tukafan21

If all you're looking at is his season yardage statistics, then sure, they won't look great, but look a little deeper and the production is clearly there on the field... As an UDFA, the teams #3 WR, and poor QB play, he had 478 yards in only 11 games. If he had that average over a 17 game season he would have had a 738 yard season as an undrafted rookie. This past year he missed the start of the season and clearly took time to get back to form once he was back. But remove his first 4 games getting back to form, and over the final 7 games he had a per game average that would have been a 796 yard season over 17 games. 796 yards this past season would have been 34th in the league overall, and 27th best for a WR. And that was all before he went and dropped a 134 yard game in the playoffs. Pretty sure that's pretty darn good production for a 2nd or 3rd option, no? So again, I think it's wildly unfair to say we only have 1 WR, as if Coker plays a full season this year, he should be good for 800-1000 yards, even with T-Mac next to him getting 1,200+ himself. This is why I don't at all see the need for drafting a WR in the 1st this year, not while still having XL, Horn Jr, and I guess Metchie even though I'm not at all sold on him. Draft a speedy WR in the 3rd or 4th and/or sign a vet (is DHop still out there?) to play in the slot this year, and use that 1st on a position of more need.

I'll also say this, for all the crap we give him, myself included. If we are able to find a solid #3 WR to play in the slot and XL becomes our #4, he might actually be the best #4 WR in the league, at worst, Top 5. I think our WR is being slept on for some reason, yes we need to add one more, but T-Mac and Coker as a 1-2 and XL as a #4 has serious potential, especially as T-Mac takes the next step to stardom this season. I also think if he went to work this offeason, it's not out of the question to see Horn Jr step up and take over the slot role, as he might not be a complete WR right now, but he very well may have exactly what we need from that role with his speed and elusiveness. He does have a nice complimentary set of skills to what T-Mac and Coker bring to the table, it's just a matter if he can sharpen up a few areas and get on the field more to show it (which I think is a real possibility).

And you think teams can build the best possible roster every season without thinking about financial implications into the future? It's precisely what the good franchises do, they make decisions that combine what is best for the upcoming season as well as the long term implications. The other problem with this post is that you say it only is an issue if they all become stars. But that is exactly what you should be hoping/expecting for every 1st round pick you make, they are supposed to turn into players you sign to multiple contracts and are the cornerstone players for your franchise. You shouldn't be drafting a player in the 1st round that you don't think should be getting a big contract in 3 or 4 years, if you don't think that's the case, then you're making the wrong selection in the 1st round (especially in the Top 20, maybe 25-32 is more questionable, but not by much). We know T-Mac is going to be a star, if the expectation is for a WR drafted in the 1st this year is also expected to be as much, that's two huge contracts to give out in back to back years. While at the same time, Coker has already proven to be at minimum, a great #3 in this league IMO. It's not going to be a far leap to see him become a bona fide #2, if not even a high end #2 this upcoming season with some improvement and sustained health.

You really think I don’t want us to use a late 1st round pick on a WR because of my T-Mac fandom? Despite my numerous and detailed explanations of why I think we both need another WR but why using our 1st rounder on it is a terrible idea when you think about it beyond just this next season’s needs? Disagree if you’d like, but have legitimate reasons, not thinking I’m afraid of the reigning OROY losing catches to the 5th best WR in this draft, just an absurd take.

A few reasons, first being that's the length of rookie contracts (not counting the 5th year option for 1st roudners). Also trying to go 5+ years out feels long and 3 or less feels too short for there to be all too much of a change. And you still seem to be arguing for this as if it's the only way to get a WR in that mold and that we don't have bigger problems than WR right now. Just because we need one thing, doesn't mean bigger needs should be ignored to fill that one, especially when that position already has one of our best players on the team. Again, yes, we need that type of WR, but we have other bigger and more pressing needs. It's also wildly unfair to say we have 1 WR right now, I think Coker has shown enough to be considered a solid WR moving forward with how he finished the season.

Nobody is saying we don't need it, just that we have bigger needs elsewhere, and that type of WR is actually something that is often found in the mid rounds, you just have to scout and evaluate properly. Here's another way of looking at why WR in the 1st shouldn't even be considered an option. Looking only at players currently on the team, what position group would you feel strongest about 4 years from now? I'm not sure there is a better answer there than WR, as you have to think T-Mac is our best player on the team in 4 years (Brown is the only current player I think there is even an argument to be made over T-Mac there), with Coker not far behind. Our OL is too old to be considered, my opinions on Bryce is well known, Hubbard will be done by then and the rest of the RB is an unknown, Off-ball LB is maybe our biggest need, we only have 1 legit safety, it's certainly not TE, and our 2nd best CB right now will be 33 by then. Brown should still be a beast as he'll only be 31, but nobody else on the DL projects to be that good in 4 years. Edge rusher with Phillips, Scourton, and Princely is probably the only other possible answer than WR. So yes, that fast/shifty type of WR is 100% a need of ours, but we have so many other bigger needs both in the immediate and future, that to me, taking a WR in the 1st for the 3rd year in a row and having hit on another WR in the same time frame, just makes zero sense both currently and looking into the future.

Hell ya, give me one of those bad teams’ high 2nd rounder along with their 2027 1st and I’d walk away from 19 with a huge smile on my face.

I’ll also say agin, this is why I think we’re in a great spot this year to trade down, and maybe meeting with all these WRs is a smokescreen to try and make a WR needy team over trade to get our pick so we don’t take the guy they want. While at the same time, if Downs falls outside the Top 10, I’d be comfortable with darn near any trade NOT involving our 2027 1st (very well could be needed for a QB), to move up and get him. He’s going to be one of th best Safeties in the game for years to come.

Oh, and it likely becomes an issue in 2 years, not 4. in 2 years T-Mac will be eligible for an extension while Coker will also need a new deal himself, not to mention if he rookie WR pans out, he’ll want a new contract the following offseason himself. So you can’t then pay both T-Mac and Coker while not trading that 3rd WR. Just like you can’t pay one of those two and then have the same problem the next offseason with the younger WR and whichever don’t get the contract the year before. If the front office believes in their ability it judge talent, then you draft with an eye to the future and trust that belief. I again point to the Bengals, it’s not even about paying for two high end WRs, other team get away with it just fine. It’s needing to pay for them in the same offseason that creates big problems.

It should be a facto, because while he needs to perform to keep his job, you still have to build with an eye to the future. Where we will be drafting, there is a more than good chance of there being a player there at a position of more need, such as OT, LB, TE, S, or CB. With all those holes, I just don’t like the idea of taking a player who will ensure one of him, T-Mac, or Coker won’t be here 4 years from now, and we all know it won’t be T-Mac who gets jettisoned. So either believe in Coker or don’t, keep him and draft another position or draft a WR and trade him, don’t straddle the middle and hamstring us by leaving more holes while leaving us a huge problem a couple years from now.

I have no problem drafting a WR, even as high as the 2nd, but I do have an issue with using a precious 1st rounder on it. Another WR is a need, but we also have a lot of other needs, and the goal should always be to draft 1st rounders that you expect to be on the team for 10 years if they stay healthy. In regards to Coker, one of two things happen. He keeps getting better and becomes our legit #2 to T-Mac and we have to pay him accordingly, or he doesn’t. If he does, then using that 1st rounder on a WR this year was dumb. If he doesn’t, then drafting a WR in the 1st this year would be smart, but then so would trading Coker when his perceived value would be at its highest. If we were already had a SB contending roster, then yes, a 1st Round WR to put us over the top makes sense, but we just have too many holes to fill to use it that way… again, unless the staff just doesn’t believe in Coker’s ability to become a true #2, which I think he really can be.

Drafting a WR in the 1st only guarantees one of T-Mac, Coker, or the new draft pick has zero chance of still being on the roster 4 years from now because they can’t all be paid at the same time. Which is why a WR in the 1st makes no sense, if we do that, I’d be pissed if we don’t also trade Coker this offseason, and I have zero interest in trading him, so……… We know T-Mac is that dude, so unless the team has serious concerns about Coker taking the next step, WR makes so sense to me in the 1st

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/48447175/sources-colts-agree-seek-new-team-cb-kenny-moore-ii I'm not going to pretend to know much about a Colts CB and how he played last year, just didn't pay enough attention to them. But if he still has some game left in him, he's a nickel back who was a pro bowler not too long ago, feel like he could be a great addition to our defense. Horn, Jackson, Moore, CSW would be a pretty nice CB unit.

Sure, but that’s because a 2nd rounder they drafted before Chase ended up becoming what he did. Higgins play put them in the situation, we’d be drafting a player with the expectation/hope that they pan out and thus putting ourselves into the situation. There is a big difference between the two there. Not a fan of drafting a player in the 1st round knowing we HAVE to trade him or another young player we like within a few years because we can’t pay them both (all). We were a sub .500 team, and while I love our FA’s so far, we still have far too many needs to use our 1st rounder in that way right now. If it was the final piece to make us a SB contender, sure, you do it and hope you win a ring in the first couple years and then who cares what you have to deal with, it got the job done.

I've said this a few times in the past few weeks, WR just cannot be on the board for us in the 1st round this year or we're just setting ourselves up for a problem in a couple of years. As it is, we're already looking at needing to do extensions for T-Mac and Coker (assuming they both progress as we all expect) in possibly the same offseason, or at worst, just one year apart. Adding another 1st round WR to that mix who will be eligible for an extension in the same time frame is basically already announcing that at least one of the 3 of them will not be on the team in 4 years time. I realize you want to maximize your team's ability every season, but using a 1st round pick on a player you either know will be sent out 4 years from now and/or they will push out another young player you're really high on (Coker), just would be a poor use of current assets. Just look at how much it screwed over the Bengals to have to pay Burrow, Chase, and Higgins all in such a short time frame, and at least one of them was a QB. The only way I'm okay drafting a WR in the 1st this year is if we're then flipping Coker for say, a 2nd round pick. And I don't want to trade Coker, nor do I think anyone would give us that high of a pick for him right now either.