Why Did We Draft Fred Davis?

[SouperMeister]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

We had threads like this on Rogers, Campbell, and I think McIntosh as well.

My point is that sometimes you should veer from your draft board and go for positional needs. We had already locked Cooley up long term, so TE wasn't a great need. Cooley has never missed a game due to injury, so you're effectively drafting a #2 TE with a 2nd round pick. If you're not going to even try to get Davis on the field in 2 TE packages, then it's pretty clear that drafting for other positional needs would be helping the team more at this point.

[JWsleep]

Originally Posted by SouperMeister

My point is that sometimes you should veer from your draft board and go for positional needs. We had already locked Cooley up long term, so TE wasn't a great need. Cooley has never missed a game due to injury, so you're effectively drafting a #2 TE with a 2nd round pick. If you're not going to even try to get Davis on the field in 2 TE packages, then it's pretty clear that drafting for other positional needs would be helping the team more at this point.

I agree we should have drafted more for the lines, but my guess is Davis will be the #2 TE and a serious receiving threat next year.

[SouperMeister]

Originally Posted by JWsleep

I agree we should have drafted more for the lines, but my guess is Davis will be the #2 TE and a serious receiving threat next year.

But why can't Davis be a receiving threat now? Is Yoder really that much better as the #2 TE today?

[sportscurmudgeon]

Watching Davis play in college, it is pretty obvious that he can run and he can catch the football. That is what got him drafted.

As to why he isn't on the field over Yoder - who is a decent TE but nothing more - it really has to be one of two reasons. And you will never get an NFL coach to tell you which one:

1. He isn't smart enough to understand his responsibilities on a wide enough spectrum of plays that they don't dare put him out there for much of anything lest he make a big mistake.


2. He can't block at all and putting him there could place Jason Campbell and/or any of the running backs in serious danger.


It pretty much has to be something along the lines of one of those two things...

[JWsleep]

Originally Posted by sportscurmudgeon

Watching Davis play in college, it is pretty obvious that he can run and he can catch the football. That is what got him drafted.

As to why he isn't on the field over Yoder - who is a decent TE but nothing more - it really has to be one of two reasons. And you will never get an NFL coach to tell you which one:

1. He isn't smart enough to understand his responsibilities on a wide enough spectrum of plays that they don't dare put him out there for much of anything lest he make a big mistake.


2. He can't block at all and putting him there could place Jason Campbell and/or any of the running backs in serious danger.


It pretty much has to be something along the lines of one of those two things...

I bet it's more in line with #1, combined with Zorn's penchant for very precise play. Zorn has been slow to let the rooks on the field at WR too. What's odd is Zorn had him in more earlier, it seems to me. Maybe he's regressed some in practice.

If he can't block (or at least block better than Yoder), we've got a problem. Let's hope he can be coached up.