BTW my glasses are not "rose colored", they are "coral".
I am changing my draft grade from B to A. My draft grade is based on the entire situation: the pick position, strategy, and teamwork presented by the entire organization.
Round 1: Yes it is important how Tannehill turns out and that the team did its research to the extent of hiring Sherman (maybe for a few other reasons too). But even if R.T. doesn't beat the odds and develop, I still like the pick. It was what we as fans and they as a team needed to have. They did not flinch and mortgage the future trading away lower picks or future picks and go out on a limb.....they waited, he came. I wanted to roll the dice, trade down a bit and get him or Weeden later but I don't know who offered what and I admire that they got their guy. Our guy. That's pretty cheap for a franchise QB prospect just ask a 'Skins fan, or a Raiders fan.
Round 2: I was on the Stephen Hill bandwagon and I was so thrilled that he was there. We didn't take him. I like the Martin pick, it made so much sense: value, need, and the right tools for us. So I had to rethink Hill and he made a lot less sense: not a route runner, raw, and inexperienced. Also the experts kept saying how deep this WR class is. Waiting made sense and OL's were falling. Perfect.
Round 3: None of the top pass rushers sounded complete. Between game tapes, measurables, and red flags, all seemed wanting of something. Why not then pick the local guy, with as much upside as any, who could be a fan base favorite? Last year I cringed every time I saw Jason Trusnik in on the defense (S/T OK) and what could we possibly need more than a replacement for him (and the real JT). Done.
We had another pick in this round and we needed a receiving TE. Egnew seemed as good as any that were left, oh but he can't block. Really? At 6'5" 250# and with a little practice and coaching I'm sure he can be at least OK, but we need him for his hands anyway. Better yet, we got him PLUS a 6th from the Chargers, which became useful later on, just by being patient and opportunistic.
Round 4: As you may know I have been campaigning since January for Oregon RB LaMicheal James. Many here argued that we had enough RB's and don't waste a pick on that...etc. For me it was one of our most dire needs: Our offensive MVP is now Bush. We are going to build our offense around him. So who comes in to give him a blow, or Dog forbid, if he gets hurt (and with his size, speed, and attitude it's pretty realistic). We had to get a guy that fits his skills. Well, James was long gone as were many of the top backs but BEHOLD Miller was still there! Let's take that 6th we just got (for free) and throw in a next year's sixth and Draft Lamar Miller (another local guy) Right Now! Good? I call it Great! I call it DESTINY! Not only can Miller spell/sub-for Bush they can be in the game together; who else does that? And oh, KR/PR.
Round 5: I live in Oregon and I see the Ducks play most weeks. Their offense is legendary; their mascot averages 260 pushups per game. But they also win against powerful offenses like Stanford and USC, because they have a good defense. They are built to keep a lead against desperate (passing) offenses. L. James' teammate Kaddu was a big part of that defense as a rusher and coverage linebacker. Not a bad pick. He's already better than Trusnik and he can add some depth and play special teams. Kudos for scouting in Oregon. "They say the west is nice this time of year".
Round 6: Just when I was ready to kill the television, "WR, WR, WR!!!" we draft Cunningham and I read about him. He isn't huge, fast, or flashy, he just produces. Same MO as Jerry Rice, and Chris Carter. Who knows? Green Bay has some pretty good receivers but they were not flashy high draft picks. With all the passing going on in college football these days there's bound to be good and great WR's at the bottom of the draft and in UFA (Colston). Then I thought "That's how I draft my FF team", receivers last (after the great ones are gone of course), and I win so....
Round 7: By this stage they already have my A. Add a possible replacement for Langford, another Jerry Rice guy...icing on the mashed potatoes!
Now we never made it to the secondary. The draft was over and we used all of our picks on appropriate, logical players at the most dire-need positions. I don't know what else we could have done, with the picks that we had, that would have improved the team for the near-future and future, besides what we did on draft day. In my gut.... this draft, this staff, this team has DESTINY written all over it.
RW
I am changing my draft grade from B to A. My draft grade is based on the entire situation: the pick position, strategy, and teamwork presented by the entire organization.
Round 1: Yes it is important how Tannehill turns out and that the team did its research to the extent of hiring Sherman (maybe for a few other reasons too). But even if R.T. doesn't beat the odds and develop, I still like the pick. It was what we as fans and they as a team needed to have. They did not flinch and mortgage the future trading away lower picks or future picks and go out on a limb.....they waited, he came. I wanted to roll the dice, trade down a bit and get him or Weeden later but I don't know who offered what and I admire that they got their guy. Our guy. That's pretty cheap for a franchise QB prospect just ask a 'Skins fan, or a Raiders fan.
Round 2: I was on the Stephen Hill bandwagon and I was so thrilled that he was there. We didn't take him. I like the Martin pick, it made so much sense: value, need, and the right tools for us. So I had to rethink Hill and he made a lot less sense: not a route runner, raw, and inexperienced. Also the experts kept saying how deep this WR class is. Waiting made sense and OL's were falling. Perfect.
Round 3: None of the top pass rushers sounded complete. Between game tapes, measurables, and red flags, all seemed wanting of something. Why not then pick the local guy, with as much upside as any, who could be a fan base favorite? Last year I cringed every time I saw Jason Trusnik in on the defense (S/T OK) and what could we possibly need more than a replacement for him (and the real JT). Done.
We had another pick in this round and we needed a receiving TE. Egnew seemed as good as any that were left, oh but he can't block. Really? At 6'5" 250# and with a little practice and coaching I'm sure he can be at least OK, but we need him for his hands anyway. Better yet, we got him PLUS a 6th from the Chargers, which became useful later on, just by being patient and opportunistic.
Round 4: As you may know I have been campaigning since January for Oregon RB LaMicheal James. Many here argued that we had enough RB's and don't waste a pick on that...etc. For me it was one of our most dire needs: Our offensive MVP is now Bush. We are going to build our offense around him. So who comes in to give him a blow, or Dog forbid, if he gets hurt (and with his size, speed, and attitude it's pretty realistic). We had to get a guy that fits his skills. Well, James was long gone as were many of the top backs but BEHOLD Miller was still there! Let's take that 6th we just got (for free) and throw in a next year's sixth and Draft Lamar Miller (another local guy) Right Now! Good? I call it Great! I call it DESTINY! Not only can Miller spell/sub-for Bush they can be in the game together; who else does that? And oh, KR/PR.
Round 5: I live in Oregon and I see the Ducks play most weeks. Their offense is legendary; their mascot averages 260 pushups per game. But they also win against powerful offenses like Stanford and USC, because they have a good defense. They are built to keep a lead against desperate (passing) offenses. L. James' teammate Kaddu was a big part of that defense as a rusher and coverage linebacker. Not a bad pick. He's already better than Trusnik and he can add some depth and play special teams. Kudos for scouting in Oregon. "They say the west is nice this time of year".
Round 6: Just when I was ready to kill the television, "WR, WR, WR!!!" we draft Cunningham and I read about him. He isn't huge, fast, or flashy, he just produces. Same MO as Jerry Rice, and Chris Carter. Who knows? Green Bay has some pretty good receivers but they were not flashy high draft picks. With all the passing going on in college football these days there's bound to be good and great WR's at the bottom of the draft and in UFA (Colston). Then I thought "That's how I draft my FF team", receivers last (after the great ones are gone of course), and I win so....
Round 7: By this stage they already have my A. Add a possible replacement for Langford, another Jerry Rice guy...icing on the mashed potatoes!
Now we never made it to the secondary. The draft was over and we used all of our picks on appropriate, logical players at the most dire-need positions. I don't know what else we could have done, with the picks that we had, that would have improved the team for the near-future and future, besides what we did on draft day. In my gut.... this draft, this staff, this team has DESTINY written all over it.
RW