cubbyhawkfan":39slkyjg said:
I try not to rule anyone out because as we all know if the majority of us ran this team we'd be dead last and thank god JS/PC see past the flaws of the guys they draft but here are a few I just would not be excited about:
David Yankey G
Brandon Cook WR
Dee Ford DE
Jace Amaro TE
Timmy Jernigan DT
Anthony Barr OLB
Gabe Jackson G
Cyril Richardson G
Trent Murphy DE
Pretty solid list there.
I would probably only omit Jernigan and Ford. For where we're picking, those are decent prospects. Not in love with them but I don't think they elevate to the hate range.
I'd add Brent Urban to that list. Taking him at 32 would be about 2 full rounds too early. He may well be a star. But if we were to even concede that, it would have been like taking Russell Wilson at 12. We simply don't have to take him at 32.
Additionally, I'm adding Kouandijo to the list. He's going to drop like a rock. I'd put him in the Dominique Easley kind of range. In a normal draft, you might see both these guys go late 2nd round. But this draft is very deep for that. You are really giving up likely long term starters for what is a healthy flyer. Late 2nd round looks like the quality of a 35-45 overall kind of guy.
The two on that list I think I'd most hate would be Richardson and Amaro.
Scottemojo":39slkyjg said:
My personal favorite would be Fiedorowicz, who would be ready to replace Miller on day 1. Not much of the flash of some other tight ends, but a well coached zone blocker with good hands. Some of the other highly touted tight ends would bother me.
It feels like we are very alone on this assessment. Had a conversation similar to this regarding the option of signing Jimmy Graham for the cost of 2 first round picks. Seems everyone is against it because he doesn't block and it's a huge part of our base TE skill set. I would balk at the draft and contract cost personally.
But it was interesting that so many gloss over blocking deficiencies of some of these players (ASJ, Niklas, Amaro) almost selectively. Fiedorowicz isn't going to be a major weapon in the passing game. Although I see him having very good intermediate/short success as a receiver. YAC will be next to zero. What he can do though, is he can make those 4-5 yard 3rd down conversions with confidence. He can also present a big red zone target who will go and get jump balls. Just as importantly for me though is he is not a willing blocker. He's an excellent blocker. Both inline and in space. This guy is an asset as a TE.
We have plenty of guys capable of handling the heavy lifting of the receiving. If we get a base TE, I want Willson catching the TE passes anyway. Of course this is a conversation for the #32 pick. Fiedorowicz should be available at 64 and even several picks after that.