Best Available? Draft a TE

[amorentz]

Originally Posted by That Guy

20 crappy TEs doesn't equal 2 good ones.

the difference is in the 2nd round you can either get a sure starter at TE or OG or SS or you can get a spare part WR/DE with no promises of contributing next year at all. The WR corp this year isn't just weak, its bad. DE/DT has talent though. you HAVE to draft OL, and remember last time we took OL later on? one lasted a year and the other looks like he'll never play. If you want a guy that can start, the 5th round is NOT the place to find him. Gibs needs althletic guards and even the bad ones are generally gone by then.

I really agree with this, and it was essentially the reason I posted the thread. I think that rather than focusing on a pressing need and reaching on a player, it might be a good year to get an excellent value player. On the other hand, if and excellent WR falls to us then it obviously makes sense to draft for need AND value.

My point on the thread wasnt that we HAVE to draft a TE, but that it may make sense for us to in a bang-for-your-buck sort of way.

[Schneed10]

Originally Posted by amorentz

I really agree with this, and it was essentially the reason I posted the thread. I think that rather than focusing on a pressing need and reaching on a player, it might be a good year to get an excellent value player. On the other hand, if and excellent WR falls to us then it obviously makes sense to draft for need AND value.

My point on the thread wasnt that we HAVE to draft a TE, but that it may make sense for us to in a bang-for-your-buck sort of way.

Best player available is a good philosophy... IF that player fits your system. Grabbing a great pass-catching TE would be quite duplicative of Cooley's skill set. If we're going after a TE, requirement number one is that he MUST be a great in-line run blocker to help our short-yardage offense. Adding a receiving TE who is a mediocre blocker doesn't help us very much, we already have Cooley filling that role. We should draft a bulldozer at TE, or we shouldn't address it at all. If he can catch passes too, that's a bonus.

Best player available doesn't always improve your team the most. You have to pick guys that fit your style of football. When you add a player, the goal is to make the team play better as a whole, not get more guys who can play well on your team. There's a big difference. A blocking TE would help Portis tremendously in short-yardage situations. He'd pick up more 1st downs and TDs and defenses might need to use 8 in the box more often. While a pass-catching TE would probably just eat into Cooley's production.

[That Guy]

Originally Posted by Schneed10

Best player available is a good philosophy... IF that player fits your system. Grabbing a great pass-catching TE would be quite duplicative of Cooley's skill set. If we're going after a TE, requirement number one is that he MUST be a great in-line run blocker to help our short-yardage offense. Adding a receiving TE who is a mediocre blocker doesn't help us very much, we already have Cooley filling that role. We should draft a bulldozer at TE, or we shouldn't address it at all. If he can catch passes too, that's a bonus.

Best player available doesn't always improve your team the most. You have to pick guys that fit your style of football. When you add a player, the goal is to make the team play better as a whole, not get more guys who can play well on your team. There's a big difference. A blocking TE would help Portis tremendously in short-yardage situations. He'd pick up more 1st downs and TDs and defenses might need to use 8 in the box more often. While a pass-catching TE would probably just eat into Cooley's production.

pope (2nd), klop (3rd), day (4th), day is the best blocker, but pope is very good and 6'7". all can catch, but pope is probably the best at that. byrd would be a waste cause he's 6'3" and plays slike cooley (well, it definately wouldn't be a waste, but there's equal talent in a guy like pope thats a much better fit for the system the skins run).

[amorentz]

Originally Posted by Schneed10

Best player available is a good philosophy... IF that player fits your system. Grabbing a great pass-catching TE would be quite duplicative of Cooley's skill set. If we're going after a TE, requirement number one is that he MUST be a great in-line run blocker to help our short-yardage offense. Adding a receiving TE who is a mediocre blocker doesn't help us very much, we already have Cooley filling that role. We should draft a bulldozer at TE, or we shouldn't address it at all. If he can catch passes too, that's a bonus.

Best player available doesn't always improve your team the most. You have to pick guys that fit your style of football. When you add a player, the goal is to make the team play better as a whole, not get more guys who can play well on your team. There's a big difference. A blocking TE would help Portis tremendously in short-yardage situations. He'd pick up more 1st downs and TDs and defenses might need to use 8 in the box more often. While a pass-catching TE would probably just eat into Cooley's production.

I definitely agree that we would need a TE that fits us (ie Mashing Power Blocker that can catch some)...otherwise if you just keep taking "best available at all costs" you end being the Detroit Lions with too many overpaid WRs!

But my thought was that this might be a good year to look at a TE because we can get a better one later than we could in the foreseeable future.