Times aren’t really “changing” that much though. I brought this point up in the mid-2000’s. People overvalue LTs and under value RTs. Reggie White made a living clobbering RTs. Robert Porcher lined up all over the place, and spent a fair amount of time destroying RTs.
I know people love the old school blindside strip sack and that used to be a game changer. But with so much shotgun being ran these days, its really not as “blind” as it was decades ago. And when teams do go from under center and it becomes blind, playcallers are much more aware of the risk so they design it to get the ball out.
Would be fine with Oline at 7OA. In fact it is my preferred pick.
I haven’t formed an opinion on which one I prefer more and I’ve read that Slater and Sewell are both high high level prospects. I will defer to our new GM and hope they get it right. A Pro Bowl OT would be the most value for us if we can get one. Teams just don’t let the good ones walk in Free Agency.
That would also piss me off with that OT. He’d be a 2nd rounder to be. I would see the OT from Va. Tech, Darrisaw, that a LB and reciever in 2nd with added pick. I just see Darrisaw as a road grader at RT.
I have a feeling, they’ll surprise us and piss off most of this board.
That’s to fill immediate need …but what about 5-7 years down the line when Decker gets older? Do we worry about LT then or do we slide Sewell or Slater over?
It’s crazy to think we’d just draft a RT at 7 overall, that’s almost unheard of.
Good point… perhaps a better way for me to write that post would have been to say that NFL teams should value the ORT position more than it was in the past. Perhaps they have already started as well.
Lane Johnson, DJ Fluker, McGlinchey, Conklin, Andrus Peat, and Wirfs have been taken in top 13 picks in past 9 drafts.
From the 2000 draft to the the 2013 draft… no other other tackles were drafted in the top 10 picks with the intention of playing them at right tackle. Mike Williams of Buffalo and Leonard Davis of Arizona were drafted with the intent of them playing left tackle. Williams gained weight and never moved over from ORT because he gained weight and was out of NFL pretty quick, and Davis played more OG in his career.
Also… the financial commitment has increased at ORT.
There have been 7 ORTs signed to contracts with AAV > $10 million/year in the past 3 years… so nearly 25% of the league is OK with paying decent money to the position now.
You won’t get an argument from me about it. To me its just a reality that a smart GM needs to find his way around. Taylor Decker was given advice as a rookie to refuse to play RT. I think on the left side people completely overthink what a good LT can do…for for some strange reason thin they can toss castoffs on the other side to face Von Miller and Khalil Mack. An 8 at LT and a 4 at RT is a bad way to build a line. You are better off shooting for 7 and 5 or at least 6 and 6 (using the same total math).
This is why my preference is to draft a guy who plays RT now, not a rookie that has never played RT with the hope he can transition, or asking our 5 year vet to move to RT and create another hole. Parsons all the way for me
So here is my top 3 in order assuming no trade down…
Sewell- I’ve now watched as much tape as I could find. I would comp him as Q Nelson to J Thomas. His height and arm length don’t scream franchise LT, but his tape does, and I think he’s a Hall of Fame RT with ability to anchor and slight at 331 pounds. I used Q at LG as a comp because he’s the only other guy on film that drives guys to the turf 15 yards down field consistently.
J Chase- comps more explosive Juju, slightly smaller D Hopkins. Better speed than either. I see a Pro Bowl WR1 type guy
M Parsons- comps between Bobby Wagner and Patrick Willis. Hard not to see this as a cure to our D. Neither comp had much coverage. Parsons would be the biggest immediate impact if he lived up to this.
Fields, Lance, Mac Jones- if our front office and HC believe one of these guys could be Russ Wilson, Josh Allen, or faster Phil Rivers- my comps- then sure do it.
Trade Goff next year for a 1st, eat the same 30M we’d pay him to play here in dead cap, and use that first to draft a WR or OT.
