Re: Would it be practical to just (mostly) draft o-line this upcoming year
 

I think as a team you go for the BPA, but luckily for us we have so many holes there's a decent chance the BPA could fill one of those holes. The only spots on this team that I wouldn't use our first round pick on are CB, TE, and FB, because nobody ever drafts a FB in the first round even though we need help there too. I think at the end of the year we might be looking at a 6-10 or 7-9 record which could place us anywhere between 5th and 15th.

Re: Would it be practical to just (mostly) draft o-line this upcoming year
 

Personally I'd go;

1st round: RT. shore up the right side.
2nd round: Center. shore up the 3 main spots LT, Center, RT, and thats half the problem. Plus it's easier to fill the LG and RG spots with lesser talent.

5th round: NT. plus look at FA.
6th round: FS.
7th round: LB. Plus look at FA.

Did we pick up an extra 4th round pick? not sure

Then I'd go hard after Vince Jackson, and TJ Houshmendzadeh since they are FA's after this year. If there are any other WR's with talent available I'd look into them also.

I'd bring in as many UFA OL, LB, FS, and who knows maybe a NT.

Re: Would it be practical to just (mostly) draft o-line this upcoming year
 

So are we giving up on Brown at RT? He should be back to 100% next year and can probably be resigned for a reasonable deal.

Re: Would it be practical to just (mostly) draft o-line this upcoming year
 

Personally I think that the starting lineup for the offensive line should be what we had against the Titans. Draft the BPA and let them fight for jobs.

Re: Would it be practical to just (mostly) draft o-line this upcoming year
 

[quote=SBXVII;766574]Personally I'd go;

1st round: RT. shore up the right side.
2nd round: Center. shore up the 3 main spots LT, Center, RT, and thats half the problem. Plus it's easier to fill the LG and RG spots with lesser talent.

5th round: NT. plus look at FA.
6th round: FS.
7th round: LB. Plus look at FA.

Did we pick up an extra 4th round pick? not sure

Then I'd go hard after Vince Jackson, and TJ Houshmendzadeh since they are FA's after this year. If there are any other WR's with talent available I'd look into them also.

I'd bring in as many UFA OL, LB, FS, and who knows maybe a NT.[/quote]
The draft is not a shopping list. You take whatever is going to be a "success" over the "need" and risk a greater chance of failure.

Also, NTs tend to be [I]high[/I] round picks. Three stud NTs in the league are first rounders. Those NTs are Wilfork, Hampton, and Raji. Shaun Rogers was a second rounder.

Re: Would it be practical to just (mostly) draft o-line this upcoming year
 

[quote=SirClintonPortis;766580]The draft is not a shopping list. You take whatever is going to be a "success" over the "need" and risk a greater chance of failure.

Also, NTs tend to be [I]high[/I] round picks. Three stud NTs in the league are first rounders. Those NTs are Wilfork, Hampton, and Raji. Shaun Rogers was a second rounder.[/quote]

Jay Ratliff was a 7th rounder.

Re: Would it be practical to just (mostly) draft o-line this upcoming year
 

[quote=Mattyk;766578]So are we giving up on Brown at RT? He should be back to 100% next year and can probably be resigned for a reasonable deal.[/quote]

I'm not sure. I'd probably sign him but would still go after a RT. Heck he can play RT and we would still have someone to fill in if he's tired or gets hurt. Heyer or Hicks is not the answer.

If Brown can stay healthy then I'd be good with that, problem is he was injured with the Saints and after we pick him up only played a few games and gets injured. If nothing else we need a bonified back up who will be looking to start at some point. Whats Browns age?

But if the team wanted to go Center then RT I'd be good with that also. I have been a fan of picking skill position players in the past and it has gotten us very little. I'm trying something different in saying we need to build from the inside out. Build up the OL and give DM time to throw the ball or make a hole for the RB. Maybe then this team will be better.

Re: Would it be practical to just (mostly) draft o-line this upcoming year
 

[quote=SBXVII;766583]I'm not sure. I'd probably sign him but would still go after a RT. Heck he can play RT and we would still have someone to fill in if he's tired or gets hurt. Heyer or Hicks is not the answer.

If Brown can stay healthy then I'd be good with that, problem is he was injured with the Saints and after we pick him up only played a few games and gets injured. If nothing else we need a bonified back up who will be looking to start at some point. Whats Browns age?

But if the team wanted to go Center then RT I'd be good with that also. I have been a fan of picking skill position players in the past and it has gotten us very little. I'm trying something different in saying we need to build from the inside out. Build up the OL and give DM time to throw the ball or make a hole for the RB. Maybe then this team will be better.[/quote]

He's not 100% recovered from the hip injury he had with the Saints, I think we knew that it would be an ongoing issue this year, but next year he should be back to full speed.

Re: Would it be practical to just (mostly) draft o-line this upcoming year
 

[quote=SirClintonPortis;766580]The draft is not a shopping list. You take whatever is going to be a "success" over the "need" and risk a greater chance of failure.

Also, NTs tend to be [I]high[/I] round picks. Three stud NTs in the league are first rounders. Those NTs are Wilfork, Hampton, and Raji. Shaun Rogers was a second rounder.[/quote]

Any of those 3 a FA this yr? :)

I really don't know. Fine pick a NT if it makes you happy. It still doesn't help our OL giving the QB time to throw or making holes for the RB. Any chance at all Shanahan and Alex Gibbs can make amends and bring him on board to work his magic with the OL? I was just not excited with our OL coach prior to him being here or now that he is.

Depending on what players we can bring on board from FA I still might go after a RT and C. But if we pick one up in FA then I might switch up and pick a NT high and pick a late round RT or C. Our problem (I feel) is we just don't have the players to run Shanahan's style of zone blocking or cut blocking. I saw very little cut blocking especially recently.

Re: Would it be practical to just (mostly) draft o-line this upcoming year
 

[quote=Mattyk;766586]He's not 100% recovered from the hip injury he had with the Saints, I think we knew that it would be an ongoing issue this year, but next year he should be back to full speed.[/quote]

If he seems healthy and our crack pot voodoo doctors can keep him healthy then maybe go after a late round RT.

Someone said they liked the OL after it was all changed up in the Titans game. I'd go back to that for the rest of the games and see if the players are worth keeping in those positions. Perhaps Heyer is better at RG. Montgomery seemed better then Rabach. If that OL works out then simply draft for highest need.

I'm still going to say you don't go after BPA all the time. What if the BPA is a QB? and we have other needs. I take BPA at the position we have need for.

Re: Would it be practical to just (mostly) draft o-line this upcoming year
 

This team needs playmakers. Yes, we need OL and DL help but we are seriously lacking in players that teams have to scheme against. I can think of 3 players on our entire ROSTER that if they were on an above average team an opponent would have to scheme against. Landry, Orakpo and [i]maybe [/i]McNabb. That's it. Other than that we really have no playmaking talent. Cooley, Moss, Hall, Fletcher are all decent players that most teams would [i]like[/i] to have but none of them are difference makers.

I get really tired of the people who think if we JUST address the lines we'll be just fine. Miami tried that and they suck. Cleveland tried that, guess what-suck. Don't get me wrong, upgrades are desperately NEEDED on both lines as well but until we have players who can actually change the game, the rest is just window dressing.

Re: Would it be practical to just (mostly) draft o-line this upcoming year
 

There is not one position on this team where you can say its a bad pick. We need young talent and depth at every single position. I dont think any unit on our team is an area of strength. That being said the O-Line needs the most work and i think they have to use the 1st two picks on the solidying that unit. Watching our offense is embarrassing because we cant run or pass block well. Thats why we have so many terrible drives. Trent Williams was a great start now but we literally need a new starting LG, C, RG and RT. Jamal Brown is always hurt, if he can get healthy he is an option to start at RT. Change of pace Tailback and big tall receiver late in draft. Defense next season. No more patchwork.

Re: Would it be practical to just (mostly) draft o-line this upcoming year
 

[quote=SolidSnake84;766448][B]one draft isnt going to do it alone[/B]. I think the O-Line is our biggest need for sure, but we have a horrible defense too. that side needs addressing i think more than the o line.[/quote]I agree. We are probably 3 solid drafts away from being on par with the rest of the NFC East in terms of talent.

Re: Would it be practical to just (mostly) draft o-line this upcoming year
 

I don't believe we should just draft OL? For what? To say we drafted offensive linemen? That seems pretty counterproductive to me.

Re: Would it be practical to just (mostly) draft o-line this upcoming year
 

Have you ever seen a team that needs everything? It's in your big picture.

This team has more holes than a window screen, "A" single draft is just a stepping stone to where this team needs to go, it needs multiple [smart drafts] to just begin to turn the corner towards respectability. Offensive line has been a major priority for years, I'll always be a proponent of building inside out.