(02-20-2022, 02:15 AM)TheO-LineMatters Wrote:

(02-20-2022, 01:43 AM)Bullseye Wrote: (Emphasis added)

it's okay to disagree with me.  Everyone misses from time to time, and if I'm wrong with Neal, it wouldn't be my first or last miss.

The emphasized portion is what gives me pause about drafting Neal.  With the exception of Jedrick Willis, Alabama tackles under Nick Saban typically have not fared well. In fact, except for Wills, you have to go all the way back to Chris Samuels to find a stellar Alabama T.  I think what separates Neal is his length, athleticism and coaching.  I think he's a far better athlete than either Jonah Williams and Leatherwood.   In facr, I think he's a better athlete than Mekhi Becton.  But if I had a second concern, it would be his size.  Sometimes a T can get too big, and as a result he can't move well enough to be an effective pass protector.  To my knowledge, he hasn't had problems with his weight, and as long as he stays in the 340-360 range, I think he'll be okay.  Anything above that though, and he could get TL killed.  I've heard rumblings that the Jets are less than happy with Becton for that very reason (his weight).

Another reason I am more apt to take Neal at one vs. either of the edge rushers is that I am convinced we could find a viable edge rusher into the 3rd and 4th round, whereas I think the dropoff at T is substantial after Penning (maybe Kinnard) comes off the board. Another advantage to letting Cam walk and taking Neal is that we'd save about $7- 8 million off the cap hit (rookie wage scale vs. franchise tag).  We could use that money to get more help.  Of course, if you decided NOT to franchise Cam, you'd almost HAVE to go OL with that first pick at that point.

Another good point. Mekhi Becton is very similar to Neal's size and he is struggling. He dislocated his knee cap and only played 48 snaps last season. Like you said, there were rumors that he was unable to come back due to him gaining so much weight while he was injured. He was reportedly between 370-380 lbs. Now, there are rumors that the Jets may trade him. 

This draft is fairly deep at the Edge Rusher position, but I also believe this draft is very weak at OT. In fact, depending on what Ikem Ekwonu measures in, Trevor Penning might end up being my #1 overall OT. As far as letting Cam walk and taking Neal, why should cap savings even matter? We have a ton of cap space. Why not just keep the proven player for another season, rather than replace him with an unknown rookie? Money won't really matter when it comes to getting UFA's anyway. We can outspend almost any other team, but what good UFA is gonna want to come to a losing franchise with a troublesome GM, a clueless owner and a history of disputes with players when they have other options? We're gonna end up with 2nd and 3rd tier free agents due to the chaos of last season and the fact that we are a long way from even being a .500 team. 

Even if we didn't franchise Cam, we definitely do not have to go OT with the first pick. We drafted Walker Little to be the eventual starting LT, for better or for worse. He would step into the role he was drafted to fill. From there, we look for a starting RT and a Swing Tackle. They can be had later in the draft. RT's are consistently found in the middle rounds of the draft.

Just saw a mock draft video where CBS' Ryan Wilson noted that Evan Neal played at 390 lbs in high school.

If this is true, I become far more concerned about Neal's viability.

While it's entirely possible that he has learned  how to eat more healthy or otherwise control his weight in a college level weight training and nutrition program and that he's better equipped now and in the future, it's also entirely possible that with his NFL income and exposure to a lot of top end restaurants both during the season and in the off season, his weight could balloon.

Jeez.

The words of Jim Mora are ringing true

https://youtu.be/NHipzGL4dwM

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