(04-26-2022, 11:08 AM)Bullseye Wrote:

(04-26-2022, 10:22 AM)TheO-LineMatters Wrote: It does when you figure that Ziggy Ansah went to a perfect system that fit his skill set and still flamed out very quickly. He basically hasn't done anything for the last 3 seasons and many believe his career is likely over after 8 years. Ansah had more sacks his last year at BYU that Walker had his entire career at Georgia, so people knew he had the ability to get to the QB. With Walker, there is a huge question mark in that regard. Walker would not be coming into a scheme that fits his skill set, so there would likely be a huge learning curve as he tries to learn a whole new position at OLB. It would almost be like selecting a Ziggy Ansah clone, only the clone would come into the league with basically one hand tied behind his back. The last time we drafted a player in the first round that we intended to move to a new position was Matt Jones. That didn't turn out so well. 

The problem with projecting his Combine numbers into an NFL skill set is that he has obviously had this athletic ability all along, so why the lack of production? Using players like Bruce Smith, Neil Smith, Justin Smith and J.J. Watt as examples are very unfair. Bruce Smith had 46 career sacks at Virginia Tech, Neil Smith was an All-American pass rusher at Nebraska, Justin Smith set Missouri's sack record his first year as a starter and broke it the following season and J.J. Watt was an absolute "Beast" coming into the draft. He was probably the most feared pass rusher in the entire NCAA and commanded constant double teams, because of his size and non-stop motor. None of these guys had questions about their ability to pass rush coming into the draft, yet that is the main knock on Walker. 

If we kept Walker at 3-4 DE, what do we do with the other players on the roster? We are absolutely loaded at DE and NT in a 3-4 set. Those are without a doubt, our strongest positions right now. 3-4 DE's are mainly used for run defense, unless you find a very special pass rusher like an Aaron Donald. I really don't think you would find anyone in the world who would believe Walker compares to Donald. Again, Donald was an elite college sack artist and had almost 30 for his college career. Walker by all means is a "project" and you just don't draft "projects" in the first round, especially #1 overall when you've been picking in the top ten, 14 out of 15 straight years.  


In any case, I just hope that this is all a smokescreen and we truly are gonna take a "safe" player and after over a decade, we can finally turn this ship around. Right now, I choose to believe we will do the smart thing. I hope this team doesn't let us down, again.

1.  We don't know exactly what Caldwell will do with the scheme though.  We know he will run a 3-4 base, but that's about it.  Most of the time we'll be in a base nickel, by Pederson's estimation.  We don't know how creative or flexible Caldwell will be in utilizing his players.  He may well utilize Walker in a way that better utilizes his skill set than Georgia did and get the most out of his pass rushing ability. 

2.  As for what to do with the other players...what other players do we have along the front 3...specifically DE...that;s indispensable?  I was saying last year when we signed all of these guys than none of them were dominators.  They weren't.  While there was improvement from 20-21, there were times we got hammered in the running game (SF, 1st quarter vs. Indy in game one) and could get no pressure in the passing game.  If we added Walker strictly as a 3-4 DE, he could still improve the front generally and pass rush specifically.  If he has the tools to be a dominant edge rusher...even better.  Furthermore, though I prefer to stack up on offense, there is nothing at this point that precludes the team from stacking up on defense the first two rounds.  What would the defense look like with Walker and say Mafe after the first two rounds?  I'd say if the goal was to improve the pass rush, that combination would accomplish that goal too. In fairness, I was not comparing Walker yo any of the Smiths I listed above.  I only named them to illustrte it's possible to get good pass rush from a 3-4 DE.  That said, J.J. Watt wasn't picked until 11th or 12th, and only produced 5 sacks as a rookie.  It took some time and development for him to be J.J. Watt.  I have my doubts abouut the player and the coaching, but it's possible he could develop into a good edge rusher too.

3,  This time last year, we were in the ideal situation in terms of draft position and the talent pool available.  We had a huge need at the most important position, and the top of the draft had a guy who most observers seemed to think was the best QB prospect to come out in years.  Below him were four other QBs carrying first round grades...two of which were drafted immediately after Trevor Lawrence, one more at pick 11 or so, and then the last at 15.  This year, it's not so good.  This year, the draft class seems completely devoid of the clear cut stud at the top of the draft class.  It makes it far less likely to be able to trade back and get anything remotely resembling a lucrative draft haul in return.  Bor does there appear to be a Julius Peppers type of player.  We have a bunch of flawed candidates at the top of this draft class from which to choose.  While I don't think it's as bad as the 2013 draft class, I do think like 2013 (and 1991 (Russell Maryland), too) it may be lackluster at the very top, especially in comparison to last year.  No matter who we pick, there is some reason to think we might be at least mildly disappointed with the results, especially in the rookie season.  While not the move I would make, I could see a team in this instance gambling on potential to swing for the fences.  Still don't think it's worth dumping your team over it.  As far as stress goes..the only thing I can advise is to not expect much from the team.  Since 2000, botching the draft has been as traditional to the team as teal jerseys.  Don't expect much...and if they exceed your expectations...great.  If not...your disappointment will be mitigated to some degree.

1. Even if we are in a nickel most of the time, Walker will have no place to play when we are in a base 3-4. He's certainly not an OLB and we are already loaded at 3-4 DE and NT. If I'm spending a #1 overall pick on a player, I want him in there every down. Hutchinson can play every down in both schemes. 

2. We just spent a ton of money on Folorunso Fatukasi. I'm not budging on Davon Hamilton, I still think he will be a very good NFL player and I won't excuse him from the discussion. We also have Malcolm Brown and we signed Arden Key who is coming off his best year as a pro. I wouldn't sit any of these guys for an unproven Walker, who had limited success rushing the passer in college. He may have the tools to be a dominant pass rusher, but to this point he hasn't used them on the field. Why? I think it's gonna take 1 to 2 full seasons before we see any kind of production in the NFL from Walker. I just don't see him developing into the star pass rusher you'd need him to be to justify such a selection. If you are talking about taking him and then snagging Mafe at #33 (which is a long shot since I believe Mafe is gone near the bottom of round 1), I don't like it at all. I've stated my case for Walker, but as for Mafe, although I like him, I don't think he will be nearly as productive as Hutchinson at the next level and may not be perfectly suited for a 3-4 scheme either. IMO, a better scheme fit might be Nik Bonitto of Oklahoma. Hutchinson is just too good of a fit for scheme we would be using and the only reason I can see for Baalke to pass on him in favor of any other pass rusher at #1 would be his hatred of Harbaugh. 

3. I totally agree. Ideally, we could trade down, possibly adding a first rounder in 2023 and select one of the elite WR's we so desperately need. I just don't see that happening though. If we're gonna take a risk and go for broke, why not do something really daring that could really help this team in it's biggest area of need? Why not throw caution to the wind and just select Jameson Williams #1? Most of us wanted him all along before he got injured. He is making one of the more miraculous recoveries I've ever seen from such an injury and appears to be on his way to possibly being able to play the first game of the season, if he has no setbacks. I think we all can agree that Trevor Lawrence desperately needs a #1 receiver who can stretch the field and Williams certainly fits the mold. To me, this makes much more sense than trying to coach up a college 3-4 DE with very limited success as a pass rusher to reach his full potential.

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(04-26-2022, 07:26 PM)HolsterHusto Wrote: Just go Ickey 1st and Linderbaum 2nd. We can then draft Will Anderson next year when we are inevitably drafting first again next year.

I have a question to all the posters wanting to draft Ekwonu #1. If we are indeed working on signing Robinson to a long term deal as reported, where do you play "Ickey"? You can't play him at LT for any time in the near future, because you have Robinson long term and if you play him at RT, you've basically admitted that drafting Walker Little was a mistake. If you play him at OG, how do you justify taking an OG #1 overall. It's a question that has me really perplexed. I really would like to get some insight.

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