Printable View
First let me state that I think the Rams would be better off served with not taking a WR at 33. With the depth in that position in next years draft we could end up with a real stud in Green or Jones. Weatherspoon may be available looking at alot of the mocks that are on the web right now. Could he be the Laurinaitis of this years draft? Maybe? Or would you take Gresham who looks very good or add depth to the backfield with Best? Tough choice but pick one and let me know why....
I say Gresham because I think that's where our need is greatest, but I'd be cool with Weatherspoon too. I am not in favor of drafting a RB in round 2 or maybe even round 3. I think we need to be looking for starters in those rounds, not somebody who will come off the bench for 5 snaps a game.
Bradford played with Gresham, it would be nice for Bradford to have chemestry with a reciever. I would choose Gresham.
I don't think either Gresham or Weatherspoon will be there in the 2nd, and I think we are wasting a pick in the 2nd to grab a backup RB when we are in position to fill a starter hole that has a backup playing in it.
Weatherspoon would be a steal
Could weatherspoon play SAM linebacker and possibly be used to blitz?
My thoughts exactly. Either WR DE or Best LB availableQuote:
Originally Posted by berg8309
Of those three, I'd choose Weatherspoon, although I doubt that he'll still be there at the top of the second.
However, I'd prefer us to draft the best remaining DE at number 33; we don't have any long-term defensive ends, other than Chris Long, on the current roster.
If all three are available, I'd probably give Gresham the nod.
Weatherspoon is talented, but unfortunately plays at weakside linebacker. It is my impression that Spags' system doesn't highly value the position. In Spags' first year with the Giants, Kawika Mitchell started at WLB. They let him walk the next year and started a second year player who had been picked at the bottom of the third round in the draft. Then with the Rams, he was willing to go along with moving Witherspoon after having cut Tinoisamoa.
Best looks like a dynamic runningback, but there are some questions about whether he's durable enough to eventually take on a full-time starting gig.
Gresham has an injury history, too, but in my opinion, it is more difficult to find a top flight pass-catching tight end than it is to find a reliable backup runningback. This is partly because the success of the runningback relies so much on the skill of the offensive line. If Best doesn't have good blocking, he's going to struggle. It's really in the open field where he's going to shine. However, Gresham doesn't have to have great blocking to be effective. In fact, if the blocking is bad, the quarterback is going to need a reliable tight end as a safety valve.
If Gresham is there, snap him up!
Weatherspoon would be my ideal choice at the top of the second, even though i seriously doubt he would be there. He is fast, smart, strong, and brings an attitude to our defense. I know a lot of people don't like it but I love the Jaw jacking that defensive players like joey porter do and I think we need a linebacker that brings that attitude.
Voted Gresham, but would rather grab the best available DE at the top of the second, and grab a TE in the 3rd or 4th.
Gresham is a beast, but the TE field looks incredibly strong to me. That, and our DE is sucks.
I don't think Spoon will be there.
I don't think Gresham will be there.
Therefore: Best.
I say Best. I am a Pac 10 homer but saw him play a lot..
I think Spag can 'system' a D and special teams with bodies for now and should take the best offensive talent they can and design a scheme around them.
I will just re-iterate my stance that using our 2nd round pick to fill a backup position is poor drafting for a 1-15 team missing starting quality players in many roles. RB is one of the few places we have a starting quality player, and we use our high draft pick to draft....another RB? I just don't see the team getting better with Best. We just need someone to spell Jackson, not replace him. Yet.Quote:
Originally Posted by Head Slap
Consider it as more than just an insurance policy.Quote:
Originally Posted by berg8309
The reason that Best looks to be so suited to St. Louis is that physically, he doesn't appear to be ready to carry the ball 20 times a game. He'll absorb too much damage for his frame to handle. Best is considered a true home-run threat by many scouts, and in my opinion he's the player best suited to that title this year.
I don't want to make a Trung Canidate comparison, but I feel like they had similar skillsets. Maybe a more apt comparison is Felix Jones from Dallas, who has averaged nearly 6 YPC in a spell role for the Cowboys over his career.
The point is that if Jackson is going to continue to receive as many touches as he currently receives, he's going to wear out faster than anyone around here would like. The problem that we had last year was that the offense was virtually anaemic. As good as Jackson is, he didn't score until the ninth game of the season last year. When you're talking about adding Best, you're not only talking about giving Jackson a breather- you're talking about adding a player who is a threat to score whenever he touches the ball. More or less you're factoring the potential for instant points into the equation, which we really haven't had since Marshall Faulk.
The only other player worth the that high of a pick with the potential to do something similar, in my opinion, is Demaryius Thomas. Of course, he hasn't run this offseason, (To the best of my recollection, Best clocked an unofficial 4.28 but was listed in the 4.3's) but in my opinion he's the only WR outside of Dez Bryant who could develop into a true #1 target. Returning to the subject matter of this thread for a second, I don't think Thomas will be available when we draft. This, of course, leads me back to Best as the best skill position pick we could make at #33 overall.
If you're looking outside of skill position players for our offense, I'd love to land Mike Iupati or Maurkice Pouncey. I think both will be gone by the mid 20's, so it would inevitably require a trade up to land either player. In turn, that factors Thomas, Graham and Weatherspoon back into the equation. It is definitely a twisted web we're weaving.