01-04-2017, 12:24 AM
So, I believe that the run of great drafts we had 2-5 years ago has given our front office a false sense of talent when it comes to drafting. I do believe that for about 3 years our team was hands down the best team in the NFL in terms of getting talent through all 7 rounds and applying it to the field. Seriously, Andy Dalton now would be a 1st round pick. Geno Atkins would be a first round pick. Carlos Dunlap is a 1st round pick. I'm not saying we didn't have any busts.
With that being said, I think our team thinks that we are a better drafting team that we are. That hubris has gone as far as drafting a 1st rounder to warm up the pine for 2 consecutive years and due to an injury, make it 3 (Dennard, Ogbuehi, and WJIII). In fact, we drafted a player who had a pre-existing knee injury and there was no guarantee he would ever return to form. I don't think as a championship caliber team we should have been taking that gamble.
On draft day, I predict that we trade down, significantly, for extra late round draft picks. I'd expect us to trade down to the later teens (17-19) or maybe even as far as 24. But, I can almost guarantee that short of some miraculous slide, we trade down a minimum of 6 places. Our front office thinks that they are far better drafters than they actually are. Then again, later round draft picks actually play for us, so maybe we should trade down.
For me, I know that we won't be getting Mike Williams of Clemson, Leonard Fournette of LSU is out of the picture (I'd rather get Nick Chubb of UGA next year anyway), and the Alabama DE and LB are not in our cards either.
I think this years draft is going to disappoint, yet again. Just like this past season...
With that being said, I think our team thinks that we are a better drafting team that we are. That hubris has gone as far as drafting a 1st rounder to warm up the pine for 2 consecutive years and due to an injury, make it 3 (Dennard, Ogbuehi, and WJIII). In fact, we drafted a player who had a pre-existing knee injury and there was no guarantee he would ever return to form. I don't think as a championship caliber team we should have been taking that gamble.
On draft day, I predict that we trade down, significantly, for extra late round draft picks. I'd expect us to trade down to the later teens (17-19) or maybe even as far as 24. But, I can almost guarantee that short of some miraculous slide, we trade down a minimum of 6 places. Our front office thinks that they are far better drafters than they actually are. Then again, later round draft picks actually play for us, so maybe we should trade down.
For me, I know that we won't be getting Mike Williams of Clemson, Leonard Fournette of LSU is out of the picture (I'd rather get Nick Chubb of UGA next year anyway), and the Alabama DE and LB are not in our cards either.
I think this years draft is going to disappoint, yet again. Just like this past season...
