Trading #2

The difference is Mariota COULD be a taller Russell Wilson or better. But he also could be Alex Smith. Leonard Williams is Suh/McCoy from day 1!!! You have pretty much a guaranteed Pro Bowl DE from day 1. Mariota may not even start in year 1.

So it's not so cut and dry.

 

I dont think its a lock for Winston to go to the Bucs especially given the character of Lovie Smith. The last time Love drafted nearly this high, he took a character guy who turned into a major headache and they released that player after 3 or 4 yrs. Also, the Bucs staff is well built to run a modified spread offense. Koetter worked with Helfridge (Oregon's current HC) for a number of years so he could fit a system they could run and get the high character guy they really want and the face of the franchise.

 

WHY do you think Fowler is better than say Beasely? I think Gregory is a marginal first rndr and Dupree will go in rnd 1 because of his combine but he's a boom or bust player considering he shows great flashes and disappears for games too.

I like Fowler's versatility but he will need some serious coaching up on his pass rush before you can even think about him becoming a double digit sack guy. He had 9 sacks and only 4 of them came against what Id call quality competition. Beasely had 7 of his 12 sacks against quality competition and has a career of tape beating good OT's. Fowler should have destroyed the weak teams they faced like Ray did but Fowler came up empty most of the time despite being moved around to maximize his matchups (whereas Beasely and Ray mostly rushed from the same spot).

I think it is possible Jeremiah may not say this, but think we could drop to #6 in a trade with the Jets so the Jets get Mariota and we get Fowler at #6.

 

Not true regarding Mariota and you're forgetting Winston is a turnover waiting to happen this year. If not for his D, they would have lost a lot of games due to Winston's poor first halves. Let's not pretend Winston is the Winston from 2013.

Winston made a ton of bad decisions this year and put way too many balls into harm's way so let's not pretend he's Peyton Manning. Mariota doesn't live off screen passes, they attack defenses in a variety of ways and he executes the offense quite well. He doesn't make a lot of NFL throws in that offense, but he has shown he CAN do it though that doesn't mean he's a lock either.

 

You don't bump up players value due to need! NO NO NO!!!

How can you justify Fowler as being an equal prospect to Williams? I think you'd find it hard to suggest he's a better prospect than Shane Ray or Beasely...

 

If you give the Eagles Mariota, that 1st and 2nd will be closer to 2nd and 3rd rnd picks so this is not a good idea, plus the 'proven' players won't have deals worked out during the draft so it is a big gamble. I like better a scenario in which we make a 3 way trade whereas we get Foles as part of the deal and move him to Cleveland for a high pick(s) or the Jets or the Rams or something like that. If we are sending Mariota to the Eagles, we need to treat it like we are sending them Tom Brady!

I doubt Chip would give us 2 of his best defensive players as it hurts their cap, we get their best picks so they can't draft replacements...

 

Funny, WR's were playing pattycakes with him while he was able to rip past OT's who couldn't keep their hands on him? Can you name a game/wr who blocked him?

 

He is in a Cam Chancellor mold where he's an in the box SS to play the run on run downs and plays nickel/dime LB in obvious passing downs. He is fluid, good instincts in reading and reacting and takes very good angles to the ball and tackles very well (when he doesn't have a giant cast on his hand).

If LeBeau sees him as kind of a Polamalu where he plays him in the box most of the time, he's worth taking. However, I don't like the fact that he didn't seem too open to playing that position in the NFL. Not a good sign.

 

LB is the position with the most instinctual play. He has good instincts and if you use him correctly, not much of a transition. We aren't suggesting he plays back in quarters or cover 2 as a half field S. I don't like Landon Collins for that role either.

 

We've gotta look at the big picture, though.

Williams is a can't-miss prospect, absolutely. And with Mariota comes a ton of risk.

But if the Titans take Mariota and he lives up to his potential, they finally have a franchise quarterback, which as everyone knows is the Holy Grail in the NFL, and absolutely vital for postseason success. That's vastly more important than having a Pro Bowl DE.

The Titans are irrelevant. Seriously, who gives a **** about the Titans? Even if we take Williams, we're not going to be good next year and we are one of the most talent-devoid teams in the NFL. So, while Williams will certainly make us better from day 1, Mariota could ultimately be our salvation. Well worth the risk, in my opinion.

Though I admit that trading down for a king's ransom is also an incredibly enticing scenario, as I do like Mettenberger's potential and I'm still very high on Christian Hackenberg, especially for Whisenhunt's offense.