Your Draft React?

[Boone]

What is your overall take on this year's Washington draft effort?

We know from experience that 'grading' a draft immediately after it's been conducted is pointless and often offbase. We don't know any more than the 'experts' which guys will shine or be disappointments. Some of the moves Washington made may look questionable and yet pan out beyond our wildest expectations. Others that look beyond solid may never reach their full perceived potential.

All that being said, how do the natives feel about Washington's effort over the past 3 days?

Do ya like it? Do ya love it? Make an assessment!​

 

[burgold]

I was thinking about "positional flex" and the draft and it occurs to me that it might be philosophically dangerous. I mean if you are shooting for guys who can play multiple positions are you shooting for players who do a lot of things "good" versus one thing "great?"

It seems to me that it's a bonus if you have a guard who can play tackle or a corner that's also a good safety, but don't you want a tackle who's the best tackle you can find? Someone who grabs that position by the throat and never lets it go? I mean positional flex is amazing when you're thinking about depths and back and versatility is important. You don't want to key the defense that it's a run play because you have one tight end who's a pass catcher and can't block and vice versa or a running back who can't catch or do pass pro. Still, by saying "I'm excited because this line man can play every position" aren't you also saying, "I don't know where he fits."

Not sure if I'm overthinking this because positional flex is a positive, but I do wonder if as a first priority it lowers the ceiling? Does a position flex strategy result in bypassing great players for good ones?

 

[Boone]

burgold - moved this to this new thread because it's exactly the kind of thought I wanted a space for.

I have had this same concern. Ricky Stromberg is case in point. Not to say that there weren't a few pre-draft sites that have him listed quite high in terms of available centers. But generally, he is not one of the top guys in most assessments. He is not physically elite. And he was drafted in large part due to his previous experience playing multiple positions. Ditto Braeden Daniels.

As you said, versatility is a desirable quality. But it's not the only consideration. Being a dominating starter is ultimately what it is all about. Perhaps at the spots we drafted, there were not dominating centers available. But we did not apparently make a serious effort to go up and get a physically dominant player. Nor did we draft guys with likely much higher ceilings who DO possess dominant physical traits (such as Oluwatimi who was available at the Stromberg pick). We will have to see how this strategy pans out but I have the same concerns as you have expressed.

 

[burgold]

burgold - moved this to this new thread because it's exactly the kind of thought I wanted a space for.

I have had this same concern. Ricky Stromberg is case in point. Not to say that there weren't a few pre-draft sites that have him listed quite high in terms of available centers. But generally, he is not one of the top guys in most assessments. He is not physically elite. And he was drafted in large part due to his previous experience playing multiple positions. Ditto Braeden Daniels.

As you said, versatility is a desirable quality. But it's not the only consideration. Being a dominating starter is ultimately what it is all about. Perhaps at the spots we drafted, there were not dominating centers available. But we did not apparently make a serious effort to go up and get a physically dominant player. Nor did we draft guys with likely much higher ceilings who DO possess dominant physical traits (such as Oluwatimi who was available at the Stromberg pick). We will have to see how this strategy pans out but I have the same concerns as you have expressed.

Heh! I wondered where it went. I saw responses to it, but not the original post.

 

[burgold]

To your question, I feel like we've addressed our needs. My enthusiasm has been tempered by the sort of check box approach it feels like the front office approach. Maybe I'm wrong, but I get this weird sense that it was more than just a needs-based approach, but they had predetermined.

Corner-Round 1
Safety/Buffalo Nickel Round 2
Center/O line- Round 3
etc.

So, that not only were they going to fill the needs they had this draft, but had predetermined in order of perceived need where and when each position would be selected. I'm probably wrong about this. It's just a vibe I got listening to one or two of the war room videos the team posted.

 

[Boone]

My overall assessment is that we got some potential help at some key areas. I think going DB x 2 and then trying to address OL wasn't warranted as I feel our OL is the much more glaring area of need of the two. But I can also understand from a strategic POV that it is harder to find potential impact DBs outside of the first couple rounds than it is OL guys. They may have felt that if they really wanted to upgrade the defensive backfield, using our early picks to do so was the best approach.

I was not crazy about the Forbes pick and I think I have a lot of company on that front. I love his ball-hawking mentality and that obviously paid dividends for him at the college level. But beyond concerns about his frame and ability to withstand the kind of punishment divvied out at that level, he has a rep for taking a lot of risks and gambling frequently. At the NFL level, that can sometimes be a problem. We'll see if he can become more disciplined and continue to be durable at the next level - but I do have questions.

Love the Quan Martin pick and I think he may prove to be the more impactful player.

I like Stromberg, but as stated above, not sure he was the most physically talented IOL available where we took him. If were going to move up (as we later did) I would have preferred we'd done it to get up to the top of the 3rd round to get one of the more highly rated guys. That's not me being down on Stromberg. Sometimes you stumble onto extreme values with this kind of pick because it's NOT all about measurables and you get a guy who is just a baller and knows how to play.

I also think trading up to get one of the many great TEs was something we could've done in round 3, but having used our first 2 picks on DBs took that option off the table (one of the reasons I sort of hated that we did that). We almost HAD to go OL with that 3rd pick, and painting yourself into a corner in that way is never a good thing imho. Rivera's pre-draft statements that we had met all our glaring needs in free agency so had freedom in the draft to go wherever the best talent available was looks even more like complete bullshit after seeing what they actually did in the draft.

I did like the Braeden Daniels pick a lot as I think he is really a football player and was a great value pick in the 4th.

I don't know enough about the day 3 guys to intelligently assess how we did. I will say that I like the sound of Rodriguez, the RB from Kentucky as he is apparently a fierce short yardage back who we might be able to use on 3rd and 4th downs in short yardage situations, and of course at the goalline.

My biggest concerns about this draft are that I think we needed to gamble and be a bit bolder more often, given that our NFC East rivals were quite aggressive and had some very nice roster additions. I'm not sure Washington kept up with them if I'm being 100% honest. Only time will tell.

 

[Chris]

I was thinking about "positional flex" and the draft and it occurs to me that it might be philosophically dangerous. I mean if you are shooting for guys who can play multiple positions are you shooting for players who do a lot of things "good" versus one thing "great?"

It seems to me that it's a bonus if you have a guard who can play tackle or a corner that's also a good safety, but don't you want a tackle who's the best tackle you can find? Someone who grabs that position by the throat and never lets it go? I mean positional flex is amazing when you're thinking about depths and back and versatility is important. You don't want to key the defense that it's a run play because you have one tight end who's a pass catcher and can't block and vice versa or a running back who can't catch or do pass pro. Still, by saying "I'm excited because this line man can play every position" aren't you also saying, "I don't know where he fits."

Not sure if I'm overthinking this because positional flex is a positive, but I do wonder if as a first priority it lowers the ceiling? Does a position flex strategy result in bypassing great players for good ones?

If I never hear the term position flex ever again it will be to soon.

 

[Chris]

A couple things were confirmed to me-

They think they solved the OL issue in FA. (They thought the same thing last year, too.)
They really like the existing TE group.
They are content at QB and should be since this coming season is very potentially their last.

 

[Canadian Hog]

This draft to me did nothing to close the gap between us and the likes of the Eagles and 49ers in the NFC. Did it close the gap between us and the #6 and #7 seeds in the NFC? Likely. However, that is not ultimately what you are shooting for.

 

[Boone]

I also think that the idea that Eric Bienemy is going to have a major influence (beyond playcalling on Sundays) on Rivera and what this team does big-picture can be put to bed. He's an OC, and that's all he is until something changes.

 

[Chris]

I love the Forbes pick with the top tackles gone. I think he is going to turn around the critics early and often.

I really like the Martin and Stromberg selections.

The rest I just don’t know and will wait to see. I don’t think we have gained any ground in the division though and I am putting a ridiculous amount of faith in Eric Bieniemy.

 

[Boone]

For purposes of comparison, here are the other NFC East team picks:

 

[burgold]

Another thought I had was that if Harris does decide to remake the Front Office, I wonder if Roseman has a lieutenant ready to take the reins of a franchise. Really like what they've done over the past few years in terms of team building and trading to get more draft assets.

 

[Boone]

I keep hearing Roseman's name thrown around - I assume because Harris owns the 76ers? But why on earth would Howie Roseman leave his position as GM of the Eagles to come here? I don't think he would - not in a million years.

I have no idea where the rumblings we've heard on that front might be coming from, I'm guessing it's just wishful thinking on an epic scale...?

To answer your question burgold, I don't know if there is a whiz kid or protege in Philadelphia, if that is a possibility, or if there's even someone who fits that description in Philly. We've probably not done a great job here of looking at that - what would be the short-list of dream GM candidates?

We really need to look at it because it's coming, and soon!

 

[DieselPwr44]

Disappointed they didn't go after a TE or a LB.

Now EB has been here long enough to look at the current roster, maybe he likes the TEs they have? Who knows?

But I will never understand their aversions to shoring up the LB position.

 

[Kel Varnsen]

I thought they had 3 primary needs heading into the draft, OL, DB, and LB. They had a couple of second tier needs in Edge and TE. Of the primary needs, they addressed 2 of them, I expect with one starter and one backup. I expect Forbes to start right away and I think Martin is the main nickel guy either later this season or by next season. On the O-Line, I'd like to see Stromberg start at center, but he has to beat out whoever is left from the existing guys. I expect Daniels is a depth piece, which as we have seen the last several years, this team needs O-Line depth. The edge guys are also depth guys, but they weren't looking for starters there. Hopefully 1 or both of those guys can blossom into good players.

I know you can't get all the guys you want every time, but I am perplexed they didn't address the LB spot. Unless there are free agents out there they are talking to or a trade working that we don't know about, Cody Barton and Jamin Davis will have to carry the load. I think maybe they tried to move up for a TE early in round 2, but the cost was probably too much. I wish they would upgrade the TE group, but I'm fine with what they have if that's what they want to go with. I don't know what the offense will look like, but the current guys have been good enough for what the offense has been able to do.

So overall, I'm content with this draft. They may not have gone about it the way I thought they should or the way anyone expected them to, but the end result wasn't bad. I only thought they should draft certain players because some analyst told me or I saw a highlight video or some pre draft rankings. So I have no idea if any of these guys will work out. But I hope that they do. I hope they can get some good production from these guys. And then maybe one day, they can draft some linebackers.

 

[Chris]

Reaction to Washington not addressing the LB position is going to become the new ‘old man yells at clouds’ meme apparently.

 

[Chris]

 

[burgold]

but I am perplexed they didn't address the LB spot.

It honestly reminds me of when we switched to a 3-4 and adamantly refused to draft a nose tackle. We have done this a lot over the last twenty years. We note a position of weakness and then ignore it. Sometimes, we don't even attempt to bandage it. It's beyond odd. I mean if you have a deficiency that is constantly exploited shouldn't that be the first thing you try to fix?

In fairness, I guess they are trying to fix their linebacker deficiency by saying, "We're playing small ball. No linebackers and all DBs." At least that seems to be the plan.

 

[Boone]

This really pissed me off.