After reading more about this guy, I'm convinced the Jets will take him. He scored a 41 on the wonderlick (combine high), he's a grater and will upgrade the running game. I think this FO realizes that great offenses are built around o-lines and they'll go in that direction since the value is there.
So, because Oakland will potentially take Blalock 8 picks after our pick, we should trade down like 3 spots-- but your dream draft would have us taking Woodley 30 spots too early? I Love Woodley, but drafting him in the first round would be like Oakland taking Robert Meachum #1 overall.
You're not a football fan if you never heard of this guy-- I checked the Texas website every day last year to see if he was coming out early for last years draft. How do you not know who he is???
theres 7 rounds in the draft, all im saying is why use your FIRST round pick on him, guard is not a skill position. No where in my post did i say we should ignore the O-line (Manuel Ramirez round 3 perhaps). The pocket collasping? Chad made it through the season with 2 rookie starters who now have a great deal of experience under their belts; im not worried about he OL for this upcoming season. Thomas Jones is a totally different running back than Washington, Blaylock, or Barlow; hes the kind of back that can produce without a stellar line.
No but as hard as it is to admit - the Patriots represent the cream of the NFL hands down. If you want to talk about being the model of winning(with a salary cap) then the Patties are THE team against which all others are measured.
Why use your first round pick on someone else? So what if guard is not a skill position? The right side of our O-line is the most glaring weakness on this team right now and Blalock will be a high value pick for us if he's available at 25. Jones is a good back but he's not Barry Sanders or LT. Our run blocking was dismal last year, we need someone who can drive people back off the line of scrimmage. Then our SKILL guys can excel more. There's a reason why offensive guards are getting huge paychecks, it's because they are critical to the running game.
I totally agree with you. Like you said Kendall has a couple of years left and Moore, as much as I hate him, is still one of our best if not our best run blocker. Moore's problems are with penalties. Our "poor" running game, which did improve when Leon Washington had more touches, had a lot more to do with the lack of talent at the RB position than our O-line being terrible. Don't get me wrong, OG, like many other positions, is an area can stand to improve but not at the severity of a 1st round pick.
Can you honestly say that you're happy with the present state of our OL? That being said, OL and the positions noted by you are all positions of need. At 25, I take BPA amongst those players.
I agree that they are, but see the right side of our o-line as the biggest weakness. Our defense played pretty well the second half of last year. Our running game sucked all year. Jones is definitely an upgrade, but he still needs holes to run through.
The right side (Moore and Clements) may be be the most maligned group on the roster but they are definately not our weakest group. In terms a pass blocking they were just as good as if not better than the left-side. I thought more sacks were given up by the left-side of the line than the right. Granted with Brick on the left-side, that side stands to improve. In terms of run blocking, they are way better than Brick and Kendall who are more finnesse and wall off blockers. The only area where the left-side of the line probably has the advantage is penalties. Even that was not by much cause Brick had a lot of penalties last year. Moore and Clements are probably my 2 least favorite players on the roster; I want both replaced in the very near future. With that said, I still don't think it's to the level of drafting an OG in the 1st. Outside of Joe Thomas, of course, the only offensive lineman I would draft at 25 is Levi Brown in the very unlikely event he dropped. I think Brown is a better RT prospect than he is a LT. IMO he projects as an above average player at LT but an All-pro at RT.
Just acouple things... You are right about the left side being more finesse. However, the first half of the year, the left side was far better at protecting the QB. Brick and Kendall were pretty much flawless , but brick started losing weight, showed fatigue, and hit a rookie wall, and from there, the right side was indeed better.
You forgot about DTs. My list: 1. QB 2. left tackle 3. pass rusher- end or 3-4 OLB 4. interior defensive lineman Those are the four most important positions.
Man I can't wait until we get past the fact that we picked two OLinemen in the first last year. I really do believe this is where most of this Blalock talk comes from.
Thank yoooooou! I'm getting a little tired of the recitation of Patriots doctrine as if every move that BB and Pioli have made is golden. I see people on this board reviling the selection of Schegel round 3, and yet the Pats were heralded for a steal when they traded up for Chad Jackson as a 1st round player that fell to the early 2nd and the guy did Jack Diddly Squat for them in his rookie year. The Pats make some good moves, but it's the big picture that works for them. Their draft history under the current regime is hardly untouchable.
I completely agree. Their drafts are not untouchable by any stretch. What they have done correctly is draft pretty damn good from Cakes list of important positions. They have a good to great/HOF'er at conceivably every important position on a football team. Now I know much of that stems from Brady, Seymour, Wilfork, and Warren. They excel at the big picture. Getting players and fitting them in and making sure they are coached well. I am fairly certain this regime is on a similar path. Albeit they do have left over players playing what we consider out of position. If they get a few things wrong in the draft so be it.The Jets are on the correct path, at the very least this Fo sees the forest for the trees. IMO.
