(04-02-2022, 04:54 AM)Bullseye Wrote: For the purposes of these questions, assume the following conditions:
A. A top slot WR and top nickel/slot CBs are considered starters, given the prevalence of 11 personnel and nickel defenses.
B. There will be no trades up or down in any round, nor will there be any trades for or away of players existing on rosters, so there will be no trading away Shenault or trading for DK Metcalf. What you now see as far as draft picks is what we will utilize in this draft.
With the above conditions in place:
1. How many new starters do you expect to come out of our free agency haul? Who are they?
2. How many immediate starters do you expect to come out of this draft?
3. Are there any guys drafted last year that did not start for whatever reason last year to be starters this year? Name them and if applicable, name their positions.
4. Given the number of new starters combined from the questions listed above, would you say that is a good or bad total? Why? Do you think the number of new starters is a reflection of a job well done in terms of player acquisition, a function of how bad the roster was in the first place, the need for newer players to fit the new schemes, or some combination? Will the players be clear upgrades or scheme fillers?
5. Do your expectations rise or fall depending upon who has the most sway in the draft room between Baalke or Pederson?
6. Would your expectations be any higher if Baalke had been fired or an EVP beeh placed above him as promised by Khan?
7. Of all of the positions deemed to be needs on this team, what's the one position you somehow think will not be addressed by round 3?
I will give my answers a little later. I want to hear your thoughts.
1. I expect there to be 5 free agents who will be starters: Kirk, Scherff, Williams, Oluakun and Fotukasi. Engram would make 6 if he stays healthy. Key and Zay Jones will play about half of the snaps.
2. I expect the draft to add 2 or 3 additional starters. Hutchinson (if no trade), a linebacker taken by round 3 and possibly a receiver who'd likely be a rotational player.
3. Cisco, Little and Etienne should all start. If they all perform well, last season's draft would be a success. It would be great if just one of Dylan Moses and Jordan Smith could contribute at linebacker.
4. If all those named above become starters, it would indicate that the front office did a solid job with these selections. I expect the majority of new free agents to have good seasons and be big upgrades from last season. The level of success of last season's draft class is much less certain. We should know by early in the season whether these 2nd year Jaguars have the chance to become important parts of the nucleus of the team.
5. I have no idea about Pederson's skills at talent evaluation. Baalke's history at this has had it's ups and downs, but the major knock on him is how badly he relates to others.
6. I was hoping Spielman would be hired in some capacity. I stopped being a season ticket-holder after 26 years due to Khan's change of heart about hiring someone in place of or over Baalke.
7. This is a difficult question since much depends on whether particular players they are targeting are still on the board. However, based on your no-trade scenario, I'd say the 4 positions addressed by the end of round 3 are Edge rusher, wide receiver, linebacker and offensive line. They may wait until round 4 to take a tight end.
