(04-24-2020, 01:47 PM)anonymous2112 Wrote:

(04-24-2020, 01:26 PM)Bullseye Wrote: Oh, I'm not giving up on the rest of this draft.  Still lots of talent available that can help this team.

But despite our windfall of picks, we won't likely be able to adequately fill every hole we have.

regardig Ramsey's contract demands, are teams better off never drafting Hall of Fame caliber players?

Not saying Ramsey is necessarily a Hall of Famer, but we can agree he was an All Pro and pro bowl caliber player at this early stage of his career.

But assume for argument's sake we had an immediate impact, hall of fame player on his rookie deal.

Re-signing him will invariably cost a ton.

Do we always avoid re-signing guys like that because they want to get paid according to their skills?!?

Should the Jaguars only draft good at best players to avoid the big contract?

Answering your three questions, let's use Boselli as an example:

1. It's always awesome to draft Hall-of-Fame caliber players, even if they wind up on someone else's team when they're done.  Ideally, you'd like for them to be completely spent by the time they're on another team.
2. Re-signing them to even record amounts of money is not just good business, but expected.  But you are not just paid for your skill set.  Character, work ethic, and durability factor in, too.  A guy like Boselli had it all until that one injury.  Ramsey seems to have a serious character flaw.  Too bad, would have loved for him to be the highest paid Jag, but he can't be.
3. No, draft great players.  If they hit all their marks, give them big contracts. 

If you draft 10 great guys and can't give them all contracts, then you have to make some serious business decisions about who to keep, who to trade, and who to let walk in free agency.  In other threads, you and other posters posited that the Jags are "purging the roster".  I contend that what Caldwell is doing is not only natural on a bad team, but on a good team as well.  Ketchman isn't right about everything, but one statement still resonates with me.

It's a game of replacement.

You're obviously not content with the replacement, and I think that's fine.  Ramsey, however, had to be replaced.  I'm not sure we did it this year, but we have an extra #1 next year.

Understood that not every great player can be re-signed.

But some CAN be.  There is no way Reed, Polamalu and Watt could have had the long careers with their teams were that not true.

With the Jaguars, the few Pro Bowl caliber players we DO draft end up leaving, while we don't hesitate to re-sign middle tier players.

That KILLS our continuity, identity and morale.  It's a recipie for failure.

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