As a GM you need to build an entire team, not just select the best players. That means drafting for scheme, and finding ways to get talent into all of the key positions and role players into the non-key positions ... all at price points where you can manage the salary cap. They also need to be players the coach can work well with, and sometimes personalities clash. This is more of a jigsaw puzzle than a ratings game. It's not just who has the higher number ... it's about using your resources collectively to facilitate the building of a great team.
And, you're never the boss. The owner is always the boss. So you need to convince him that what you are doing is right, and when he gets ticked off and fires someone, you need to adapt. Power struggles, clashing personalities in the front office, and pure ego issues can easily wreck the best laid plans. As, or course, can injuries or bust players.
From a leadership point of view, the best leaders in the draft are Jake Fromm and Tua, with Joe Burrow coming in a close third. The only one I wonder about from a leadership perspective is Herbert ... because he's just not a big personality with gravitas, and maybe not outgoing enough to command a huddle when things get rough. I was hoping to see more of that from him this year.
But the injury issue is real. There are a lot of examples. Yatil Green was an excellent WR prospect, drafted in round 1 by the Dolphins, and never got a chance to show his ability because of an injury ... wasted pick, despite oodles of talent and apparently a decent attitude. Some guys have lots of talent but never can stay healthy. Mike Pouncey was one of those guys, as was Koa Misi ... and so was Jake Long. Once the injuries started to pile up, it became nearly impossible for their bodies to catch up and become a durable player. Say what you will about Tua's injuries, but the fact remains he injured 3 lower body injuries in a short collegiate career. In the NFL the players are bigger and faster, and as he ages, his body will not respond as well. He has already demonstrated problematic injuries, and while I'm hopeful that he is on the road to a full recovery from the hip injury, I can't help but note his propensity to collect injuries as a 20 year old kid ... and that will get worse each year. I'm scared off. I wouldn't draft Tua at #5 overall, not because I dislike the player or the person, but because I feel the risk is too great. Trading up for him is a bad idea, IMHO. Regardless of what the Dolphins do, I hope for the best with Tua, because the NFL needs more good kids like him. It would be great to root for a good person, and IMHO, Tua is a good person in addition to a talented QB.
Look, if Tua has an injury-plagued or injury-shortened career, it will be the GM who gets fired. If we pass on him at #5 and Tua goes on to have an HoF career, it is the GM who gets fired. But, if we select a different QB and he pans out, then all is forgiven, even if we miss out on Tua. There are a lot of wildcard QB's in this draft.
Do not be surprised if one of the QB's outside of the Top 10 ends up being the best QB in this draft. Some people think Jordan Love is the next great thing ... but personally, he reminds me more of Akili Smith than Pat Mahomes. Most people think that Jacob Eason is a bad prospect and some even liken him to a statue, but he has the most arm talent in this draft, and he processes things quicker than anyone else in this draft, and he has the quickest release. He needs coaching, and he isn't a great athlete, but in a passing league, I would gamble on a guy who has the most arm talent ... but apparently I'm in a very small minority on this one.
What to do as a GM? Pick your poison. Either push all your chips in and gamble on Joe Burrow being the answer and trading up to #1, or make a similar gamble on Tua's health ... or just sit where you're at and select the BPA. Personally, I would select BPA. We're also loaded in the 2021 draft, and if we do not have a QB then, that's when we go all in, because by then we will then know what we do and do not have on the roster.
