volsunghawk":1czru9se said:
Still plenty of DTs and DEs in FA and in the draft. Losing out on Jones isn't a death knell for our D.
No disrespect, but people that say this haven't studied the 2013 group. Pass rush 3-techs are one of the rarest and most difficult to draft positions in football. And IMO, this year is below average at DT compared to previous years, particularly in the athleticism department. We would have been a little lucky to get a difference making pass rush 3-tech at #25. At #56, you are talking about guys that are longshots to be difference makers.
If we are very lucky, we might still get Kawann Short, and though I think he will help us I don't think he's quite what we need either. Then you have Sly Williams, who we'd also be lucky to get, and he's basically a rich man's Allen Branch. Then you have Brandon Williams who at 341 pounds with little speed and short arms with a low running motor from division II would be the most unlikely pass rush 3-tech ever- although I do like him- but he's still a long shot. Then you get to options like Bennie Logan who are pretty unremarkable and look like league average NFL DTs.
There are some creative options, like Malliciah Goodman or Lavar Edwards, but both played DE and would have to convert to DT- so they'd be unlikely to help much in 2013.
My favorite by a mile is John Simon, but most see him as a 3-4 OLB. I think he could make it work and even contribute immediately as a Jason Jones type player, but I am very much in the minority on this. My ray of optimism comes from how I was very much in the minority on Russell Wilson last year but John Schneider had my back. I hope he has my back on John Simon too. Otherwise, I think we are probably screwed in terms of 2013 interior pass rush.