The Year that Was
With the DSFL playoff loss to the Pythons now in the books, KC Coyote DE Lo Rax has been able to draw his rookie campaign to a close. Lo managed to put together a solid, if not spectacular, rookie campaign, amassing 32 tackles (5 for a loss), 6 sacks, and a blocked punt in 15 games (4 as a DT).
As far as his impact relative to the team, he fared well: those stats placed him squarely as the second most disruptive Coyote in the pass game, with only DT Ramadan Steve amassing more sacks. Meanwhile, it was again only Steve who beat out Rax at the DL positions in tackles with 34 to his 31 regular season tackles. Only 3 kicks of any kind were blocked this season - with Lo's coming in the only game which saw him play Teams on.
League wise, up against his fellow rookies, Rax had the 3rd most tackles among DL , 4th in TFL, and 3rd on the list for sacks. When you consider the league as a whole, Rax was 58th in T, 13th in TFL, and 12th in sacks. Upon being asked how he felt about his season, Lo Rax had this to say:
"I had a good year, yeah. It was good in the sense that I was able to come in here, identify a lot of areas where I needed work, and I was able to focus in on those and improve. I got faster and stronger as the year went on, for example. At the same time, I had a lot of... learning moments. There's things like over pursuit and play recognition, along with tackling and agility- those are all areas that I need to keep working on. My production dropped off as the year wore on, too... so I've got to get more consistent in my play. There's a lot to work on, and that mountain only gets steeper at the next level, so I can never be satisfied."
So, again, while he won't be taking home any awards this season, it's safe to say that for a player who came in as a relative unknown, Lo Rax acquitted himself well, and showed he had a spot in not only this league, but the level above - that is, if he's able to build on this performance.
Onto the Draft
The biggest question now becomes - what does that do for his draft stock? Rax didn't seem too concerned either way, for the most part...
"I went out there and took every opportunity I could to try and make an impact on the field. Some games I was able to do that more than others, but I never quit working on the field and off to take better advantage of the next snap that came around. Now I've gone out and put my game on tape, and from here, it's up to the GMs to decide how far down I'll go. I have no control over that now, the time has passed- so all I can do is focus on what's next. For me, tomorrow, that's being better than today. That's my focus, the rest will take care of itself."
Sitting down and watching his tape, you can see some plus skills, but there's also some concerns in regards to Lo's game. Takeaways from the tape:
Rax has good strength, his hand fighting techniques are advanced, allowing him to create separation from both tackles and TEs in defending the run game. His lateral speed and quick first step, in combination with said hand fighting, mean he makes plays near or behind the LOS when he's able to get to the ball carrier. When he can't disengage, he sets the edge well for others to make tackles.
Rax also flashed the ability to utilize both speed and power moves in the pass rush department, although he tends to rely too heavily on the latter at times, failing to take advantage of tackles after he's beaten them once or twice. If he mixes in more speed moves than he already has, his numbers could go up.
Lo works with a high effort motor to make plays, defeating blocks late in the down with his sheer will power, at times able to make positive impacts after being initially neutralized. Rax doesn't take plays off, hustling hard at all times. This should suit him well as a 4 down player in the NSFL, so long as his endurance is up to the task.
The biggest concern regarding Lo is his lack of splash plays at the DSFL level. His run defending is solid, but his sack numbers were a little low when measured against rookie DE competition. Also concerning is his lack of focusing on forcing turn overs - Lo needs to do a better job of attacking the football in the hands of QBs and in the arms of runners. With zero fumbles forced, and none recovered, Lo will have to focus on finding the ball more often to bring his game up a notch once he's drafted to the NSFL.
Rax also tends, athletically, to be more of a well rounded player rather than one who has a dominant trait they use to constantly beat the opposition. Rax plays with good strength and good speed, but is elite in neither. Technique will allow him to win some 1 on 1 battles, but when faced with another tactician of the same level, Rax may lose on physicality alone. He'll have to get stronger and faster to have an impact play in and play out.
Possible Landing Spots
So finally, where may he end up? Looking at the roster counts for the NSFL clubs, there are some teams with a need at DE in the near and/or immediate future:
1. San Jose Saber Cats
After several seasons of completely ignoring their defensive line position, the Saber Cats are in a rough position in the trenches on the defensive side of things. With only 2 DL players currently on the roster, they need help at both DE and DT. Rax would slot in immediately at either position as a starter, with a reasonable likelihood of becoming the mainstay on the line in short order. For a team that went 2-12 a season ago, there are probably bigger holes to fill... but Rax would provide a sorely needed shot of youth to their DL.
2. Arizona Outlaws
The second of 3 NSFL teams with only 1 DE on the roster, Arizona might be slightly better off in terms of numbers in regards to their DL (with 2 DTs on the roster), but the sub 300 TPE level of all of those players doesn't put them far ahead of the Saber Cats as far as a position of need. Rax would slot in immediately as the day 1 starter for the RDE position, and again, he'd have an opportunity to make plays often, and would be asked to grow up quickly. But again, after a pitiful 3-11 season in which the Outlaws were unable to score or stop teams from scoring, how high could DL be on their priority list?
3. Orange County Otters
Last season may have marked the last gasp for the corp of DL that Orange County have on the roster. Of the 4 DL players they currently have, the most recently drafted was back in S5. The others? S3, S2 and S1. OCO have always made their living with a powerful offense, but it's time they address the other side of the ball. To boot, with only 3 LBs on the roster (with 1 drafted S1) and only 2 S, they need help at every level of the defense. Enter Lo Rax - a player who has spoken several times on how own versatility, and whom has put it in practice this past season taking snaps at both DE and DT. The Otters setting their sights on Rax in later rounds could allow them some flexibility earlier in the draft to take BPA, or even move back.
4. Yellowknife Wraiths
Despite having 4 players at the DL at the end of last season, split between DE and DT, the talent levels are such that Rax could be a smart pick up for them. Ricky Maddox is at or very near the end of his career, so a hole will be open at DE, in the very near future. Meanwhile, at DT Rodriguez hasn't grown the way the team had hoped, and Brown is young and unproven. At the same time, YKW is a team on the rise, so a pick on an up and coming DE may fall in line with what they've got in mind as far as prioritizing needs.
Of course, a team doesn't have to have an immediate need on their defensive line to pick up Lo. Philly, while they don't have a need at DE directly, could use help at DT. Even one of the DL rich teams like Baltimore, Colorado or New Orleans may see value in picking up Lo Rax, and giving themselves the ability to off load a big contract or pick up future assets with a trade.
Given the landscape of the DE and DT positions as a whole in the league, there really is no eliminating a destination for a flexible defender like Rax. Given his rate of progression, the general priority placed on the type of player Rax is, and the tape he put out there this past season in the DSFL, it seems like Rax could fall to the 2nd or even 3rd round. We'll find out soon enough!
With the DSFL playoff loss to the Pythons now in the books, KC Coyote DE Lo Rax has been able to draw his rookie campaign to a close. Lo managed to put together a solid, if not spectacular, rookie campaign, amassing 32 tackles (5 for a loss), 6 sacks, and a blocked punt in 15 games (4 as a DT).
As far as his impact relative to the team, he fared well: those stats placed him squarely as the second most disruptive Coyote in the pass game, with only DT Ramadan Steve amassing more sacks. Meanwhile, it was again only Steve who beat out Rax at the DL positions in tackles with 34 to his 31 regular season tackles. Only 3 kicks of any kind were blocked this season - with Lo's coming in the only game which saw him play Teams on.
League wise, up against his fellow rookies, Rax had the 3rd most tackles among DL , 4th in TFL, and 3rd on the list for sacks. When you consider the league as a whole, Rax was 58th in T, 13th in TFL, and 12th in sacks. Upon being asked how he felt about his season, Lo Rax had this to say:
"I had a good year, yeah. It was good in the sense that I was able to come in here, identify a lot of areas where I needed work, and I was able to focus in on those and improve. I got faster and stronger as the year went on, for example. At the same time, I had a lot of... learning moments. There's things like over pursuit and play recognition, along with tackling and agility- those are all areas that I need to keep working on. My production dropped off as the year wore on, too... so I've got to get more consistent in my play. There's a lot to work on, and that mountain only gets steeper at the next level, so I can never be satisfied."
So, again, while he won't be taking home any awards this season, it's safe to say that for a player who came in as a relative unknown, Lo Rax acquitted himself well, and showed he had a spot in not only this league, but the level above - that is, if he's able to build on this performance.
Onto the Draft
The biggest question now becomes - what does that do for his draft stock? Rax didn't seem too concerned either way, for the most part...
"I went out there and took every opportunity I could to try and make an impact on the field. Some games I was able to do that more than others, but I never quit working on the field and off to take better advantage of the next snap that came around. Now I've gone out and put my game on tape, and from here, it's up to the GMs to decide how far down I'll go. I have no control over that now, the time has passed- so all I can do is focus on what's next. For me, tomorrow, that's being better than today. That's my focus, the rest will take care of itself."
Sitting down and watching his tape, you can see some plus skills, but there's also some concerns in regards to Lo's game. Takeaways from the tape:
Rax has good strength, his hand fighting techniques are advanced, allowing him to create separation from both tackles and TEs in defending the run game. His lateral speed and quick first step, in combination with said hand fighting, mean he makes plays near or behind the LOS when he's able to get to the ball carrier. When he can't disengage, he sets the edge well for others to make tackles.
Rax also flashed the ability to utilize both speed and power moves in the pass rush department, although he tends to rely too heavily on the latter at times, failing to take advantage of tackles after he's beaten them once or twice. If he mixes in more speed moves than he already has, his numbers could go up.
Lo works with a high effort motor to make plays, defeating blocks late in the down with his sheer will power, at times able to make positive impacts after being initially neutralized. Rax doesn't take plays off, hustling hard at all times. This should suit him well as a 4 down player in the NSFL, so long as his endurance is up to the task.
The biggest concern regarding Lo is his lack of splash plays at the DSFL level. His run defending is solid, but his sack numbers were a little low when measured against rookie DE competition. Also concerning is his lack of focusing on forcing turn overs - Lo needs to do a better job of attacking the football in the hands of QBs and in the arms of runners. With zero fumbles forced, and none recovered, Lo will have to focus on finding the ball more often to bring his game up a notch once he's drafted to the NSFL.
Rax also tends, athletically, to be more of a well rounded player rather than one who has a dominant trait they use to constantly beat the opposition. Rax plays with good strength and good speed, but is elite in neither. Technique will allow him to win some 1 on 1 battles, but when faced with another tactician of the same level, Rax may lose on physicality alone. He'll have to get stronger and faster to have an impact play in and play out.
Possible Landing Spots
So finally, where may he end up? Looking at the roster counts for the NSFL clubs, there are some teams with a need at DE in the near and/or immediate future:
1. San Jose Saber Cats
After several seasons of completely ignoring their defensive line position, the Saber Cats are in a rough position in the trenches on the defensive side of things. With only 2 DL players currently on the roster, they need help at both DE and DT. Rax would slot in immediately at either position as a starter, with a reasonable likelihood of becoming the mainstay on the line in short order. For a team that went 2-12 a season ago, there are probably bigger holes to fill... but Rax would provide a sorely needed shot of youth to their DL.
2. Arizona Outlaws
The second of 3 NSFL teams with only 1 DE on the roster, Arizona might be slightly better off in terms of numbers in regards to their DL (with 2 DTs on the roster), but the sub 300 TPE level of all of those players doesn't put them far ahead of the Saber Cats as far as a position of need. Rax would slot in immediately as the day 1 starter for the RDE position, and again, he'd have an opportunity to make plays often, and would be asked to grow up quickly. But again, after a pitiful 3-11 season in which the Outlaws were unable to score or stop teams from scoring, how high could DL be on their priority list?
3. Orange County Otters
Last season may have marked the last gasp for the corp of DL that Orange County have on the roster. Of the 4 DL players they currently have, the most recently drafted was back in S5. The others? S3, S2 and S1. OCO have always made their living with a powerful offense, but it's time they address the other side of the ball. To boot, with only 3 LBs on the roster (with 1 drafted S1) and only 2 S, they need help at every level of the defense. Enter Lo Rax - a player who has spoken several times on how own versatility, and whom has put it in practice this past season taking snaps at both DE and DT. The Otters setting their sights on Rax in later rounds could allow them some flexibility earlier in the draft to take BPA, or even move back.
4. Yellowknife Wraiths
Despite having 4 players at the DL at the end of last season, split between DE and DT, the talent levels are such that Rax could be a smart pick up for them. Ricky Maddox is at or very near the end of his career, so a hole will be open at DE, in the very near future. Meanwhile, at DT Rodriguez hasn't grown the way the team had hoped, and Brown is young and unproven. At the same time, YKW is a team on the rise, so a pick on an up and coming DE may fall in line with what they've got in mind as far as prioritizing needs.
Of course, a team doesn't have to have an immediate need on their defensive line to pick up Lo. Philly, while they don't have a need at DE directly, could use help at DT. Even one of the DL rich teams like Baltimore, Colorado or New Orleans may see value in picking up Lo Rax, and giving themselves the ability to off load a big contract or pick up future assets with a trade.
Given the landscape of the DE and DT positions as a whole in the league, there really is no eliminating a destination for a flexible defender like Rax. Given his rate of progression, the general priority placed on the type of player Rax is, and the tape he put out there this past season in the DSFL, it seems like Rax could fall to the 2nd or even 3rd round. We'll find out soon enough!