2020 draft thread

[Chromeburn]

Originally Posted by rm1369

I think you’d start a rookie at RT and slide Smith in to RG. I’d take a QB or DT over OT if someone worth the pick is still there, but otherwise I like OT. The next major need is obviously WR, but the talent pool is so deep this year you should be able to get a good prospect outside the 1st round. If they are going to draft a QB this year or next I don’t want a young QB starting with a rookie or subpar LT.

Originally Posted by Ironshaft

Honestly, you can never put too much emphasis on the O-line.

And a rookie picked at #13 would start immediately. At right OT. Sliding Smith inside to right OG would upgrade two positions and make our line even better while giving us a quality 6th man in Glowinski (assuming Haeg gets paid in free agency to leave us).

We are one OT injury away from offensive line turning into a liability and you talk about too much emphasis on O-line??

I like Smith at RT, he does well there and I believe he is one of the top rated tackles in the league. The rookie would have to supplant him or earn it I hope. Otherwise there is no need to disrupt two positions. More likely the rookie would play at guard then that would mean we spent two high 1st round draft picks on guards. And the entire line is just about 1st rounders, which is kinda overkill. I like having a good line too but not to the detriment of other position groups. WR needs a serious talent upgrade and TY is not getting younger or healthier. I get tired of watching our QBs sit and wait forever for a receiver to get open. DL needs a 3-tech and do we have a dominant pass rusher? Do we have a shutdown corner?

I would understand if Castonzo retired but he didn’t, and we can upgrade guard with a lower pick. Now if I thought Castonzo was leaving next year, then I could see an argument for it. Guess we can see what his contract is like.

All teams are an injury away from the oline or position group falling apart. It is hard to build depth in the league. And if a team has it, it is likely because they have their top talent on a rookie contract. we lost because other position groups need help, not because the oline needs more high end talent.

[rm1369]

I won’t have an issue with a WR at 13, I’m just not sure WR will be the best value with the depth available at the position in this draft.

How much sense it makes for overall team building to me largely depends what they’re overall offseason plan is. If they switch to win now mode, sign Rivers, AND spend money on other meaningful FAs then I agree that WR makes more sense. However if we are still in build through the draft mode and not aggressively trying to compete this year then I see more long term value at OT than WR. Yes we have AC, but we also have a pretty clear indication that is probably a year to year proposition. Smith may be a good RT, but he struggles with speed rushers and just is not a viable option at LT. And even the run game sucked with AC out. I just don’t like the unknown at LT with grooming a QB. I understand the concerns about the investments in the OL, but to me you can’t let that dictate what you do at LT. The position is way to important- especially to the success of a young QB.

[Chromeburn]

Originally Posted by rm1369

I won’t have an issue with a WR at 13, I’m just not sure WR will be the best value with the depth available at the position in this draft.

How much sense it makes for overall team building to me largely depends what they’re overall offseason plan is. If they switch to win now mode, sign Rivers, AND spend money on other meaningful FAs then I agree that WR makes more sense. However if we are still in build through the draft mode and not aggressively trying to compete this year then I see more long term value at OT than WR. Yes we have AC, but we also have a pretty clear indication that is probably a year to year proposition. Smith may be a good RT, but he struggles with speed rushers and just is not a viable option at LT. And even the run game sucked with AC out. I just don’t like the unknown at LT with grooming a QB. I understand the concerns about the investments in the OL, but to me you can’t let that dictate what you do at LT. The position is way to important- especially to the success of a young QB.

To me LT is a foundational position along with pass rusher and QB. But I don’t like investing a high 1st in a guy that isn’t guaranteed to start next year. And what if Castonzo decides to stay four years? That guy may never see the position he was drafted for during his rookie contract. Ballard will go BPA. If one of the BPA’s match a need then they will go there. Only thing that will change that is if they like a QB in this draft.

And lots of RTs struggle with speed rushers, he is still very good. I don’t see the position needing fixing especially with our other pressing needs.

WR is very undervalued on this board. We have little talent at the position. We have to scheme guys open. They really need to get a few playmakers in there. It is a deep draft, but the top of it is very talented and could be number one receivers out of the box. Which is really what we need.

[rm1369]

Originally Posted by Chromeburn

To me LT is a foundational position along with pass rusher and QB. But I don’t like investing a high 1st in a guy that isn’t guaranteed to start next year. And what if Castonzo decides to stay four years? That guy may never see the position he was drafted for during his rookie contract. Ballard will go BPA. If one of the BPA’s match a need then they will go there. Only thing that will change that is if they like a QB in this draft.

And lots of RTs struggle with speed rushers, he is still very good. I don’t see the position needing fixing especially with our other pressing needs.

WR is very undervalued on this board. We have little talent at the position. We have to scheme guys open. They really need to get a few playmakers in there. It is a deep draft, but the top of it is very talented and could be number one receivers out of the box. Which is really what we need.

I want to be clear - I wasn’t knocking Smith or even suggesting he needed replaced at RT. The weak spot on the line is RG. My comment was just to highlight that I don’t think he’s a viable option to move to LT. We don’t have anyone I’d feel comfortable with at LT for an extended period besides AC. I’m aware that with the lack of quality LTs in the league that’s certainly not unusual though.

I understand your point about Castonzo. We don’t really have any idea where his head is, but hopefully Ballard does. My fear is they draft a young QB to sit this year and Castonzo retires next year. Entirely possible I’m being too cautious about it, but I hate the idea of a young QB and subpar or even rookie LT. It doesn’t just suck for that year, it can affect the QBs development significantly. Hopefully Ballard has a better indication where ACs head is and we aren’t subject to 3-4 years of will he or won’t he questions.

I also agree on the need for help at WR. As I said, if Ballard is spending money and trying to seriously win this year then WR definitely trumps OT as far as needs. I guess I’m just not sold that is Ballard’s plan, so overall I’m looking at this as the best way to support a young QB and weapons come third to me behind protection and defense.

Either way it isn’t a huge deal. They need help at multiple positions and with 3 picks in the top 44 and tons of cash, they should be able to fill several holes.

[Crush22]

Originally Posted by Ironshaft

We are one OT injury away from offensive line turning into a liability and you talk about too much emphasis on O-line??

You can say that about any position.

[Chromeburn]

Originally Posted by rm1369

I want to be clear - I wasn’t knocking Smith or even suggesting he needed replaced at RT. The weak spot on the line is RG. My comment was just to highlight that I don’t think he’s a viable option to move to LT. We don’t have anyone I’d feel comfortable with at LT for an extended period besides AC. I’m aware that with the lack of quality LTs in the league that’s certainly not unusual though.

I understand your point about Castonzo. We don’t really have any idea where his head is, but hopefully Ballard does. My fear is they draft a young QB to sit this year and Castonzo retires next year. Entirely possible I’m being too cautious about it, but I hate the idea of a young QB and subpar or even rookie LT. It doesn’t just suck for that year, it can affect the QBs development significantly. Hopefully Ballard has a better indication where ACs head is and we aren’t subject to 3-4 years of will he or won’t he questions.

I also agree on the need for help at WR. As I said, if Ballard is spending money and trying to seriously win this year then WR definitely trumps OT as far as needs. I guess I’m just not sold that is Ballard’s plan, so overall I’m looking at this as the best way to support a young QB and weapons come third to me behind protection and defense.

Either way it isn’t a huge deal. They need help at multiple positions and with 3 picks in the top 44 and tons of cash, they should be able to fill several holes.

Yeah it’s not an ideal situation and I don’t know if there is an ideal
solution. I guess the safe play would be to draft one of the top four LTs if one is available. The only DT I’m sold on is Kinlaw, I actually think Brown will be a bust or not as good as his draft position. The top couple of receivers, a QB, or maybe a chance on a freak Edge like Chiasson.

[rm1369]

Originally Posted by Chromeburn

Yeah it’s not an ideal situation and I don’t know if there is an ideal
solution. I guess the safe play would be to draft one of the top four LTs if one is available. The only DT I’m sold on is Kinlaw, I actually think Brown will be a bust or not as good as his draft position. The top couple of receivers, a QB, or maybe a chance on a freak Edge like Chiasson.

Agree that Kinlaw is the ideal addition. They desperately need a DT, but I wouldn’t complain about Chaisson either. He’d be pretty good replacement for Sheard. They need more DL talent wherever they can find it.

[Pez]

Originally Posted by rm1369

I want to be clear - I wasn’t knocking Smith or even suggesting he needed replaced at RT. The weak spot on the line is RG. My comment was just to highlight that I don’t think he’s a viable option to move to LT. We don’t have anyone I’d feel comfortable with at LT for an extended period besides AC. I’m aware that with the lack of quality LTs in the league that’s certainly not unusual though.

I understand your point about Castonzo. We don’t really have any idea where his head is, but hopefully Ballard does. My fear is they draft a young QB to sit this year and Castonzo retires next year. Entirely possible I’m being too cautious about it, but I hate the idea of a young QB and subpar or even rookie LT. It doesn’t just suck for that year, it can affect the QBs development significantly. Hopefully Ballard has a better indication where ACs head is and we aren’t subject to 3-4 years of will he or won’t he questions.

I also agree on the need for help at WR. As I said, if Ballard is spending money and trying to seriously win this year then WR definitely trumps OT as far as needs. I guess I’m just not sold that is Ballard’s plan, so overall I’m looking at this as the best way to support a young QB and weapons come third to me behind protection and defense.

Either way it isn’t a huge deal. They need help at multiple positions and with 3 picks in the top 44 and tons of cash, they should be able to fill several holes.

Agree on Smith, just cant overlook that he is a naturally a guard. I think we need to pick up a tackle in FA, and draft one. Let those two compete for RT and move smith to guard. If we cant get a serviceable tackle from FA and draft, we have the luxury of moving smith back to RT.

Then we can keep grooming one of these guys to be Castanzo's replacement. I agree we don't know where his head is, but I think we can only reasonably expect one more season from him. We need to look for a quality tackle in FA, and a 3rd rounder in the draft. Lets go after Conklin or Peters.

[YDFL Commish]

Originally Posted by Pez

Agree on Smith, just cant overlook that he is a naturally a guard. I think we need to pick up a tackle in FA, and draft one. Let those two compete for RT and move smith to guard. If we cant get a serviceable tackle from FA and draft, we have the luxury of moving smith back to RT.

Then we can keep grooming one of these guys to be Castanzo's replacement. I agree we don't know where his head is, but I think we can only reasonably expect one more season from him. We need to look for a quality tackle in FA, and a 3rd rounder in the draft. Lets go after Conklin or Peters.

From what I've seen of Smith at RT, he is playing at a level equal to or better than Ryan Diem played for the Colts.

That's good enough for me. But, yeah we need to draft a quality OT in the first few rounds of this draft, because of the Costanzo uncertainty as to how long he will play and because of the need for an upgrade over LaRaven Clark.

[smitty46953]

Ian Rapoport‏Verified account @RapSheet ·

Source: The #Colts are releasing veteran DT Margus Hunt, a starter over the last three seasons.

With this happening puts DT on Ballard's radar. Kinlaw I hope