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(04-26-2022, 12:04 PM)ATLjag Wrote: (04-26-2022, 11:37 AM)The Real Marty Wrote: So I was just listening to 1010 XL and Tony Pauline gave a very strong endorsement to Travon Walker as the best player in the draft.
Just FYI.
I know a lot of people seem to think that Trent Baalke is the only person who loves Travon Walker and apparently it's not true.
The other guest segment this morning on 1010xl was Greg Cosell, who I have a lot of respect for due to his experience and extensive film study. Surprisingly, he thinks the best X receiver in this draft is going to be George Pickens. My first thought was "no way", but maybe I need to keep an open mind.
I also heard this. Cosell generally does a good job, but I don't agree on this point. Pauline is the guy I like most and he is not very high on Pickens due to poor route running and inconsistency. The player I'd select for the X receiver spot would be Alec Pierce. He has very good size and speed; he'd be my pick at the top of round 3 if still available.
Pauline had very high praise for Walker and clearly favors him over Hutchinson, although he admittedly will need to work on his pass rushing skills from the Edge. At this point, I'd really be o.k. with Hutchinson, Walker or Ekwonu. My prediction is that Pederson's preference for offense wins out and Ekwonu will be the choice barring last minute trade offers. He is a safe choice in the sense that he will become, at the least, a pro-bowl guard. Many will say you never take a guard that high, which makes total sense, but this is a very unusual draft. My prediction for the first 3 rounds is:
1(1) Ekwonu
2(33) Trade back for an extra 3rd. Select Ebekitie or Mafe with 2nd rounder acquired in trade.
Trade back up into round 2 and select Chad Muma or Quay Walker.
Round 3: Alec Pierce and Greg Dulcich
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(04-26-2022, 01:08 PM)jaglou53 Wrote: (04-26-2022, 12:04 PM)ATLjag Wrote: The other guest segment this morning on 1010xl was Greg Cosell, who I have a lot of respect for due to his experience and extensive film study. Surprisingly, he thinks the best X receiver in this draft is going to be George Pickens. My first thought was "no way", but maybe I need to keep an open mind.
I also heard this. Cosell generally does a good job, but I don't agree on this point. Pauline is the guy I like most and he is not very high on Pickens due to poor route running and inconsistency. The player I'd select for the X receiver spot would be Alec Pierce. He has very good size and speed; he'd be my pick at the top of round 3 if still available.
Pauline had very high praise for Walker and clearly favors him over Hutchinson, although he admittedly will need to work on his pass rushing skills from the Edge. At this point, I'd really be o.k. with Hutchinson, Walker or Ekwonu. My prediction is that Pederson's preference for offense wins out and Ekwonu will be the choice barring last minute trade offers. He is a safe choice in the sense that he will become, at the least, a pro-bowl guard. Many will say you never take a guard that high, which makes total sense, but this is a very unusual draft. My prediction for the first 3 rounds is:
1(1) Ekwonu
2(33) Trade back for an extra 3rd. Select Ebekitie or Mafe with 2nd rounder acquired in trade.
Trade back up into round 2 and select Chad Muma or Quay Walker.
Round 3: Alec Pierce and Greg Dulcich
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(04-26-2022, 01:08 PM)jaglou53 Wrote: (04-26-2022, 12:04 PM)ATLjag Wrote: The other guest segment this morning on 1010xl was Greg Cosell, who I have a lot of respect for due to his experience and extensive film study. Surprisingly, he thinks the best X receiver in this draft is going to be George Pickens. My first thought was "no way", but maybe I need to keep an open mind.
I also heard this. Cosell generally does a good job, but I don't agree on this point. Pauline is the guy I like most and he is not very high on Pickens due to poor route running and inconsistency. The player I'd select for the X receiver spot would be Alec Pierce. He has very good size and speed; he'd be my pick at the top of round 3 if still available.
Pauline had very high praise for Walker and clearly favors him over Hutchinson, although he admittedly will need to work on his pass rushing skills from the Edge. At this point, I'd really be o.k. with Hutchinson, Walker or Ekwonu. My prediction is that Pederson's preference for offense wins out and Ekwonu will be the choice barring last minute trade offers. He is a safe choice in the sense that he will become, at the least, a pro-bowl guard. Many will say you never take a guard that high, which makes total sense, but this is a very unusual draft. My prediction for the first 3 rounds is:
1(1) Ekwonu
2(33) Trade back for an extra 3rd. Select Ebekitie or Mafe with 2nd rounder acquired in trade.
Trade back up into round 2 and select Chad Muma or Quay Walker.
Round 3: Alec Pierce and Greg Dulcich 1. I take any of about 6 players at 1 even ones that are less popular choice.
2. I take the 33rd pick pair it with one of my 3rds and a 6th rounder and try to move back into the twenties and get Linderbaum if he is there.
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04-26-2022, 06:37 PM
(This post was last modified: 04-26-2022, 06:40 PM by flgatorsandjags.)
(04-26-2022, 01:08 PM)jaglou53 Wrote: (04-26-2022, 12:04 PM)ATLjag Wrote: The other guest segment this morning on 1010xl was Greg Cosell, who I have a lot of respect for due to his experience and extensive film study. Surprisingly, he thinks the best X receiver in this draft is going to be George Pickens. My first thought was "no way", but maybe I need to keep an open mind.
I also heard this. Cosell generally does a good job, but I don't agree on this point. Pauline is the guy I like most and he is not very high on Pickens due to poor route running and inconsistency. The player I'd select for the X receiver spot would be Alec Pierce. He has very good size and speed; he'd be my pick at the top of round 3 if still available.
Pauline had very high praise for Walker and clearly favors him over Hutchinson, although he admittedly will need to work on his pass rushing skills from the Edge. At this point, I'd really be o.k. with Hutchinson, Walker or Ekwonu. My prediction is that Pederson's preference for offense wins out and Ekwonu will be the choice barring last minute trade offers. He is a safe choice in the sense that he will become, at the least, a pro-bowl guard. Many will say you never take a guard that high, which makes total sense, but this is a very unusual draft. My prediction for the first 3 rounds is:
1(1) Ekwonu
2(33) Trade back for an extra 3rd. Select Ebekitie or Mafe with 2nd rounder acquired in trade.
Trade back up into round 2 and select Chad Muma or Quay Walker.
Round 3: Alec Pierce and Greg Dulcich
Ekwonu at 1, Linderbaum at 33, and trade up for McBride.
I don't like Ekwonu at tackle but I do really like him at LG. Take Ekwonu and get Linderbaum somehow and we then have the potential for the best interior oline
04-26-2022, 07:49 PM
(This post was last modified: 04-26-2022, 07:54 PM by TheO-LineMatters.)
(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.
(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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(04-26-2022, 07:16 PM)Sibelius Wrote: Hutch at 1, Linderbaum or a WR at 33 - after that, I'll look at what's available.
That's the hope
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Dream draft for me is Hutch and trading up for Devin Lloyd
(04-26-2022, 08:52 PM)I am Yoda Wrote: Wigg makes some good points about the Jags' thinking regarding receivers. Based on his reasoning, we shouldn't expect to see a WR taken until probably day three. They think they have their X in Zay Jones for this year.
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(04-26-2022, 09:40 PM)TheO-LineMatters Wrote: (04-26-2022, 08:52 PM)I am Yoda Wrote: Wigg makes some good points about the Jags' thinking regarding receivers. Based on his reasoning, we shouldn't expect to see a WR taken until probably day three. They think they have their X in Zay Jones for this year.
![[Image: jesus-facepalm-meme_o_594770.jpg]](http://img.memecdn.com/jesus-facepalm-meme_o_594770.jpg) I will be the first to admit Pederson knows way more than I do.
However, if Pederson thinks he has his starting X WR this year in Zay Jones, he is spectacularly wrong. I don't trust Zay Jones at all. AT ALL.
From that horrific off field incident in a hotel a couple of years back, to his overall lack of production, placing your faith in him seems misguided.
I hope I am wrong on this, though.
Worst to 1st. Curse Reversed!
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(04-26-2022, 07:49 PM)TheO-LineMatters Wrote: (04-26-2022, 11:08 AM)Bullseye Wrote: 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.
(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.
Since I am in the minority that favor going with offensive line, I'll take a crack at it. You play Ickey at OG. Giving us Cam, Scherff, Ickey Little/Taylor. Also Shatley/draftee at center. Ickey or Neal can most likely jump right in at guard, tackle in a pinch but will need some pass protection refinement. This gives them time to do that. It should give us a solid offensive line for the first time in a while. This will help the running backs, help our QB and let the receivers get downfield better. In crunch time last year they had no chance getting downfield. This will help our offense stay on the field more (we were 31st in time of possession) and score more as well. It will help our defense as the offense will be less prone to go 3 and out most of the first half. The D gave up 27 ppg last year. If they improve by 6 points down to 21 they would have ranked between #7 and #15 last year. (LA was #15) I can believe by the offense staying on the field more and actually scoring more we can get half of that. The offense only average 14.something last year and needs to get into the mid 20's. If they don't I don't care how good the D is we will be here again next year. Drafting an edge rusher while a real need will not help them do that and the defense will continue to be stressed every game by the offense not able to move the ball when the game is in doubt. The draft we went with Fowler, Scherff was drafted right after that, we just paid him how much? Looking at this year's prospects since there really is no true #1's I think of our pick as a top 10 pick not the magical #1. Who cares where Little was drafted if he plays a part in providing a solid O line for our offense. Thinking like that (pride) will keep us in the bottom third of the league forever. Yea I know I have a crackpot scheme...LOL
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(04-26-2022, 10:25 PM)Jag149 Wrote: (04-26-2022, 07:49 PM)TheO-LineMatters Wrote: 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.
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.
Since I am in the minority that favor going with offensive line, I'll take a crack at it. You play Ickey at OG. Giving us Cam, Scherff, Ickey Little/Taylor. Also Shatley/draftee at center. Ickey or Neal can most likely jump right in at guard, tackle in a pinch but will need some pass protection refinement. This gives them time to do that. It should give us a solid offensive line for the first time in a while. This will help the running backs, help our QB and let the receivers get downfield better. In crunch time last year they had no chance getting downfield. This will help our offense stay on the field more (we were 31st in time of possession) and score more as well. It will help our defense as the offense will be less prone to go 3 and out most of the first half. The D gave up 27 ppg last year. If they improve by 6 points down to 21 they would have ranked between #7 and #15 last year. (LA was #15) I can believe by the offense staying on the field more and actually scoring more we can get half of that. The offense only average 14.something last year and needs to get into the mid 20's. If they don't I don't care how good the D is we will be here again next year. Drafting an edge rusher while a real need will not help them do that and the defense will continue to be stressed every game by the offense not able to move the ball when the game is in doubt. The draft we went with Fowler, Scherff was drafted right after that, we just paid him how much? Looking at this year's prospects since there really is no true #1's I think of our pick as a top 10 pick not the magical #1. Who cares where Little was drafted if he plays a part in providing a solid O line for our offense. Thinking like that (pride) will keep us in the bottom third of the league forever. Yea I know I have a crackpot scheme...LOL
I don't care what position Icky plays. I would be damn excited to have him on our team.
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