Welcom to the team, Drew Sample!

[THE PISTONS]

(04-27-2019, 09:34 AM)Luvnit2 Wrote: For those who hate the Sample pick, keep in mind it is impossible to judge this pick for a year or 2. Fans complain we can't run the ball. When is last time we had a dominant run blocking TE? Fans complain we can't protect AD, when is last time we had a dominant pass blocking TE?

Callahan spoke on the website on why he wanted him as did Casey, go watch or read the interview. They feel the Bengals need to be able to run the ball in November and December in the cold AFCN. Are they wrong?


Our fans want the flashy guy, but ignore Belichick's unflashy drafts year after year where all he is does is take mostly football players, the unflashy guys. Look at his guys at when they are taken in relation to expert draft boards. Rarely do they not look like reach picks.


We say we want our offense to not be predictable, well a defense having no fear of you running the ball down your throat makes your offense predictable.

They drafted the number 1 rated TE blocking according to PFF, they drafted him to block and if he catches 30 balls a year, that is wonderful, but they drafted him to block.

I'm ok with Sample being on the roster. Even if he can only block at the NFL level, there is a role for that. And he may be a better pass catcher in the Pro's than college.

That said, I think it's valid to question if he was drafted a Round or 2 too high. I think it's also valid to question if the Bengals should have stayed at their original 2nd Round spot and taken Irv Smith. I also wonder if the Bengals thought Smith might slide 10 spots to this pick, then when he was gone...knowing there was no LB there worth it, they took Sample?

That said...it's done. You draft guys that you think can produce in the Pros and it doesn't really matter the spot to some degree I suppose as long as they are productive. You would hope that this kid could catch 400-500 yards of passes a year though IF he ends up starting. Our offense had a huge dropoff last year when Eifert went down. I know people love Uzomah and he was a decent fill-in, but he just was maybe 10% of the pass receiving threat of Eifert. Having that pass catching TE really makes an offense dynamic.