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The Random Thought Thread

I remember Andre Dillard and tytus Howard being drafted back to back in the first round, because both teams number one need was a OT and they had no business being drafted that high, both teams had other needs but they sold out for an OT

It does happen.
it happens way too much and that is a big reason why many teams are perennial bottom feeders.
 
Another thing I don't understand. If last year we were able to play Hamilton as a big Nickel and Marcus Williams as FS, then why haven't we been able to play Hamilton the same way with Ardarius playing FS?

I get that they all play all the positions to some extent but, I don't recall Ardarius playing near the LOS so much. So have we been playing tons of 2 deep safeties? Meaning a significantly different defense as well?

because we had a 3rd safety who could play the deep middle in geno stone
we dont have that right now
 
No.
Drafting for "need" means you identify the top need on your roster, and you draft that. If Tackle is the #1 need, you take a Tackle no matter what. Your draft board is set in a way that you'll only take that position.

A true "BPA" strategy doesn't exist. No team in the league uses it. Not even the Ravens. The Ravens draft strategy is almost universally "best player available at a position of need". They don't necessarily "rank" their needs. They know they have many needs, and they will set their draft board to reflect taking players at any of those position groups.

For example... if Shedeur Sanders fell to pick # X, where the Ravens are picking, they won't draft him. He might be the best player on Kiper or McShay or anybody elses draft board at the time, and may be the top QB on the board for every team, but the Ravens don't prioritize taking a QB that high, so they won't take him.

i think the key thing with the ravens is that they are loose and open when thinking about their needs - they're not just thinking about need for the immediate season, they're looking at least 1 and maybe 2 offseasons into the future

so they're perfectly happy to draft someone BPA at a position that's less of an immediate need if they see that it might be a need the season after...

and that opens up a close to BPA option for them when they're not using their draft picks to fill their most important needs by default (albeit it's great if the board falls that way)
 
I remember Andre Dillard and tytus Howard being drafted back to back in the first round, because both teams number one need was a OT and they had no business being drafted that high, both teams had other needs but they sold out for an OT

It does happen.

it happens with OTs and QBs almost on a yearly basis
 
We had Marcus and Clark. Clark was coming off a great year and there was discussion about whether he was going to get extended. The reason some people weren't surprised by Hamilton is because I believe Clark was only under contract for one more year, and while an upgrade wasn't critical, it certainly didn't hurt.
Clark never had a great year here
 
The Harbs work out montage on hard knocks was great lol. I take back every bad thing I said. watching John toss up 70lb dumbbells like nothing. My coach
 
Got the Week 17 Discussion thread up so we can discuss Chiefs @ Steelers and the rest of Week 17.

 
The Harbs work out montage on hard knocks was great lol. I take back every bad thing I said. watching John toss up 70lb dumbbells like nothing. My coach

This old mofo doing the same incline dumbbell presses as I do. I stop my reps at 70. How can I continue to talk shit about this man? It’ll be like taking shots at myself :(
 
So Pittsburgh's first round draft strategy for the last decade or so has largely been predicated a player at the position which they feel is the greatest need on their roster. Hence why they've had so many first round failures.

Counter point: there's no such thing as "the 40th best prospect or the 15th best prospect". That doesn't exist. There are mock draft analysts who will produce highly subjective and highly flawed rankings of merely their own opinion of where a prospect "ranks", but they're also not NFL GMs, and therefore aren't picking players and their draft boards oftentimes look dramatically different than a single or many NFL franchise draft boards would.
So you've never seen the 40th best prospect taken at 27, because until the end of time you won't know who the 40th best prospect is. At a minimum, you'd need access to at least 32 NFL team draft boards (which you won't get) to even vaguely have a shot at identifying who that was.

In your example of the Eagles, it would be hard to argue CB isn't a need, given the contracts (and when they expire) of some of the current one's they have. Namely, Slay and Bradberry. Strengths turn into needs in less than a few months in this league. All it takes is one FA period.
Your post kind of contradicts itself from paragraph to paragraph and your first paragraph I do not think is true.

You argument is that Pitt is focusing on one position and drafting purely based on that but, given that your premise is to ignore any mocks, it doesn't seem like premise you have that they have "so many failures" is actually true. Going back starting 3 years ago (not really fair to judge a pick in years 1 or 2), we have Pickett who was a bad QB, Harris who has been solid for them, Devin Bush who is great, Terrell Edmunds who has been solidly above average, TJ Watt who has been amazing, Burns has been mediocre, Bud Dupree was bad, and then before that they had pro bowlers in 4 out of their last 5 first rounds. That is a pretty solid success rate overall especially when you factor that its never in the top 10. I would actually wager its above average for the rest of the league.

Meanwhile you argue that the mocks are subjectively ranking prospects and that there is no "40th best prospect or 15th best prospect" but then use that artificial ranking to argue that the Steelers are reaching for a position. It cant be both. Either the prospect rankings mean something and they show teams reaching for need or drafting value over need, or the rankings do not exist and for all we know they view every pick as a value pick.

Lastly I think you are forgetting the Eagles have 2 of the best rookie CBs in the NFL, and Dejean looking like one of the best in the NFL already. CB is FAR from a need for them and getting one next year is a luxury as they will almost certainly be the number 4 or number 5 corner, with 2 elite players, who will be in their second year, starting for them next year. However even knowing that they will sprint to the podium to take Travis Hunter if he were magically available at 25.
 
The Harbs work out montage on hard knocks was great lol. I take back every bad thing I said. watching John toss up 70lb dumbbells like nothing. My coach
Bet Tank was watching in the bathtub surrounded by candles
 
Going back starting 3 years ago (not really fair to judge a pick in years 1 or 2), we have Pickett who was a bad QB, Harris who has been solid for them, Devin Bush who is great, Terrell Edmunds who has been solidly above average, TJ Watt who has been amazing, Burns has been mediocre, Bud Dupree was bad, and then before that they had pro bowlers in 4 out of their last 5 first rounds. That is a pretty solid success rate overall especially when you factor that its never in the top 10. I would actually wager its above average for the rest of the league.
Did you really call Devin Bush great, Edmunds solidly above average, and Artie Burns mediocre?
 
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