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Ahead of the upcoming S20 DSFL Draft, much discussion has centered around the rookies that have been added via waivers, allowing them to debut on a DSFL field in advance of the draft itself. While teams have received college performance stats, this has been a chance for teams to see how these players would perform in a live DSFL game. One of the more popular, and most unusual, DSFL prospects in recent memory is Maz-Ta “Baby” Yoda, who was picked up by the Portland Pythons. Let’s take a look at the so-called Marvelous Munchkin’s debut performances in the league.
Week 11 – Kansas City @ Portland, 31-10 Win
11 Rushes for 62 Yards, 5.6 YPC
4 Receptions for 27 Yards
A fairly impressive start for young Yoda, who had a lot of questions marks on his rushing ability going into this game. Yoda is said to have good hands and speed, but lacks the size and strength needed to consistently battle opposing defensive lines. However, the tiny player was resistant and pushed on, achieving 5.6 YPC over 11 attempts. What Yoda lacks in strength and brute force, he appears to make up for in mobility. He was also involved in the short-yardage passing game, helping the team pick up 27 yards. The Pythons would go on to win the game 31-10 in a dominant win that afforded the debuting player a lot of opportunities to prove what he could do.
Week 12 – Portland @ Minnesota, 7-17 Loss
7 Rushes for 36 Yards, 5.1 YPC
2 Receptions for 19 Yards
Coming off a hot win and a strong outing in his first game, Yoda was said to be very happy with his performance and the opportunities his new team gave him. This game saw less catches for Little Green, but he still got a chance to run the ball 7 times and made them count, continuing to average over 5.0 YPC. The Pythons would lose this one, which explains the smaller workload for our young prospect, but he still contributed when called upon.
Week 13 – Portland @ Kansas City, 20-23 Loss
6 Rushes for 44 Yards, 7.3 YPC
8 Receptions for 91 Yards
Two weeks after his debut game, Yoda and his teammates found themselves up against the Kansas City Coyotes once again, this time on the Coyotes’ home turf. This by far Yoda’s best game as he compiled a spectacular 135 yards from scrimmage. Similar to week 12, the competitiveness of this game limited his carries with the ball as he only ran it 6 times, but he held up an incredible 7.3 YPC, including one big run for 20 yards, his biggest rush of the season. He was also a force in the air attack, lining up all over the field and catching the ball 8 times. The only thing missing from this one was a touchdown. Unfortunately, Kansas City still nudged them out by 3 points, leading to their second loss with Yoda on their roster.
Week 14 – Portland @ Myrtle Beach, 7-26 Loss
7 Rushes for 37 Yards, 5.3 YPC
1 Reception for 9 Yards
This was Portland’s biggest defeat among the 4 games and Yoda was almost a non-factor in the passing attack, only catching the ball once. He still rushed for 7 attempts and 5.3 YPC, but the team simply wasn’t able to give him enough opportunities to make much of an impact beyond that. One of the common scouts on Yoda is that he can be rather impressionable and perhaps a dip in locker room morale following the other 2 losses contributed to his lack of upside despite coming off a star-caliber. Yoda is going to have to prove that he can bounce back from tough losses if he wants to be taken seriously in the DSFL.
Average Performance
8 Rushes for 45 Yards, 5.8 YPC
4 Receptions for 37 Yards
Even after 3 of his 4 games being on the road, Yoda averaged over 80 yards from scrimmage per game. Those aren’t superstar numbers, but he’ll still be a player that can contribute to almost any team out there if he can continue to keep this pace. His performance in the postseason and following effort in the offseason will be one to watch closely for this young man as prospective teams ponder if the “Sultan of Smol” is the right fit for their line-up. All accounts indicate that Yoda is well-liked by his locker room teammates and is already a big hit among the local Portland fans. At the very least, teams should be getting a quiet player that knows how to keep his cool and stay out of trouble. Unfortunately, though, when it comes to on-the-field performance, there’s still a real risk of this pocket-sized underdog being in over his head.
783 Words
Ahead of the upcoming S20 DSFL Draft, much discussion has centered around the rookies that have been added via waivers, allowing them to debut on a DSFL field in advance of the draft itself. While teams have received college performance stats, this has been a chance for teams to see how these players would perform in a live DSFL game. One of the more popular, and most unusual, DSFL prospects in recent memory is Maz-Ta “Baby” Yoda, who was picked up by the Portland Pythons. Let’s take a look at the so-called Marvelous Munchkin’s debut performances in the league.
Week 11 – Kansas City @ Portland, 31-10 Win
11 Rushes for 62 Yards, 5.6 YPC
4 Receptions for 27 Yards
A fairly impressive start for young Yoda, who had a lot of questions marks on his rushing ability going into this game. Yoda is said to have good hands and speed, but lacks the size and strength needed to consistently battle opposing defensive lines. However, the tiny player was resistant and pushed on, achieving 5.6 YPC over 11 attempts. What Yoda lacks in strength and brute force, he appears to make up for in mobility. He was also involved in the short-yardage passing game, helping the team pick up 27 yards. The Pythons would go on to win the game 31-10 in a dominant win that afforded the debuting player a lot of opportunities to prove what he could do.
Week 12 – Portland @ Minnesota, 7-17 Loss
7 Rushes for 36 Yards, 5.1 YPC
2 Receptions for 19 Yards
Coming off a hot win and a strong outing in his first game, Yoda was said to be very happy with his performance and the opportunities his new team gave him. This game saw less catches for Little Green, but he still got a chance to run the ball 7 times and made them count, continuing to average over 5.0 YPC. The Pythons would lose this one, which explains the smaller workload for our young prospect, but he still contributed when called upon.
Week 13 – Portland @ Kansas City, 20-23 Loss
6 Rushes for 44 Yards, 7.3 YPC
8 Receptions for 91 Yards
Two weeks after his debut game, Yoda and his teammates found themselves up against the Kansas City Coyotes once again, this time on the Coyotes’ home turf. This by far Yoda’s best game as he compiled a spectacular 135 yards from scrimmage. Similar to week 12, the competitiveness of this game limited his carries with the ball as he only ran it 6 times, but he held up an incredible 7.3 YPC, including one big run for 20 yards, his biggest rush of the season. He was also a force in the air attack, lining up all over the field and catching the ball 8 times. The only thing missing from this one was a touchdown. Unfortunately, Kansas City still nudged them out by 3 points, leading to their second loss with Yoda on their roster.
Week 14 – Portland @ Myrtle Beach, 7-26 Loss
7 Rushes for 37 Yards, 5.3 YPC
1 Reception for 9 Yards
This was Portland’s biggest defeat among the 4 games and Yoda was almost a non-factor in the passing attack, only catching the ball once. He still rushed for 7 attempts and 5.3 YPC, but the team simply wasn’t able to give him enough opportunities to make much of an impact beyond that. One of the common scouts on Yoda is that he can be rather impressionable and perhaps a dip in locker room morale following the other 2 losses contributed to his lack of upside despite coming off a star-caliber. Yoda is going to have to prove that he can bounce back from tough losses if he wants to be taken seriously in the DSFL.
Average Performance
8 Rushes for 45 Yards, 5.8 YPC
4 Receptions for 37 Yards
Even after 3 of his 4 games being on the road, Yoda averaged over 80 yards from scrimmage per game. Those aren’t superstar numbers, but he’ll still be a player that can contribute to almost any team out there if he can continue to keep this pace. His performance in the postseason and following effort in the offseason will be one to watch closely for this young man as prospective teams ponder if the “Sultan of Smol” is the right fit for their line-up. All accounts indicate that Yoda is well-liked by his locker room teammates and is already a big hit among the local Portland fans. At the very least, teams should be getting a quiet player that knows how to keep his cool and stay out of trouble. Unfortunately, though, when it comes to on-the-field performance, there’s still a real risk of this pocket-sized underdog being in over his head.
783 Words
Thanks to Jangorhino for the sig.