Quote:
Originally Posted by TheMalcolmConnection
I disagree. If you're looking through the years, you have to look at how strong the defense was up front. When we were top ten in defense for 2004 and 2005, our run defense was absolutely dominant.
This year, when we were weaker up front, we start getting torched more often and for longer, pass plays. Sean Taylor was a beast both of those years. Is he NOT the Darren Sharper type you speak of? Everyone was quick to write him off after last season.
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I respectfully disagree with all of you.
First off, there are at least 5 plays that I could name this season where Sean Taylor had taken bad angles to make tackles that resulted in a big pass/run play. More specifically, the Titans and Rams games were examples of him taking bad angles as a "free safety." Do not get me wrong, Sean Taylor is a presence to be recognized across the middle of the green. But he just is not a free safety in the league.
If we move him to the SS position, it puts him closer to the LOS and it cuts down his angles. That'll free him up like Polomalu to run like crazy across the "middle of the field" and make plays like we all know and love. Landry comes in as a four year starter, All-American FS, and national champion from LSU. He can
IMMEDIATELY start for us and play from the first to last snap of every game. As much as I would love to have Branch, Okoye, G Adams, or J Anderson, there isn't anyone who can say that anyone of those guys can immediately be inserted in the lineup and play every down, without them realizing one of there positional weaknesses that I have already stated in one my preceding posts.
Therefore, if we trade down and remain in the top 12, we need to select the player with a guaranteed impact and the ability to play for us immediately. The first round is made for impact players to play on a consistent and immediate basis for their teams. We pick higher, so the spotlight is on us to make a sound decision considering that they will be paid
first round money. Also, assuming that we trade down, it will invariably be for draft picks. Thereby, we acquire the players that we can
afford to gamble on. Pun intended(we al know the draft is a big crap shoot). There, in the later rounds, we can draft for D-Line depth, and hopefully foster some competition at the position to bring the best out of our players.
Don't forget we have the 6th overall pick. That translates to big points on the draft chart. We can pick up at least a 2nd and a 3rd round pick to give us a full first day in the draft(Side Note: I was the guy who started the post about trading Ladell Betts for a second or third round pick, because we didn't have any picks after the first round. Then the jets trade for Thomas Jones, and got, drum roll please, a second round pick).
So now everyone is happy, and that option is no longer viable. We still have Betts, but we still have no picks after the first round! To remedy this, we can trade down a few spots to get , the best bet to promptly aid our defense on
both fronts, Laron LAndry. Then use the picks in the 2nd and 3rd rounds to get remaining DL help. There still will be quality players at those spots. Furthermore, if we trade to remain in the top 12, the pick in the 2nd and 3rd rounds will also be in the top tier of both rounds. This will give us optimal positioning to get the first dibbs in the 2nd and 3rd.
Who else is estimated to be there at the DT and DE postions in the beginnings of the 2nd and 3rd rounds? At DE Anthony Spencer, Victor Abiamiri, Tim Crowder, Ray McDonald, and Brian Robison are just a few names in the group of DE's that will be there at the top of the 2nd or 3rd rounds. As for DT's we can expect Justin Harrell, Marcus Thomas, Brandon Mebane, Tank Tyler, Kareem Brown, and Jay Alford to be available at those positions as well.
Either way you look at it, if we trade down and stay in the top 12 we get picks to fill up the first 3 rounds, get depth and competition at the DL, and to a secondary unit that already has a head-bussa(Sean Taylor), we add a young, gifted, play-making, and experienced free safety(Laron Landry).
If we do, in fact, take one those d-lineman, it will be a definitve boost to the position, because we shallow there. However, to get the
absolute most out of this draft we need the most solid talent out there for a top pick and we need more picks. By going with Landry, after a trade for picks, we get both.