45catfan

Which comes full circle back to where some say in a good QB class like last year, the top guy this year would have been QB five last year. So taking one of these guys makes little sense. Heck, I've seen mocks this offseason where no QBs go in round one. Undoubtedly one or two will get drafted in the first round out of positional importance and desperation; not because they are actually worth the pick.

The Browns have three options, keep him, cut him or trade him EATING some of his cap. No team will take 100% of Baker's cap money. The Browns are behind the 8 ball. They are in a losing situation in trade negotiations.

So breaking down last year's playoff QBs, I found some interesting things. Starting off, 8 QBs were first rounders versus 6 that were not. That's one QB from being a 50/50 split. I will argue in a moment why it SHOULD be a *50/50 split. Of those 8, 6 were top 10 selections...Mahommes barely making the cut. Only THREE were top 6 selections. Those 3 were ALL #1 overall selections; Murray, Stafford and Burrow. Back to my *exception. While Tannehill was a top 10 selection (#8 overall) he was a reclamation project when he signed with the Titans and was as good as washed up. He went to the ideal situation. That being said, his draft team...the Dolphins gave up on him and for THEIR purposes was a draft whiff. So unless you have the top overall pick, picking a first round QB is a crap shoot. You had Allen 2018, Mahommes 2017, *Tannehill 2012 and Big Ben 2004 as those QBs within our draft range this year.

I also agree with him that teams probably don't study draft history as well as they should.

Paraphrasing here to encapsulate his point, 'in 25 years only 8 first round QBs played through their 12th season, 78% of them were projected as ELITE QB prospects.' Sure, injury played into some of that, but thinking drafting a first round QB that sets the organization up for the decade is almost a pipe dream.

It's the big 3 OTs, trade back or worst case scenario take the best edge guy. If all OTs are gone, one of the edge rushers HAS to drop, either Walker or Thibodeaux. I'd prefer Walker, put him on the strong side and move Burns to the weak side. YGM is probably going to be a career backup and the rest of the supporting cast is marginal. I still can't believe we re-sign Haynes. I guess as a reserve he's okay, but if pressed into starting duties due to injury? That's a definite no.

Yes! I like to see that we are looking at RBs. Why? I'm not sold on Hubbard. CMC could get hurt at any time and Foreman is likely a one-year rental. It wouldn't shock me if CMC stays healthy this year that the Panthers may offload him (his contract mainly) before the 2023 season. Teams need to see he can play an entire season first before any realistic trade. Without drafting a RB (or another FA) that would leave Hubbard as the #1 entering 2023 given the chips falls that way, which is unacceptable.

I'm a fan of waiting until '23 for the QB. A deeper class means you don't need to have a top 5 pick to get a solid QB. If we are smart and get the LT this draft that will allow the '23 rookie QB to stay upright most of the time.

Zappe is likely the only one left when we pick in the 4th round. The others are #6 prospects and trade back guys either mid-round 1 or an anquired 2nd rounder in the case of Ridder and Howell. It seems we are keeping all options open for a QB.

Agreed his stock is a bit broader than Neal or Ekwonu, but #6 is about where it starts. Slightly rich, but not a reach per se. He comes from a pass happy offense, so his run blocking skills need polishing.

Why no mention of Neal? They think he's absolutely gone or has the lowest ceiling?

I think we can trade back a few spots and still land Cross. If no QBs are gone, Seattle may jump. I don't think any other team is LT desperate other than the Saints and I don't think we trade back that far (#16) in that's the case. Cross is an early-to-mid round prospect. He'd be a great value if we trade back and got him in the early teens. Picking up an extra pick in the 2nd or 3rd round wouldn't hurt either.

Or draft a QB that can run...............................................for his life.

Why? I've been told since you can't predict the future that planning for it is futile.

Nice. So when Willis is sucking it up this season...even if he sees the field at all (no matter whose jersey he dons) the 'I told you so wagon' will get paraded out.

Wow, he was DRAFTED to sit a year. The 49ers had a plan in place. If you think Willis= Lance, you are beyond freaking delusional. If Lance isn't ready by your assumption, Willis is in remedial courses.

So he's basically being compared to his draft class. Earth shattering!

I fart sunshine!!!! Truth is not fun....

Running QBs are all the rage now. Dude's actual QB stats...you know the ones that matter most are mediocre at best. But sure, let's be wowed how he ran circles against mostly lower level opponents...yeah, yeah, with a good opponent sprinkled in here and there.

Please!!!!! Dude is over-the-fug-hyped!

Please do. I'd love for them to waste a pick on one of these guys.

We traded our 4th rounder for the best kick holder in the League. I mean think about the odds of a bobbled snap? It keeps Rule up at night....or it could just be the meat sweats.

Actually, no I won't be okay with it, but stupid moves is becoming the hallmark of this organization. Yes, the '23 class has tons of potential. Unless it's a Tua type of injury (potentially career ending) then I'm not worried about it. Now that Covid has chilled out, kids won't be staying in school anymore. They will have two solid years of full-schedule football on tape. The dip in draft eligible kids staying in school we had seen will go away. Up until Covid, the pool of underclassmen declaring for the draft had been going up year over year. Unless one of the top draft eligible QBs has a really down year (or misses significant time due to injury), I suspect nearly all of them will declare.

Good plan in general if you want decent season a Rhule around in 2023. Also, Fitts made it no secret he plan to build the Panthers like the Seahawks did. Build a solid team, then draft a rookie QB and have them on the cheap for 4-5 season. We are still a year away from that becoming a reality. This team is still work in progress and none of the QBs in this draft are Russell Wilson.

You do understand that prospect's value is based on projection, correct? You are right, nobody knows the future, including Miss Cleo. I have a feeling you do not follow the draft closely at all. I mean what is the point in scouting if you don't need to know how prospect looks up until midway through their draft year? I do it that way as hobby, but hey, I'm not getting paid or on a team's staff. Professional scouts go a bit deeper and need more than just one season worth of tape to get a good read on prospects. The word out there...even though we realize the season has yet to be played, is the 2023 QB crop is going to be stout.