Drafting a Guard in the first round

[Happy Panther]

Well, I think this discussion is all for naught; Warmack will be gone before pick 15 comes around....Any other guard available is not worth the 15th pick, IMO...

Warmack is apparently that good. Some are saying he is the best talent in the draft.

I wouldn't undervalue the G position. A stud there improves the whole line. Maybe it's a solution to keeping Gross on the left side. Wouldn't be my expected pick but this draft has us taking him.

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/nfldraftscout-RobRang

[NCstoner420]

I was on the Warmack train before the combine but he seemed like he wasn't all there when doing all the drills. I hope he shows up for his pro day on the 13th.

[Mr. Scot]

it can never and should never be as simple as just that.

need must be accounted for in that decision...like if the BPA is a MLB or a QB or an RB...do we really take one over DT, CB, WR, FS, etc.?

also, what is my board looking like for that position later? can i find someone of nearly equal value later? is there a thinner grouping for this position than others?

is this position as crucial for the team as others, esp. crucial enough to warrant this early selection?

there's just too many factors to take in.

Not discounting any of that. All of these things go into how you build your draft board.

Just saying if there's a guy atop your draft board when your turn comes up, I'm not a big fan of hesitating based on the notion that "you don't take Position X in Round Y".

[SauceBoss]

you don't need a probowler. you just need some guy that doesn't get pushed around much, who can open a hole or two, and doesn't get many holding calls or false starts. basically just some guy who isn't a liability. they aren't hard to find and they don't cost a lot.

you could make a case for OT, but that has more to do with OTs in FA being expensive. still they take longer to look good than other positions you could be picking up so you got to be ready for that.

So what you're saying is we don't need what we already have? Cut both guards, find new cheaper ones.

[frash.exe]

drafting a guard in the first round is like spending $80 on a pair of underwear

[Brokenbad]

It would be a SUPER boring pick when we need playermakers at skill positions.

[Frizzy350]

Who wants a tackling machine MLB with a top 10 pick when you can get a serviceable MLB in FA for cheap?

See where I'm going with this?

Its all about balancing the value of the pick with the impact the pick makes.

Cooper or Warmack would make an astronomical impact on our offense. Last year I was calling for us to pick DeCastro because I knew guard would be a huge area of concern for our offense. The offensive line is only as strong as it's weakest link and having one horribly incompetent starter will make the entire line incompetent. We have some really good players on our Oline, but our elite (Gross and Kalil) aren't known to be maulers- we need at least one guy who plays with a bit of excessive aggression.

I know many are calling for a corner stating that its a more valuable position, but if you look over the past decades worth of drafts and you realize there is a VERY high bust rate for first round corners. DT I feel is kind of in the same boat; sure guys like Suh, McCoy and Darius turn out well, but other then that most of the first round DTs are viewed as project players in some manner. There are enough promising receivers this year to address that need in the second. OT would be a great route to go if we can get one of the good ones coming out, but I fear the top 3 will be gone when we pick.

[nagai]

drafting a guard in the first round is like spending $80 on a pair of underwear

But what if that pair of underwear gets you laid a lot?!

[BigSyke]

^^so it makes u look bigger? thats the only way......never mind.

[rodeo]

If good guards are so extremely easy to find why have we had poo guards for the past 5 years

[nagai]

^^so it makes u look bigger? thats the only way......never mind.

Damn imperfect analogies!

Uh hum. My point is that drafting Cooper or Warmack could still be the best move we could make on draft day. With the way the running game is, with how we play Geral McCoy 2 times a year, the impact of a guard could be huge. We wouldn't even be paying all that much for them with the new CBA. I don't really get why it would be a waste.

[CPF4LIFE]

It would be a lot invested in the position but we would have a lot of talent there for at least the next 4 years with Silatolu and Warmack, Saints won a Superbowl in the time they had both Evans and Nicks.

[frash.exe]

I thought last year's total neglect to address skill positions in the first and second round would've quenched the huddle's propensity toward underwhelming first round additions

[carolina-chuck]

Could Cooper move to T? He looks athletic enough. Moves really well for a giant man

You want a 6'2 OT?