2021 Draft Thread - Officially pick 19th - 1st post updated with picks

[Primus Porcus]

If we learned anything from that RGIII disaster I would hope it would be that its never a great idea to mortgage your future in hopes of catching a star . It can set you back a long time if it doesn't work out for whatever reason

Watson has made 3 straight pro bowls and leads the league in passing. Not catching a star.. he is a star.

Houston said he's not available, could be posturing... but likely not

 

[Rhino-Rhino]

Watson has made 3 straight pro bowls and leads the league in passing. Not catching a star.. he is a star.

Houston said he's not available, could be posturing... but likely not

No No I completely agree with you on Watson . What I was trying to say was I wouldn't mortgage draft picks for a higher draft pick like what we did with RGIII

 

[Bulldog]

Quarterbacks in the draft are a crapshoot. The Miami Dolphins are already having questions about Tua long-term as the solution for them and he was taken #5 overall. He would have gone #1 overall in 2019.

The last quarterback who came into the league as the top guy and was ready-made was Andrew Luck. He was a true blue chipper. No questions about arm strength, intelligence or football IQ.

 

[MikefromOH]

Russell Wilson was most certainly NFL ready.

 

[Bulldog]

I am talking about the top 5-10 picks that are super-hyped before the draft and cause teams like Washington to give up 3 #1 picks to move up 5-6 spots to take a Griffin, etc.

2004 was exceptional in that Rivers, Manning, and Roethlisberger all turned out to be top pros.

 

[MikefromOH]

OK - you didn't specify what you meant. Russell was NFL ready.

 

[Solitary Man]

I would not take a qb now at 19. Roll with Taylor and Kyle. If we have to keep Alex for one more year so be it. We have several big needs at different positions. Let’s address one at 19.

 

[Boone]

Year	Age	Tm	Pos	No.	G	GS	QBrec	Cmp	Att	Cmp%	Yds	TD	TD%	Int	Int%	1D	Lng	Y/A	AY/A	Y/C	Y/G	Rate	QBR	Sk	Yds	NY/A	ANY/A	Sk%	4QC	GWD	AV
2017	22	HOU	qb	4	7	6	3-3-0	126	204	61.8	1699	19	9.3	8	3.9	85	72	8.3	8.4	13.5	242.7	103.0	83.5	19	116	7.10	7.19	8.5			7
2018*	23	HOU	QB	4	16	16	11-5-0	345	505	68.3	4165	26	5.1	9	1.8	215	73	8.2	8.5	12.1	260.3	103.1	61.8	62	384	6.67	6.87	10.9	5	5	16
2019*	24	HOU	QB	4	15	15	10-5-0	333	495	67.3	3852	26	5.3	12	2.4	191	54	7.8	7.7	11.6	256.8	98.0	70.5	44	257	6.67	6.63	8.2	3	5	16
2020*	25	HOU	QB	4	16	16	4-12-0	382	544	70.2	4823	33	6.1	7	1.3	221	77	8.9	9.5	12.6	301.4	112.4	71.0	49	293	7.64	8.22	8.3
Career				54	53	28-25-0	1186	1748	67.8	14539	104	5.9	36	2.1	712	77	8.3	8.6	12.3	269.2	104.5		174	1050	7.02	7.26	9.1	8	10	39

Career 67.8%, 70.2% this year

League leader in yards the year after they traded away a top 5 WR in the game.

Guess I should do my homework! I don't get many chances to watch Houston play. I'd still prefer a more traditional QB (if we're going to trade the farm for one). The reason he wants out of Houston is reportedly because he went to the owner with GM candidate suggestions and his input was disregarded. If that doesn't raise a couple of red flags for potential suitors, they are just choosing not to see them.

A QB thinks he got dissed because HE went to the owner with his recommendations. A QB. Went to the owner. And made recommendations. And they ignored him. And that's a problem for him warranting getting out of Houston?

Good lord - haven't we been here already? And I don't care what the guys numbers are. Can you imagine how Ron Rivera would manage that kind of situation? Now, to be fair, Watson was apparently upset the prior season because they dealt DeAndre Hopkins without informing him. I suppose it might be understandable he'd be upset about that, but I still don't think most organizations are going to ask a player to okay major trades - even a franchise QB.

But a GM? I don't even think Peyton Manning got to pick his own GM.

 

[Boone]

I have argued for years that we need a franchise QB desperately. But I think what we've seen (with granted, a relatively small sample size) is that a game manager style QB who is accurate and decisive can be very productive in Scott Turner's offense. We saw it when Kyle Allen was in there. We saw it last night when Heinicke started. And we even saw it when a 80% Alex Smith was in there (pre-calf injury). We've also seen across the league that having a big gun QB doesn't automatically equate to wins. I know - we have a good defense. And with a guy like Watson, we'd start to get a lot scarier on offense. The problem is, there will be a huge bidding war if Houston does decide to let him go. We'd likely have to give up the picks we need to get the linebackers, safety, or CBs to go from a good defense to a championship level defense. Ditto improving our WRs and rebuilding the OL.

A Watson doesn't guarantee a team a winning season, much less consistent play off runs or a Super Bowl, unless you have the right team around him, no matter how good he may be.

I think in Allen and Heinicke we have two guys who fit Turner's offense and can run it efficiently. The smart approach is to keep building. I would be shocked if Washington goes out and gives up a bunch of draft stock chasing a franchise QB. We need to stay the course.

 

[Canadian Hog]

Is it a fair to think that maybe due to Allen's and Heinicke's familiarity with Turner's system offensively that we do not swing for the fences at QB this offseason? I don't know, personally, I really like some of the strides we made this year, but I also think it might be a year too early to start legitimately believing they are a true factor in the conference. I think finding a balance between staying the course while adding talent and propelling the team forward in the standings/conference is job #1 for '21. I still want to see some patience executed I guess is what I am getting at from the FA window.

 

[Win4us]

This team has glaring holes on the offensive line, especially the left side. Solidifying the line and adding another stud wr and rb would go MUCH further in catapulting this team.

 

[Boone]

Everyone talks about how bad the NFC East was this season, insinuating that Washington wasn't very good and won it by default. But I think, had we had Kyle Allen under center the entire season (or Taylor Heinicke for that matter), we probably win 9-10 games, maybe more - and take the division easily. We are already more than a factor in the division. Philly has been in a downward cycle since the first couple seasons with Pederson and Wentz/Foles. Dallas and the Giants are rebuilding with new coaches just like we are. It's hard to predict which team will dominate the division over the next 3-5 years. Traditionally, the answer is 'none' as there has tended to be a new team at the top every couple of years. I think we are well-positioned to be that team though, IF we don't do something stupid like trading a bunch of draft picks to go after the hottest vet or move up to the top of the draft.

We saw last night, with a guy off the street under center, that even with some glaring holes and key guys injured, we can compete with very good teams. I doubt there was a single minute last night, until that final series ended, that Arians and Brady thought it was a walk in the park and that we had no chance to win that game.

 

[Primus Porcus]

Boone I agree, Watson getting upset because he didnt get to pick the GM is a flaming red flag...

I'm also not 100% sold that's the entire story... it may just be a convenient "straw that broke the camel's back" situation. He likely has been fed up for a while with O'Brien gutting that team around him.. he looks around and see's the division and the AFC and knows he's got little chance at contending... the owner may have mentioned "hey man we're gonna be bringing in a new GM, we will let ya know who we're looking at, lets see if he's the kind of guy you can work with" and they didn't. Who knows, all speculation. Most players just aren't dense enough to believe this is the NBA where players build teams.

IMHO we NEED a LT. An anchor LT is the absolute top priority. Someone you can leave on an island and trust that the job will get done. The rest of the O-line gets better for it if you find that.

Christian Darrisaw out of Va Tech is probably my top choice here if he's available (because Penei Sewell will be long gone).

 

[Primus Porcus]

Here you go Boone



It sounds like Easterby stepped in as interim GM and that not only has Watson been upset with him, but the fanbase. Easterby then went and hired his buddy who wasn't even on the 'final list' of GMs that were suspected to be hired.



I don't think he was actually told he would have input, I just don't think he liked the process. To have an organization spend a bunch of money to an independent firm, to then hire a friend from the outside does not bode well. That's Dan Snyder type stuff.

 

[Bulldog]

O'Brien was a horrible talent evaluator and Watson had to deal with Bill trading away one of the best WRs in the NFL, DeAndre Hopkins, and getting garbage in return.

His trades for other players robbed Houston of top picks to improve the skill position deficiencies on the club.

Watson is not a bad guy. He merely went to the owner and and wanted to express his feelings that the club was going down the rat hole.

And from a record standpoint that is exactly what has happened.

JJ Watt apologized to Watson for wasting his prime season with what the Texans put on the field and did in 2020.

Is any other indictment more cutting? Watt is the greatest player in the history of the franchise and he is basically saying the same things.

Watson may not be available, perhaps he will be later in the offseason if things don't go better in Houston.

But Watson is not a malcontent or guy we would be shy about talking about acquiring.

 

[Boone]

Here you go Boone



It sounds like Easterby stepped in as interim GM and that not only has Watson been upset with him, but the fanbase. Easterby then went and hired his buddy who wasn't even on the 'final list' of GMs that were suspected to be hired.



I don't think he was actually told he would have input, I just don't think he liked the process. To have an organization spend a bunch of money to an independent firm, to then hire a friend from the outside does not bode well. That's Dan Snyder type stuff.

That may well be. But it's not a QB's role - regardless of how good he is - to select (or even have major input) into a GM selection. It's just not.

 

[Boone]

O'Brien was a horrible talent evaluator and Watson had to deal with Bill trading away one of the best WRs in the NFL, DeAndre Hopkins, and getting garbage in return.

His trades for other players robbed Houston of top picks to improve the skill position deficiencies on the club.

Watson is not a bad guy. He merely went to the owner and and wanted to express his feelings that the club was going down the rat hole.

And from a record standpoint that is exactly what has happened.

JJ Watt apologized to Watson for wasting his prime season with what the Texans put on the field and did in 2020.

Is any other indictment more cutting? Watt is the greatest player in the history of the franchise and he is basically saying the same things.

Watson may not be available, perhaps he will be later in the offseason if things don't go better in Houston.

But Watson is not a malcontent or guy we would be shy about talking about acquiring.

The question isn't whether Watson has a reason to be upset or unhappy. The issue is, he seriously believes that his role is to going to the owner and making demands about the hiring process. In what NFL universe does that happen? We've heard rumblings of prima donna star QBs like Aaron Rodgers demanding they get approval of a head coach hire. That's bad enough. But to think, as a QB, it's your role to select the next GM? That's an ego that passed out of control and is on the way to megalomania imho. I'm sure 52 other guys hated only winning 4 games this year. But they didn't take it upon themselves to make a big dramatic move of informing the franchise who they'd accept as the next GM and then throw a public hissy fit when the owner ignored them.

I don't know if Watson is a 'bad guy' (or what that really even means?). But this is pretty good evidence he has an ego the size of Montana.

He's going to cost us an avalanche of draft picks to acquire, and we quite possibly will have more success if we ride with the talent we have or draft a QB and surround him with talent.

 

[Primus Porcus]

That may well be. But it's not a QB's role - regardless of how good he is - to select (or even have major input) into a GM selection. It's just not.

I agree.. I'm not sold that he expected that as much as I think he was unhappy with the hire

 

[DieselPwr44]

Ignore the Watson noise and keep building the team.

You can't fix holes if you give up a majority of your draft capital,which will most likely be spread out over 2-3 years,just to acquire what you think may be the end all be all in the QB position.

There's a reason why one of the most ballyhooed QBs of the last 20 years,Aaron Rodgers, only has one SB win and why a guy like Dan Marino never made it to another one.

Meanwhile,other teams with seemingly less talent at the position,advanced farther and won more.

Continue building and eventually they'll find a Qb. Build the team well enough and good Qbs will want to come here.

 

[Boone]

By the way ST - I had Lamar Jackson in my head when we were talking about Watson but even there he has improved a lot so my statement would’ve been inaccurate. Chalk it up to the pain meds I guess...