Who's to even say Dak would be the same player here that he is in Dallas? They have a fantastic OL and a young workhorse RB.
OMG Players like that are IMMEDIATE STARTERS imo Why in the world would you draft them so high?? Bring in a few quality FAs to shore up the line and there ya go
Its cuz "Fitzpatrick gives us the best chance to win" lol. Bowles does love him his vets now don't forget.
Agree 100% with all but your last statement - juries out on Macc until we see what this draft and this season bring. But I continue to be troubled by Macc drafting Hack with his 2nd pick - it's baffling frankly. Many scouts pegged Hack as a 3rd or 4th rounder, with good reason. Given the Jets admission that he required "red-shirting", meaning he was a project, taking him with the 2nd pick was a REAL reach. He might never be able to play in the NFL. And before you start bashing me with "You don't know anything about him because he's been kept under wraps", yeah, I KNOW that, but the same is true for you. We're all waiting to see what, if anything, Hack can do, but for a QB-starved team, for him to not even play a down or a series in a meaningless game, is surprising, unless he really is that screwed up, in which case that would be alarming. And yeah, when did the NFL start "red-shirting" - i.e. paying a player and not expecting him to play? SMH.
Like I said I think Hack was an awful pick. But that's the pick he made. I'm not going to root for Hack to fail, so I'm going to hope that he's handled correctly to give him the highest chance of success. Having him sit for a full year was the absolute right way to handle him.
Having him sit for a year might've been the right thing to do, if he wasn't ready, but taking a player with your 2nd pick knowing that he wouldn't be ready for at least a year, was wrong.
March/April: "I really like ____ but he's a project. I hope whatever team picks him doesn't rush him onto the field because he needs time to sit and develop." October: "Why isn't ____ playing? What a waste of a draft pick. You take someone who can't even get on the field? Ridiculous. What a bust."
For all intents and purposes, Dak was a project. Shit the first overall pick was a project and still is! Plenty of QBs are drafted in the first four rounds by teams with no intentions to play them their first year.
I disagree that Prescott was a "project". And yes, these days, QBs are often taken with the 1st or 2nd pick with the idea that they're not going to start right away, BUT, most of these could start if necessary, as in the Prescott scenario. This is way different than taking a QB with your 2nd pick and knowing that's he's a project and can't start without major work.
All I've heard from people on this board preaching about this year's class is that if you think he's your guy you don't wait to pick him. If the FO (and I say that because it's ultimately Macc but it includes the entire scouting department and coaches) thought Hack was the FQB then I'm thrilled they picked him. Now they could be wrong and look like idiots but if they thought he was the guy which they obviously did then they picked him when they could. There was no guarantee the Texans didn't take him with their next pick or some other team. I was watching NFL network after his pro day and they said bottom of the 1st or 2nd round although he slid down some analyst's boards I guess pre draft.
Sure you do. The Eagles and Rams traded a dozen picks to move up to 1 and 2 to take projects. Both of those teams wanted to give their QBs a redshirt year and got bullied into playing them. Wentz wasn't even supposed to get printed a jersey last year. Can't fault the organization for actually sticking to their plan unlike some other teams.
If a QB has mechanical issues it is surely suicidal to expose him to a NFL defence before at least trying to work on those issues? Hack is a totally different case to, say, Geno. With Geno it was more him getting used to a pro offence. He's only going to do that with reps and experience. He still should have sat a while, but he needed to exposure to find out if he had it at some point. Some can start straight away and learn on the job, some should sit awhile but need exposure fairly quickly, others need to iron out their issues before stepping foot on the field. Everyone is different, what works for one doesn't work for another. It's up to the CS to determine what will work for each individual. And pretty much every QB that comes out is a project, unless you 'Luck' into a once in a generation guy. You take them where you think they provide value. I have no problem taking Hack as a project in the second round. We traded up for a project in Sanchez, we drafted a different project in Geno in the second, Petty in the fourth as well. You do what you think gives your player the best chance to succeed. If that's a redshirt year, that's what it is.
Sanchez was viewed as the starter, Day 1 - remember the headlines: "The Sanchize"? Geno was counted on to be ready to play when called upon - not exactly a "project". Petty was considered a project, and was handled that way, although I think he should've been played waaay before Bowles finally decided to. I don't disagree that Hack needed/needs to sit until he's capable of playing without getting hurt or ruining himself, but I disagree that someone that needs that kind of work should be a 2nd round pick - I think it was a big reach. Hell, even his college coach, O'Brien passed on him! Maybe he'll yet turn out to be a FQB, and I would be thrilled, but so far that's looking doubtful.
IMO whether Hack was an awful pick remains to be seen. If he winds up being a bust, then yes, he was an awful pick, but if he develops into a quality starter, then it will look like a great move by Mac. Kudos to you for rooting for Hack to succeed. Having him sit for a year was absolutely the right way to handle him. Some are so impatient they would have ruined whatever chances they have by forcing him onto the field last year. They just can't accept that not every player is the same, and that some need to be handled differently. I guess they're too busy trying to be macho and tough (and right) on a fan site that they can't stop and think about what's best for the player and the team. I think that some of them are actually rooting against Hack just so that they can say they were right about Hack, about Mac taking him, and about Mac.
Polarizing .. scouts had Hack going in the 1st .. scouts had Hack going in the 3rd. It comes down to your board and needs. If he is the best player on your board and fits your needs or if value for the pick is there .. you take him. Letting him fall IMO had much to do with just that .. the further he falls the better value pick it is .. until another team now sees the value and covets that prospect and letting him fall into your lap is no longer an option. I believe that's why MM pulled the trigger, he was about to be, or was rumored to be scooped up by another team. He wanted Hack all along and knew he didn't have to use a 1st rounder on him. No pick is a guarantee by any means and stating that the pick was wasted is pure skepticism, as we don't know if the prospect we would have otherwise selected would have been a contributor. We all know it's 50/50 lottery, if even that. Given our status at the time, it looked like Hack would have been able to sit and prepare comfortably, though we now know that isn't the case. If the war room thinks a prospect could turn into a FQB, you select him with whatever pick is needed, period. Stating that a 2nd round pick needs to contribute Day 1 also IMO is meaningless as only a handful of prospects are deemed NFL ready to begin with, no matter the position. Colleges no longer are the NFL's minor league system and most players especially the QB's are projects including those selected in the 1st round (Goff). Teams mortgage the farm on QB prospects, many of whom are now sitting on their couch. Prospects that were selected in the 1st round and were probably rushed onto the field given when they were selected in the draft, FO's wanting to please the fan base or whatever. QB is the only position where that one player makes the biggest impact on and off the field. There is no reaching for that position, to me it's about what you give up to get it. IMO if we get ours by using a 2nd round pick, FANTASTIC, AWESOME job! If we don't get our guy, well, not too much damage was done. When it comes to that position .. as many teams could tell you, 2 1st round and 2-3 2nd and 3rd round picks later, it's a gamble most war rooms are willing to take. Now if we did that and missed, I would be pissed.
