(01-22-2022, 07:36 AM)SeldomRite Wrote: (01-22-2022, 07:04 AM)Caldrac Wrote: Agreed. Me and you sound like broken records on this already. It's hilarious.
This team has a ton of areas to address. And, while I'll agree that keeping Lawrence on his feet at all times and protected is always the top priority. The reality is that they already have serviceable options on this roster to fill that need.
There's no reason you draft Neal with the number one overall pick to play a position of lesser value at RT when you can upgrade a clear need at DE with a player of higher overall value and potential playing at his already natural position.
This team only had 32 sacks last year during a 17 game season. Allen led the team with 7.5 and Smoot was in 2nd place not too far behind him with 6.0. Keep in mind now, that, this was on a unit that was 5th in blitzes, or, outside efforts being made beyond the trenches to get after the QB.
So, again, they clearly need to get better at attacking the QB and getting consistently in the backfield in 2022.
Tag Robinson at LT. Make him compete with your 2nd RD investment in Little for the job from last year. Loser of that battle then takes on Taylor for his job at RT. Loser of that battle goes to Guard or ends up on the trading block, if the rumors are true that Taylor is too prideful to make the move.
The bigger concerns are Linder and Norwell due to age, cap and injuries. I think ideally you would love to see this team orchestrate a trade that results in them drafting Linderbaum at Center but it seems unlikely at this point in time. So, in that case? Maybe look at a guy like Brandon Scherff to replace Norwell. If not Scherff. Laken Tomlinson. Ryan Jensen is really the only Center being talked about for March at this time.
These guys above though only offer really a short term solution as they're already nearing 30 or are right at 30 years of age. So, deal wise you're probably looking at a 2 - 3 year deal. Which gives you time to add youth to develop or to at least focus your draft efforts at stronger positions of need/value in April.
Also, again, depending on the next coach, his offensive style/system. There's a good chance that this team is able to establish an identity that alleviates a lot of the problems and elevates a specific group for this offense that suffered from a number of issues last year due to imbalances with bad coaching, bad personnel decisions, injuries and lack of concentration.
Are they going to ask Lawrence to drop back 700 times in a 17 game season or 500 times in a 17 game season? Are they going to try and actually get more than 300 carries in 2017 from the RB's group or fall short of that mark again?
The draft isn't about need, it's about having the chance to take great players. If Neal is a Boselli/Ogden and the pass rushers aren't on that level then take Neal. There isn't a team in the league that doesn't need elite players along the offensive line. Also the main reason the Jaguars were so bad in pass rushing last year may have been related to trailing constantly. Having a functioning offense would probably help a lot.
That's the problem. Neal has not been touted as the next Boselli/Ogden/Munoz. Otherwise I am all for it. That's why I said you take the DE that has more value there while also addressing a need. Makes no sense on paper to take a guy No. 1 overall, move him from left to right, when, you already invested in Walker Little the previous year and you can get away with tagging Robinson who was serviceable.
Taylor's a weak link. We all know that. That's why you force Robinson or Little to compete for that role and move the loser to Guard.
While I'll agree that trailing didn't help last year. (Cited the imbalances above). That still doesn't make up for the fact that you still need and want a dominate pass rusher off the edge to command double teams. They had opportunities in first halves to get after the QB, they didn't get it done. Again, they were 5th overall in blitzes called last year. They didn't hit home enough.
That's the point. All of a sudden, if you add a guy like Hutchinson or Thibodeaux, and, you're keeping Cullen here and he's aggressive like he was last year? All of a sudden you might have three pass rushers on this team with 8.0+ sacks each or Josh Allen turns into a double digit monster on his side of the field, etc.
"What do I know of cultured ways, the gilt, the craft and the lie? I, who was born in a naked land and bred in the open sky. The subtle tongue, the sophist guile, they fail when the broadswords sing; Rush in and die, dogs - I was a man before I was a king."