04-01-2024, 05:44 PM
Good question. I'll rate them in order of preference. They all come with slight context:
1. Mims- love this kid. I won't even talk about him in terms of potential because I'm satisfied with what he can already do. He's a force of nature and if he can stay healthy the sky's the limit.
2. Latham- he's been near the top of the big board for over a year. Major program. Plays RT and that's what we need. I won't overthink it or get distracted by the Leatherwood/Neal argument or "ceilings" or any of that other stuff. He's solid value and I'd be happy to welcome him to the group.
3. Murphy II- I don't mind Byron as a player. I do mind if he can't be a 1T or fill whatever role Lou needs him to fill. He did play some snaps there as a Longhorn but it's completely different. He wasn't even the prime NT on his own team (Sweat). But if he can do it and they see his future there- or they see Rankins there and Byron can stay where he is- maybe that changes things.
4. JPJ- I like his ability to fill in for any of the three IOL, be it now or in the future. I'd rather defer it to Round 2 (Frazier) given that it doesn't address an immediate need, but it still wouldn't be a waste of a pick. I think just having some quality depth for once may up everyone's game.
5. Robinson- I don't know. I just... I don't know. It'd be the second year in a row we go this route. Maybe too many cooks in the kitchen even if he's BPA.
6. Newton- not a fan. Granted I may be biased since I've never really been a fan and could be looking for reasons to doubt him lol. But like Byron, he's not the 1T we need. That's just not his forte. Worse, the Illini have never been very good and that matters to me. But I hope he proves me wrong. It wouldn't be the first time.
7. Thomas Jr.- I'm assuming Tee stays. It would be such a needless media distraction to have his successor patrolling the sidelines. If you like Thomas then you need to deal Tee. The situation won't be much different next year and we need value from both assets now since we're smack dab in the middle of our SB window. And that's all I have to say about that. \Forrest Gump voice
1. Mims- love this kid. I won't even talk about him in terms of potential because I'm satisfied with what he can already do. He's a force of nature and if he can stay healthy the sky's the limit.
2. Latham- he's been near the top of the big board for over a year. Major program. Plays RT and that's what we need. I won't overthink it or get distracted by the Leatherwood/Neal argument or "ceilings" or any of that other stuff. He's solid value and I'd be happy to welcome him to the group.
3. Murphy II- I don't mind Byron as a player. I do mind if he can't be a 1T or fill whatever role Lou needs him to fill. He did play some snaps there as a Longhorn but it's completely different. He wasn't even the prime NT on his own team (Sweat). But if he can do it and they see his future there- or they see Rankins there and Byron can stay where he is- maybe that changes things.
4. JPJ- I like his ability to fill in for any of the three IOL, be it now or in the future. I'd rather defer it to Round 2 (Frazier) given that it doesn't address an immediate need, but it still wouldn't be a waste of a pick. I think just having some quality depth for once may up everyone's game.
5. Robinson- I don't know. I just... I don't know. It'd be the second year in a row we go this route. Maybe too many cooks in the kitchen even if he's BPA.
6. Newton- not a fan. Granted I may be biased since I've never really been a fan and could be looking for reasons to doubt him lol. But like Byron, he's not the 1T we need. That's just not his forte. Worse, the Illini have never been very good and that matters to me. But I hope he proves me wrong. It wouldn't be the first time.
7. Thomas Jr.- I'm assuming Tee stays. It would be such a needless media distraction to have his successor patrolling the sidelines. If you like Thomas then you need to deal Tee. The situation won't be much different next year and we need value from both assets now since we're smack dab in the middle of our SB window. And that's all I have to say about that. \Forrest Gump voice
