Originally posted by MC9BEAT:
Originally posted by theninermaniac:
Originally posted by MC9BEAT:
We are a power running team and you want a speed back. We are loaded with possession receivers and lack a vertical threat and you spend a 2nd round pick to draft another and don't draft at all a vertical threat reciever.
If we are going to spend a 2nd rd pick on a receiver I think it should be one with the speed to threaten deep.
As for the running back he will be 3rd string even if Gore retires and 4th string if Gore is back. Depth chart: Gore, Hyde, Hunter......
This might be a good year to pass on drafting a RB unless someone falls to us in the 4th round or later that we are really high on.
Hyde is the power back. A speed back would be a complement.
Speed receivers are overrated. If you only run one route you're pretty easy to defend. Ask Mike Wallace. I'll take a great route runner over a 4.3 track star every day of the week.
Great vertical threats can run more than one route. Often times thay can race up field stop and come back for and easy 15 yard completion. Or they force the defense to keep a safety deep to their side which frees up shorter routes and also gives you more room to run the ball.
Now we have safties creepin up to stuff the run and jump all over the short routes because there is no fear of us throwin the ball deep.
You'll take a great route runner over a track star who presumably is fast but a mediocre receiver every time? I'll take great over mediocre every time as well irregardless of position.
If I have my choice between a great possession receiver and a great receiver with enough speed to threaten vertically I will take the great receiver with speed. Especially since our receiving core has no real vertical threats and is loaded with talented possession receivers.
As for a speed back as a compliment. Barring injury he might not even suit up for the games. When will he take the field? After Gore and Hyde and Hunter have had their fill of carries? If , If Gore is gone we could add a RB who may get some action but if he returns barring a lot of injuries a rookie won't play that much. Considering how many needs we have it might ba better to go another direction.
Speed reciever, OT - our back ups suck, DL - we lost RayMac and maybe Cowboy, That's 3 big needs right there. I would love to see us draft a DL, an OL and a WR in the 1st 3 rounds provided the talent is there to pick.
Then there is uncertainty at TE, a position where we got almost nothing last year
Also guard. Brandon Thomas is coming off a major injury and hasn't played a down. There is no gaurantee he can start at a high level and I don't feel good about starting Looney. We may need to draft a gaurd to compete for the starting role and if they both play well (rookie and Thomas) then we can groom the other to replace Boone.
That's 3 big needs and 2 more real concerns: so I don't know if I want to use 1 of our 1st 3 picks on a position where we have 3 proven players at already. If, If Gore retires or moves on it changes things but if not I think we have more important needs to fill. Just an opinion.
Great WRs with elite speed come at a price. Always a top 10 pick. Great WRs with good speed can be found at a bargain, often the late 1st-late 2nd round. If the choice is talent vs. talent with elite speed, everyone would take the added speed.
Speed WRs are like one-punch boxers. Just looking for the knockout, and you pretty much know what's coming. It's about if you can defend that one thing for the most part.
Possession WRs throw punches with both hands, while working both the head and the body. Literally, they contribute most every game with a handful yards and a few first downs. Bankable production.
If you wanna go 3 wide and throw a speedy slot in to test the secondary a few times, I'm all for it. (Personally I think it should be VD stretching the field. Why he disappeared, only Roman knows.) I'm just not going to pay the premium in the draft for a WR that runs 4.35 instead of 4.45.
I think the important traits for a WR have to be football related and not track related. Getting separation is the name of the game. A great route runner will consistently get open. He doesn't need elite speed to do it.
Teams always fall for the trap of a great 40 time. Then they pay one hell of a premium for a player that wasn't that good of a football player, but the defeciencies were overlooked because they had the lottery syndrome.
For the RB discussion, I'll just say that Gore and Hunter are both very questionable. Gore for his contract status and age. Hunter for his ACL injury and how many months removed from playing? Well over a year. I think a true speed back would be a nice complement to Hyde. Then have an all around back on third string.
For the O line. Seems that everyone forgets about Kilgore. I think he's a lock for starting lineup next season. Depth behind the starters, minus Iupati included, is all that is needed. Staley-Kilgore-Martin-Boone-AD works for me.