So then you understand that there is value in selecting an OL in the 1st round? or are you supporting the idea in the OP that no OL should be taken in the 1st round...
No, I understand that there can be
some value in selecting an OL in the first round (OT only really), especially now that we don't have to invest so much cap in a non-playmaking position any longer. This is especially true when you are pretty much set at QB (we weren't with Long) and playmakers (we aren't). This is mostly because the old timer views of the league still prevail in some circles, the view that OT is the most important position in football (not even close) and so they continue to overdraft the position. This means that if you want one of the best, you're probably not going to get the best value and you're going to sacrifice a playmaking position to get one. If it comes down to either overdrafting the position or overpaying in FA for a proven starter, I'll take the playmaker in the draft and do what we did this offseason: overpay for a FA.
Like Spesh, there are others that I liked better than Albert and I think injuries and age will force a future move earlier than others would have (certainly not in this draft outside of a midrounder to groom behind him), but I like the move overall because it frees us in the draft from fans losing their minds if we didn't draft an OT with 19 and saves us the time of an OT taken at 19 to figure out the pro game, something we don't have to wait for with Albert. He raped and pillaged our coffers though. He saw a weakness and fans absolutely losing their minds and took full advantage of being the "best available" OT. Good for him. He doesn't have much longer in the game, so he should get all the money he can.
When it comes to interior line, I see very little value in drafting one in the 1st round, especially in the top 20. Bottom 5 of the first round? Little more reasonable. I don't think the changing league Spesh describes means that G and C has increased in value, just that OT has fallen in value and close to where G and C are. That being said, certain types of OL have increased in value a bit (again, rookie salary cap plays a role in that as much as the changing style of football). Of all the OL that could be available at 19, the only one I see any sort of value in, versus likely available playmakers, would be Martin and that's only because he also adds depth through his versatility. Nobody else. Even then, if somebody like Ebron falls, I'm taking him. Any of the likely available playmakers at 19 would carry far more value than Su'a-Filo and especially more than Moses. The gap in the talent levels of playmakers between 19 and 50 is wider than the gap between interior line and RT. There is less value in the latter.
