Why the Draft is overrated

[FrankRizzo]

Wait, WHAAAAT? Ha.

Okay, the draft is very important, and is THE most important tool for building a talented roster. Nobody would argue with that.

However, I can't stand the people who side with the over-cautious GMs who for one reason or another, almost always shy away from using the other tools to assemble a Super Bowl roster: Free agency and trades.

Now we all know Reggie White is the one that gave us our Super Bowl, although some Farve-lovers say he did. Others say it was Super Bowl MVP Desmond Howard that won us the lone Super Bowl.

Did you know that neither guy was drafted by us?

Favre was a trade, while Reggie and Desmond were free agent additions. One was aggressively bid for, the other was bringing in a bust.

Of course, they weren't the only ones.
We had Earl Dotson stabilize the OL when young Packer draftees flopped at LT.
Wolf also brought in Don Beebe, Keith Jackson, Andre Rison on offense. I'd say those 3 were pretty important.

On defense, the whole starting DL was made up of guys NOT DRAFTED by the Packers.
You had Reggie White, but you also had Santana Dotson and Sean Jones, two guys who draft-lovers said were past-their prime. And the final guy on the line was a Viking originally: Gravedigger Gilbert Brown.

**********-lovin Eugene Robinson anchored the defense back at safety alongside LeRoy Butler. Robinson was a FA addition too. Butler was a draft pick.

Now that's just the Packer glory team of the late 90's.

Don't forget about rent-a-ring Deion Sanders and Charles Haley. Those guys changed teams multiple times in the early 90's between Dallas and San Francisco, and were always the difference, the missing piece.

Our current Super Bowl champion Saints wouldn't have ever won a Super Bowl had they not gone out and bought themselved free agent QB Drew Brees. We know the runnerup NFC team was the Vikings, and they have: Favre, Jared Allen, Steve Hutchinson as Pro Bowlers not drafted by the Vikes, plus Antoine Winfield, Ryan Longwell, Shiancoe, Bernard Berrian, and others. All those guys were added to their roster via non-draft means.

The team before the Saints in the Super Bowl from the NFC were the Arizona Cardinals, who did so on the arm of Kurt Warner, another guy they brought in as a free agent. He was brought in as insurance to former Heisman Trophy winner and 1st round pick Matt Leinart.
As is often the case, the draft pick didn't pan out.

People say free agency is a crapshoot, too risky.
I say the draft is WAY MORE of a crapshoot. How can you analyze how a college player is going to translate into the NFL? The talent level in the NFL is far & away beyond any college game, even in the SEC or Big Ten. It's always a guess.

With free agency and trades, at least you have film of these guys playing IN THE NFL against the same competition they will play against on your team. That's much more accurate than college film.

The spark for me writing this was a thread at another forum which asked us who we thought was better in their prime, Marshall Faulk or Priest Holmes.
Here are their phenomenal (especially for anyone who had them in fantasy football keeper leagues at that time, which I did) stats during their 3-year dynasty periods:

Marshall Faulk (1999-2001) : 1017 touches, 6765 yards (6.7 YPT), 59 TD
Priest Holmes (2001-2003) : 1166 touches, 6566 yards (5.6 YPT), 61 TD

What's interesting here is, especially considering TDs and yards, that no other RB has accounted for more total yards in any 3 year period, and they were both brought in NOT VIA A DRAFT.
Faulk was a trade with the Colts, and Holmes came from Baltimore, where he had backed up Jamal Lewis.

 

[PackersRS]

How about the importance of Ryan Pickett, Charles Woodson, Al Harris, Ryan Grant, Brandon Chillar...

Now tell me who were the big FA acquisitions of the past 10 SB champs, IN THEIR SB YEAR? Darren Sharper, a veteran who signed for very little, and warranted almost no interest? Who was on the Steelers? Giants? Colts? Steelers? Patriots? Bucs?

 

[NYPacker]

How about the importance of Ryan Pickett, Charles Woodson, Al Harris, Ryan Grant, Brandon Chillar...

Now tell me who were the big FA acquisitions of the past 10 SB champs, IN THEIR SB YEAR? Darren Sharper, a veteran who signed for very little, and warranted almost no interest? Who was on the Steelers? Giants? Colts? Steelers? Patriots? Bucs?

Nuff said....

 

[ivo610]

How about the importance of Ryan Pickett, Charles Woodson, Al Harris, Ryan Grant, Brandon Chillar...

Now tell me who were the big FA acquisitions of the past 10 SB champs, IN THEIR SB YEAR? Darren Sharper, a veteran who signed for very little, and warranted almost no interest? Who was on the Steelers? Giants? Colts? Steelers? Patriots? Bucs?

there ya go.

 

[FrankRizzo]

Right, so there are teams who win it with a lot of free agents (us), and there are teams that win it with few free agents. It doesn't have to be either-or.
Point proven in this thread.

I would suggest that this team would be nowhere without Charles Woodson and Al Harris at CB. Neither were our draft picks, last I checked.
Nobody can convince me Woodson and Harris aren't as good for us since they weren't our draft picks.

 

[PackersRS]

Right, so there are teams who win it with a lot of free agents (us), and there are teams that win it with few free agents. It doesn't have to be either-or.
Point proven in this thread.

I would suggest that this team would be nowhere without Charles Woodson and Al Harris at CB. Neither were our draft picks, last I checked.
Nobody can convince me Woodson and Harris aren't as good for us since they weren't our draft picks.

Absolutely agree. My point is that impact free agents don't make a team immediately better, because they're usually not used to the scheme and coaches/teammates. So, usually, excluding the exceptions in both parts, a FA tends to make the same impact as a rookie, in their first years...

 

[FrankRizzo]

Absolutely agree. My point is that impact free agents don't make a team immediately better, because they're usually not used to the scheme and coaches/teammates. So, usually, excluding the exceptions in both parts, a FA tends to make the same impact as a rookie, in their first years...

True, except there are certain positions that a rookie tends to take longer to help than others.
Example: See our CB's.
We have two that have done anything, 2 1/2 if you count Tramon, and none of them were drafted as Woody, Harris, and Tramon were not our draft picks.
At this position, our draft picks have done nothing but waste time, except Thrill Blackmon with the punt returns.

Even bringing in Josh Bell last year was young. It just seems like Ted likes having young, fresh meat at all times if possible when sometimes a veteran on the back-end of the career can help more and sooner (Santana Dotson, Earl Dotson, Eugene Robinson, Sean Jones, Don Beebe, Keith Jackson, etc.....).

 

[PackersRS]

True, except there are certain positions that a rookie tends to take longer to help than others.
Example: See our CB's.
We have two that have done anything, 2 1/2 if you count Tramon, and none of them were drafted as Woody, Harris, and Tramon were not our draft picks.
At this position, our draft picks have done nothing but waste time, except Thrill Blackmon with the punt returns.

Even bringing in Josh Bell last year was young. It just seems like Ted likes having young, fresh meat at all times if possible when sometimes a veteran on the back-end of the career can help more and sooner (Santana Dotson, Earl Dotson, Eugene Robinson, Sean Jones, Don Beebe, Keith Jackson, etc.....).

Agreed. And by October I was clamoring for a FA.

But, by all accounts, Lee and Underwood are doing VERY well. With Wood, Harris and Tramon, it counts for quite a crowded backfield.

All I'm saying is, it's too early to throw in the towel. I have faith in this personel and coaching staff (Whitt Jr. and Perry know what they're doing). We have some young, talented but unproven guys. Last year, 3 Cbs and 2 S's were hurt, and nobody was brought in. That was a mistake. But we cannot act like it's a normal thing.

We cannot do like Mayock, that sees the last game depth chart, and by that goes to predict who we should and shouldn't pick...

We need to take into account progression/degression, recuperation, etc... before judging if this team is in dire need of help or not, and in which position.

I belive that Harris will not be able to play like a #2 CB, but Tramon will, and Lee will be able to be at leat a great dime corner. You add Harris being a great nickel corner, and Underwood progressing, and you have to like what you see.

I thought the most pressing needs were OL depth, DL depth, OLB depth and S depth. 3 of 4 were adressed. I still worry about our OLB depth. Though I don't worry about Jones, I don't trust Obiozor/Poppinga.

But then again, we were the #1 D with a mediocre LB corps in Williams, Cox and Simmons (the only very good LB I thought we had).

So I can't be too critical of one position...

 

[FrankRizzo]

Agreed. And by October I was clamoring for a FA.

But, by all accounts, Lee and Underwood are doing VERY well. With Wood, Harris and Tramon, it counts for quite a crowded backfield.

All I'm saying is, it's too early to throw in the towel. I have faith in this personel and coaching staff (Whitt Jr. and Perry know what they're doing).

I'm not sure if I am the only one, but I always am a bit tougher, more skeptical, than other Packer fans who always expect the best from every situation. I need to see it on the field before I will buy it.

Last year, I wasn't on board with Allen Barbre and was *****ing all preseason for TJ Lang to be given a chance to play RT. I loved what I saw on the field from Lang, but Barbre's technique, balance, basic fundamentals concerned me.

Anyway, I am not that impressed at all with Whitt or Perry. In fact, the only 2 good CB's we have had the past hald-dozen years are veterans Woody and Harris, and that's not due to Whitt or Perry.

Tramon has been a solid nickel guy, but once he's had to start, he's been below average, or average at best.

All these younger guys (that means every CB other than Woody and Harris) have not developed into anything solid. Sure we're hoping Lee and Underwood do. Reports from shorts, no contact practices that they look good is fine & dandy. But that's not anything compared to seeing it on the field in September-February.

All the guys that ever were brought in here in the past 5-8 years have not turned into anything.

I thought Will the thrill Blackmon had good ability. He's not done anything as a CB, just as a PR.
Jarrett Bush has fine natural athleticism, but he can't farking cover anybody and when he is close, he doesn't know how to play the damn ball. Is he mentally-disabled, or should coaching help there? Not sure. I just know the only good CB's we have seen since Mike McKenzie was drafted by us, are Woodson and Harris, a free agent and a trade addition.

Either Thompson's eye for CB talent has been ****-poor, or the DB coaches are in need of upgrading.

That's the report up until now. If Pat Lee and Brandon the Cheater bring something good to the field this year, then we'll have some progress. As it is now, I'm scared because Woodson is way overdue to miss some time. People here take him for granted. In Oakland, he missed a lot of action.
We've been spoiled.

 

[aaronqb]

I don't believe the draft is overrated. Most of the top teams build their teams via the draft - New England, Pittsburgh, and Green Bay are probably the three most extreme examples.

It can be done in other ways, but history has shown that the teams that draft the best put themselves in the best position to win.

I think a free agent or two each year is OK, but generally overpaying for the free agents early in free agency does not work well - read Haynesworth, Faneca ... we'll see how it works with the Bears and Julius Peppers.

I am comfortable with Thompson's approach and think he should stay the course. I believe the Packers have a team capable of winning the Super Bowl this year. Whether they do or not will depend on injuries and a little luck - just like any other year.

 

[FrankRizzo]

I don't believe the draft is overrated. Most of the top teams build their teams via the draft - New England, Pittsburgh, and Green Bay are probably the three most extreme examples.

It can be done in other ways, but history has shown that the teams that draft the best put themselves in the best position to win.

I think a free agent or two each year is OK, but generally overpaying for the free agents early in free agency does not work well - read Haynesworth, Faneca ... we'll see how it works with the Bears and Julius Peppers.

I am comfortable with Thompson's approach and think he should stay the course. I believe the Packers have a team capable of winning the Super Bowl this year. Whether they do or not will depend on injuries and a little luck - just like any other year.

Faneca was a free agent for the Jets, and he helped make their running game great, much to the pleasure of Thomas Jones.
The Steelers OL sure has missed him.

I hope Peppers doesn't pay off for the Bears, except against Minnesota. But Peppers, and the Bears as a matter of fact, both beat the Viqueens last year. Peppers and crappy Carolina beat them because he, and they, HIT Farve many times. :viksux: