So, I'm still not in favor of drafting an OG in round 1. For the positional value in a vacuum, that is.
You know what is worth a first, though? A tone-setter and culture warrior. Strange could be that guy.
I guess it breaks down like this:
- If he can't play, he's a bust, and we have to look to the acquired 3rd and 4th rounders to judge the overall success of how Bill used #21, but it's off to a bad start.
- If he's a Day 1 starter that holds down the position for 5 years at short money and plays fine, that's at least a solid push and use of the pick. Why? Because a large % of picks in that range bust or wash out to journeyman reserves, and that's before you consider the added value of the picks added in trade.
- I'm not going to assume that he's a perennial probowler and latter day John Hannah, but if he's a solid starter AND whatever his version of Teddy Bruschi/Matthew Slater/Tom Brady on the practice field, in the locker room, and between the lines? Gold. And add to that he seems to be an enforcer, a presence who will make defenses think very carefully before cheap shotting Mac...
...if the coaches think they found THAT, and it happens to be in the body of one of the most athletic IOLs to have come out in recent memory? Worth a late first, even for "just" a guard. His play won't move the needle much towards a championship vs a JAG starter. But this team could use some killer instinct, and especially of the hand-in-the-dirt, gritty, outwork-em-and-fuck-the-glory variety. Imagine if the only thing he accomplishes is to hold his own...and get Brown and Wynn to play with their hair on fire?
Maybe that's what the staff thinks they found.
