DavidSeven wrote:themunn wrote:And yet we traded our first round pick for a WR when we had Tate, Rice and Baldwin and spent our second on a running back when we have Lynch and Turbin.
2 of our starting O-Linemen were picked up midseason off waivers, another was an undrafted free agent.
Gordon had more yards last season than any Seattle WR has had in the last 4 years - as a rookie playing for the Browns.
Again, he got twice as many targets as Rice and barely surpassed him in overall yards. Gordon's catch rate according to Football Outsiders last year was 53%. Rice's was 62%; Tate was at 69%. We traded a #1 for Harvin because he's a dynamic and unique player in this league. He has value as a receiver, runner and returner. I think Gordon is a good player, but he's not a unique one.
2012 FO Adjusted WR rankings: Rice #14, Tate #19, Gordon #51.
I like what you are trying to do here, but you are overlooking something of critical importance. Context. Rookie WRs, even ones who turn out to be very good, usually suck as rookies. Gordon put up some of the best rookie numbers from a WR we've seen in the last few years, while catching passes in one of the NFL's worst offenses, whereas Tate and Rice are polished veterans catching passes from the NFL's 4th ranked QB in passer rating.
I watched Gordon in college and I knew back then that he had #1 WR talent. When Cleveland paid a high 2nd rounder to get him in the suppletmental draft, a lot of people bashed them for it. Not me. Personally, I think they are completely nuts to trade a talent like Gordon for anything less than a 1st. If they'd part with him for a 3rd rounder, on that contract, ANY team should want to be on the buying side of that deal.
Also, as much as I'd love to be wrong, I think one or both of Rice and Tate could be gone next offseason. It's very possible we might end up investing a high pick on a WR next year anyway, and if that's the case, I'd much rather roll with Gordon than potentially than an unproven rookie who probably wouldn't contribute for a couple years. WRs are one of the highest bust-rate positions in the game too, so if you can get a good one from outside the draft, you should always go that route first, which is why PC/JS have been so aggressive pursuing WRs from other teams.