That's my hope.

I also like the idea that if Foster isn't there, trade back into the 20's, nab one of Cunningham/Davis and then hopefully one of the EDGE guys in the 2nd.

If we trade back in the 1st, we also might be able to trade up a bit in the 2nd to get our EDGE guy earlier than 2.15

No TE. God.

I am still in the small minority (though it looks like I might have GBB88 in my camp) that would be fine with Dalvin Cook in the 1st round. Again, not my first choice, and I hope we go ILB/EDGE in the top 2 rounds (and I think there's the caliber of players that the guys there might indeed be BPA in the first couple of rounds), but I just happen to believe that Dalvin Cook is and will be that damn good.

Mixon is better and can be had later.

BPA always has an element of need to it. They aren't going to draft a QB if they feel he is the BPA, for example. I believe Ballard will either pick the best front 7 player available or trade back at 15.

So you believe that even though he says he will never base his pick on need and will pick BPA.

I want linebackers but really are people seriously thinking that our corners are OK????

This is easily the biggest position of need, and it isn't even close in my opinion. We have Davis and then one guy who started last year after beginning the season as the fifth stringer. After these two we have quite literally nothing.

He'll also bring a gigantic backlash.

Not sure Ballard will do it. Not saying he WON'T, he was in the FO that brought in Tyreek Hill but that's a ballsy move for a rookie GM.

I believe that NFL GM's are often dishonest when it comes to talking about the media regarding draft strategy, yes.

I remain convinced that Mixon's best destination is in Indy. A year of growing up and learning how to be a Pro from Frank Gore, is just what the kid needs.

There are a lot of good locker room guys on the offense that will embrace this kid and keep him on the straight and narrow.

Also, yeah there will be some initial backlash from the fans. But that will be soon forgotten, if he keeps his nose clean, contributes to the community and starts posting all-pro seasons.

I mean Ballard did draft tyreek hill

Don't get me wrong, I'm good with the idea, I'm not the one that would have to deal with the backlash and I'm absolutely convinced that he'll be good in the NFL. I'd quibble with him being definitively BETTER than Dalvin Cook, but I do think he'll be quite good.

My dream draft would probably consist of trading back into the 20's, grabbing an ILB (Cunningham, since I know you hate Davis), grabbing Mixon at 2.14 and then hopefully having a late 2nd round pick as a result of trading back into the 20's and then grab one of the edge rushers (Tim Williams or Carl Lawson might very well still be available at that point).

Who is playing CB?

A 1 year veteran free agent cap cut signed after the draft.

Duh..... 😁

Cheers,

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

Lots of good CB's in this class. It's entirely possible a guy like Sidney Jones or Teez Tabor will be available in the 3rd round when we're picking.

He was not the gm in kc

No, but he gets credit for all the good players the Chiefs have ever drafted. Not sure who drafted the crappy players.

I'm good with drafting him but he is injured. And probably won't be available for 2017. Who's playing in 2017

I think Toler might be available

He supposedly has a shot at 2017. And maybe a guy like Teez Tabor. Or it's Davis/Melvin with Butler sliding in at nickel.

The position isn't as dire as LB. It's just not.

Butler is a safety. Not Nicole corner anymore

Would not be surprised if he slides in to cover the slot guys on 3rd downs. Just sayin.

I doubt that happens. Never saw Adams doing it... who would play safety? Green? Seems smarter to actually have a CB instead of trying to put a bandaid on one spot

I distinctly remember you complaining about Toler on a weekly basis. If you were not ok with it then not sure how you would be ok going back to that same scenario. Without a starting caliber CB opposite VD it will be ugly. And when or if VD goes down it will be even uglier. No pass rush would over come a tandem of Melvin and Mitchell. Or even Melvin and Butler if it got that desperate

Just remember pass rush and LBR has been addressed. Maybe not with 4 pro bowlers but it has been upgraded.... CB has not been. In fact it is less than last season. I don't know about you, but IMO that is a huge huge hole on this team. Easily the biggest on the team.

I don't think you understand how dire the LB problem is.

Did you like, watch Antonio Morrison last year and think he was, um, good? Because either he or Edwin Jackson is currently slated to start at LB. That's a fairly massive problem.

I liked what Jackson brought last season unless Foster falls in our lap, it wouldn't surprise me if Jackson and Spence are the starters

I don't think you understand that they have already upgraded the LB positons. We only have 1 starting CB on the roster.

The more I look at film, the more that I am becoming convinced that I don't see a big difference between the OLBs after Myles Garrett ranking from about #2 through #15 or so.

I mean, who is the #2? Reddick? Harris? Willis?

Who is the #8? Who is #12?

I think that different teams are going to value a lot of different traits in these kids. I personally think that T.J. Watt could become the best of the lot BUT I also acknowledge that there is a lot of downside to him as well that could lead to a bust. It is that kind of class.

They all have talent and production. There are going to be some really good pass rushers that come out of this class but I am not convinced that the kids taken in the middle of the 1st round have that much more going for them than the kids whom are going to be taken in the middle of the 2nd round or possible even taken in the middle of the 3rd round. I like Ryan Anderson, Alabama (whom many think is a 3rd round pick) and Trey Hendrickson, Florida Atlantic (again, whom many think is 3rd round or below) about as well as I like Harris or Watt or Bowser.

As such, I am now throwing my considerable weight (alas, physical and not reputation) behind the concept of drafting CB in the 1st round instead of OLB and waiting until later to draft LB.

As Puck keeps pointing out, "who is going to play CB?" The answer probably needs to be one of:

6'00" / 195lbs / 4.44s 40 / 11 bench / 37.0" vertical / 129.0" broad / 6.68s 3 cone / 4.18s 20 shuttle / Gareon Conley, Ohio State
5'11"/ 192lbs / 4.47s 40 / 16 bench / 32.0" vertical / 119.0" broad / 6.90s 3 cone / 4.32s 20 shuttle / Tre'Darvious White, LSU

I prefer Conley because he is the better athlete, played more press coverage in college and just "looks" more NFL ready right now. I am not so sure that White will not be the better CB in the long run after a season or two of seasoning but, alas, the Colts are in need of a starter RIGHT NOW instead of in a season or two.

Once we get our CB2 in the 1st round, we could then come back at 2-14 (#46) and 3-16 (#80) and go ILB/OLB depending on who has best BPA. Guys like this could/should be available:

OLB Tarell Basham, Ohio (small school and raw but talented)
OLB Tim Williams, Alabama (how far is he going to fall?)
OLB Tyus Bowser, Houston (+ physical that is still very raw)
OLB Ryan Anderson, Alabama (+ production but lack physical upside)
OLB Trey Hendrickson, Florida Atlantic (+ production, + physical, SMALL school)
OLB Daeshon Hall, Texas A&M (DE position switch, pure pass rusher)

ILB Alex Anzalone, Florida (+ physical and production, has been inured a lot)
ILB Raekwon McMillian, Ohio State (solid coverage, needs to improve run support)
ILB Anthony Walker Jr, Northwestern (+ run play, only okay in coverage)
ILB Duke Riley, LSU (1 year of production but improving, solid all around)
ILB Blair Brown, Ohio (1 year of production; small school)

The ILB class really seems to fall off after the likes of Foster, Reddick (if folks view him as an ILB), Davis and Cunningham. My BPA for 2-14 would probably be one of Davis or Cunningham if they fall that far and then OLB if they don't.

The likes of Trey Hendrickson, Daeshon Hall or Ryan Anderson might still be around for our 3rd round pick and would add another solid body in our OLB rotation; not a world beater but a solid body.

===============
TL:DR

1-15:
A pick = CB Gareon Conley
B pick = CB Tre'Darvious White

2-14:
A pick = ILB Jarrad Davis or ILB Zach Cunningham (if they slide)
B pick = OLB Charles Harris or OLB T.J. Watt (if they slide)
C pick = ILB Raekwon McMillian
D pick = OLB Tim Williams

3-16:
A pick = OLB Ryan Anderson (if ILB was taken in 2nd round)
B pick = OLB Trey Hendrickson (if ILB was taken in 2nd round)
C pick = ILB Duke Riley or ILB Blair Brown

4th round CB (Witherspoon? Kazee? Elder? Griffin?)
4th round RB
4th round Safety
5th round TE

Add a veteran CB in free agency from camp cut to push the rookie 1st round draft pick to perform and you have a full wrap on it.

Cheers,

Yep. That's why I have no idea who they are taking in round one. If Fournette or Howard falls. They will most likely be BPA

I want Lamp but he won't be BPA. So he won't be the pick. I hope they can get Jones in the second or third. Before his injury he was probably top 7-8 of BPA.

I Do think Ballard picks up at least 2 FA cbs


FA for need Draft BPA

Melvin is a better starter than Morrison/Jackson.

If you can't see that, I can't help you.

Speaking of washed up CB's from the past, I see Powers retired over the weekend

I would be ok drafting a CB if he's the BPA. But I also see guys out there like Jason McCourty, Sam Shields, Brandon Flowers, Alteraun Verner, and even Leon Hall out there looking for work. Any of them could step in and start opposite Davis. I would not want to limit the team to just one position in the 1st. Lots of areas on defense, and even maybe the OL, could stand to have talent added. CB would be an emergency if there were no viable FAs available, but there are several.

If Foster isn't there, I'd love to see them move back in round 1 while also adding that team's 2nd (yes, the Colts would have to add maybe a 4th to get that done). They could end up with something like:

1 - OLB Charles Harris
2- CB Sidney Jones
2 - ILB McMillan

Maybe if we get enough LBers we can play without CBs at all

If you can find the mythical CB that can cover for 15 seconds while there's no pass rush being generated and/or handle the cover responsibilities of a WR and the TE/RB that our incompetent ILB's are responsible for, then sure, by all means, ignore the LB position.

Until you find this mythical unicorn for a CB, however, I'm going to hone in on the position of greater importance that's in greater need of a talent infusion.

Agreed, I would just reverse the order on ILB/OLB.

As sherck said above, the dropoff from Foster/Cunningham/Davis (and Reddick, depending on if you think he's an ILB or not in this defense) to McMillian is pretty steep.

I think we could reasonably come out with, however:

1. OLB-Davis/Cunnigham
2- CB- Sidney Jones
3- Tim Williams/Carl Lawson

I don't think the talent-level dropoff between Harris to Williams/Lawson is as steep as the talent level dropoff from Cunnigham/Davis to McMillian, in other words.

Actually he said that the drop off after Garrett is steep then the rest are all very close, not much of a drop from 2-15 and beyond

I am not sure why you keep pounding the table about no pass rush now after the FA period. Simon and Sheard will more than likely be the starting OLBs Spence who apparently you are greatly under rating will be an ILB along with Jackson (my guess) They will add in the draft but to think it has to be at 15 is nonsense.

Read it again, Garrett is in the pass rush group, I was taking about the ILB group, which he also addressed, and the dropoff I'm talking about aligns with the same one he cited.

You need more than two competent OLB's to generate a consistent pass rush, I hope you know.

And Jackson showed nothing to indicate he'll be anything resembling a solid starter. Melvin is better, comparatively, than Jackson. Thus, the need at ILB is greater.

Sure but they don't need to have 4 Pro Bowl OLB to do this. You sound more like Dam every day

We don't have even one Pro Bowl OLB. We do, however, have one Pro Bowl CB.

You sound more and more like Skip Bayless everyday.