(11-20-2024, 07:50 PM)The_Franchise_QB Wrote:

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

Ramsey's NFL career is good enough, but no chance he makes the pride given that he was only here less than 4 years, and he was the one who forced himself off the team.  However, and this involves speculation, but I do think there are four names up there that have a decent chance of being in the pride some day:

Trevor Lawrence - He will be our quarterback for the long term.  I think his stats will get better with experience plus having a better surrounding cast.  Assuming he stays healthy, I think he will break most of Brunell's record before his career is over.

Josh Hines-Allen - He's currently our second all-time sack leader and only 5 sacks behind the leader.  He's signed for the next four years.  He is also one who I think will have better stats when we put a better team around him.  It's hard to get sacks when your secondary leaves receivers wide open.  Quarterbacks will avoid the sack by throwing to an open receiver. 

Travon Walker - He has 7.5 sacks in 11 games this year.  If he does that over a full season, it comes to over 11.5 sacks.  If he can continue to do that in future years, it would be a wonderful career.  Also, similar to JHA, I think he will have more sacks when we get him a better surrounding cast.  Walker was also taken as a project with high upside.  I don't think that he's hit his potential yet.  

Brian Thomas Jr. - Ok, this one is almost all speculation given that BTJ is a rookie, but I definitely see the potential for him to be our best wide receiver since Jimmy Smith.

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