(04-29-2022, 06:18 PM)Bullseye Wrote: Here are some more impressions of Yesterday's first round gleaned after a few hours of sleep.

1.  There are many axioms that have developed over the years to explain what happens in a draft.  One is that you can tell how deep a draft is by when the WRs are drafted.  Another is that the team with the first draft dictates the direction of the draft.  I submit this was the case yesterday, but the Jaguars controlled the direction of this draft lng before they announced Waker as the top pick.  The Jaguars dictated the direction of the draft when they signed Christian Kirk.  The shock waves created by his contract reverberated throughout the league.  Players and media talking heads were stunned by the deal.  Starting WRs were demanding new deals.  Devante Adams wanted a new contract and the reports were he wanted arund $30 million a year.  The Packers had said they intended to keep him, but when the deal was announced, they wound up trading him away.  Tyreek Hill wanted a new deal, and the Chiefs wound up trading him.  The Bills wound up signing Diggs to a very lucrative extension.  AJ Brown wanted a new deal, as did Deebo Samuel.  Teams were faced with a choice:  either pay through the nose to keep their star receivers ir trade them.  Brown wound up getting traded. a Samuel was not, but even the WR hungry Jets stopped their pursuit of him.  They were one of 6 teams to take WR in the first round, and most of them were off the board by the middle of the first round as teams like the tacks opted for the cheaper rookies.  It may have worked to some degree to bite the Jaguars, as potentially viable WR options were off the board at the end of the first round, though it may have helped make Devin Lloyd available.

2.  The Minnesota trade down with Detroit was reminiscent of 1995, when Bill Belicheck, then Cleveland's head coach, was set to take kyle Brady at 10 overall, but the Jets wound up trading above him to take Brady.  Belicheck was so pissed, he traded all the way to pick 30 or so, leading the 49ers to take J.J. Stokes.  They were even willing to trade with a divisional opponent in Detroit.  BY the way, I thought Detroit made a brilliant move trading up for Williamson.  You could argue that they don't have the QB to fuly exploit those nice targets, but they still have an abundance of picks next year if they want a QB.

3.  I hope I am wrong about Trylon Burks, since he is now a tack.  If I am wrong, the Tennessee offense is in trouble.  They still need tackles, and most of the good ones are off the board, and they could still use a QB and may not have a viable WR.  I predicted in another thread they would be on the decline.  They draft decently, so they may restock some, but they are on shaky footing.

4.  Back to the Jaguars, while I am yet to be convinced Walker will prove himself to be worth the #1 overall pick, I beieve this LB corps has the potential to be the best group in Jaguars history.  Last year, there were two problems with the Jaguars LB corps.  1.  Inside, Jack seemed to lack top tier instincts for the position and Wilson was very limited athletically.  This year, Olukun and Lloyd both seem to have great instincts and intelligence, while lloyd certainly has athletic ability in spades.  How good this group will be will ultimately hinge on Walker's development, but to me it's clear this is one of the best groups we've had.

5.  With all due repect to OLM, the Lloyd pick is why you should not overreact to the Walker pick.

6.  We still should have plenty of flexibility rwith our remaining picks.  With the two 3rd rounders and the slew of day 4 picks, we should be able to package one or both 3rd rounders to trade up if necessary.  I think it will be necessary to do so with at least one of those 3rd rounders if getting travor more help is of any importance.  I'm still hoping for Christian Watson, george Pickens, Tre McBridem Jelani Woods, Baylor's thornton or Cincinnati's Alec Pierce.

7.   I think the Jets continue to do a good job building their team.  I'm just not sure Wilson is the QB they need. 


More to come...

Interesting conversation about the best LB unit in team history. 

I would definitely put that group when Marts came over in Free Agency. I think it was Lonnie Marts, Kevin Hardy and Bryce Paup in there with Brant Boyer and Schwartz as the swing men.

Gotta also include that 2017 sacksonville unit in that convo. Telvin Smith, Myles Jack and Posluszny. 

I don’t know who would be the worst, but the year we signed Wali Rainer. We’ve mostly had average to above average backers throughout our history.

Ps. Always enjoy team history talks with you.

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