Should the Redskins consider LSU Safety Laron Landry with the 6th overall pick

[GhettoDogAllStars]

I think the whole argument comes down to drafting for need, or drafting for talent. Obviously our biggest need is on the D line, but we are likely to have the choice of better talent at the #6 spot.

Personally, I think the best policy is to draft for VALUE.

Imagine that all teams have the same number of picks. The teams which get the most value from their draft picks will have the most effective draft. Their draft picks will have been put to better use than teams which don't draft for value (i.e.: more bang for your buck).

So, the question is: who is the better value, Landry or the top-rated DL available at #6?

[TenandSix:Unacceptable]

Originally Posted by GhettoDogAllStars

I think the whole argument comes down to drafting for need, or drafting for talent. Obviously our biggest need is on the D line, but we are likely to have the choice of better talent at the #6 spot.

Personally, I think the best policy is to draft for VALUE.

Imagine that all teams have the same number of picks. The teams which get the most value from their draft picks will have the most effective draft. Their draft picks will have been put to better use than teams which don't draft for value (i.e.: more bang for your buck).

So, the question is: who is the better value, Landry or the top-rated DL available at #6?

I like your idea, but could you explain the concept of "value" a little more. Although I don't know exactly what you mean, I think one of the biggest hurdles to signing Landry would be a question of how much can you spend on saftey, which has typically been one of the NFL defensive positions that receives less cap space. Signing Landry could potentially give us problems signing players at more "important" positions. This is obviously something to think about. Honestly, I would only do it if I thought that a Landry/Taylor combo could actually "change the game" and give us a real advantage over teams that wouldn't have that kind of talent and versatility at saftey.

[GTripp0012]

Originally Posted by GhettoDogAllStars

I think the whole argument comes down to drafting for need, or drafting for talent. Obviously our biggest need is on the D line, but we are likely to have the choice of better talent at the #6 spot.

Personally, I think the best policy is to draft for VALUE.

Imagine that all teams have the same number of picks. The teams which get the most value from their draft picks will have the most effective draft. Their draft picks will have been put to better use than teams which don't draft for value (i.e.: more bang for your buck).

So, the question is: who is the better value, Landry or the top-rated DL available at #6?

Good post. Very well said.

Value is relative to your team, and players have different values to each team. But one leaguewide rule of thumb is that EVERY position on the D Line is more valuable than the second safety.

I guess the arguement can be made that Landry will be a better player than Sean Taylor, and I would agree with that, but Landry + Taylor really isn't a whole lot different than Taylor + Prioleau. Ultimately the entire state of our safeties comes back to how much discipline ST wants to play with. Landry or not, its going to be a good situation if Taylor plays smart, and a bad one if he is a giant hole in coverage a la last year. Landry wont make a huge impact either way, ESPECIALLY AS A ROOKIE.

Any D Lineman is more valuable than Landry.

[TenandSix:Unacceptable]

Originally Posted by GTripp0012

Good post. Very well said.

Value is relative to your team, and players have different values to each team. But one leaguewide rule of thumb is that EVERY position on the D Line is more valuable than the second safety.

I guess the arguement can be made that Landry will be a better player than Sean Taylor, and I would agree with that, but Landry + Taylor really isn't a whole lot different than Taylor + Prioleau. Ultimately the entire state of our safeties comes back to how much discipline ST wants to play with. Landry or not, its going to be a good situation if Taylor plays smart, and a bad one if he is a giant hole in coverage a la last year. Landry wont make a huge impact either way, ESPECIALLY AS A ROOKIE.

Any D Lineman is more valuable than Landry.

I have always believed that the game of football is won in the trenches. All signs point to us adding DL help considering it's importance and our obvious deficiency in that area. That is clearly our most pressing need and the conventional wisdom as well. All I am saying is, hold off, just one more year. And here's why.

The opportunity to draft Landry is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity which very well could be a watershed moment for the game of football. Adding Landry could potentially give us a legitimate secondary no matter who is playing cornerback for the next ten years, something hitherto unheard of in football lore. Not only that, but God only knows what would be the devastating impact of two potential Hall of Fame safeties playing together side by side in their primes. They can blitz, they can cover, they can hit, they can run, they can wreak havoc all over the field and keep opposing OC's and players guessing for a decade. Not only that but I strongly believe that ST is the heart and soul of the entire team. If he can live up to his unlimited potential, he could become the defensive player of the year. But you know what? He's bored. Having someone by his side who challenges him, pushes him, even outclasses him at times, would serve as a constant reminder to him of how hard it is to be the best. They would feed off each other, and trust me, so would the entire team, no, scratch that, the entire Redskins' nation. The positive energy that would be unleashed by combining these freaks of the game would alter the cosmos so much that opposing teams would have no choice but to succumb to their inevitable defeat when faced with Us.

And if all that doesn't happen and it is a total flop, that's fine too. I don't see another SB coming around the bend unless JC or someone else becomes the franchise QB we've been sorely lacking. We have plenty of time to draft DL while JC develops. Think about it, if he turns out to be a flop we'll have to wait even longer to even hope to do the thing that all teams hope to do and that is win the Super Bowl. Trust me, it ain't happening if we don't get a QB.

We will in all likelihood never know what a Taylor/Landry combination would do to the game of football. I just don't think putting the DL blinders on and not at least pondering the potential impact of fielding the best safety duo in the history of football is the only plan, Stan.

[Longtimefan]

While it would put a strain on our depth at the LB position, I wish it were so that Lemar Marshall could still play at SS the position he had some experience at playing in college. I don't know that his speed, or cover skills are adaquate enough. While it may seem far-fetched, it's just a thought.

From reports I've heard, we intend to use Pierson Prioleau as our starting SS, and at 188lbs. I wonder. Taylor and Marshall would give us two 230 lb. plus safeties, formidable in the run game just wonder if Marshall has enough speed, or just be another AA. It would allow Rocky the opportunity to start on the weak side, as well as get our best defensive players on the field at the same time.

[GMScud]

Originally Posted by Longtimefan

While it would put a strain on our depth at the LB position, I wish it were so that Lemar Marshall could still play at SS the position he had some experience at playing in college. I don't know that his speed, or cover skills are adaquate enough. While it may seem far-fetched, it's just a thought.

From reports I've heard, we intend to use Pierson Prioleau as our starting SS, and at 188lbs. I wonder. Taylor and Marshall would give us two 230 lb. plus safeties, formidable in the run game just wonder if Marshall has enough speed, or just be another AA. It would allow Rocky the opportunity to start on the weak side, as well as get our best defensive players on the field at the same time.

They would be a fearsome duo against the run, no doubt. But we had enough problems in pass protection last year. Lemar struggled at MLB this past season. We traded a draft pick to move up to get Rocky, who improved throughout the year. I think Lemar needs to compete with him for a starting job at OLB. Hopefully Marcus comes back from his hip surgery okay....

[Longtimefan]

Originally Posted by GMScud

They would be a fearsome duo against the run, no doubt. But we had enough problems in pass protection last year. Lemar struggled at MLB this past season. We traded a draft pick to move up to get Rocky, who improved throughout the year. I think Lemar needs to compete with him for a starting job at OLB. Hopefully Marcus comes back from his hip surgery okay....

You're probably right. I offered it up soley as hypothetical to see what others might think. My major concern with that suggestion would be Marshall's ability (or lack thereof) in coverage.

[GMScud]

Originally Posted by Longtimefan

You're probably right. I offered it up soley as hypothetical to see what others might think. My major concern with that suggestion would be Marshall's ability (or lack thereof) in coverage.

Yeah, it would be fun to watch them knock some heads against a run-heavy team and/or short passes over the middle. But as you said, Marshall would probably struggle in a big way in coverage.

[GTripp0012]

Originally Posted by Longtimefan

While it would put a strain on our depth at the LB position, I wish it were so that Lemar Marshall could still play at SS the position he had some experience at playing in college. I don't know that his speed, or cover skills are adaquate enough. While it may seem far-fetched, it's just a thought.

From reports I've heard, we intend to use Pierson Prioleau as our starting SS, and at 188lbs. I wonder. Taylor and Marshall would give us two 230 lb. plus safeties, formidable in the run game just wonder if Marshall has enough speed, or just be another AA. It would allow Rocky the opportunity to start on the weak side, as well as get our best defensive players on the field at the same time.

It's certainly an interesting idea, but my evaluation of Marshall has led me to the conclusion that he's no longer fit to cover consistenly from the MLB position, and making him a safety would probably be a diaster.

One thing I would like to see this year (depending on who we draft) is some 3-4 packages with Fletcher and Marshall/Rocky in the middle and Washington and Carter or somebody on the outside. Wynn, Saleve'a, and Griffin would man the 3 man DL. I think that could be a very interesting wrinkle in our defense.

But all wrinkles aside, this is the perfect year to shore up the DT situation, be it with Okoye, or Branch/Harrell if we have to trade down. It's a position that could be a problem area as early as 2008, so we need to address it right now in the hopes that the guy we take can grow in the system in one season and be ready to start next year.

If we can orchestrate a trade down, I would hope that we could get some DE help in later rounds. But with Daniels and Wynn apparently on board for one more season, we can hold off a year on DE as long as we promise to address it next year.