(11-28-2021, 06:52 PM)Bullseye Wrote:

(11-28-2021, 02:20 PM)TheO-LineMatters Wrote: 1. WR Jameson Williams, CB Ahmad Gardner, ILB Mike Rose, TE Isaiah Likely, C Tyler Linderbaum. I'm totally in agreement with you on Wiliams, Linderbaum and Likely. Williams is a tremendous downfield weapon who gets consistent separation and makes big plays. Linderbaum is the best Center prospect I have seen in a few years and Likely is more akin to a WR than he is a TE. He's a true playmaker and would give Lawrence a real option to throw to if the receivers are covered. Imagine a scenario where we are in the redzone with Jameson Williams, Isaiah Likely and Dan Arnold all on the field at the same time. That would be exciting. Gardner is the most consistent cover corner in the draft and a huge reason why Cincinnati is currently undefeated. Teams simply cannot throw on him. Rose is a beast in the middle of the field and may be the best coverage linebacker in the draft.

I love a lot of players in this next draft, but I really like these guys. I really like Jordan Davis too. He's a beast! I feel we have a really good NT already though and I'd rather trade down and add picks to fill needs, rather than to take a player at a position where we already have a good one. 

2. Not only would I want be willing to trade down, I would actively try to do so. As far as how far I trade back, that would depend on what we got in return. As it looks now, this is an extremely deep draft at edge rusher and WR in particular and those are our biggest needs. I see really good players at those positions being available in round 2, so I might be willing to trade back pretty far in round 1, but I'd want a fair return.

3. I would not trade up for anyone in this draft. I only believe in trading up, if a franchise QB is available and you need one. That is not the case here. We have our franchise QB and this next QB class is the worst I've seen in years. 

4. If we signed Davante Adams, I'd be willing to pass on Jameson Williams, but only Davante Adams. 

5. I honestly don't know. I haven't really even thought about ranking players yet. We have so many needs that we can truly take the BAP. With that said, I could easily see 4 edge rushers going in the top 10 picks, (Kayvon Thibodeaux, Aiden Hutchinson, David Ojabo and Jermaine Johnson.) Any of those guys would be a great pickup. I also really like Sam Williams of Mississippi, if he is still on the board at the top of round 2 and if we pursued another position with our top pick.

1.  I haven't seen the Cincinnati players at all.  Assuming UC makes the playoffs, I will watch them closely, including the QB and  Gardner.  I agree with you on Likely.  He has the potential to be a huge matchup problem on the next level.  The one thing about him that gives me pause is his height.  He doesn't look like the tall 6-5 or so TE.  I could see him measuring at 6-3 or so at the combine.  But his athleticism and hands are top notch, something we have not seen at the position here.  Completely understand your take on Davis.  You had the same concerns this past draft.  I look at Davis, and I see a modern day Curley Culp and I like the idea of that guy in the middle of our defense, even if Hamilton is moved outside.  But I agree with you that DL does not represent a huge need for us.

2.  Getting a good return is understood in the question.  I don't think anyone would push for switching spaces just because.  Right now, I don't think I'd want to go lower than 12-maybe 15 if we traded back twice.  I think mid first round is the floor for the availability of guys like Jameson Williams and Lindenbaum.  I think there are a few factors working against us in terms of getting a huge return on trading down.  First, as many has observed, I don't necessarily see this as a particularly strong QB class.  Some teams could get desperate and be willing to gamble on guys like the kid from Liberty or Howell.  On top of that, there are a few teams with a lot of draft capital next year:  the Bears, Eagles, Giants, Jets and Lions are among the teams that will have multiple first round picks.  In fact the Eagles currently have three.  If the Texans pull off a trade of Watson, they may be another.  The problem is that all of those teams either already have their QB prospect in hand (Jets, Bears...arguably Eagles and Giants), and/or they all already pick pretty high in the draft order already without having to deal up.  In short, the teams with the most draft capital to trade up with have very little incentive to move up at all to get the guys they want. 

3.  I would not be opposed to trading up into the bottom of the first if it means getting an elite speed receiver for Trevor Lawrence.  This is especially true if we've traded back from our top 5 pick and picked up another 2nd and 3rd in the process.  You may know how I am usually advocating we double up at certain positions.  I would love a scenario where we traded back to around 10 or so, take Jameson Williams, and then maybe get back up into the bottom of the first to ensure Jahan Dotson.  We'd have Williams, Dotson, a healthy Etienne, and maybe a healthy Chark on offense next year, with picks left to address OL, TE and LB.

I'm not really worried about Likely's height. Just look at TE's like Vernon Davis, Dallas Clark, Jordan Reed and Delanie Walker. All were under 6'5" and had very productive NFL careers. If a TE shows the athleticism as likely seems to show, they should find success. Tre McBride of Colorado State and Greg Dulcich of UCLA are two other TE's I like a lot. Both are listed as 6'4", but if you are looking for a bigger TE, I also really like Charlie Kolar of Iowa State and Lucas Krull of Pitt. Both are listed at 6'6". This should be an excellent TE class.

I'm all for doubling up at certain positions, mainly WR and ILB. I just don't wanna trade up to do it. If we could add a premier WR and a TE akin to Likely that would be giving Trevor two really good targets. Then we could look to the 4th or 5th rounds to add another WR as well. Someone like Jalen Nailor of Michigan State, Emeka Emezie of N.C. State, Dontario Drummond of Mississippi or Samori Toure of Nebraska would be ideal in the mid to late rounds. I think it's absolutely imperative that we draft a couple of ILB's. I'd try very hard to trade Myles Jack in the offseason. He just doesn't fit a 3-4 defense. My goal would be to enter 2022 with two new starting ILB's. This has been a weakness for us all season. We need linebackers who can cover.

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