I am seeing some people down on Brad for “giving up a bunch of draft capital” to move into the 3rd round. I wanted to make sure everyone was working with the same information. Brad earned that draft capital with his patience in the trade downs. We didn’t start the draft with any of those picks. Here are the (3) picks Brad used:
4th Round (122) - He acquired this pick when he traded down in the 2nd round with the Chiefs.
5th Round (139) - He acquired this pick when he traded down in the 2nd round with the Broncos.
5th Round (168) - He acquired this pick when he traded down in the 1st round with the Cardinals.
Interesting side note. When we moved up to grab Brian Branch we used the pick we got from the Falcons for Jeff Okudah. That trade is also the only instance where we acually “lost” a pick vs what we started with. We started the draft with (3) picks in the top 50 and ended the draft with (4) picks in the top 50. We started the draft with (5) picks in the top 100 and ended the draft with (6) picks in the top 100.
I was aware of when we got the draft picks for the Martin pick, and, in hindsight i understand why. But whether you walked into the draft with those picks or added them in the draft it doesn’t change the thought that Martin may have been there 26 picks later.
As I said, in hindsight, maybe not based on other threads and comments, so overall, while I get the question I don’t have an issue with it…not that it matters if I did.
Based on the value of the picks, whatever chart you use, it was a bad trade. He could and probably should have got 180 or 213 as part of the package in order to make it more balanced.
But its OK. It’s not a huge error, and he obviously really wanted Martin. As you say OP, he acquired the capital, and he spent it as he saw fit. He said he had started making calls in the 70s, so it’s a bit odd that that such a lopsided deal was the best he could get, and maybe he was willing to give up more to get in earlier. Who knows?
I’d guess the problem with targeting an under the radar guy like Martin is that you don’t have any idea who else might have their eyes on him and when he might get taken. I’d assume that given what he gave up, Martin was much higher on Brad’s board than anyone else that was left, so I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.
It’s not a big deal, but it’s also OK to criticise or question the value of the trade.
I’m on the “give Brad the benefit of the doubt” train. I think most GMs felt this was a weak draft and Holmes had a pretty short well defined list of players on his board. No way Brad doesn’t make that move up unless Broderic was clearly higher than anyone else left on his board.
I like our draft.
We have a team identity, and it requires a type of player.
That’s what we got.
These professional sports Sensationalists need to find a team to hire them. All they do is bitch about what teams did that they knew better…the day after the draft.
We’ll see the TEAM in action (not) soon enough.
The pencil protector, TI Calculator crowd has their value charts,algorithms, projections and visions of excess beans dancing in their heads…
And none of it exists in the real world dynamic of negotiations, interpersonal skills, leverage, time pressure, jockeying, smoke throwing, bullshitting and the back room horse trading wheeling and dealing that is The Draft.
I can’t tell you how many fantasy leagues I’ve won by getting boned in a trade and crying all the way to the trophy because I traded what I had too much of for something I needed that made a bigger impact in the standings than getting fair value.
Just today I have 2 new client proposals, and I have really wanted to get into their industry verticals for a long time (brewing and cannabis) and finally got a shot…and while I didnt give away the farm, I left some meat on the table.
Why?
Because the profit on this first deal is miniscule to the future profits of follow on jobs, referrals and street cred that having them as happy clients 5 years from now create…
Lose the battle, win the war. Sun Tzu man…
What are your goals, short term or long term?
Brad is playing 4D Chess, yo. Get your guy
But be right about them, or else you have 2nd rd deals handed out to the IAFs and Tavais of the world…
I’m not against the trade up by any means, and kudos for putting the capital expended in perspective, rather it’s the player it was used on. That’s simply my opinion and perspective, and I certainly hope that I’m wrong, truly, because I never want anyone on this team to fail. I simply don’t see it with Martin. I don’t see the value, the production, or the high percentage potential . I simply don’t. When I look at Martin, I see a priority UDFA that has a high ceiling, but a floor below the basement foundations who had a good showing in the lesser all star game. Like I said, I hope I’m wrong, because my head tells me this is going to be Holmes own Chris Greenwood pick. No draft is perfect, and that’s not an indictment on Holmes, just one of those picks, imo.
True story, I was in contact with Stevie’s manager after a NAIRD(National Association of Independent Record Distributors, now defunct), convention in San Francisco where I was working on behalf my buddies band, “The Blue Band”. Jeff Peterson, the guitar player in the video, wrote “The Last Goodbye” and Stevie’s manager was inquiring about buying it. A couple weeks later a helicopter accident ended that.
If Martin is healthy and doesn’t play significant snaps, it will be a head scratcher for sure. But if he’s firmly in the top 4 and in a solid interior rotation, the move is justified.
3rd round picks that you give up 3 picks to move up for, should be contributing day 1 imo. I didn’t like the move, but the draft was so good I can easily let it slide
. I simply don’t. When I look at Martin, I see a priority UDFA that has a high ceiling, but a floor below the basement foundations who had a good showing in the lesser all star game. Like I said, I hope I’m wrong, because my head tells me this is going to be Holmes own Chris Greenwood pick. No draft is perfect, and that’s not an indictment on Holmes, just one of those picks, imo.
