Greg Little: "I'm going to keep Cam safe"

[MHS831]

Haters of the trade up---Lemme  explain as I did on another thread---Marty had no choice, to a degree, when Burns was available in the first.  The underlying concept is this:  We were NEEDS shopping--we HAD to have a starting LT in this draft. Where else are you getting one?  (Please, Moton fans--not now.  We have been over that many times--no signs that they like him at LT--even if you disagree)  Here is what we knew before the draft: 

Proven Left Tackles who can start as Rookies: (throw out Risner, Ford, McGary, Edwards, and Taylor--Right tackles, centers or guards by most opinions)

• J. Williams (top 15 player--not an option)
• A.  Dillard (first rounder--not an option)
• T. Howard (third round grade; doubtful he is ready to start, but he was taken after Dillard was picked in the first round---not an option)
• G. Little (roughly the 45th player overall)
• Y. Cajuste (101st player taken at end of third round--after Pipkins was taken.  Ready to start?  probably not.  Taken at the end of the third round suggests he is not ready for starting duties)
• Max Scharping and T. Pipkins are the only other LTs that were taken early--reaches. Neither are ready to start.  So if you scratch the players who went in the first round, and you eliminate the others without readiness to start, that leaves a very short list and not a need, a necessity.  Could we find another LT later--yes.  We did.  Want him starting? 

REAL TIME:  Marty is sitting there with three tackles on his list:  Greg Little, A. Dillard, and Alabama St.'s T Howard.  He had just picked Burns and was waiting to get that LT in the second.  Then Dillard goes at #22.  No worries, he was probably going soon anyway.  Then another Left Tackle is drafted at 23--Howard goes in the first round.   Marty panics, knowing that the tackle he wanted would not be falling into his lap.  Little, Howard, Evans, Cajusta, Dillard, McGary, Pipkins, Ford, and Taylor (first rounders in bold) had all been in for a private workout.  Undoubtedly, they were looking to see if RTs in college could make the switch.  They  did their homework.  Bobby Evans, for example had 3 contacts with the Panthers.  If they thought he had what it takes, they  probably do not trade up.  Same with Cajusta.  They saw the dropoff and knew they needed a starting LT--something I have been arguing on the Huddle about for months.  THE HAD TO  HAVE A STARTER AT LT, and Little was last on their list.

We studied the OT market.  We knew it.  SO you can imagine the panic when Marty saw 2 tackles drafted at 22 and 23.  He tried to trade up, but could not give enough to move that far.  He had to wait for the pick to come into range and pray that the last LT that could start would still be there.  At 31, the Birds take McGary, a RT.  Early in the second, the Jags take Taylor, another RT.  At #6 sat Buffalo, a team with a need for a "Franchise LT." (NFL.com).  Marty does what he has to do to get to #5--overpaying for the opportunity because the consequences of letting Little slip to Buffalo would be far worst than sitting back and going with a LT who needs to develop for a year or two.

He got Greg Little and it probably cost us a Safety.  Huddlers are bitching about both, and it is our right.  But if you roll up your sleeves and look at the real war room facts, Marty did what he had to do.  He had done his homework with the LTs.  Great pick, Marty.  Worse case scenario--He becomes a G.  However, had he not grabbed Little, in 2019 we could have had a decent S and a LT playing out of position.  Only one player gets your franchise QB killed.  Marty did what he had to do.

 

 

[Mainter]

I know a lot of you didn't like the trade, but look at it this way. We were going to pick Grier in the third anyway. Had it not been with pick 100 it would have been 77. We lost some value to the seahawks but got the Guy we were targeting anyway. And I firmly do believe we had to trade up to get him. 

[Lumps]

Don’t mind Little at all or the trade up. If anything he can be a solid RT for years to come. It’d be stupid to bet on Williams health wise or contract wise. And that’s worst case scenario.

[steven8989]

This pick scares me the most!

[CBDellinger]

If Little is a starter at LT for 4-5 yrs what we gave up won’t matter.  

 

 

[ThPantherFan]

On 4/26/2019 at 8:19 PM, Saca312 said:

Well, if you were to ask if I liked the trade up, I wasn't a big fan of what we had to give up. 

But, if you asked me if I were a fan of the player, I absolutely loved him and glad Marty made the pick.

And his quotes so far are very encouraging.

 

I like it.  Hope he lives up to his word.

[ThPantherFan]

On 4/26/2019 at 8:30 PM, Scum of the Turf said:

Stout line

We'll see.  Probably so but we'll see.

[steven8989]

38 minutes ago, ThPantherFan said:

I like it.  Hope he lives up to his word.

Lol what else is he going to say, I suck?

[Edwurst]

On 4/28/2019 at 5:09 PM, MHS831 said:

Haters of the trade up---Lemme  explain as I did on another thread---Marty had no choice, to a degree, when Burns was available in the first.  The underlying concept is this:  We were NEEDS shopping--we HAD to have a starting LT in this draft. Where else are you getting one?  (Please, Moton fans--not now.  We have been over that many times--no signs that they like him at LT--even if you disagree)  Here is what we knew before the draft: 

Proven Left Tackles who can start as Rookies: (throw out Risner, Ford, McGary, Edwards, and Taylor--Right tackles, centers or guards by most opinions)

• J. Williams (top 15 player--not an option)
• A.  Dillard (first rounder--not an option)
• T. Howard (third round grade; doubtful he is ready to start, but he was taken after Dillard was picked in the first round---not an option)
• G. Little (roughly the 45th player overall)
• Y. Cajuste (101st player taken at end of third round--after Pipkins was taken.  Ready to start?  probably not.  Taken at the end of the third round suggests he is not ready for starting duties)
• Max Scharping and T. Pipkins are the only other LTs that were taken early--reaches. Neither are ready to start.  So if you scratch the players who went in the first round, and you eliminate the others without readiness to start, that leaves a very short list and not a need, a necessity.  Could we find another LT later--yes.  We did.  Want him starting? 

REAL TIME:  Marty is sitting there with three tackles on his list:  Greg Little, A. Dillard, and Alabama St.'s T Howard.  He had just picked Burns and was waiting to get that LT in the second.  Then Dillard goes at #22.  No worries, he was probably going soon anyway.  Then another Left Tackle is drafted at 23--Howard goes in the first round.   Marty panics, knowing that the tackle he wanted would not be falling into his lap.  Little, Howard, Evans, Cajusta, Dillard, McGary, Pipkins, Ford, and Taylor (first rounders in bold) had all been in for a private workout.  Undoubtedly, they were looking to see if RTs in college could make the switch.  They  did their homework.  Bobby Evans, for example had 3 contacts with the Panthers.  If they thought he had what it takes, they  probably do not trade up.  Same with Cajusta.  They saw the dropoff and knew they needed a starting LT--something I have been arguing on the Huddle about for months.  THE HAD TO  HAVE A STARTER AT LT, and Little was last on their list.

We studied the OT market.  We knew it.  SO you can imagine the panic when Marty saw 2 tackles drafted at 22 and 23.  He tried to trade up, but could not give enough to move that far.  He had to wait for the pick to come into range and pray that the last LT that could start would still be there.  At 31, the Birds take McGary, a RT.  Early in the second, the Jags take Taylor, another RT.  At #6 sat Buffalo, a team with a need for a "Franchise LT." (NFL.com).  Marty does what he has to do to get to #5--overpaying for the opportunity because the consequences of letting Little slip to Buffalo would be far worst than sitting back and going with a LT who needs to develop for a year or two.

He got Greg Little and it probably cost us a Safety.  Huddlers are bitching about both, and it is our right.  But if you roll up your sleeves and look at the real war room facts, Marty did what he had to do.  He had done his homework with the LTs.  Great pick, Marty.  Worse case scenario--He becomes a G.  However, had he not grabbed Little, in 2019 we could have had a decent S and a LT playing out of position.  Only one player gets your franchise QB killed.  Marty did what he had to do.

 

 

Best post in the whole draft discussion. TY.

The Panthers still had a lower third left after giving the higher one up to address highest priority at the time. Forget all these specious "draft capital" calculations, we needed a LT, and he happened to be 1 +/- BPA available in that spot, regardless of need. NO team was going to let the Panthers slide with giving up 100 instead of 77 to move that high up. NO one. People are acting like moving up ten spots to get fifth pick in the second round was supposed to be obtained by giving up a fourth and sixth pick.

That is NOT reality, folks.

The price was not cheap, but it was far from exorbitant to get what we got.