Hello everyone, I’m the always lovely Sam Jam and welcome back to what is quickly becoming my second home, the sauna! We are here with none other than the Finnish Phenom, linebacker Maurice Virtanen to discuss the upcoming DSFL draft! How are you today Maurice?
Maurice: It still baffles me how you seem to know my sauna schedule and why you insist on intruding in this area. Do you not understand how sacred of a place this is for me and why I don’t like having strangers with me here?
Sam Jam: Well I wouldn’t call us strangers, we’ve already spent at least 4 hours together, two of which were here in the sauna actually
Maurice: Yeah I guess we have really different definitions of what strangers are
Sam Jam: Now now let's not get hung up on the minor details! The main thing here and obviously the most important one is that we are together again and I get to pick the brain of one of the brightest prospects to come out of Michigan State. With the draft only a few days away, what are your thoughts on it?
Maurice: *Shrugs* I guess you will disappear a lot faster if I just give you what you want. Well it is funny actually now that you ask me, because I’m the guy who usually focuses 110% on the next thing in front of me and make that the number one priority without worrying about the things in the future. So that meant that for the last week, all I was thinking of was the Prospect Bowl and how I could be the best possible player for my team. By the way, shout out to the Prospect Bowl Champions the East City Cobras, well deserved!
As I was saying I wasnt really thinking about the draft until our Bowl run ended, but now it’s really hit me hard and man is it exciting times, dreams are going to come true!
Sam Jam: So you feel like you will actually be drafted?
Maurice: Well hey thanks for being a real show stopper on that one? Well I would like to think that I wouldn’t be the first non retired player not to be drafted by a team, especially given that I had some pretty nice games in the Prospect Bowl and people were mentioning me in some of their interviews and I have had conversations with multiple scouting departments.
Sam Jam: Sorry, sorry, didn’t mean that in a bad way, but sounds like there is clearly some buzz around you. Where are you going to be, come draft night?
Maurice: I’m actually stoked that I am going to be down at my parents place up North! I have not had the time to see them for a long time and once I declared for the draft my dad called me up and said that they would be throwing me a draft party which is awesome! There will be a bunch of high school friends, my mom’s parents will be flying in from Finland and even my high school coach wants to come join in on the fun! There will obviously be lots of sauna time, some barbequing, lots of Koskenkorva, you know what that is?
Sam Jam: Never heard of it so do enlighten me
Maurice: The greatest vodka that Finland has made
Sam Jam: Wait you are going to be drinking on draft night? What do you think that will tell DSFL GM’s
Maurice: Of course man! And f*ck what they think, it is going to be the greatest night of my life so I think I’m allowed to do what I want with it. I will promise that I will give 110% and more for them if they draft me but draft night is for me!
Sam Jam: Well that is a pretty bold statement, we shall see how it turns out for you. Keeping in mind that this might totally kill your draft stock, where do you think you will be picked?
Maurice: First overall obviously! Haha nah just messing with you. Really just being in the draft after picking up the sport only in high school, I feel blessed. Also our class is huge Huge I tell you and with so much talent you just have to understand the situation and realize your own place. If I had to say something or be hopeful for something, I would say somewhere in the 2nd or 3rd round and I am totally fine with it
Sam Jam: Clearly a lot more level headed than some of the people I’ve read about, well OK if you are not going first overall, who do you think will be that person?
Maurice: Well I think there are several good candidates at the moment. Obviously everyone is hyping my man Bjorn Ironside and he has really put his name on everybody's lips and people see his potential. At the same time Trae Bacon and Givussafare Rubbe are showing what they are made of. At the end of the day though it comes down to what a much smarter man than me told me years ago, the three most important positions in professional football are quarterback, quarterback and quarterback so I think that will make Jay Cue the first overall pick.
Sam Jam: Alright I like the analysis, who will be the steal of the draft?
Maurice: I really believe that both Thud Kassel and Pete Parker will drop down peoples draft boards for different reasons, but the GM’s that end up taking them will be totally rewarded for it. Both players seem to have a lot of potential to be total game changers.
Sam Jam: Awesome, lets see if any GM’s are listening to you and what happens in the draft. Is there any team you really want to play for or any fellow prospects that you would love to have in your locker room?
Maurice: As I talked about before I am just really happy to be in a position to be drafted so there is no clear favorite for me, but I will say that the Solar Bears are really rocking an awesome logo that I just adore. Really all of my fellow prospects are awesome and would love to play with any of them although if VanJensen ended up on the same team, it would be awesome, really loved playing with him on the Tropics and we would totally wreak havoc on the league
Sam Jam: Well this has been a great chat and a great sauna time I must say. Thanks for all your insights and we will be back to hear back from you after the draft so stay tuned everyone!
Maurice: It still baffles me how you seem to know my sauna schedule and why you insist on intruding in this area. Do you not understand how sacred of a place this is for me and why I don’t like having strangers with me here?
Sam Jam: Well I wouldn’t call us strangers, we’ve already spent at least 4 hours together, two of which were here in the sauna actually
Maurice: Yeah I guess we have really different definitions of what strangers are
Sam Jam: Now now let's not get hung up on the minor details! The main thing here and obviously the most important one is that we are together again and I get to pick the brain of one of the brightest prospects to come out of Michigan State. With the draft only a few days away, what are your thoughts on it?
Maurice: *Shrugs* I guess you will disappear a lot faster if I just give you what you want. Well it is funny actually now that you ask me, because I’m the guy who usually focuses 110% on the next thing in front of me and make that the number one priority without worrying about the things in the future. So that meant that for the last week, all I was thinking of was the Prospect Bowl and how I could be the best possible player for my team. By the way, shout out to the Prospect Bowl Champions the East City Cobras, well deserved!
As I was saying I wasnt really thinking about the draft until our Bowl run ended, but now it’s really hit me hard and man is it exciting times, dreams are going to come true!
Sam Jam: So you feel like you will actually be drafted?
Maurice: Well hey thanks for being a real show stopper on that one? Well I would like to think that I wouldn’t be the first non retired player not to be drafted by a team, especially given that I had some pretty nice games in the Prospect Bowl and people were mentioning me in some of their interviews and I have had conversations with multiple scouting departments.
Sam Jam: Sorry, sorry, didn’t mean that in a bad way, but sounds like there is clearly some buzz around you. Where are you going to be, come draft night?
Maurice: I’m actually stoked that I am going to be down at my parents place up North! I have not had the time to see them for a long time and once I declared for the draft my dad called me up and said that they would be throwing me a draft party which is awesome! There will be a bunch of high school friends, my mom’s parents will be flying in from Finland and even my high school coach wants to come join in on the fun! There will obviously be lots of sauna time, some barbequing, lots of Koskenkorva, you know what that is?
Sam Jam: Never heard of it so do enlighten me
Maurice: The greatest vodka that Finland has made
Sam Jam: Wait you are going to be drinking on draft night? What do you think that will tell DSFL GM’s
Maurice: Of course man! And f*ck what they think, it is going to be the greatest night of my life so I think I’m allowed to do what I want with it. I will promise that I will give 110% and more for them if they draft me but draft night is for me!
Sam Jam: Well that is a pretty bold statement, we shall see how it turns out for you. Keeping in mind that this might totally kill your draft stock, where do you think you will be picked?
Maurice: First overall obviously! Haha nah just messing with you. Really just being in the draft after picking up the sport only in high school, I feel blessed. Also our class is huge Huge I tell you and with so much talent you just have to understand the situation and realize your own place. If I had to say something or be hopeful for something, I would say somewhere in the 2nd or 3rd round and I am totally fine with it
Sam Jam: Clearly a lot more level headed than some of the people I’ve read about, well OK if you are not going first overall, who do you think will be that person?
Maurice: Well I think there are several good candidates at the moment. Obviously everyone is hyping my man Bjorn Ironside and he has really put his name on everybody's lips and people see his potential. At the same time Trae Bacon and Givussafare Rubbe are showing what they are made of. At the end of the day though it comes down to what a much smarter man than me told me years ago, the three most important positions in professional football are quarterback, quarterback and quarterback so I think that will make Jay Cue the first overall pick.
Sam Jam: Alright I like the analysis, who will be the steal of the draft?
Maurice: I really believe that both Thud Kassel and Pete Parker will drop down peoples draft boards for different reasons, but the GM’s that end up taking them will be totally rewarded for it. Both players seem to have a lot of potential to be total game changers.
Sam Jam: Awesome, lets see if any GM’s are listening to you and what happens in the draft. Is there any team you really want to play for or any fellow prospects that you would love to have in your locker room?
Maurice: As I talked about before I am just really happy to be in a position to be drafted so there is no clear favorite for me, but I will say that the Solar Bears are really rocking an awesome logo that I just adore. Really all of my fellow prospects are awesome and would love to play with any of them although if VanJensen ended up on the same team, it would be awesome, really loved playing with him on the Tropics and we would totally wreak havoc on the league
Sam Jam: Well this has been a great chat and a great sauna time I must say. Thanks for all your insights and we will be back to hear back from you after the draft so stay tuned everyone!