cowtowndick
Seasoned Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 2, 2005
- Messages
- 674
- Reaction score
- 0
Boik14 said:I like Croyle, Drew Olsen and to a lesser extent Jay Cutler.
Croyle is at the top of my list because of his ability. he was a highly touted player coming out of high school. His stats wont blow you away or impress many people but take into account the lack of weapons and conservative offense his team used and you would understand why those things dont jumpout at you. When you watch him throw the ball you realize its only injury history and the tendency to overshoot an open wr downfield that prevent Croyle from being talked about as a late 1st. His injury past isnt something that can be overlooked (knee, shoulder) but at the same time neither can his potential be overlooked. Another thing I like is that because he will not be a first round pick he'd cost us less money vs the cap and since qb is typically the highest paid position, especially for those drafted in rd 1, thats significant. I dont doubt Nick realizes this since when you look at the way he uses his cap space its based on being efficient with the money available to you and getting the most for what your owner spends. Projection: Mid rd 2-Early rd3
Olsen has a little more work to do than Croyle. His arm isnt as strong and so his touch has to become better. His footwork and delivery are ok but he does not throw well in the face of pressure. His 34/6 td/int ratio are deceptive in that much of it came against bad teams and even more of it came when he was mounting combacks. Two sides to that are he's shown he never feels he's out of a game but then again how did his team get down by so much in the 1st place. All in all hes the type of solid mid rd prospect that Mueller has done well plucking out of the late rds of the draft as his history with Delhomme (7th), Bulger (6th, cut by Haslett), and Brooks (traded a 4th for GB 3rd stringer at the time) shows he has had success finding. Projection: 4th round.
...so let me get this straight - Croyle is your favourite because he throws the ball well (except for his tendency to miss open receivers) and was highly ranked out of high school; of course also downplaying the fact that he can't stay healthy. Olsen is your second pick because - I'm trying to figure out why, based on your notes on him. His accuracy (arguably his best fact supporting him) is misleading, he doesn't throw well under pressure (which will surely be worse in the pro's) and his arm isn't strong.
Cutler is your third choice - most damning is the fact that he'd cost more money? Hypothetically, he's available to us at #16, and Saban/Mueller have decided that yes, he's ranked between #13 and #20 based on their evaluations (and in looking at the draft pick trade chart - the one assigning points to every pick - there is very little difference between #13 and #20). So do you take him? In my opinion, of course you do. QB is the position most in need of an overhaul, especially over the long term, so drafting the most talented available qb seems to be a good solution. You are as likely to have a first round bust at any position as you are at qb. Do qb's get paid more than other positions? Undoubtedly, thus your risk is higher because of the money involved. But if you use money as your most important criteria in selecting a player in general and a qb specifically, then you end up with...well, you end up with Jay Fiedler, Ray Lucas and Gus Frerotte. At best, they're ok qb's who can manage the game. If you want more from the position, maybe you have to risk a bit more - not only do I trust Saban/Mueller to draft well (as they have shown they can), but I trust them to coach well. So if they take Cutler at #16, I trust that they'll develop him and coach him to success.