04-30-2022, 11:47 PM
(04-30-2022, 11:27 PM)leonardfan40 Wrote: Favorite: CTB. Good in zone and man. Great athlete. 3 straight years of sub 80 passer rating allowed. 3 years playing most games each year.
Least favorite: Dax. I’m rooting for him, hope I’m wrong, but he never impressed me. His speed allowed him to recover when out of position in college against mediocre WR/TE’s and bad QB’s. Won’t work in the NFL. Doesn’t have the experience as a true center fielder. It’s not as simple moving a slot corner/etc back there so he has his work cut out for him if that’s where he’s going to end up. He’s athletic enough for it so hopefully he can.
He’s something of a Swiss Army knife which can be useful but my concern is he never finds a home and thus never reaches the potential we would expect from a first rounder. I don’t think he’s good enough to be an outside corner, saw him getting beat by OSU wr’s that game even when they didn’t get the ball (granted all 3 OSU wr’s will be top 15 picks once JSN goes early next year). I can see why people like him, but he has serious bust potential that nobody seems willing to acknowledge.
After seeing this draft I’m also starting to get concerned about the Bengals love of guys with “versatility”. It’s great in theory but spreading these guys too thin or constantly trying to change positions or move them to spots they never played can stunt a young players growth. We may have seen some of that last year with o linemen, d line, etc. This draft class could completely bomb for just that reason. Not saying that’s what’s going to happen but it’s something I’ll keep my eye on from now on. If this class bombs they need to quickly get over their love of the versatile player and get guys who are actually good at their one job. Better to be good at one position than mediocre or bad at multiple. Just something to keep an eye on. Only time will tell.
You make valid points. But most of the players drafted did play at permanent spots. It’s not like they’ve not had success at a position. But in today’s NFL and a few players at QB, WR, and LT earning all the salary cap having versatile players is going to be a must. Especially the backups. Hill was on several boards a top 15 player in the draft. But he immediately becomes the backup for Hilton, Bates, and Bell. He becomes a big role player as the third safety in a package that’s becoming more prominent all the time. CTB is a solid competition for Apple our weakest starter on the whole team. Carter I wasn’t high on but he is versatile, ha ha.
