that you're going to be the next big thing, top early draft pick - but it's draft day and the rounds are flying by with your name yet to be heard. All that you can think to yourself is "where did I go wrong?". The good news is, that it doesn't actually matter how early you get drafted, you can be an impact player regardless of round.
But I get it, you see other players that are going before you - what have they done that you haven't? Why are other players at your position getting picked over you?
I can't speak for every GM in the league and my views don't even necessarily represent all of the opinions in the war room of either team that I'm a part of, but I have a few ideas and suggestions for how you can go about standing out early in the league, to help you differentiate yourself among a crowded draft class.
#1. Don't be a dick.
This is pretty straightforward and simple, but more people than you'd expect have trouble sticking with it. If you're bringing people down in a public setting, people are going to take notice. This kind of leads into my next point which is
#2.GMs draft more off personality than player skill.
Are you the quiet person that doesn't talk a whole lot but ticks all the boxes when it comes to earning? Don't stress, people will still notice you. But if you're the person who talks to a lot of people, builds relationships and creates engaging conversation you're more likely to have teams fighting over you.
#3 Create as a position of need.
This is tough, a lot of you reading this will have already chosen your position - there's no way I can say that'll prevent you from being a top pick, but if you've created a QB your expectations have to be tempered a little bit in regards to how early you'll be off the board.
#4. Engage and interact with open LRs on discord.
Many teams allow new prospects to participate in their locker rooms, having an active and open LR allows direct engagement with the team, allowing the GMs to see and understand how well you mesh with the team that is already in place. Not only that, but many open LRs actually have GMs from multiple teams who chat and do a bit of scouting in them.
#5. Scouting started the moment you signed up.
This doesn't mean mistakes on your player creation sheet are going to haunt you, but if you went into discord and asked questions, got advice and listened to it, well that makes you look good now doesn't it? You can expect that people are scouting you, even if they haven't spoken to you directly yet. Same goes for the ISFL draft, once you're on a DSFL team you can expect there will be scouts watching how you behave in those team environments and determining whether you're a fit for their squad too.
#6. Make your mark.
What is it you're good at? What can you bring to a team that benefits them off the field (or on the field)? Some of the league's highest draft picks of the last few seasons have been integrated into the league in more ways than just their player. Whether it be helping recruitment drives, applying for jobs to contribute to the effort that goes into running the league or even just helping your fellow users out, there are a lot of ways you can leave a positive impression on scouts and GMs.
#7. Learn (and break) the sim.
This is optional and a lot of high draft picks have never touched the sim engine, but if you have the ability to, or even just show a significant interest in understanding and breaking down how the sim functions this will play to your advantage. This is more of a stock improver for ISFL teams, as new users are not expected to have an in depth understanding of how the sim works yet.
#8. Eat your wheaties and earn that TPE.
Point tasks, activity Checks, predictions, weekly training, I know I've made it sound like this isn't a huge deal, because really it's not - but if it comes down to two people who are very similar in every other aspect, your earning capability can still be a difference maker. If you've joined late, that's fine - you may be at a slight disadvantage on the whole, but many scouts and GMs look at TPE per week as a metric as well as overall TPE.
#9. Stay active.
This is another self explanatory one, but stick around. Make sure people don't forget you and keep talking to other users, creating content and working to improve your player. Don't burn yourself out early, but keep a steady presence.
#10. Ask for help.
If you're not sure about how something works, don't get frustrated, don't give up, just ask for some assistance and people will not only be happy to give it to you, they'll see you as a more genuine player that's willing to learn and improve. You're not expected to know everything (or really anything) on day 1.
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