i'm not really following the arguments here and i'm not interested in engaging. so instead let me drive-by: atlanta drafting a TE and a RB in the top 10 in the last three years is just bad value and strategy IMO, and that's especially true when your HC is a (supposed) offensive wizard who can get an effective running game out of less-talented players.
It is a very good example of a team not taking 3-4 years to get good, which was the entire basis of your argument.
The Eagles went from 4-12 to the Super Bowl in 2 years mostly because they haven’t done things like take a RB at 8 overall or an off ball LB in the 1st rd in a decade and they had really good players at valuable positions like OT and DL and WR that they invested heavily in while they tried to find a QB
I don't think Pitts and Robinson are the same based on the players in those two drafts. The players taken within the next 10 picks after Pitts included: Chase, Waddle, Sewell, Surtain, Smith, Parsons and Slater. Every one of them plays a more valuable position AND has been among the best players at their position within two years. That pick, in hindsight, is a disaster. I don't think the pool of players the Falcons were choosing from at 8 when they took Robinson comes close to that. Especially given Carter's questions coming in.
As a homer it's super annoying that Carter was still there at 8. That would make me maybe watch the Falcons more. I used to be a fan but they're such a difficult franchise to root for that I mostly gave up. You're left to think they don't care about winning at all which why be a fan of that? They also go super heavy on the nepotism hires which I guess is why it's so terribly run to begin with.
Matt LaPorta has set the record for catches and yards for a TE in his first four games, and blocks extremely well. He's gotta be on that watch list.
At this point I think the watch list has one name and it's CJ Stroud. If he stays healthy and doesn't fall apart, I'm not sure the list expands beyond him.
i'm trying, in my view, to ignore the actual production of the players and just use foresight. bijan is super fun to watch and he's obviously very good. and as a fan of sports, i personally appreciate it when teams draft players like him. but it's pretty rare for teams now to deviate from the high-value positions in the 1st round (especially early) and i think it's bad management/strategy. even ignoring the actual players who atlanta passed on (which, in 2021, is especially bad), it's clear they're doing something different. in the 2021 draft, the positions selected following pitts at #4 to pick 20: WR, WR, OT, CB, CB, WR, QB, Edge, OT, OG, QB, LB (off-ball), OT, DE, LB (off-ball), WR in the 2023 draft, the positions selected following bijan at #8 to pick 20: DT, OT, OT, RB, DE, OT, DE, CB, CB, LB, DT, WR it's pretty noteworthy that only four selections in the top 20 in both of those drafts went the same way -- and they were much far from #4 or #8. washington and arizona both took off-ball lbs in the late teens in 2021 and detroit took both a rb and an off-ball lb in the teens last spring. but detroit is good! so maybe this line of thinking will soon evolve.
I think Sam LaPorta should be on the watch list, as well ;) EDIT: I just saw that someone else has already caught this, I'll show my way out of the thread
I think that DT (provided they can rush the passer) has become a premium position as well and as a result I think OG/C are rising in value too. I think taking an interior OL top 20 nowadays isn't nearly the head turner it used to be.
thats why i used orange instead of red tbh. i think taking a bonafide star (carter, q nelson, etc) is always okay and just getting better across the ol (og/oc, dt) is fine for most teams but still not necessarily a premium role.
It's been a disaster bc Atlanta refuses to feature him, not because he's bad. Make him a center piece of the offense and no one is complaining about the pick.
Disagree. I’m sure he is a good player and all, but he doesn’t really pop. Is he in a bad spot in Atlanta? Yes. When he gets the ball or it is throw at him, does he pop like most other top skill players? No. If you are gonna be a top 4 pick, you should be able to make splash plays even with bad QB play
Yeah usually if you get 1k yards out of a rookie te you are feeling pretty good about what you have. Apparently they aren't interested in possibly having a prime Jimmy Graham
I'm going to spend the next 10 years of my NFL "fandom" being pissed off that we traded all those picks for Watson instead of just piling picks together to go up and get CJ.
I won’t stand for the Bryce Young slander. Poor fella is compromised by some of the worst play calling I’ve ever seen.
I'm happy for Levis. I wish he didn't put mayo in his coffee or eat bananas like an insane person, but I always feel bad for the lightning rod guys leading up to the draft.
before this spirals anymore, I just want to go on the record and say that Sean Clifford stinks and I hated watching him for the 9 years he was PSU's starting QB.
At least use my final big board if you're going to attempt to dunk on me you fucking dipshit. C.J. was my QB1
hire me dean spanos literally all four of those rookie WRs would be better and Porter Jr has been great, i think no idea about nolan smith but he couldn't be worse
You think Keenan Allen has been washed up since last year and all of your opinions are from tik tok so unfortunately you’re disqualified from a front office position
Panthers and patriots drafting QBs to replace Bryce and mac at 1.1 and 1.2 this year is going to be a great day on the board