03-06-2023, 10:30 PM
(03-06-2023, 01:40 AM)Isaac Curtis: The Real #85 Wrote: Look, I apprciate the list, and I am not arguing that we do a better job than KC late. I was taking issue with the idea that we did a terrible job. And I also think that going back to before ZT was here is totally meaningless for this discussion.
Also, I think games played can be a bit misleading.
In 2022, we traded up twice, so had less picks.
4th: Volson: STARTED 17 games
5th: Anderson: hurt/stashed all year (he'll play this year)
7th: Gunter: played in 10 games.
2021: Games played: 21/22
4th: Sample: 14/16.
4th: Shelvin: 2/3. Released. That is a whiff.
4th: Smith: 2/1. A project that has not paid off as of yet.
5th: McPherson. 16/16
6th: T. Hill: 13/11.
6th: Evans: 14/12.
7th: Hubert: got hurt & retired.
We aren't getting starters late because the starters are stacked with guys drafted 1st-3rd. And because FA/trades helped the rebuild. Often with guys dtafted high.
On O: Burrow, Chase, Higgins, Boyd, and Mixon are studs we drafted Rd2 or sooner. We brought in FAs to start in 2022 at TE, C, RG & RT. It made zero sense to take another tackle with Jonah there. That's 10/11 spots. Volson was a 4th Rd pick. Hurst was a 1st (replacing CJ), Cappa a 3rd, Karras a 6th, Collins UFA.
On D: Hubbard, Wilson, Pratt, Bates, and CTB are guys we drafted Rd2 or Rd 3. We brought in established studs in Reader (5th) & Hendrickson (3rd) plus solid vets like Hilton & Bell. That's 9 spots. Awuzie (2nd) and Apple (1st) were fantastic rehab jobs as FAs. And BJ Hill (3rd) via trade.
The Chiefs are years ahead of us in their arc of contention. As Burrow & the others get raises, we'll have to rely more on draft picks & less on FAs to be starter level guys. We will not be able to afford them. But most of our FAs we got in rebuilding (Awuzie, Bell, Reader, Hendrickson, etc) are still getting paid, & those decisions will be upcoming.
Again, I am mot comparing us vs the Chiefs. Just saying that under ZT, we have gotten about what I'd expect out of our 4th-7th guys on a team that starts a lot of FAs: mostly quality depth guys (C. Sample, ADG, Bailey, etc) and a couple starters (Volson, McPherson). And we've missed on a couple. And a couple got hurt.
I get it.
But I dont see Gunter playing in 10 games with 1 tackle assist the entire season as being a contributor?
Anderson even if healthy, was most likely 99% ST only this past season.
Sample is a rotation guy, but I could see a rookie pass rusher surpassing him immediately.
Shelvin, like you said, was a wiff.
Smith looked worse this preseason than he ever has, did they move Carmen from G to T because Smith regressed?
Hill has never looked good to me, hope he takes a step or Ben Brown could supplant him freeing up a spot as Brown can play C & G.
Evans was a terrible pick, should had been UDFA
These guys are not starting for any team, Dax didnt start due to Bates, these guys are not talented enough to have been starters and to be honest I dont want any of them to become starters.
And I repeat Rds 1-3 should produce quality players, especially as high as we had been picking prior to the last 2 years.
KC is much more than 1 year ahead of us as to drafting quality deeper in the draft.
Look at your list, where is a Smith, Snead, Pacheco?
You can be satisfied with all the draftees, but I think I can make a case that says we are Charles Barkley TURRBLE drafting deep in the draft and we are embarrassingly horrendous at drafting oline the last 10 years.
My entire point is simply to suggest that we must improve on drafting deep and drafting oline with all the new big contracts we have coming up.
