My argument for trying to trade up for Bradford:
The choice is typically presented as go for broke and try and land the franchise QB, or rebuild the OL (and other parts of the team). All I know is that in the past decade we've had the bookend OTs and the pro bowl caliber guard and the 1200+ yard rusher and the top 10 defense... and where did it really get us?
All the rebuilding of all the other units will do for us is get us back to middle of the pack, where we've been for the past decade or so, maybe a wild card team 2 out of 3 seasons if we're lucky. And our draft picks will likely be in the 12 to 24 range. So we could easily go another decade or so without a chance like this one to get a potential stud QB.
So my feeling is that while trading up is a huge risk, you HAVE to take it. It sucks if it doesn't work out (Heath Shuler), but you still have to go for it.
Here's the thing. Gibbs inherited Theisman. He then drafted Flick, Kessel, Holly, Laufenberg, Schroeder, Rypien, Humphries, Conklin, and Hakel, all in the lower rounds where many think we should go fishing today. That's nine guys selected over twelve years, one that did well for us (Rypien) but who still wasn't around for long and took 3 over years to develop, another two who we developed but did better elsewhere. It was four years before they hit on Schroeder, plus two years to develop him, and six years before they hit on Rypien.
And that was in the era when there was no free agency, you virtually owned players forever, and also the time when there were creative ways to stash players so they didn't count against the roster.
Nowadays, that whole shotgun selection and long term development of QBs that was the formula back in the day doesn't exist, and I think you have to be very aggressive in trying to find top tier QB talent, seizing opportunities whenever they become available. This year might be one of those opportunities, and I don't know when we'll get another chance.
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XL175