(11-20-2024, 12:12 AM)JagFan81 Wrote:

(11-19-2024, 12:51 AM)The_Franchise_QB Wrote: Regardless of the cap situation, can't keep trying to build through free agency. Organization has been running on that hamster wheel for decades, expecting different results, only to fall on it's face countless times. Need to actually draft good players. I know that sounds crazy, but it's literally what all the good organizations do. Good organizations aren't constantly in reset mode every 3 years. How many times has this organization "won" the offseason?

Look at the team that just won 52-6 against this dumpster fire. A team that was right there with us as a dumpster fire back in 2021. St.Brown, Jamo, Laporta, Gibbs , 4/5 on the O-line- Decker, Glasgow, Ragnow, Sewell. Glasgow resigned back with the team, but was a hit by the FO regardless, and came back. A bona-fide core built through the draft, built also with a trade that acquired them Goff and multiple first round picks (which they hit on). Defensively - Hutchinson, Branch, Joseph, Arnold, McNeil, Pascal, Cambell, Onwuzurike, Rodriguez. All starters. A legit core of players built through the draft, coupled with good FA pick ups- Anzalone, Davis, Montgomery, Zeitler, and Reader. We are so far from being competitive it's not even funny, and people just want to keep up this "Nah, just a few FA pick ups away" BS. I don't have any hope that Khan will understand this, and continue to trust the process with Baalke and horrendous drafts coupled with moronic FA pick ups.

I think everyone agrees that we need to find players in the draft that are our building blocks. We have so many high picks and may be adding a 3rd #1 pick to the roster soon so there's no reason we can't find those guys. The problem we have is developing those players to become elite, game changing and game winning players. We can argue it's the coaching, schemes, players not taking those steps but we have a long list of guys that should have been stars but haven't. That's the biggest thing this franchise needs to improve on going forwards.

Now you list a lot of Lions players and they've done a great job. They've identified guys that fit the system but also the culture they are building. That's the magic formula. The problem is that's a multi year approach. You can't fix all your problems in one draft and not every pick will work out. Will fans accept a 3-4 year rebuild through the draft at this point?

I agree FA isn't the answer to all our problems but it does give you a second avenue to improve your roster. I'm not saying we go on a spending spree but to just ignore as we've got our fingers burnt seems a route that makes your life harder (and we have had some FA successes)

1st bold- C'mon man, how many top 10 picks have we had in the last 20 years? There is plenty of reason to believe we will NOT find those guys. There is certainly a development aspect, but you gotta pick ballers man. We simply pick anti-ballers. 

2nd bold- As it should be. We wouldn't be where we are in terms of overall talent if we draft at least average. We are expansion team level talent bad. Which is why when you look of the example of the Lions, who drafted amazingly, it's possible but it's going to take time. 

Let's go back starting at 2008, let's look at some top picks.... sort of see if we have hit ... on anything? In my opinion a top 10 pick should be a multiyear probowler at minimum. 
2008- Rd1 Pick8- Derrick Harvey 
2009- Rd 1 Pick 8- Eugene Monroe
2010- Rd 1 pick 10- Tyson Alualu
2011- Rd 1 pick 10- Blaine Gabbert
2012- Rd 1 pick 5- Justin Blackmon (unfortunate, would of been great)
2013- Rd 1 pick 2- Luke Joeckel 
2014- Rd 1 pick 3- Blake Bortles
2015- Rd 1 pick 3- Dante Fowler
2016- Rd 1 pick 5- Jalen Ramsey
2017- Rd 1 pick 4- Lenny Fournette
2018- Rd 1 pick 29- Taven Bryant
2019- Rd 1 pick 7- JHA
2020- Rd 1 pick 9- CJ Henderson Rd 1 pick 20- Chaisson
2021- Rd 1 pick 1- TLAW Rd 1 pick 25- ETN
2022- RD 1 pick 1- Travon Walker
2023/2024- Anton/BTJ too early to tell, but BTJ looks like an absolute smash

Bolded are elite talents, maybe Tlaw can get there.. let's hope..

All these top 10 picks... anybody even getting into the pride? Was Jalen here long enough to warrant that? I don't think so. These are just the round 1's , the list goes crazy when you include the early round 2 and round 3 picks. We've fundamentally failed at the draft, and that is what needs to change... multiple years of it, to turn this around. Not some spare cap that we get some trash from other teams they don't want to pay for.

---