Re: Assessing our roster as it relates to our upcoming draft class
Quote:
Originally Posted by
JAB1985
When was the last time we didnt have an udfa make the team as well?
I was wondering the same thing. Seems like it's an annual event. Last year I can think of Jason Tucker and Deonte Thompson.
Re: Assessing our roster as it relates to our upcoming draft class
Quote:
Originally Posted by
ballhawk
I'd like to see Ozzie make a bold move in the first and move up for a Vacarro, Austin, or one of the LT's. Its been years since we had an impact first rounder. Seems like a good year for it.
In my opinion, trading up for Vacarro would be awful strategy. He's gonna go in the 15-18 range likely, and we'd have to sacrifice a lot of our draft just to draft him when we can get a player just as good at 32 likely. Heck, Swearinger in the late 2nd round is a nearly equivalent prospect IMO.
We'd have to give up a ton of draft stock to move up to get Lane Johnson. If you look at the teams in the 8-12 range, each one needs a LT, so he's not going past that point.
Re: Assessing our roster as it relates to our upcoming draft class
Quote:
Originally Posted by
alien bird
I tend to agree with this. I would also think that Tyrod Taylor is no lock. In a draft with 12 picks, it's entirely possible the Ravens use one of those picks to upgrade that backup QB position.
IMO, anyone we draft in this draft, outside of committing a 3rd round or higher pick to get a top 6-7 QB in this draft, is just a less experienced version of Taylor. Sure, you might find a 5th rounder with more upside as a pocket passer, but I would rather have Taylor's athleticism and the little more experience that he brings.
Re: Assessing our roster as it relates to our upcoming draft class
Quote:
Originally Posted by
LukeDaniel
In my opinion, trading up for Vacarro would be awful strategy. He's gonna go in the 15-18 range likely, and we'd have to sacrifice a lot of our draft just to draft him when we can get a player just as good at 32 likely. Heck, Swearinger in the late 2nd round is a nearly equivalent prospect IMO.
We'd have to give up a ton of draft stock to move up to get Lane Johnson. If you look at the teams in the 8-12 range, each one needs a LT, so he's not going past that point.
While I'd be absolutely thrilled to get Lane Johnson (or Fisher or Joeckel for that matter), I didn't include him on my list of reasonable possibilities. I don't think any of the three of them make it past the Chargers at the absolute latest... all three could be gone before Buffalo is even on the clock. If there are trades made at the very top of the draft, those are the players who will be involved.
Vaccaro is also a pipe dream, but at least he's not generally expected to go before the Rams pick at 16. However, it seems unlikely that he'll still be around for the Rams' second pick at 22. The Steelers could take him at 17, the Cowboys at 18, the Bengals at 21... all very logical destinations. What's more, we're not even the most likely team to deal up for him... the 49ers have way more ammunition and perhaps more pressure, at least internally, to win now. If by some draft miracle he starts sliding into the mid-20s, we should be on the phones trying to go get him. If we could do it without dealing our second or third picks... say, trade our fourth and a fifth or sixth, with nothing next year involved... then let's do it. But the much more likely value play is to hold steady at pick 32 and take whatever impact player remains at LT (Menelik Watson?) or ILB (Arthur Brown? Kevin Minter?) or S (Jonathan Cyprien?), and then follow that up in the second round by moving up to get back into the next tier of players at those same positions (Terron Armstead, Kiko Alonso, Eric Reid/DJ Swearinger). The best case would be having a player with back-of-the-first-round talent make that sort of slide... if it happens, it's probably going to be a safety, where the top of the class all seems pretty solid. Players like Alonso and Baccari Rambo could certainly still be available in the third round as well, though we might have to make a similar move up for them at that point.
Re: Assessing our roster as it relates to our upcoming draft class
Since I'm depressed to see a thread about The Inaccurate Left Arm of God take up so much of the board's attention today, I thought others might also be interested in seeing this thread resurrected post-draft.
So if we go by Luke's logic (his 40 locks, plus all drafts picks 5th round and up virtually assured to make the team), then we look like this:
QB(2)- Flacco, Taylor
RB (3)- Pierce, Rice, Leach
TE (3)- Pitta, Dickson, Juszczyk (or in the RB slot, whatever)
WR (3)- Doss, Torrey, Jacoby
OL (6)- Osemele, Gradkowski, Yanda, Oher, Reid, Wagner
ST (3)- Tucker, Cox, Koch
DL (9)- Ngata, Cody, Tyson, McPhee, Art Jones, Spears, Canty, Dumervil, Williams
LB (8) -Suggs, Upshaw, J. McClain, R. McClain, Bynes, McClellan, Simon , Brown
CB (5)- Webb, J. Smith, Graham, C. Brown, A. Jackson
S (4)- Huff, Ihedigbo, C. Thompson, Elam
Which brings us to 46 total, of which 26 already are exclusively defensive players. Anybody know, in general, how that breakdown typically works? If we carry 26 defenders + 3 ST, that leaves room for only 24 offensive players. Which is about a 50/50 split... but it seems like when I tallied it up last year those numbers were reversed.
We carried what, 9 OL last year and 6 receivers?
