MHS831

It is that time of year, when every crackhead with a computer and passing interest in football knows more than the GMs (self excluded).

The million dollar question to me is (and I am wondering what front office is thinking): Do we feel that LT has been addressed enough that it is no longer considered our biggest need? One could argue that DT, CB, or S is bigger--and that would not be a winnable argument. I just hope that they do not think Scott and Erving and maybe Daley or even Little have the LT spot locked down. I want to see that Jordan Gross over there. That decade long, "don't worry about it."

It is hard to believe Jones, but it was rather convincing. If they were behind the smoke, hats off.

Dont be surprised to see a DT or a QB slide into the first 3 picks. Just stirrin the pot here

Just laying it out there. I hear ya. Slater is a lot more versatile and I love his feet. Really gets to the second level well--that should be good for a few hundred extra yards for CMC. He can be the best guard in the NFL, or he can be a very good LT. Darrisaw is a LT.

Pitts, Sewell, and Chase are just on a level of their own. I would throw Trevor on that pile--4 players who are the best of the best. If one is there, you have to have a plan to take him.

I cant dismiss the idea of grabbing Pitts if he is there. The matchup problems would help Darnold

We do need a LT. Here is what scares me--there are some good CBs that should be on the board---all of them, in fact. There are good tackles that will be available in round 2--do we get cute and chase a CB, then "settle" at OT in round 2? I mean, round 2 could feature Eichenberg, W. Little, Leatherwood, etc. Not what I would do, but...

or maybe we are only looking at potential day 3 selections virtually...we could be visiting other players at those positions (CB, WR)--but you could be right. To me, it seems the interview is more important to Rhule than it has been in the past.

...then we are going to draft Slater, right? Not so fast, my friends. Slater is not necessarily the best LT after Sewell in this draft. He has good feet and finesse, but there are concerns. Darrisaw from Va Tech may just be the second best LT in this draft. https://www.profootballnetwork.com/rashawn-slater-christian-darrisaw-which-2021-ot-has-highest-ceiling/ "So who is the OT2 in the 2021 class? It’s a fascinating battle between these two. Each of their strengths, Rashawn Slater’s technique/Darrisaw’s tools, are at the top of this class. However, their weaknesses are also still above average and aren’t real “weaknesses.” Essentially, this battle among these 2021 offensive tackle prospects is between a Laremy Tunsil-type offensive lineman and a Jonah Williams/Zack Martin-type. Both of them are excellent in their own right and are going to be excellent pros. Ultimately, I believe that OT2 belongs to Darrisaw. Simply put, Darrisaw can make up the ground on Slater technically. However, Slater cannot make up the ground on Darrisaw physically. As a result, Darrisaw’s ceiling is much higher. In a league driven by ceiling, where the top tackles like Trent Williams and Tyron Smith were dominant in the 2010s, that’s going to matter more. If a team wants to play Rashawn Slater inside at guard to give them the best starting five linemen, I think he’ll excel there. However, he is just as good on the outside at tackle and will be a great player there as well. Christian Darrisaw simply projects easier as a Day 1 starting left tackle. Slater will still likely be the second offensive lineman off the board in mock drafts. For my money, however, Darrisaw would ultimately be my pick as the second offensive tackle taken in the 2021 NFL Draft." I did not see this coming...Does not seem as if we can lose either way. If we would take either, trading back just got easier.

Decent thread, WOW, but the result was a discussion on the value of stats, not what stats equate to success at QB. Something to think about.

Cincinnati will determine whether Sewell might be available, obviously, but do not assume Sewell to the Bengals is a done deal. https://www.si.com/nfl/bengals/gm-report/prospect-breakdown-a-closer-look-at-northwestern-offensive-lineman-rashawn-slater

It seems pretty settled--we are fairly certain that 4 QBs go before us, a LT, Pitts, and maybe Chase.

Yes, we need OL, but if you look at the DB situation, we are not in a good, long-term place. We need to draft a DB or 2 as well--30+ year old CBs, Jackson in a contract year---Burris, Franklin, and Robinson at S (when Chinn is at LB)....

Actually, the moves they have made are pretty impressive--these are unusual times. The Darnold move may not pay off, but to get a developmental, 23 year old QB with NFL experience and not have to use your first rounder drafting a 21 year old developmental QB with NO NFL experience was brilliant. Now we get the QB AND the LT. The players we have signed on the bottom end are low risk, high reward players. Erv and Elf on the OL, the biggest head scratchers to me, can play every position on the OL. So I will reserve judgement, but Marty's answer was to re-sign what you know (he used to brag that 3 of his draft picks were the highest paid at their respective positions---because HE PAID THEM) and throw scrubs at some spots like RT, RG, DT, CB, etc. while he tried to figure it out. I will take this---it seems like the second year of the three year turnaround.

Individual stats are still reflective of the supporting cast--you cant separate them. And there is no real reason for them. Put Tom Brady in NY last year. Are his stats similar to Tampa? That would be a big ole bowl of NOPE.

So lemme get this straight--You want a QB who throws into the teeth of the defense and you want his completion percentage to be 64%. You want the yards over 4000, but you want the interceptions in the single digits. How many current QBs do that now?

First numbers were Jake Delhomme in 2003, the closest this team ever came to winning a super bowl,

The bad thing about these mocks is trading is too easy and fun as hell. I end up with 30 players and 22 future draft picks. So I send my mocks to some teams needing GMs. Fingers crossed.

1) The round 1 LT is a must, and the more I watch Slater, the better I feel about it. 2) A smart, elite C is something we lack and Paradis is old. Go ahead and get one now. If he can win the job now, cut/trade Paradis. 3) Mills is a QB we can develop and trade for a first rounder or two if Darnold catches on and become good, and he could be a good backup until then. 4) Twyman is a pass rushing 3 T. 5) Thomas is a solid zone CB with starting potential. We have some older guys for now, so let's give him a year to learn. 6) Shi Smith is a slot WR/return guy. 7) Ball is going to start at RT in the NFL. Let him learn for a year--playing in jumbo packages, etc. was surprised to see him at 222. Regrets? Did not address S, #1 CB, TE

Why is this "depending on the draft?" The Panthers got strong QB play in 2003 and 2015, and neither QB had 4000 yards. both were over 4% BELOW 64% in completion percentage. Did you adjust for a 17-game schedule? And to say wins are not the measure of an individual QB, neither are stats. Darnold will not be calling plays and he has no control over the existence of a pocket. He does not run the routes or catch the passes for the WRs/TEs. So there are too many variables for anyone to reduce the measure of a QB to a few cherry picked statistics. Winning is all that matters. Jake Delhomme nearly won the Super Bowl with a 59% completion rate and 19 TDs and 16 Ints. 3200 yards. Yet he was a gamer. He took the team on his back and he made plays when they were needed. I am looking for the skillset, but a leader is not determined by stats. We all know that. Bridgewater came closer to your stats that Delhomme did. He had 3700 yards and completed 69% of his passes. His TD/INT ratio was about the same as Jake's was in 2003. So using this model, Teddy Bridgewater in 2020 was a better QB than Jake Delhomme in 2003, the team that barely lost Super Bowl 38).

What would you say if he posted the following numbers: Completes 59.2%, 3200 yards, 19 TDs and 16 Ints. for an 80.6 QBR. Super Bowl? What if he did this: Completes 59.8% 3800 yards 35 TDs and 10 ints. for a 99.4 QBR. Super Bowl?

I'd be celebrating this for weeks.

This makes too much sense. If Darnold struggles or goes down with an injury, the season is not over with TB---as much as that makes people mad--with upgrades to the OL, TE, and CMC returning, we should be OK. I fully expect the D to be better. Or we could go with our current backups. Yikes.

I think your thread has brought forth some interesting discussion-rework his deal and trade him. I am not certain teams will wait for him to be cut because there are others interested. Still, you will have a bigger market after the draft for trades (Minshew, possibly, Garropolo, etc. But some teams and players seem to be quite content with big name backups (Raiders, Bills, for example). To be honest, If Atlanta does not draft a QB this year (and they shouldn't) Teddy would be a great backup for Ryan.