Still have not come to terms with the Murphy pick

[Fear The Spear]

This isn't about "hindsight". I didn't like the pick then, and I don't like the pick now.
And it's just becoming painfully more obvious, as all the circumstances continue to play out.
For our all-important top pick, we could have taken a starter to fill our weakest position, but instead we pick a backup at one of our strongest positions.

Also, the idea that Morgan Moses wasn't worthy of a 2nd round pick, is not relevant. That implies that he was the best and only possibly OT available at the time.
That wasn't the case.
Four OT's were taken in the 2nd round, that we could have picked.
One of them immediately became the starter at RT for the world champions - Justin Britt.
If Justin Britt was good enough to win the job at Seattle, and protect Russell Wilson, he most definitely could have handily beat out Polumbus. Why wasn't this guy even on our radar ? Why were we so tunnel-visioned on Moses, as if he was the only option ?
Last Thursday, in his first ever pro game, and on national television, Britt went up against the likes of Clay Matthews and Julius Peppers, and fared admirably. He allowed no sacks, and was a big reason why they rushed for 207 yards.
He started 36 games in the SEC, so it should have been no secret who this guy was. He's supposed to be an ornery guy, with a solid character, and was also a state heavyweight wrestling champion in high school. Sounds like the perfect guy to play RT for us, if only our scouts did a little homework.

I'm just not buying the logic that we just HAD to spend our top pick on the possibility that we may need to replace Orakpo a year from now.

Why wasn't Britt ever even in the conversation - a guy who dominated pro-bowlers as a Seahawk in his first game, playing at our position of greatest need, rather than Murphy (or Moses), guys who didnt even see the field in their first game, and who knows if or when they will ?

So, not only did we hurt ourselves with those picks, and lack of pick, but we also helped our arch rivals. If that's what you call picking BPA, over drafting for "need", well then that's when BPA goes horribly wrong.

That is all for now. Just had to get this off my chest.

 

[Boone]

You may turn out to be right. Or horribly wrong. I think we need more data than one regular season game. Whether or not our scouting department did their homework or not can't be judged 3 or 4 months after the draft, at least not conclusively. I'm not sure what we've got in Murphy or Moses yet.

Btw - Moses got hurt in the last pre-season game. That's why he was likely inactive. Not due to performance.

 

[Fear The Spear]

Actually, that's the problem : both Murphy and Moses are future projects, with lingering question marks, at best - while Britt was immediate starter material.
So I don't see any way to justify the pick, even with the "what-ifs"

 

[Primus Porcus]

based on what we've seen thus far, it's fair to say OL is a much bigger need then OLB. Im not willing to say Murphy wasn't the best pick... yet... but I do have to say you bring up a very important question that needs to be answered.

 

[MikeSr619]

I like Murphy...he was the best pick at the spot he was picked at. All of the studs we thought could be there were picked by then and the ones we got were going to be there when we picked them.

He is replacing Rak...I have no doubt in my mind about it. the fact that he saw a significant amount of playing time during the first game of season proves to me that Rak is expendable and most likely gone.

 

[Fear The Spear]

Replacing Rak is about at the bottom of our list of priorities.

 

[MikeSr619]

we were yelling about no pressure on the QB last year just as much as the OL.

 

[Ax]

Well, that ship has sailed. And, quite frankly, whether or not anyone has come to terms with the pick is irrelevant.

Beat Jacksonville!!!

 

[Dead Money]

Meh. I seem to remember people being upset about the Kerrigan pick too. I'm ok with the Moses pick because we still don't know who he is. Hell Trent Williams didn't really show his true self for a couple of years.

I would have liked to have tried to get a true NT for this defense. We sure do need one now. I just don't understand why it has been overlooked again and again. Its almost like they don't want to invest in the 3-4 because they are unsure... its been too long, they need to shit or get off the pot with that position.

 

[Cycleans]

I'm trusting Gruden and his staff. I'm at a loss to figure out how we ended up without a better option than Palumbus. The only thing I've come up with is they want Moses as a suitable back up on the left while evaluating Palumbus. Maybe someone thinks they can make him better...if not Moses will get his shot....I really don't know

 

[Elephant]

Meh. I seem to remember people being upset about the Kerrigan pick too. I'm ok with the Moses pick because we still don't know who he is. Hell Trent Williams didn't really show his true self for a couple of years.

I would have liked to have tried to get a true NT for this defense. We sure do need one now. I just don't understand why it has been overlooked again and again. Its almost like they don't want to invest in the 3-4 because they are unsure... its been too long, they need to shit or get off the pot with that position.

Yup...JJ Watt could be on our team.

 

[SkinsFTW]

Yup...JJ Watt could be on our team.

So could Luck if we'd have started Beck sooner and more often. Instead we drafted RG3 who 3 years later is running an offense resembling what Beck ran in 2011, lol.

 

[Boone]

God forbid we criticize the front office.

The OP is dead on. Everyone in the free world KNEW we needed a right tackle...and we got a linebacker replacement for a guy who, should he have a great year, will return for 5 more years.

Our scouting department sucks...be it the staff or meddling from higher ups.

There's plenty of criticism of the front office here - it's almost constant. And there is also rightfully praise of some of their moves too.

 

[fansince62]

Murphy plays smart...but he doesn't play fast. I don't see him as a replacement for Rak to be honest. but plenty time to go to find out.

 

[Primus Porcus]

Murphy plays smart...but he doesn't play fast. I don't see him as a replacement for Rak to be honest. but plenty time to go to find out.

lol he played 4 more quarters in then NFL then you or I have... hard to make an accurate judgment just yet

 

[McD5]

Q: Why didn't we take Justin Britt in the second round?

A: Because he was projected as a fifth rounder.

Justin Britt, OT, Missouri, NFL Draft - CBSSports.com - NFLDraftScout.com

Justin Britt | Missouri, OT : 2014 NFL Draft Scout Player Profile

Now would you rather have had us reach for a fifth rounder in the second? Or have taken a higher projected RT in Moses?

Take a deep breath, the O-line was addressed. We brought in a veteran guard to start. We drafted Moses to be the starter here for hopefully the next eight years. We drafted Spencer Long to play the other guard.

And that's all without even having a first round pick.

Spencer Long? Even he was projected ahead of Justin Britt, in the fourth round.

Spencer Long Draft Profile ? NFL.com

 

[fansince62]

lol he played 4 more quarters in then NFL then you or I have... hard to make an accurate judgment just yet

lol...I watched him in preseason as well. he plays by smarts. He's not a power rusher and he's not blessed with speed. I saw him stuck on blocks a lot in preseason. NFL aint the PAC 10. right now...I think he can play in the NFL...bur I don't see him as a hands down pass rusher off the line.

 

[Primus Porcus]

lol...I watched him in preseason as well. he plays by smarts. He's not a power rusher and he's not blessed with speed. I saw him stuck on blocks a lot in preseason. NFL aint the PAC 10. right now...I think he can play in the NFL...bur I don't see him as a hands down pass rusher off the line.

Neither is Rak... We tried that and he doesn't have it. Murphy is also a rookie.. learning, not playing instinctively... yet. There are multiple ways for guys to start playing in this league. Clowney came in with his hair on fire and fared well thus far... but will run himself out of his fair share of plays, im sure of it. I think Murphy is still thinking about what hes doing and learning, slowing him down.

 

[Beans]

McD5, no offense, but who cares where a guy is "projected"? Reality is the guy is a second rounder more than living up to his billing. I like Murphy, but like TR1 said, we have Orakpo NOW and could possibly franchise him again/resign him if he earns it. This "economical" approach to finding offensive line gives the vibe the front office is ordering from the value menu hoping to unwrap a greasy wrapper only to find find a Kobe Beef burger topped with truffles inside.

The issue is their approach hasn't worked for years. Long gone are the days of Jansen, Samuels, and Thomas. They need to pony up to fix an issue that has plagued the Skins' offense for some time now. Dallas finally realized this. But they have their own issues...which make me very happy.

 

[fansince62]

Neither is Rak... We tried that and he doesn't have it. Murphy is also a rookie.. learning, not playing instinctively... yet. There are multiple ways for guys to start playing in this league. Clowney came in with his hair on fire and fared well thus far... but will run himself out of his fair share of plays, im sure of it. I think Murphy is still thinking about what hes doing and learning, slowing him down.

go back and watch him in college. same thing. also the book on him coming out. not bagging on him. just stating the obvious: he's not the superior athlete sort...the numbers show it. I don't see him coming off the edge like Rak. folks here may expect better from Rak...no argument. but that's not the same thing as claiming Murphy has an equivalent or better set of native athletic talents. I'm not seeing it..thus far. Murphy in Rak's role, IMO, will not be nearly as good off the edge from a down position. I've been watching him when in games. per previous...he's not the quick athletic type or the overpowering bull rusher. he's a good addition. I believe the pairing of Kerrigan/Murphy will be less effective than Kerrigan/Rak from what I have seen thus far. it'll all boil down to money...obviously. but we shouldn't close our eyes to what is in front of us...thus far.

folks may not like Rak. he may be injured too often. he may not live up to potential. all fair criticisms. buuuuut....he has had some good sack totals. you can see him applying pressure. he has disrupted plays. sure...Murphy hasn't got a track record yet. that said...in preseason...I didn't see him applied in the same sort of rushing role play in and play out. and I think that is because he doesn't have the inherent athleticism. you can see it. anywho...time will tell.