(04-19-2020, 10:14 AM)TheO-LineMatters Wrote: It's been a few months. I needed some time away after the decision to keep Marrone and the coaching staff was announced. As many of you guys know, I take football way too seriously and for the sake of my mental health, I needed/need time to just put football in the rear view mirror. I figured with the draft coming up this week, I would allow myself one week to engage with you guys and talk some football. If I don't, I'm gonna go crazy. With the covid-19 lock downs what else is there to do. I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy during this pandemic. O.k. let's get to it. Here are some of my thoughts on the matters at hand. This might run a little long. 

1. Yannick Ngakoue- It's hard to believe at one time, he was my favorite player. This guy is a tumor on the locker room. I think we're all in agreement that he has to go. His attitude flat out sucks and just like any other cancer, he must be removed. I'd part with him straight up for a first round pick in 2021. That is what I want, a 2021 first round pick. I also see a scenario where I would trade him and the #9 pick to move up with the Lions or Giants to acquire the #3 or #4 pick. I would only do that though on one condition. CB Jeffrey Okudah has to be the reason we move up. I truly believe he is a generational talent. He is everything Jalen Ramsey wishes he could be, minus the attitude. Okudah is my favorite defensive player in this draft and along with Burrow, they are neck and neck as being the top overall players on my board. Given our need at the position, he would be the ideal pick IMO. Currently, I don't think we have one true starting CB on our roster. Herndon might turn into a solid #2 someday, but on almost any other team, he'd be a #3. We need to come out of this draft with no less than two very good CB's. Okudah would be an ideal start. 

2. Leonard Fournette- What happened to the player who was a solid character guy in college and other than lingering foot injuries, had no red flags coming out of college? Again, we have another malcontent. He's gotta go too. At this point, I take the best offer, what ever that may be. I'm hoping for at least a 4th round pick, but if we can't get that, take the best deal. He wasn't gonna be here after 2020 anyway. I believe a RB is only as good as the O-Line that blocks for him and as I have said over and over, our O-Line isn't very good. Why pay big money to a disgruntled RB like Fournette, when there is rarely any lanes to run through? It's time to move on. Whether or not the front office admits it, we are in a full on re-build, so it makes sense. 

3. I know a lot of the media is linking Tua to our team. I don't see it, because most of those so called, "experts" seem to have us trading up to get him. No way. I will go on record that I am a Tua fan. Is he a risk? Absolutely, but the talent is definitely there. Would I trade up to get him? Not on your life! The ONLY players I would trade up for are Burrow and Okudah and Cincinnati is rock solid on drafting Burrow, so that is out of the question. I could see a scenario where we would select Tua though. It would involve Burrow, Young, Okudah, Brown and Wirfs all being off the board by pick #9. In that case, Tua represents the BAP in my opinion. Do I wanna draft a QB this year? No, I'm all for giving Minshew a chance and then re-evaluating the position in 2021, when hopefully, we will have 3 first round picks, (after an impending Ngakoue trade.) This year is about truly drafting the BAP and if that happens to be Tua though, then so be it. If we do select him, I wouldn't let him see the field until 2021 though. Our line needs to be solidified before I would let any QB picked in the early rounds, play a down. 

4. As it stands, I see our two main draft targets for the #9 pick (Okudah and Brown), gone by the time we select. Currently, I have Okudah going to the Lions and Brown going to Carolina. We have no need for Simmons or basically anywhere to play him since acquiring Schobert and the impending move of Jack to the weak side. Frankly, this is a relief. I love the all-around ability of Simmons, but let's be honest, Todd Wash would have no idea how to use Simmons. He would be wasted here. That leaves four players as the most likely to be drafted at #9. I believe it will come down to OT Tristan Wirfs, DT Javon Kinlaw, WR Jerry Jeudy and WR CeeDee Lamb . Personally, my preference would be Wirfs, by a distant margin. The guy could be an uprade at LT, he can play RT and I believe he could be immediately installed at RG, where he could be a pro bowl caliber player, right away. I love his verasatility, which is something this O-Line has been missing profusely. I really like Kinlaw as well, but not as a NT. The more I see him, the more I see a 3 technique or even a 5 technique in 3-4 sets. Is that something we need? You'd get a resounding, "yes" from me. I believe we need to leave this draft with a true NT and a guy who can compete at the 3 technique as well. As for the receivers, I love Jeudy a Lamb, but I really don't wanna spend our first selection on a position that is so deep in this class. I'd rather trade down a few spots, but if we did take one of these two, I would not complain. 

5. The #20 spot is a bit of a different story. It kind of feels like everything at this spot would be a major gamble. If we took Wirfs at #9 and Kinlaw fell to #20, this would be an easy selection, but I don't see that happening. I could see us going WR here, if somehow Ruggs or Jefferson make it to this point. If we went Kinlaw or one of the receivers at #9, ideally we could take OT Andrew Thomas here, but I believe he will be long gone. I'm not sold on any of the 2nd tier CB's as a pick for #20 either, especially not Henderson. He's a very good cover guy, but his tackling is abysmal and I nearly went crazy watching all of the terrible tackling from the Jags in 2019. The last thing we need is to add another guy with terrible tackling techniques. We could take a DE here, but personally, I'd rather wait. Smoot added weight last season and looked really good in limited action. I believe he has the size and ability to play DE in a 4-3 set or a 3-4, if we move in that direction. I'd look to move out of this pick, possibly moving back into round 2 and picking up another first rounder in 2021, if we can. If we can't, this pick could go a number of ways. 

6. I'd have several goals for this draft though. Among these are........

1. Find at least 2 really good corners. This is a must. 

2. Find a true NT and a pass rushing 3 technique.

3. I'd want to add competition at LT, add an OG prospect with past experience playing LT and possibly add a swing tackle candidate in the 6th or 7th rounds as I believe Cam Robinson will be gone after this season. 

4. Find a replacement for Fournette. 

5. Add another weapon at the receiving position for Minshew. 

6. I'd also like to add competition at FS, TE and DE as well.

Agreed with the previous poster in welcoming you back and urging you to stay. I urge you to stay safe as well.

As to the substance of your post...

1.  I don't see him as a tumor.  I see a guy who has been productive and not a character issue for four years not being rewarded by the team for his productivity,  He has zero leverage, so he is doing whatever he can to get traded.  It worked for Ramsey.  That said, I realize he probably will be dealt, and I am with you in that he probably will be traded and we need to get no less than a first round pick in return (or a trade up into the top 3.)

2.  LF demonstrated some maturity issues his first two years, but stepped up in that area last year.  However, his frankness in addressing the QB position I think is what ultimately led to the team trying to trade him now.

3.  Agreed completely with the Tua take.  Without the health issues, I would be more than willing to trade up for him.  But that said, I take him only if he falls to us at 9, and I keep him on the bench until I knew he was fully recovered and we could protect him.

4.  I like your top two targets.  However, it is doubtful either will be there at 9.  If Okudah is there, I take him.  If Brown is there, I think I try to trade down a couple of spots and still take him.  As for your next tier...I agree with these guys, too, though I have a clear preference for Jeudy over Lamb.  In fact, I would substitute Thomas or Ruggs for Lamb.

5.  To me, I'm thinking we need to trade up from 20 to get a quality guy, because around that spot (maybe a couple of spots before) there is a drop off in talent.  In my mind, a combo of Wirfs/Thomas and Jeudy or Wirfs/Thomas and Brown or any two player combination of the players we discussed above would be ideal.  Barring that, I would hope a guy dropped to us that we'd like.  Barring that, my last hope would be for Jordan Love to be available then, and a team below us like New Orleans or Green bay would be willing to trade up.

As four your goals, if we take Marrone and Caldwell at face value, the priority will be playmakers for Minshew.  Might we land a CB?  Yeah.  Might we land a DT?  Yeah.  ight we land an OL?  Yeah/  But even assuming three more picks this year with trades of Fournette and Ngakoue, I don't think we adequately address all of the goals you mention.

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