Good post but for me -- first position I started in football (albeit like 10 years old) was G and IMO
really superior inside play (which has been for the most part lost in the "modern game") is
THE BALLS! I love C and G action (nothing naughty) and SOS -- win up front and win the game!
That said, there are fewer and fewer stud Gs in college -- and that makes your point relative
but if there's a certified dominator (would love me some Hog Hannah) then late R1-R2 is OK by me.
The BEEF up front just makes you TUFF in every game...
Would also love me some Dwight Stephenson.
:)
I can't argue about having guards that are maulers. A solid, consistent run game is a young QBs best friend.
It's not that I undervalue the position so much that, as you say, the NFL as a whole tends not to use high picks on them, thus the reason there are still very good ones there on day 2.