Re: Burner's Burning Questions: Free Agency, Mocks, Camps, OTAs, Roster Predictions,
Disagree. See Cardinals.
The "don't know" argument holds no water. A decision has to be made. Presumably a rational one. If it's entirely chance, seems to me the best process is simply to put each candidate's name on an equal number of paper shreds, dump the shreds in a bin, mix the bin and pull a shred out with one's eyes closed! Presto! A draft pick!
But no one is responding to the thought I advanced: find out this season whether Haskins has it. If not, better to know sooner rather later. If he does - sure silences people like me real quick.
We 'don't know' if the Cardinals just made the greatest decision ever or the worst. We really don't Al. What are you basing your assessment on - sports media? Murray may be the next Michael Vick or the next RG3. There's literally no way of knowing how his game translates to the NFL.
Look at Rosen's class - it was supposedly one of the 'great' QB classes, and since it immediately produced 5 starting QBs, you can make the leap that it was.. But with just a year of play it's much too early to judge. Mayfield (for me) is the only sure-fire star in that group, with Sam Darnold, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, and Rosen all still question marks.
Obviously you're correct that you can't just ignore assessments when it comes to draft classes. There is data on all QB prospects and I understand that one can characterize one class as a lot stronger than another, at least on paper. What I'm saying is that you cannot pick a future QB from future QB classes and say 'let's wait for this guy or that guy' - because there is absolutely no guarantee that you'll be in a position to do so.
When you have the chance to grab a QB who *could be* the next long-term starter for your franchise without trading the farm to get there, you absolutely make that pick every single time. And I'll also push back on the idea that you can make a final determination on a QB in his rookie year.
I think what we're going to see from Haskins (if he is on the field in 2019) is a very accurate passer who makes quick decisions. One early sign that he's as good as some analysts say he is - if he wins the starting job to start the season under center. Gruden has already demonstrated that he's not going to be pressured into starting a QB he doesn't want, not by the front office or anyone else. So if Haskins beats out Case Keenum, something that really shouldn't happen as Keenum is a capable, experienced NFL starter - that's a clear sign that Haskins is very talented.
Haskins will get 3-4 seasons to prove he's either the first franchise QB we've had in decades or that he's not. We aren't going to start over in 2020, although if we again find ourselves in a position to draft a great young QB, we should always do that.
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