(02-12-2022, 03:38 PM)Caldrac Wrote:

(02-12-2022, 03:14 PM)TheO-LineMatters Wrote: As I said before, adding Cooper and even keeping Chark doesn't change my draft plans at all. I'm still drafting at least 2 WR's, so maybe Cooper doesn't have to be "the guy," but he could be a valuable addition. You're rarely going to get a #1 receiver for a pair of 3rd rounders. I would be determined to upgrade the WR position as a whole. Adding just Cooper doesn't fix anything, but adding him as well as a couple other WR's via the draft could make a big difference. It would just be a 3rd round pick this year and one in 2023. That in no way prevents us from adding a Jahan Dotson, John Metchie or WanDale Robinson if they are available to us and it certainly wouldn't prevent me from drafting them. Amari Cooper is certainly better than 90% of the WR's who will be available in round 3. 

I'm not touching Justyn Ross. He had an injury riddled college career and never lived up to the hype. He in no way, should be compared to JaMarr Chase, when it comes to the connection he had to Burrow. It's not even close to being the same thing. Maybe you could make a case if we somehow traded for Tee Higgins, but not Justyn Ross. Higgins was a true #1 receiver for Lawrence at Clemson. Ross seemed to spend more time injured than he did on the field.

I don't know where this perception of Ross being injured is coming from with you. He missed one year of football. You make it sound like this guy is Mr. Glass or something. Don't get it. I am going to make a case for Ross with Lawrence. Clemson ran an RPO with an inside zone blocking scheme. It's very much the same philosophy and approach that Pederson has in the NFL on offense. Also, Ross was missing in 2020 when Lawrence needed him. Granted, it was a shortened year due to Covid. However, you could tell he was missing his connection on the outside that he had. Probably would have been the difference in that Sugar Bowl loss to Ohio State. 

He (Ross) played three years in total, just like Higgins. Higgins had 37 games at Clemson. Ross had 38 games at Clemson. Higgins had 135 catches at Clemson. Ross had 158 catches at Clemson. Higgins had 2448 yards receiving at Clemson. Ross had 2379 yards receiving at Clemson. Higgins had 27 TD's. Ross had 20 TD's. The only reason Ross' numbers weren't as good in 2021 was because he was coming off an injury and having to work with a new look offense missing Lawrence and Etienne. Could be argued that Ross would have had a better overall career at Clemson had he been in a better situation. 
 
He's a great value if he's there in RD3. He'll probably push his stock up to RD2 if he posts good numbers at the combine. But, this "riddled with injuries" narrative is false.

Ross missed all of 2020 with a serious neck injury where many thought his career was over and last season, he played only 10 games, because he got injured again. This time it was a fractured foot. Ross' stats have continued to fall since his freshman season. He is fast and has good size. That's pretty much his entire game. It's all straight line speed. He's not a good route runner and even though he shows speed, he rarely gets separation and his yards per catch have fallen off a cliff. He's injury prone and when he is healthy, he's just not very good. 

The difference is that Higgins got better and better and continued to grow into an NFL receiver. Ross consistently got worse and became "just a guy." I don't care if he's available in the 5th or 6th round, I'm not wasting a draft pick on the guy. There are at least 20-25 receivers I would take ahead of him.

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