KManx89
Cheesehead
- Joined
- Sep 7, 2012
- Messages
- 32
- Reaction score
- 4
I know, on paper, we are (ATM) seen by many as one of the more complete teams in the league (every team has at least a couple gaping holes), but we have so many future needs...
Jeff Saturday is getting up there in age, plus we could use some O-Line help, so USC C Kalhed Holmes seems like the ideal pick/replacement. We already used a 1st round pick on an O-Lineman in 2011, however, so do we just hope Derek Sherrod can instantly come off injury and be an effective LT for us (Newhouse isn't doing so well in pass protection, though he's certainly an upgrade from Herb Taylor, who was getting Rodgers killed in the 1st preseason game)? Alabama's D.J. Fluker, Alabama's Chace Warmack or Texas A&M's Luke Jockel (who can play multiple positions) are also potential suitors.
Then we have the Jennings contract situation, in which case, Tennessee's Justin Hunter is a more than suitable replacement if we are unable to sign him to an extension.
RB Cedric Benson, who's been a fine addition for us, is also a UFA after this year, and I don't see us keeping him over Jennings. South Carolina's Marcus Lattimore would be a fine replacement, but I don't see him lasting past the mid part of the 1st round, at best (though maybe he'll take a Doug Martin or David Wilson-type dive into the end of the 1st, who knows?). Michigan State's Le'Veon Bell and Wisconsin's Montee Ball could still be available in the 2nd round (though Ball is a potential late 1st-rounder), but I don't know if both will fall far enough into the 2nd for us to snag one of them. A trade-up for one or the other is also a possibility.
Notre Dame ILB Manti Te'o, if he falls, would simply be too good to pass up, and also addresses a future need. We could let Hawk go (since we'll no longer be subject to the cap hit his deal would give us) and have a scary LB core of Perry-Te'o-Smith-Matthews. Stanford's Shayne Skov, a potential 2nd-3rd rounder, would also be an intriguing option.
TE Jermichael Finley is certainly expendable with his knack for drops and with the contract situation of our big 4 (Jennings, Rodgers, Matthews, Raji), in which case, Notre Dame's Tyler Eifert is an intriguing option. We all saw the effect that having a powerful TE like a Gronkowski or Jimmy Graham has had on the Patriots and Saints, imagine Rodgers having a big, playmaking TE to throw to . Or better yet, if we took another TE later in the draft (Michigan State's Dion Simms, Alabama's Mike Williams or UCLA's Joe Fauria) and gave us a nice 2 TE set with Finley now gone. The Falcons or Giants, though, who will likely be picking before us, might have him coveted, however, but there's still other intriguing TE options if we miss out.
DE Ryan Picket isn't much of a playmaker, anymore, and is also getting older, so we could also address that with a rich DL class (Michigan State's William Gholston catches my eye).
We could also use a S with Woodson getting up there in age, so USC's T.J. McDonald is a possibility, Oklahoma's Tony Jefferson also might be available in the 2nd if we decide to address another spot in the 1st round.
The problem you face with all of these potential 1st-2nd rounders, though, is all of them (except for Te'o, no way he falls) could potentially end up falling into the 2nd round in the draft (some maybe even into the 3rd round), which then forces us to decide who to take in the 1st round and which do we let fall and risk losing out on in the 2nd round (we faced a similar dilemma in 2011 in taking Derek Sherrod over Brooks Reed, and ultimately lost out on him)? They're all important future positions of need for us, and we'll be getting a couple of nice compensatory picks with Matt Flynn, Scott Wells and Ryan Grant, which will give us some leverage to trade up for any one of these guys. So, do we trade down into the early 2nd round to maybe snag a couple of these guys (and more picks), trade up in the 2nd or 3rd for any of these guys? What's y'all's take?
Jeff Saturday is getting up there in age, plus we could use some O-Line help, so USC C Kalhed Holmes seems like the ideal pick/replacement. We already used a 1st round pick on an O-Lineman in 2011, however, so do we just hope Derek Sherrod can instantly come off injury and be an effective LT for us (Newhouse isn't doing so well in pass protection, though he's certainly an upgrade from Herb Taylor, who was getting Rodgers killed in the 1st preseason game)? Alabama's D.J. Fluker, Alabama's Chace Warmack or Texas A&M's Luke Jockel (who can play multiple positions) are also potential suitors.
Then we have the Jennings contract situation, in which case, Tennessee's Justin Hunter is a more than suitable replacement if we are unable to sign him to an extension.
RB Cedric Benson, who's been a fine addition for us, is also a UFA after this year, and I don't see us keeping him over Jennings. South Carolina's Marcus Lattimore would be a fine replacement, but I don't see him lasting past the mid part of the 1st round, at best (though maybe he'll take a Doug Martin or David Wilson-type dive into the end of the 1st, who knows?). Michigan State's Le'Veon Bell and Wisconsin's Montee Ball could still be available in the 2nd round (though Ball is a potential late 1st-rounder), but I don't know if both will fall far enough into the 2nd for us to snag one of them. A trade-up for one or the other is also a possibility.
Notre Dame ILB Manti Te'o, if he falls, would simply be too good to pass up, and also addresses a future need. We could let Hawk go (since we'll no longer be subject to the cap hit his deal would give us) and have a scary LB core of Perry-Te'o-Smith-Matthews. Stanford's Shayne Skov, a potential 2nd-3rd rounder, would also be an intriguing option.
TE Jermichael Finley is certainly expendable with his knack for drops and with the contract situation of our big 4 (Jennings, Rodgers, Matthews, Raji), in which case, Notre Dame's Tyler Eifert is an intriguing option. We all saw the effect that having a powerful TE like a Gronkowski or Jimmy Graham has had on the Patriots and Saints, imagine Rodgers having a big, playmaking TE to throw to . Or better yet, if we took another TE later in the draft (Michigan State's Dion Simms, Alabama's Mike Williams or UCLA's Joe Fauria) and gave us a nice 2 TE set with Finley now gone. The Falcons or Giants, though, who will likely be picking before us, might have him coveted, however, but there's still other intriguing TE options if we miss out.
DE Ryan Picket isn't much of a playmaker, anymore, and is also getting older, so we could also address that with a rich DL class (Michigan State's William Gholston catches my eye).
We could also use a S with Woodson getting up there in age, so USC's T.J. McDonald is a possibility, Oklahoma's Tony Jefferson also might be available in the 2nd if we decide to address another spot in the 1st round.
The problem you face with all of these potential 1st-2nd rounders, though, is all of them (except for Te'o, no way he falls) could potentially end up falling into the 2nd round in the draft (some maybe even into the 3rd round), which then forces us to decide who to take in the 1st round and which do we let fall and risk losing out on in the 2nd round (we faced a similar dilemma in 2011 in taking Derek Sherrod over Brooks Reed, and ultimately lost out on him)? They're all important future positions of need for us, and we'll be getting a couple of nice compensatory picks with Matt Flynn, Scott Wells and Ryan Grant, which will give us some leverage to trade up for any one of these guys. So, do we trade down into the early 2nd round to maybe snag a couple of these guys (and more picks), trade up in the 2nd or 3rd for any of these guys? What's y'all's take?