Our new offensive line

[SCOTTY]

Kindley played pivot at Georgia too? Hmm that might be your active gameday interior depth option for center and both guard spots.

Didn’t know he had pivot experience.

Sorry I had to...

 

[Digital]

You build a great O-line...then you worry about dropping in a stud rookie RB on a 4-5 year rookie deal

I wholeheartedly agree.

But here's the problem. We drafted a bunch of not-ready-for-prime-time OL. I'm onboard with Solomon Kindley, he's plug and play. But Austin Jackson--while a good prospect--is physically just coming around to collegiate shape now after recovering from giving bone marrow (heroic and selfless, can't say enough good things about this act), and simply isn't physically ready for the NFL yet. Even if he were, he's a raw prospect. He's very young, and that's to be expected. In fact, I think he was the youngest of all of the top OT prospects. Potential is there, athleticism is there. But he was trounced by Epenesa, and the NFL has a lot of players better than that. He has a lot to learn before he can be a solid blindside protector, which I believe is the reason they drafted him. So, 2021 is when I expect him to be a solid OT ... not 2020.

Robert Hunt is a bulldozing run blocker from poor-competition Louisiana Layfayette. He didn't pass protect much, and the talent he went against were constantly outclassed by the size of Hunt. He was literally a man among boys there ... and in the NFL, there are no boys. Technique-wise, he's raw. He will be able to blow open running lanes, and he'll be slipped by the ultra-quick NFL DL's out there, and fall flat on his face his fair share as a rookie. Pass protection will expose him horribly, IMHO. He simply cannot play OT in the NFL, and as a rookie jumping up from piss-poor competition to the NFL ... he's going to be a projection at best. Again ... NOT someone who can keep Tua healthy. His athleticism and lack of pass protection skills mean he's very unlikely to be a servicable LT, and given that Tua is left-handed, RT is definitely out of the question. IMHO, he'll absolutely be moved to guard, where his size will be an advantage, and quickness is less exposed. But still ... he's going to take time to adjust from poor competition to the NFL. Just not going to be a good OL until 2021 at the very earliest ... if ever.

Soloman Kindley, yeah, he has a shot to start, and he'll take his rookie lumps, but he's pretty close to plug and play. Georgia faced athleticly gifted DL every game in the SEC, and that OL did very well. Then again, so did Michael Deiter in the Big 10, and he took a lot of lumps as a rookie. Those two are probably the best bets to compete for the starting OG opposite the high-priced FA Ereck Flowers.

Ted Karras will start at OC, but just like Flowers, he is only on a 2 year contract really, so the plan must be to replace Karras with someone (Deiter? Boehm? 2021 draft pick?) We paid Karras backup money, and I think that was a good contract for the Dolphins. But even we weren't offering him starter money.

At best, our OL looks something like this: LT Jesse Davis, LG Ereck Flowers, OC Ted Karras, RG Deiter/Rookie, RT ???????. Now, if we were going to play Tua as a rookie, I would expect us to show that by starting Flowers at RG instead of LG, and either adding a FA RT, or shifting Jesse Davis over to RT. But no matter how you slice it ... Ryan Fitzpatrick was running for his life last year, and this OL isn't a lot better. If we care about having Tua for the next 15 years, we'll mostly keep Tua on the bench in 2020. This OL simply is not ready to pass protect.

Your point @BlueFin is a good one. First you build a great O-line .. then you worry about dropping in a stud rookie RB on a 4-5 year rookie deal. The problem is .... we do not have a great O-line ... nor do we have a good O-line ... what we have right now is a subpar O-line with high potential to be horrible.

This OL would get Tua killed. THAT is the problem with this draft/strategy.

 

[BlueFin]

I wholeheartedly agree.

But here's the problem. We drafted a bunch of not-ready-for-prime-time OL. I'm onboard with Solomon Kindley, he's plug and play. But Austin Jackson--while a good prospect--is physically just coming around to collegiate shape now after recovering from giving bone marrow (heroic and selfless, can't say enough good things about this act), and simply isn't physically ready for the NFL yet. Even if he were, he's a raw prospect. He's very young, and that's to be expected. In fact, I think he was the youngest of all of the top OT prospects. Potential is there, athleticism is there. But he was trounced by Epenesa, and the NFL has a lot of players better than that. He has a lot to learn before he can be a solid blindside protector, which I believe is the reason they drafted him. So, 2021 is when I expect him to be a solid OT ... not 2020.

Robert Hunt is a bulldozing run blocker from poor-competition Louisiana Layfayette. He didn't pass protect much, and the talent he went against were constantly outclassed by the size of Hunt. He was literally a man among boys there ... and in the NFL, there are no boys. Technique-wise, he's raw. He will be able to blow open running lanes, and he'll be slipped by the ultra-quick NFL DL's out there, and fall flat on his face his fair share as a rookie. Pass protection will expose him horribly, IMHO. He simply cannot play OT in the NFL, and as a rookie jumping up from piss-poor competition to the NFL ... he's going to be a projection at best. Again ... NOT someone who can keep Tua healthy. His athleticism and lack of pass protection skills mean he's very unlikely to be a servicable LT, and given that Tua is left-handed, RT is definitely out of the question. IMHO, he'll absolutely be moved to guard, where his size will be an advantage, and quickness is less exposed. But still ... he's going to take time to adjust from poor competition to the NFL. Just not going to be a good OL until 2021 at the very earliest ... if ever.

Soloman Kindley, yeah, he has a shot to start, and he'll take his rookie lumps, but he's pretty close to plug and play. Georgia faced athleticly gifted DL every game in the SEC, and that OL did very well. Then again, so did Michael Deiter in the Big 10, and he took a lot of lumps as a rookie. Those two are probably the best bets to compete for the starting OG opposite the high-priced FA Ereck Flowers.

Ted Karras will start at OC, but just like Flowers, he is only on a 2 year contract really, so the plan must be to replace Karras with someone (Deiter? Boehm? 2021 draft pick?) We paid Karras backup money, and I think that was a good contract for the Dolphins. But even we weren't offering him starter money.

At best, our OL looks something like this: LT Jesse Davis, LG Ereck Flowers, OC Ted Karras, RG Deiter/Rookie, RT ???????. Now, if we were going to play Tua as a rookie, I would expect us to show that by starting Flowers at RG instead of LG, and either adding a FA RT, or shifting Jesse Davis over to RT. But no matter how you slice it ... Ryan Fitzpatrick was running for his life last year, and this OL isn't a lot better. If we care about having Tua for the next 15 years, we'll mostly keep Tua on the bench in 2020. This OL simply is not ready to pass protect.

Your point @BlueFin is a good one. First you build a great O-line .. then you worry about dropping in a stud rookie RB on a 4-5 year rookie deal. The problem is .... we do not have a great O-line ... nor do we have a good O-line ... what we have right now is a subpar O-line with high potential to be horrible.

This OL would get Tua killed. THAT is the problem with this draft/strategy.

I don’t think they ever intended this line to be developed and ready this year...they drafted talented large lineman that can be developed hopefully into a road grading line by 2021....Tua coming off that off hip injury should not be inserted until this line comes together.

I’ve watched the IOWA tape of Jackson and even watched a review of that matchup with Epenesa...



it is not nearly how it’s described by many. Yes Epenesa is very good player who got a couple sacks and had the better day overall...but Jackson displayed the talent and potential that made me feel better about the pick.

Jackson is only 20 years old and physically set himself back last year saving his sisters life...but the potential is there and 2020 will be a year of development for him.

Flowers played much better at Guard than tackle and showed promise...I think that was great signing and further development will happen there.

Karras is a fill in...I expected a center to get drafted...probably next year unless Dieter takes that over.

Kindley is purely a guard and I think He’ll do fine in this scheme.

I watched Hunt’s tape....particularly against their only SEC opponent Mississippi State...he did well and displayed the athleticism to play right tackle...there again he is a rookie and needs to develop.

Even if you had 5 good vets...it takes some time for a line to Gel...so 2020 is a perfect year to develop these young guys.

Tua should not see the field this year unless the line comes together and plays well....and he is deemed 100% ready.

Being ready in my mind also means watching Fitzpatrick and practicing getting the ball out faster to include throwing it away to avoid hits.

Go back and watch the LSU game...Tua takes too many hits.

 

[LANGER72]

With training camp and preseason in limbo right now, the vets from last year will be starting with Fitzpatrick. The rookies will be eased in later in the season.
These draft picks will likely start playing together in 2021 when Tua takes over the starting position.
RT is a key position when Tua starts because he is a lefty.
Once the young starters take over in 2021 it will likely be poor play initially, but after 5 games begin to play as a unit.
My .02

 

[Lovethefish]

I wholeheartedly agree.

But here's the problem. We drafted a bunch of not-ready-for-prime-time OL. I'm onboard with Solomon Kindley, he's plug and play. But Austin Jackson--while a good prospect--is physically just coming around to collegiate shape now after recovering from giving bone marrow (heroic and selfless, can't say enough good things about this act), and simply isn't physically ready for the NFL yet. Even if he were, he's a raw prospect. He's very young, and that's to be expected. In fact, I think he was the youngest of all of the top OT prospects. Potential is there, athleticism is there. But he was trounced by Epenesa, and the NFL has a lot of players better than that. He has a lot to learn before he can be a solid blindside protector, which I believe is the reason they drafted him. So, 2021 is when I expect him to be a solid OT ... not 2020.

Robert Hunt is a bulldozing run blocker from poor-competition Louisiana Layfayette. He didn't pass protect much, and the talent he went against were constantly outclassed by the size of Hunt. He was literally a man among boys there ... and in the NFL, there are no boys. Technique-wise, he's raw. He will be able to blow open running lanes, and he'll be slipped by the ultra-quick NFL DL's out there, and fall flat on his face his fair share as a rookie. Pass protection will expose him horribly, IMHO. He simply cannot play OT in the NFL, and as a rookie jumping up from piss-poor competition to the NFL ... he's going to be a projection at best. Again ... NOT someone who can keep Tua healthy. His athleticism and lack of pass protection skills mean he's very unlikely to be a servicable LT, and given that Tua is left-handed, RT is definitely out of the question. IMHO, he'll absolutely be moved to guard, where his size will be an advantage, and quickness is less exposed. But still ... he's going to take time to adjust from poor competition to the NFL. Just not going to be a good OL until 2021 at the very earliest ... if ever.

Soloman Kindley, yeah, he has a shot to start, and he'll take his rookie lumps, but he's pretty close to plug and play. Georgia faced athleticly gifted DL every game in the SEC, and that OL did very well. Then again, so did Michael Deiter in the Big 10, and he took a lot of lumps as a rookie. Those two are probably the best bets to compete for the starting OG opposite the high-priced FA Ereck Flowers.

Ted Karras will start at OC, but just like Flowers, he is only on a 2 year contract really, so the plan must be to replace Karras with someone (Deiter? Boehm? 2021 draft pick?) We paid Karras backup money, and I think that was a good contract for the Dolphins. But even we weren't offering him starter money.

At best, our OL looks something like this: LT Jesse Davis, LG Ereck Flowers, OC Ted Karras, RG Deiter/Rookie, RT ???????. Now, if we were going to play Tua as a rookie, I would expect us to show that by starting Flowers at RG instead of LG, and either adding a FA RT, or shifting Jesse Davis over to RT. But no matter how you slice it ... Ryan Fitzpatrick was running for his life last year, and this OL isn't a lot better. If we care about having Tua for the next 15 years, we'll mostly keep Tua on the bench in 2020. This OL simply is not ready to pass protect.

Your point @BlueFin is a good one. First you build a great O-line .. then you worry about dropping in a stud rookie RB on a 4-5 year rookie deal. The problem is .... we do not have a great O-line ... nor do we have a good O-line ... what we have right now is a subpar O-line with high potential to be horrible.

This OL would get Tua killed. THAT is the problem with this draft/strategy.

Lot of information to digest here.
I agree with you in that I was underwhelmed by the results of the Oline but more understanding of Grier’s process.

I think it began with the Thuney & Scherff franchise tags. I think Grier fully intended to land an all pro LG to slidr next to a rookie LT.
His pivot to Eric Flowers was disappointing - albeit given the available options- understandable and an upgrade.

Going into the draft it was predictable that we would have to move up in order to acquire a top 4 OT.
After landing Tua without giving anything further —we did have the ammo to get to the 8-10 range.
But it’s hard to criticize Grier here without knowing the cost or even possibility.

With the same premise being - build the OL- Grier’s only moves at #15 were Austin Jackson or Caesar Ruiz IMO.

So once the OTs were off the board, I would’ve liked Ruiz at #15 as the more polished/ sure thing. I also would’ve called the Skins for Trent Williams
LT Trent Williams
LG Flowers
C- Karras/Ruiz
RG Ruiz/ Hunt- Davis
RT Davis/ Hunt

Without moving on Trent- Austin Jackson was literally the best available LT. Ideal? Maybe not but there is high end value given the position and the player.
With regards to Hunt- I think he is more ready to plug and play at RG when compared to the other available Guards except perhaps Brendeson and LSU Guard Lewis.

Ultimately it was always a 2 year build- if he fixed the secondary and hopefully hit on a portion of the OL... he did some lifting but he’s not there yet.
But all of that - again the most important piece - Tua is in the building.

 

[Mach2]

Donell Stanley will be our Back up Center this year. Deiter was so poor, i can't think that he can push himself to an average player in the NFL. He was very bad in all aspects in my mind. Hopefully i'm completely wrong on him.

You are tough.

Guy was a 3rd rounder. Typically, O-line guys not drafted rd1 take a yr or two to develop. If ppl expected him to be a top gaurd day one, they were delusional.

I'm not saying he will become a pro bowler, but I wouldn't write him off as a bust. I expect him to come back stronger and much better prepared through experience.

Will that translate to a starting spot? IDK, but it's not unreasonable, and given his versatility, he has great depth potential.

 

[DolfanDuBbZ~]

We will all be better informed in December.

Including all the blather of these busts from the 2020 draft.

 

[Stoobz]

I see it this way - the OL was upgraded simply by a couple nice additions via FA in Karras at C and Flowers at LG.

Surely they will be even better than that with the addition of even one rookie come opening day.

Jackson's going to take his lumps at LT though but hopefully not for long.

 

[Lovethefish]

I see it this way - the OL was upgraded simply by a couple nice additions via FA in Karras at C and Flowers at LG.

Surely they will be even better than that with the addition of even one rookie come opening day.

Jackson's going to take his lumps at LT though but hopefully not for long.

Agreed. They improved every position.

 

[Digital]

Lot of information to digest here.
I agree with you in that I was underwhelmed by the results of the Oline but more understanding of Grier’s process.

I think it began with the Thuney & Scherff franchise tags. I think Grier fully intended to land an all pro LG to slidr next to a rookie LT.
His pivot to Eric Flowers was disappointing - albeit given the available options- understandable and an upgrade.

Going into the draft it was predictable that we would have to move up in order to acquire a top 4 OT.
After landing Tua without giving anything further —we did have the ammo to get to the 8-10 range.
But it’s hard to criticize Grier here without knowing the cost or even possibility.

With the same premise being - build the OL- Grier’s only moves at #15 were Austin Jackson or Caesar Ruiz IMO.

So once the OTs were off the board, I would’ve liked Ruiz at #15 as the more polished/ sure thing. I also would’ve called the Skins for Trent Williams
LT Trent Williams
LG Flowers
C- Karras/Ruiz
RG Ruiz/ Hunt- Davis
RT Davis/ Hunt

Without moving on Trent- Austin Jackson was literally the best available LT. Ideal? Maybe not but there is high end value given the position and the player.
With regards to Hunt- I think he is more ready to plug and play at RG when compared to the other available Guards except perhaps Brendeson and LSU Guard Lewis.

Ultimately it was always a 2 year build- if he fixed the secondary and hopefully hit on a portion of the OL... he did some lifting but he’s not there yet.
But all of that - again the most important piece - Tua is in the building.

While I disagree with you on Ruiz, because there were several other top eschelon OC's available much later (e.g. Biadasz, Cushenberry), I pretty much agree with everything else.

I much preferred Austin Jackson to the Josh Jones, the other OT some were considering. I wasn't surprised to see Jones slide, and glad we didn't overdraft him. I would have traded up into the 11-14 range if possible, and I said that on many occasions pre-draft. But missing out on that, I would have taken Ezra Cleveland, a guy who can be a blindside protector and start immediately. To me, the only reason you take Austin Jackson is if you are comfortable with your 1st round OT sitting for a full year ... which means they're intending to sit Tua for a full year too. Let's face it, there is no blind side protector for Tua on this roster after FA and the Draft. There just isn't.

Your FA analysis sounds reasonable. Getting top blind side protectors in FA, if they are even available, is extremely expensive. IMHO, Flowers was overpaid, and I said that from day 1 as well. We're hoping his one good season wasn't an abberation. I liked the kid coming out, but always saw him as a RT, because he couldn't handle LT. I was a bit surprised he floundered everywhere except guard. New system, new players, not sure how good he will be.

Karras was paid backup money, so if he can give you solid starting performance--and I believe he can--then we've struck gold ... well maybe silver. He's a bridge player though, as is Flowers, and after 2 years, we're replacing them as starters.

End of the day, the Dolphins scouting system--which absolutely includes Chris Grier--has been consistently horrible at drafting OL. Jake Long ... stud, but he broke down health-wise and he was the #1 overall draft pick in the entire draft. How much scouting talent does it take to pick the best OL prospect #1 overall? I'm going to say very little. Then we drafted OC Mike Pouncey as the highest ever drafted center in NFL history. Again, we had a blue-print with his twin brother being All-Pro at that position ... seems like a can't miss selection! He was good, not great, but good, until the hip injury essentially prevented him from being a consistently good OL and now he's just another guy, despite being the highest ever drafted at his position. How much scouting talent does that take to draft a guy the highest ever drafted at his position, who has a twin brother All-Pro at the position? Again ... I'm going to say not much ... yet we failed. We ate Pouncey's high priced salary for many years and he only played sporadically, because we were atrocious along the OL. We didn't trade up to get Zack Martin, but instead wasted a 1st round pick on a journeyman pillow-fighter with "potential" who hopped on out of Miami after his first decent season just to get a fat FA contract. IMHO, another bad scouting move. Then there's the Dallas Thomas', Turner, etc., etc., etc., all the laundry list of failed draft picks, or the marching line of FA's who were injury-prone that we kept paying. Let's face it, the default analysis on our OL draft picks is that our scouts cannot assess OL talent. Chris Grier is chief among those scouts.

IMHO, we need new scouts to spot OL talent. Perhaps instead of a regional scout, we should have a positional scout.

 

[Digital]

I don’t think they ever intended this line to be developed and ready this year...they drafted talented large lineman that can be developed hopefully into a road grading line by 2021....Tua coming off that off hip injury should not be inserted until this line comes together.

I’ve watched the IOWA tape of Jackson and even watched a review of that matchup with Epenesa...



it is not nearly how it’s described by many. Yes Epenesa is very good player who got a couple sacks and had the better day overall...but Jackson displayed the talent and potential that made me feel better about the pick.

Jackson is only 20 years old and physically set himself back last year saving his sisters life...but the potential is there and 2020 will be a year of development for him.

Flowers played much better at Guard than tackle and showed promise...I think that was great signing and further development will happen there.

Karras is a fill in...I expected a center to get drafted...probably next year unless Dieter takes that over.

Kindley is purely a guard and I think He’ll do fine in this scheme.

I watched Hunt’s tape....particularly against their only SEC opponent Mississippi State...he did well and displayed the athleticism to play right tackle...there again he is a rookie and needs to develop.

Even if you had 5 good vets...it takes some time for a line to Gel...so 2020 is a perfect year to develop these young guys.

Tua should not see the field this year unless the line comes together and plays well....and he is deemed 100% ready.

Being ready in my mind also means watching Fitzpatrick and practicing getting the ball out faster to include throwing it away to avoid hits.

Go back and watch the LSU game...Tua takes too many hits.

Glad we agree that Tua shouldn't see the field in 2020 behind this line, except maybe in garbage time.

 

[Lovethefish]

While I disagree with you on Ruiz, because there were several other top eschelon OC's available much later (e.g. Biadasz, Cushenberry), I pretty much agree with everything else.

I much preferred Austin Jackson to the Josh Jones, the other OT some were considering. I wasn't surprised to see Jones slide, and glad we didn't overdraft him. I would have traded up into the 11-14 range if possible, and I said that on many occasions pre-draft. But missing out on that, I would have taken Ezra Cleveland, a guy who can be a blindside protector and start immediately. To me, the only reason you take Austin Jackson is if you are comfortable with your 1st round OT sitting for a full year ... which means they're intending to sit Tua for a full year too. Let's face it, there is no blind side protector for Tua on this roster after FA and the Draft. There just isn't.

Your FA analysis sounds reasonable. Getting top blind side protectors in FA, if they are even available, is extremely expensive. IMHO, Flowers was overpaid, and I said that from day 1 as well. We're hoping his one good season wasn't an abberation. I liked the kid coming out, but always saw him as a RT, because he couldn't handle LT. I was a bit surprised he floundered everywhere except guard. New system, new players, not sure how good he will be.

Karras was paid backup money, so if he can give you solid starting performance--and I believe he can--then we've struck gold ... well maybe silver. He's a bridge player though, as is Flowers, and after 2 years, we're replacing them as starters.

End of the day, the Dolphins scouting system--which absolutely includes Chris Grier--has been consistently horrible at drafting OL. Jake Long ... stud, but he broke down health-wise and he was the #1 overall draft pick in the entire draft. How much scouting talent does it take to pick the best OL prospect #1 overall? I'm going to say very little. Then we drafted OC Mike Pouncey as the highest ever drafted center in NFL history. Again, we had a blue-print with his twin brother being All-Pro at that position ... seems like a can't miss selection! He was good, not great, but good, until the hip injury essentially prevented him from being a consistently good OL and now he's just another guy, despite being the highest ever drafted at his position. How much scouting talent does that take to draft a guy the highest ever drafted at his position, who has a twin brother All-Pro at the position? Again ... I'm going to say not much ... yet we failed. We ate Pouncey's high priced salary for many years and he only played sporadically, because we were atrocious along the OL. We didn't trade up to get Zack Martin, but instead wasted a 1st round pick on a journeyman pillow-fighter with "potential" who hopped on out of Miami after his first decent season just to get a fat FA contract. IMHO, another bad scouting move. Then there's the Dallas Thomas', Turner, etc., etc., etc., all the laundry list of failed draft picks, or the marching line of FA's who were injury-prone that we kept paying. Let's face it, the default analysis on our OL draft picks is that our scouts cannot assess OL talent. Chris Grier is chief among those scouts.

IMHO, we need new scouts to spot OL talent. Perhaps instead of a regional scout, we should have a positional scout.

I agree it’s a question filled OL -
It’s been terrible for 10 years -
Go back to Jon Martin. Imagine 1 pick earlier out right side would’ve been Richie Ingognito and Cordy Glenn for 10 years.
FF to today.
Flip side the argument - we chose the Best Available LT at #15 and Best Available RG at #39. Best Available LG FA. It’s a start.

 

[Digital]

I agree it’s a question filled OL -
It’s been terrible for 10 years -
Go back to Jon Martin. Imagine 1 pick earlier out right side would’ve been Richie Ingognito and Cordy Glenn for 10 years.
FF to today.
Flip side the argument - we chose the Best Available LT at #15 and Best Available RG at #39. Best Available LG FA. It’s a start.

I'm with you on the Jon Martin pick. I had no idea he had a history of mental illness. I thought it was Incognito who was the head case. Turns out, Martin was an even bigger head case and he blew up the franchise and his career just to show it. Without Martin on the team, we have Incognito--as you pointed out--for a long time. Incognito was our last top shelf guard ... yeah, it's been that long. Glenn would have been good, and we would have a solid OL for years. Just imagine if Jake Long and Mike Pouncey never get hurt ... we might have actually had an OL-based team. Long, Incognito, Pouncey, ???, Glenn ... all of those guys healthy, that's a dang good line!

I disagree that we picked best available tackle or guard. Jackson is debatable, but nobody considered him a day 1 starter, everyone considered him a project. The day 1 starter available at both spots was Ezra Cleveland, but he is primarily a pass protector, and his questions lie in whether he has the power to be a good run blocker. Hunt did not represent BPA in any sense. Jackson was a reach and a project, but at least I see the logic of Jackson.

 

[Burt Macklin]

I don’t think they ever intended this line to be developed and ready this year...they drafted talented large lineman that can be developed hopefully into a road grading line by 2021....Tua coming off that off hip injury should not be inserted until this line comes together.

I’ve watched the IOWA tape of Jackson and even watched a review of that matchup with Epenesa...



it is not nearly how it’s described by many. Yes Epenesa is very good player who got a couple sacks and had the better day overall...but Jackson displayed the talent and potential that made me feel better about the pick.

Jackson is only 20 years old and physically set himself back last year saving his sisters life...but the potential is there and 2020 will be a year of development for him.

Flowers played much better at Guard than tackle and showed promise...I think that was great signing and further development will happen there.

Karras is a fill in...I expected a center to get drafted...probably next year unless Dieter takes that over.

Kindley is purely a guard and I think He’ll do fine in this scheme.

I watched Hunt’s tape....particularly against their only SEC opponent Mississippi State...he did well and displayed the athleticism to play right tackle...there again he is a rookie and needs to develop.

Even if you had 5 good vets...it takes some time for a line to Gel...so 2020 is a perfect year to develop these young guys.

Tua should not see the field this year unless the line comes together and plays well....and he is deemed 100% ready.

Being ready in my mind also means watching Fitzpatrick and practicing getting the ball out faster to include throwing it away to avoid hits.

Go back and watch the LSU game...Tua takes too many hits.

That video was cringey as ****. 90% of those plays were ties, they wanted to say someone won each snap. I think it was a solid performance from Austin Jackson. He got beat a couple times. Maybe in the NFL ball would've been out sooner or he would've had help. His LG didn't seem to help him out much. He was on an island all game.

 

[Lovethefish]

I'm with you on the Jon Martin pick. I had no idea he had a history of mental illness. I thought it was Incognito who was the head case. Turns out, Martin was an even bigger head case and he blew up the franchise and his career just to show it. Without Martin on the team, we have Incognito--as you pointed out--for a long time. Incognito was our last top shelf guard ... yeah, it's been that long. Glenn would have been good, and we would have a solid OL for years. Just imagine if Jake Long and Mike Pouncey never get hurt ... we might have actually had an OL-based team. Long, Incognito, Pouncey, ???, Glenn ... all of those guys healthy, that's a dang good line!

I disagree that we picked best available tackle or guard. Jackson is debatable, but nobody considered him a day 1 starter, everyone considered him a project. The day 1 starter available at both spots was Ezra Cleveland, but he is primarily a pass protector, and his questions lie in whether he has the power to be a good run blocker. Hunt did not represent BPA in any sense. Jackson was a reach and a project, but at least I see the logic of Jackson.

If we can agree all of this is opinion and based on history about 40% of it ends up being accurate— I can find plenty of “evaluators” who had:
Jackson OT#5
Hunt G#1
But what does it even mean. We shot 3 bullets at the OL. Hope it works.