Post by Deleted on Mar 23, 2017 15:23:28 GMT -6
Mar 23, 2017 14:37:01 GMT -6 @soulman said:
Agreed, they do have a lot of holes to fill but why do we seem to always try filling the same holes all the time? This is what makes them look only like a revolving door or second tier players most of the time.It took us nearly a decade to put a team of Pro Bowl level receivers on the field and less than three years to watch them all leave or be sent packing. So once again this goes to the question of how do you rebuild when you're still in the tear down mode?
I think it's best to wait 'til December to grade this years UFA crop. Unlike a draft class a vet UFA class can be evaluated year one with both performance and availability counting towards that grade. I'd much rather under rate this bunch and end up pleasantly surprised than continue to be somewhat disappointed with the overall results as I have been in the recent past.
If Trevathan is slow to recover from his injuries and possibly not ready to go by camp then Kwiatkoski will have to step up. He showed some promise last year and overall I think he's got great upside but is he better than Trevathan now? In any event without Trevathan we lose both a starter and quality depth. Availability does count and in Trevathan's case we got stung a bit.
The DL is still short one DE starter and a good backup NT. Unrein isn't a top level starter, CWash apparently didn't trip their trigger as an ascending young DE, and last years 3rd round pick proved too undersized to handle the starters job. We did fall into a great signing with Hicks but we're still at least one starter and some quality depth short on the DL.
OLB looked fantastic going into 2016 but the delay in McPhee's recovery and the overall decline in his effectiveness hurt as did losing Houston to yet another knee injury. Young is a solid guy but still more of a role player. If Floyd continues to ascend and stays healthy that takes care of one OLB spot but we need four in the rotation and two may be questionable due to injuries and or contract amounts. Do you really think Houston stays?
So as we enter this draft among our other needs it looks to me like either a top DE or a versatile DL/OLB are still very much at the top of our list along with another ILB. They did bring in Ruben Foster for an interview and to kick his tires so to me that would indicate an interest in drafting another ILB this year too.
My point is that due to injury or age attrition and in other cases under performance we are not gaining ground and our record would indicate that. If we have a great draft and one or two rookies really step up to become immediate impact players, and we can stay healthy, then maybe all of this comes together but today it still looks like an unassembled jig saw puzzle to many.