04-02-2016, 01:09 PM
(04-02-2016, 12:56 PM)muskiesfan Wrote: I wasn't comparing the Bengals to the rest of the league and I wasn't saying the Bengals are always wrong. I think the Hunt pick was a bad pick. I said using the highest picks for projects seems too early to me. The Bengals draft well, but not so much on their recent few years when taking early project guys. Again, not bashing the team or whining or anything of the sort. I would rather them take their projects later in the draft.
No one has said that every 2nd or 3rd rounder becomes a starter or even quality player. That is the hope and expectation when drafting someone that early though. Drafting a guy in the 2nd or 3rd round that you're hoping to make productive in year 3 seems way too early to me. We all know that football is a war of attrition. There may be an injury that may mean that project needs to play sooner than hoped/expected. Again, not saying that the team is bad at drafting overall, but their projects are very slow to pay dividends if they ever do at all. Why is it so bad to draft a more polished player, a player considered to be more NFL ready in the first couple rounds? If you miss on either, you just missed. On the surface, at least the non-project player looks like he should be able to contribute in a pinch.
I don't understand how what I'm saying is so hard to get. I'm not saying the Bengals miss more than other teams. I'm not saying the Bengals are worse than other teams. I'm not saying that the Bengals are doing everything wrong. What I am saying is that the team I watch, my favorite team, the team that I have rooted for my entire life is the team that I pay the most attention to and would like them to wait just a little bit longer on drafting project players. Whoever you draft in the 2nd or 3rd might be the next Moch, Simpson, or Hunt any way. So why not go after the guy that looks the part now instead of someone you hope you can turn into a good player years down the road. Take that guy in the 4th or later.
Very simple answer. If you draft based only on who can play year one then you miss out on better players. If you think a guy will be a better player you take him sooner in the draft. Only half of the players taken in the second round last year started as rookies.
And you still don't understand that Hunt was not supposed to take 3 years to contribute. He was not that raw. He was expected to step in and contribute as soon as anyone. He was not some guy who had never played the game. He was a 3 year started at a D-1 school who had been voted first team all-conference and Defensive MVP of a Bowl game. Just because a guy comes from a small school that does not mean he is not supposed to play as soon as guys from large schools. Same with Simpson.
You can't take guys like Simpson or Hunt in the 4th round because other teams will take them before then. That is the point I am trying to get across.
