*Merv's Corner

[hihihi_62]

Welcome to a new little segment I'd like to call Merv's Corner (Get it? Cause I'm a cornerback)

With only two weeks left in the DSFL regular season remaining and scouting for the upcoming Season 17 NSFL draft heating up I thought I'd take a shot at sorting through the top talent available at each position and break down my thoughts on the available prospects prior to playoff time.

Let's start things off at the top of the list with QBs.

#1 Jordan McCann III (Tijuana) - McCann has been the most active of the S(17) QB prospects totalling 150 TPE at the time of writing this article. McCann's main focus has been on the "accuracy" and "arm" attributes and leads the pack in both of those categories in terms of TPE by a slight margin. On the field McCann has led the Tijuana Luchadores to an impressive 11-1 record on the season completing just over 56% of his passes for 1795 yards, 11 TDs and 7 Ints.

#2 Jim McMahon (San Antonio) - McMahon has been very active in the NSFL discord but his participation on the forum itself has lagged a bit behind that as he is currently 60 TPE behind McCann. McMahon has hinted recently on the Discord that he may consider taking the forum more seriously to increase his overall TPE but concerns about McMahon's commitment and work ethic may scare some teams away come draft time. That being said, is McMahon can transfer some of the time on the he spends on the Discord over to the forum he may be a steal come draft time. McMahon has actually thrown for 31 more yards than McCann so far this season but his TD/INT ratio of 8/12 leave something to be desired.

Additional thought on QB's this season: Portland Pythons QB Franklin Armstrong got off to a bit of a slow start this season - mainly due to the teams success on the ground - but Franklin has been on absolute fire of late putting up back to back 4 TD games the last two weeks. It should be a fun last couple weeks, but at this point I've got Armstrong as my QB of the year winner.

Top RBs:

#1. Daniel Woodhead (Portland) - HA, did I trick you? This guy hasn't been active since June 22nd...

#1. (For Real) Ashley Owens (San Antonio) - In what is probably the most predictable part of this entire post Owens is not only my #1 RB going into the draft, but my #1 ranked player. At the time of writing this article Owens leads all S(17) players in total TPE. I think everyone around the NSFL is familiar with run_CMC and regardless of who is picking #1 in the upcoming draft I think Owens has to be the #1 pick based. On the field this season Owens has been one of the few bright spots for the Marshals ranking 6th in rushing yards with 1076 yards and leads all RBs in receiving yards with 309. The guy is a multi purpose beast and will transition nicely to the next level.

#2. Octavius Godspeed (Kansas City) - Godspeed has been relatively active in earning TPE but still trails Owens by a significant amount at this point in the season. If Godspeed can stay consistent he could pan out as a later round steal for a team looking for a promising RB. On the field Godspeed has actually put up more yards and more yards per carry than Owens and has been an integral part of a late season push by Kansas City.

#3. Ducky Donuts (Tijunana) - Ducky is third overall in TPE in the S(17) RB pool and has slowed down with the updates recently. Ducky does poke around the Discord and if he can get back on track with TPE updates he could absolutely be a gem in this shallow RB draft class. On the field Ducky has outperformed the previously listed RBs totalling 1324 yards and 10 TDs in 12 games so far this season.

Alright, let's talk about the WRs. These are the guys I face week in and week out so I'll have a thing or two to say about a couple of these guys:

#1. Dexter Banks II (Kansas City) - This guy has been an absolute monster all season in every respect. At the time of writing this Banks leads all S(17) wide receivers in total TPE and ranks #3 overall in total TPE out of all the S(17) prospects. Banks is active in all facets of the NSFL from the forum to the Discord and even Twitter. If you're an NSFL team looking to add some much needed fire power to your offence next season this guy has to be option 1(a) to Owens. On the field Banks is #2 in total receiving yards and #2 in total receiving TDs with two weeks left on the season. I've had to face this guy 3 times this season (one more time in the regular season upcoming) and he has been a nightmare to cover all year.

#2. SabaDonutMan (Portland) - If I'm a GM of an NSFL team Saba is a guy I'm trading up for if I need an offensive weapon. Although his stats on the season trail Banks considerably (444 yards receiving) he is one of the most active members I've come across to this point in my NSFL career. Any hour of the day Saba is active in the Discord and is updating his player every chance he gets. He is a glue guy in the locker room and figures to be an incredibly active player for years to come. Don't be surprised to see this guy go in the top 5 in the upcoming draft.

#3. Action Jackson (Portland) - Very similar player to Saba. Jackson is a 5 star presence in the locker room always cheering the team on and staying positive. Jackson only has 320 receiving yards on the season but has been very active on Discord and in updating his player regularly. If I'm an NSFL GM this is a guy I am SERIOUSLY considering as possibly the steal of the entire draft.

Jumping ahead to DTs as there aren't any real active TE, OL or DE in the class at this time.

The bigggg BOYZ .. DT:

#1. Bubba Thumper (San Antonio) - Member one of the infamous "Two Tackle Gang". Bubba has been probably the most active member of the season 17 draft class. Bubba has been so active that I almost feel silly even writing anything about him because I'm sure you already know all about this absolute beauty. Bubba figures to be a top 5 selection in the upcoming draft and honestly I pray to the lord baby Jesus every night that the team that drafts him drafts me as well so that I can have some of his world famous BBQ. On the field Bubba has totalled 26 tackles in 12 games (2.1667 tackles per game) and 2 sacks but luckily for Bubba stats don't matter in the DSFL and he will be a HOT commodity come draft day.

#2. Brayden Ennis (Kansas City) - Member two of the infamous "Two Tackle Gang". Ennis has become a very familiar face around here much the same as Bubba. Ennis has been very active on the discord and can also be found kicking Saba's ass in Madden. At the time of writing this Ennis ranks #2 in total TPE for DTs and shows no sign of stopping. Although Ennis trails Bubba in stats by a landslide (25 tackles in 12 games aka 2.083 tackles pre game) he will also be very desirable come draft time.

#3. Shane Masters (Tijunana) - Although masters trails both Ennis and Bubba in TPE he has been consistent in his updates and as part of the world famous Tijuana brick wall has put up some solid numbers on the field. Although he too is a member of the Two tackle gang (32 tackles in 12 games - 2.67 tackles per game) he has a whopping 15 tackles for loss. That is 3 times the number Bubba has and 5 times the number Ennis has.

LBs:

#1. Honda Edmond (Tijunana) - Wait, I thought Honda was a tight end...? Well when your team is 11-1 the only reasonable thing to do is take your active TPE earning TE and flip him to LB where he will now lead the defence of a potential Ultimini championship run. Edmond is far and away the best LB prospect in the S(17) draft and is active in both the forum and the discord.

#2. Ronald Watkins (San Antonio) - Watkins has been relatively active but trails Honda by almost double the TPE at this point in the season. Watkins has been a MACHINE on the field leading the league in tackles with 121. If he can stay consistent Watkins may just be a steal.

And now the time you've (maybe just me) all been waiting for... *DRUMMMROOLLL* the defensive backs. The defensive backs may be the most hotly contested position of all come draft time with multiple active CBs and Safeties to choose from.

We'll start wit Safeties then end with my sweet spot.

Safety:

#1. Tyron Brackenridge (Kansas City) - You may be thinking to yourself that I'm only picking Tyron because his player render is a former Saskatchewan Roughrider's player and I'm a huge Roughriders fan but in truth Tyron is just a straight up beast. Like his teammate Dexter Banks II, Tyron is tied for #3 in the entire class in total TPE earned to this point and has been very active in all facets of the league. On the field he has been a real nuisance getting his hat in on 51 tackles, two pass deflections and one INT. Tyron is another guy that will get very serious Top 5 consideration come draft time. Also, go Riders go.

#2. A.C. Payton (Portland) - Payton started the season on fire with 3 INTs in the first two games but has since slowed down a bit. Payton trails Tyron by a fairly significant amount in total TPE but still stays active on the forum, discord and Twitter. The S(17) defensive back class is loaded with talent but if Payton stays active and doesn't let PBE distract him too much he'll be a solid contributor at the next level. On the field Payton has 61 tackles, and 4 INTs so far this year.

#3. Takeda Okura (San Antonio) - Much like Payton Okura is trailing Tyron by a significant margin in the total TPE but has managed to stay consistent with his updates. On the field Okura has been following in his teammate Watkins footsteps leading all safeties with 66 tackles.

Now for the grand finale...the CBs:

#1. Jordan Andrews (Tijuana) - Man, I really wish I could've put myself #1 here but unfortunately for me Andrews is just a better prospect. Andrews has been very active on the forum, discord and Twitter and leads all CBs in total TPE. In fact Andrews is #2 overall behind only Owens when it comes to total TPE. I fully expect Andrews to be the #1 defensive player off the board come draft day and whoever drafts him will be getting not only a solid player but a great locker room guy. On the season Andrews has 11 Pass deflections, 2 INTs and a whopping 65 tackles from the boundary corner position.

#2. Mervin Leonard (Portland) - Call me biased all you want but in terms of total TPE I am the number two ranked corner behind only the man himself, Jordan Andrews (#3 overall DB including Safeties). I don't want to toot my own freakishly large horn too much but what I will point out is that at this time Leonard's speed is the fastest defensive player of the class. On the field Leonard is tied for the league lead in pass deflections with 13, has 4 INTs and is the captain of the famous Python Stranglehold.

#3. Willie Woodson (San Antonio) - Woodson has been an active member of the forum since I joined and although he trails both Leonard and Andrews in total TPE he figures to be a consistent player into the future. Woodson was the first player Wiki I read upon joining the site and I recommend it to anyone looking for a good read. On the season Woodson has 7 pass deflections and 1 INT for the Marshals.

Parting thoughts: Pythons are going to win it all and I'm going to hold Dexter Banks under 50 yards in our playoff game.

Go Pythons

Merv

PSA: This was done completely for fun and based mainly on total TPE earned as of July 27, 2019 at 10:30 PM. Im sure things will change as we approach the draft so if I don't get pooped on too much for this I'll definitely complete an updated one closer to draft day!

[moonlight]

Nice article bro

[KillaScrilla]

Nice write up. Thanks for the shout out. My stats are improving but with Saba and Hugo not enough touches to go around.

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