After next year, Atkins/Dunlap/MJ are all free agents

[*ochocincos*]

(12-13-2017, 04:39 PM)THE PISTONS Wrote: I looked at some of those guys.

Richburg - #14 Center - Average by PFF.
Jensen is the #8 Center
Long - #21 Center - Rated Poor but still better than Bodine.
Sillivan - #13 Center - Rated Average - 32 years old. GREAT signing by the Rams.
Linsley - #22 Center - Rated Poor but still better than Bodine.
Smith - #22 Guard. Rated Average.

Bodine - #31 Center. Rated Poor.

All better than Bodine though. Most by a lot.
Linsley hasn't been as good this year though but has been really good in the past.
Richburg too has been elite in the past, but lower this year.
Doesn't mean they will continue to be average. It could be an outlier rather than a trend.

And when it comes to the draft, it's very rare for a rookie to come in and be top 10.
Look at Pat Elflein for a great example. He is rated at 45.6, #28 C.
Pat Elflein is better than Bodine, but not better than all those centers I listed in FA.
So if you're going to draft one, you may not get what you hoped for, at least not within the first couple years.

EDIT - Is this center class really expected to be a ton better compared to last year? I don't see any prospects that are can't-miss from a center perspective like the Pounceys or Alex Mack. Billy Price, like Elflein, had one year starting experience at center before entering the draft. He may not be quite the elite prospect at center for the NFL like some propose him to be. He may just be like a lot of the guys listed above...just solid. Which is ok, but if you can get a solid center in FA vs the draft, why gamble on the draft like that?

EDIT #2 - If it's a choice between a FA guard and drafted center in the second or third round vs a FA center and a drafted guard in the second or third round, I'm going the latter. And I'm targeting Isaiah Wynn out of Georgia specifically.