04-30-2018, 04:59 PM
(04-30-2018, 03:41 PM)YsCascadia Wrote: OK. I am gonna say to you, Calm down. Back away from the ledge, it is all fine.
I too was enamored with Will Hernandez, and I would have looked at trading some of our 7th rounders to try to move up and get him (from NYG). However, there is no way to know if NYG would have taken the offer. So maybe we did, maybe we didn't.
So I started digging into who we have on the roster. I then saw Christian Westerman was considered a 2-3 round prospect that we was able to get in the 5th round. So basically he has the same grade as Will Hernandez but just happened to be available for our 5th round pick.
The scouts all compared him to Alex Mack and that he would be great at the guard position.
So our line will have Glenn Boling Price Westerman and ?
Our OTs on the team are:
Fisher (I am pulling for him, and think he is the best option here) - was his play due to the heart issue? That is the question. If he is cleared and wants to compete then let him. If he wins the job then I have great faith in Frank Pollack coaching him up to being the RT that we wanted a few years ago. After all Pollack was a OG/OT player while PA was a piano player.
Ogbuehi Again if he wins the position, I am willing to bet he will not be the same player that we have come to expect. He has the tools, but hasn't put it together. I think his biggest issue may be the speed of the game.
Hart A new addition that was on the Giants team last year. Doesn't look like anything special but he did work out with LeCharles Bentley and he did work his way into the starting lineup in NY as opposed to be handed the position. Sounds like there are conflicting reports are what actually transpired and he would have a lot to prove.
Perkins was a rookie last year, but as an UDFA, he isn't really inspiring confidence from the fan base to get the spot, but he did play for Texas and that is a good football program.
Justin Murray another new guy and another UDFA. Probably the longest shot to even make the team, but he has been on the PS of many teams.
Rod Taylor was a late round pick up in this draft. Yes a 7th rounder from Ole Miss who started every game. SEC does have some good players in that conference, so his competition level in college was high and the RB that he was blocking for? Jordan Wilkens who went to the Colts in the 5th round and he had a career average of 6.4 ypc. While I don't see him as the starter. I wouldn't be upset if he was.
Some of the OGs can step into the OT spot if needed.
Bottom line: This line will be tied to Frank Pollack. He did well in Houston and Dallas. I believe I read somewhere that he turned Doug Free into a Pro-Bowler and that was no mean feat. If he does here what he did there we will have a solid OLine and Mixon will be a fantasy RB stud.
So hopefully this helps you with the lack of us getting OLine until later. It should also make for a fun Offseason as we all wait to find out who our RT will be.
Not on any Ledge yet, just not convinced that all is fine at RG and RT.
I wanted and expected Pollack to get to draft say a 3rd or even 4th round Guard or Tackle prospect to infuse this roster with more talent. It could turn out to be a mistake that they didn't or all is fine.
One can merely look at a team with a Top O-line, like say Dallas, to get an idea of how one is built & stays built.
While being considered to have one of the Top O-lines right now, Dallas still made an investment of this year's 2nd round pick by taking Connor Williams 50th overall.
Dallas invested 1st round picks in Travis Frederick, Zach Martin and Tyron Smith & turned out to be the team that took the risk of signing La'el Collins (a 1st round talent) who went undrafted due to legal issues.
Dallas doesn't wait and hope for Great offensive line performance, they pursue & invest in it. They make having a Great O-line a priority.
While I am happy that the Bengals finally did some very unusual things like trading down for LT Cordy Glenn and finally taking a top Center in Billy Price, I am not so happy that they took their foot off of the gas pedal during the mid rounds of the draft. Say rounds 3 through 4.
This may all work out and Pollack may turn Alexander's guys into solid starters. Hope he does. He has to or 2018 could fizzle and discussions can begin again before the 2019 Draft on the need to fix RG and RT. We can again wonder if the Bengals will invest early to mid round resources to fix it and maybe again be told to believe in what we already have on the roster one more time for 2019.
A Great O-line has to be consistently pursued and consistently maintained with Free Agent signings or trades or draft capital. The Bengals use Free Agency sparingly, making Drafts a Key way to infuse talent.
Is taking a DE, LB and RB in rounds 3 and 4 really better than getting 2 of those 3 and an Offensive line prospect to develop ?
Until all 5 positions on the O-line are set in stone solid, I think not. Especially when a starting offensive lineman will play all 3 downs and the DE, LB and 3rd RB may end up being rotational players that don't play all 3 downs.
The mid round offensive lineman we take may not end up a starter or he may end up being a starter. Similarly, the DE, LB or RB may or may not become consistently effective. Risk either direction we take.
Given the recent O-line problems that have hamstrung the Bengals in recent years, I would lean in the direction of consistently keeping our foot on the gas pedal until the O-line is fixed. I had hoped the Front Office felt the same but they stopped short after good moves with Cordy and Billy.
The right side may have to implode before they infuse serious competition there or they just get serviceable production from Westerman and Fisher and they become satisfied with serviceable.
To me this is not the way to get to an Elite status.
The Bengals took a big step off the BOTTOM O-line status level by obtaining Cordy and Billy but that may just get them say inside the top 20 offensive lines or maybe middle of the pack.
Say all is fine and they get to middle of the pack when it come to NFL O-lines.
Will they keep pushing for more, to be Elite on the O-line or do they stop short going forward ?
My guess is they would be happy with and settle for middle of the pack. Fans may too. It would be an improvement but is it the right mindset for a Front Office to have.
I say consistently pursue Greatness for the O-line. It is a Process and a mindset that requires investment & risk. Not convinced this Front Office will. I see them settling with a middle of the pack O-line and being happy with it longer term. Essentially limiting how successful Pollack could be even if he is only a player or two away from Elite or Top 5 status say in 2019.
