(11-24-2021, 02:24 PM)DTWD4∞ Wrote:

(11-23-2021, 03:07 PM)TheO-LineMatters Wrote: Personally, I am skeptical of Ekwonu as an OT. North Carolina State list him at 6'4" 320 lbs and as we all know, these school measurements are usually inflated. I'm betting he is closer to 6'3" which is normally well below what an ideal OT should be. With that said, Ekwonu is without a doubt, the #1 interior offensive linemen on my board, just ahead of Center Tyler Linderbaum, so drafting Ekwonu would still be a realistic option in my mind given that Norwell is almost certainly gone after this season. As far as his comparisons to Vera-Tucker, I can see that, but imo, Ekwonu is even better. Remember though, Vera Tucker was drafted by the Jets and they immediately moved him to LG, where he has done well. I see the same thing in Ekwonu's future. 

As far as LT, I'm probably unrealistic in my thinking, but I'm still holding out hope that we could either sign Terron Armstead or even Riley Reiff in free agency or possibly trade for a good, young OT. My backup plan would be to franchise Cam Robinson one more year and have him and Little fight it out in camp next year to start at LT, with the runner-up moving to RT, because Jawaan Taylor has to go. Then we would deal with finding a long term solution at LT in 2023 when hopefully there would be stronger options. 

As far as how long it will take us to be competitive, it all depends on Shad Khan. If he continues to be stubborn and insist he was right in hiring Urban Meyer, keeping him in power another year, that will be another year we will be held back. The future of our franchise is in his hands and frankly with his track record, I'm not very optimistic. I totally agree about trading back in the draft. That would be the ideal scenario. We're certainly not gonna fix everything in one offseason. There is just too many issues to address. Trading back and building up draft picks would give us more of a chance to add really good players in critical areas like WR, OLB, ILB and O-Line. I just don't trust this front office to do that though. 

While building the O-Line via the draft is something I've advocated for years, this OT class is very weak. I just don't see a standout OT worth taking in round 1 or 2. With that said, the OG and Center positions are pretty deep and if we could trade down a few spots and select an OG like Ekwonu or a Center/OG like Linderbaum, I'd be really happy. We don't just need an OT, we will need a new LG with Norwell hitting free agency and given that Linder is hurt so much and will be be on the books for $10 million in his final year in 2022, a Center prospect would be a welcomed addition as well.

This idea of trading down a few spots makes the most sense to me. Unless Thibideaux falls to us of course but we all know that ain't gonna happen. This also has the predilection that we will be picking at the number three spot in the draft. That is very possible but we may get a couple more wins so that pushes us down the draft board but I still feel we will pick in the top ten. If we pick after number 7 then I am not sure there would be many trade possibilities. So if that is the case, who is most likley to be available in that 8-10 spot? Ojabo? Ekwonu for that LG position? Olave or Williams for WR1? I agree that Stingley is too big a risk so even if he is there I would pass. If Neal is there at 8 do we take him? This Sunday the Falcons game may go a ways to hinting at where we might finish for draft position. A win prolly pushes us well out of top five. Four or five wins might push us out of the top ten.

If we pick in the 8-10 spot (which is highly unlikely at this point), I believe Hutchinson and Ojabo will be gone. Ekwonu would probably be available, but would fans be happy with taking a LG that high? I'd be fine with it, but I bet I'd be in the minority. Personally, I think you have to take the best available player, which could be a WR. I'd be thrilled with that. If Neal is on the board, it would still be a hard pass from me, no matter where he falls in round 1. I just don't think he's a franchise OT. He doesn't stand out to me at all, even in this weak class. We have to hit on every player in the first 3 rounds. We've been missing on way too many players and that's why our team is so bad.

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