Joel Drake

Joel Drake

No. 20 – Colorado Yeti
Position:	Safety
Personal information
Born:	(2016-02-15)February 15, 2016 (aged 46) Gary, Indiana, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:	195 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High school:	Gary Lighthouse Charter School
College:	Louisville
ISFL Draft:	2038 / Round: 2 / Pick: 2
DSFL Draft:	2037 / Round: 2 / Pick: 2
Career history
DSFL: Pythons ISFL: Yeti
Roster status:	Active
Career highlights and awards
Two Time DSFL Pro-Bowler [2038,2039] Two Time DSFL Safety Of The Year [2038,2039] Three Time ISFL Pro Bowler [2040,2042,2044] One Time ISFL Safety Of The Year [2042]

Joel C Drake (born February 15, 2016) is an American football safety who is currently playing for the Colorado Yeti. He played college football for Louisville.

Early years

Joel Drake was born in Gary Indiana. His mother Elena Drake died in childbirth and his father Frazier Drake walked out on him when he was just 14. He lived on the streets attending Gary Lighthouse Charter School where he found his passion for football, and the thrill of returning passes for touchdowns. He was a troubled young man at first, but tough love from his coaches brought him on to the right path. He started at safety from his sophomore season on where his instincts and coverage ability really shone through, helping lead his team to two championships. Joel attempted the feat of becoming a two-sport athelete, attempting to join the school's track and field team, but was talked away from this idea after his coach explained to him how far he could go if he focused purely on football.

College career

Joel entered Louisville as a walk-on and a longshot to make the roster, spending his first two seasons purely as a special teamer, where he was shown to be an ace.

Freshman Season

Joel was used purely as a gunner on punts and kickoffs where he recorded 10 tackles and one downed punt inside the 10. The only live-action he saw was in a losing effort against No. 10 ranked Georgia when the team was down 55-0. He recorded 3 tackles and 1 pass deflection.

Sophomore Season

Sophomore year started much the same as freshman year for Joel. Purely on special teams, though he was starting to catch the attention of the defensive coordinator, he didn't see any action until week 8 when the starting safety suffered a concussion against Texas Tech. Joel grabbed the opportunity and didn't let it go for the rest of his college career. Over the final 5 games of the season he grabbed 2 interceptions, deflected 4 passes, and forced and recovered a fumble. Joel was named the starting safety when the original starter was cleared going into his Junior year.

Junior Season

Junior season was the first for Joel as a starter. He still took part on punts as a gunner and managed to score a touchdown on a botched return against Buffalo. As a safety he showed himself as a true playmaker all over the field, grabbing 8 total interceptions and deflecting another 9 passes. He was widely criticized for his lack of effort against the run, only recording 20 tackles and being responsible for a game-losing touchdown against Fresno State where he took a poor angle and appeared to be running at only half-speed. He responded to these allegations with the statement "I give 110% on every play, and while I have apologized to my teammates for my mistake I did not give any less than my best effort." Though Louisville would finish a disappointing 6-7 on the season, Joel was named second-team All-American and received some votes for the Jim Thorpe award.

Senior Season

Senior year started with a bang for Joel grabbing 4 interceptions in his first 4 games, 3 being brought back for touchdowns. The stats slowed for Drake in the following 3 games, with opposing QB's cautiously avoiding his half of the field. One opposing QB was even caught on an on-field mic a saying "This F*cking guy is always in the way" after his pass was knocked to the ground. This year also brought Drake his best special teams play yet. With the game against Michigan tied at 30, a late punt by Louisville was muffed, and Drake returned it for a touchdown as the clock expired. Though once again Louisville finished 6-7, Drake was voted first-team All-American and won the Jim Thorpe award, finishing his year with another 8 interceptions and 18 deflected passes. His run defense was still criticized, but not as harshly as previous years.

DSFL career

First DSFL Season

Drake was taken 10th overall in the DSFL Draft by the Portland Pythons, with the expectation he would be their starting safety for the next 2 seasons. In his first preseason with the squad he recorded 27 tackles and 1 sack.

A disappointing 5-9 season for the Pythons as a whole did not prevent Drake from having a mind-boggling season individually. With 62 Tackles, 4 INT’s, 22 PD’s, and 1 Forced Fumble, Drake ranked either first or second in almost every defensive category in the secondary, and was widely recognized for his efforts. At the DSFL awards show Drake took home both DB of the year and Defensive Rookie of the year, beating out Rashad Hilliard by just 1 vote for DB of the year! Drake’s season started at safety but was quickly moved to CB just 4 weeks into the season in an effort to spread the talent around in the secondary, and as shown with the stats above, it paid off. The Pythons as a whole struggled in their run defense, but Drake’s efforts seemed to help massively, leading the Pythons to hold the best pass defense in the NFC North and the 3rd best pass defense league-wide. Drake’s best performance came undoubtedly in week 9 versus the Luchadores, where Drake racked up 4 tackles, 4 PD’s, and 2 Interceptions, leading the Pythons to a tight 12-10 win that nearly slipped away in the final minutes. Drake also had a clutch INT in week 12 versus the Minnesota Grey Ducks, setting the offense up for a drive that could’ve tied the game. Unfortunately the Pythons offense didn’t make anything of the opportunity, but the chance itself was set up by Drake, returning a pick just passed midfield. Drake is largely expected to go in the top-3 of his upcoming ISFL draft.

Second DSFL Season

Drake returned for a second year with the Pythons, moving to safety for the entire year this time. With a more talented squad, Drake expected a reduction in stats, which partially, he saw. Nabbing 3 interceptions compared to 4 doesn't sound so impressive, but Drake returned 2 of those picks for touchdowns, the first 2 TD's of his career. He had 82 tackles, 20 more than last season, and only accumulated 4 PD's, as opposed to 22. Drake also acquired his 1st and only sack of his career.

As a team, the Pythons improved on their record by 1 game, going 6-8. Unlike last year, this record was enough to send the Pythons back to the playoffs for the first time in 4 seasons. They played the Royals in London in the divisional round and lost, scoring only 3 points on offense. The year had a few quirks however, none being stranger than Portland's home/road split. Going 2-5 at home is usually a death sentence to any team's playoff hopes, but Portland managed to pull out a 4-3 road record with statement wins at London and Tijuana.

Drake is expected to be called up to Colorado after this season, either as the starting safety or as a Nickle-back. He is not expected to pick up any awards for this season, but it is well-known that team success was much more important to Drake. Portland prepared for this departure with multiple defensive players selected in the draft, and Drake's departure should not be felt too harshly.

DSFL statistics			Defense
Season	Team	Games	Tck	TFL	FF/FR	Sck	Int	PD	Sfty	TD	Blk P/XP/FG
2038 (S23)	Pythons	14	62	0	1/0	0	4	22	0	0	0/0/0
2039 (S24)	Pythons	14	82	0	1/1	1	3	4	0	2	0/0/0

ISFL career

Drake was selected with the second pick of the second round by the Colorado Yeti.

First ISFL Season

Joel Drake was placed at the nickelback position as he was groomed for the starting safety role. He recorded 133 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 forced fumble, 2 fumble recoveries, 3 interceptions, 19 pass deflections, and 1 touchdown. He entered what was widely considered the top defense in the league and a team defending a 14-2 record and a loss in the Ultimus. The defense was as good as advertised, with Drake contributing down the latter half of the season. Drake was 3rd in the league in tackles among defensive backs, was one of only 25 defensive players to score a touchdown, and was tied for 20th in pass deflections. Drake received nominations for Safety of the year, defensive rookie of the year, and was chosen as the NSFC's top representative for the Pro Bowl at FS. The Yeti defense was Number 1 in points and the team as a whole and finished 13-3, top in the NSFC. They rolled their way to a second straight Ultimus once again facing the San Jose Sabercats, and once again falling to them. This time 34-17. Drake was a large part of the Yeti's 44-17 win over the Baltimore Hawks, with 6 tackles, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, and 1 pass deflection. He was less effective against the Chicago Butchers in the Yeti's 34-7 win over them, with only 4 tackles and 1 tackle for loss. Drake totaled 9 tackles and 1 pass deflection in the Yeti's championship defeat. Drake moved to his natural position of FS in his second professional season.

Second ISFL Season

Drake's first full year at FS, Colorado finished the year 8-8, missing the playoffs. Drake picked off 2 passes and knocked away 6 passes. He also acquired 4 sacks and 2 fumble recoveries. He totaled 92 tackles on the year.

Third ISFL Season

Drake's third ISFL season and his second at FS was, by all accounts, a breakout year. 6 INTs, 10 PDs, 1 Sack, and 54 tackles, Drake received a nomination for Safety of the Year, a nomination for Defensive Performance of the Year for his game in week 9 against the New York Silverbacks where he had 2 INTs and 2 PDs, with his 1 TD. As a team the Yeti finished the year 10-5-1 and barely made it to the playoffs where they beat the Butchers in round 1 24-19, before losing to the Sailfish in the NSFC Conference Championship 47-27.

Drake went on to win Safety of the Year

Pre-draft measurables

Ht	Wt	40‑yd dash	20‑ss	3‑cone	Vert jump	Broad	BP	Wonderlic
6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	4.32 s	4.11 s	7.06 s	30.3 in (0.77 m)	10 ft 9 in (3.28 m)	17 reps	39

Professional career statistics

ISFL statistics			Defense
Season	Team	Games	Tck	TFL	FF/FR	Sck	Int	PD	Sfty	TD	Blk P/XP/FG
2040 (S25)	Yeti	16	133	1	1/2	0	3	19	0	1	0/0/0
2041 (S26)	Yeti	16	92	0	0/2	4	2	6	0	0	0/0/0
2042 (S27)	Yeti	16	54	0	0/0	1	6	10	0	1	0/0/0
2043 (S28)	Yeti	16	60	0	0/0	0	2	5	0	0	0/0/0
2044 (S29)	Yeti	16	51	0	1/1	1	5	12	0	2	0/0/0
2045 (S30)	Yeti	16	57	0	0/2	5	0	11	0	0	0/0/0
2046 (S31)	Yeti	16	45	1	2/1	1	2	8	0	0	0/0/0
2047 (S32)	Yeti	16	48	0	1/1	1	2	13	0	1	0/0/0
2048 (S33)	Yeti	16	69	0	2/0	0	0	6	0	0	0/0/0

Achievements and records

Awards

2038: DSFL Defensive Back Of The Year

2038: DSFL Defensive Rookie Of The Year

2038: DSFL Pro Bowl FS

2039: DSFL Safety Of The Year

2039: DSFL Pro Bowl FS

2040: ISFL Pro Bowl FS

2042: ISFL Pro Bowl FS

2042: ISFL Safety of the Year