Well duh, dude, obviously Ekwonu can play... the poster I responded to was discussing the selection in context of Mehki Becton's situation
A mistake on Douglas's part, sure. A "massive indictment" is hyperbole. Plenty of guys overcome things like eating disorders, even drug and alcohol problems to go on to play up to their potential. And remember at the time of the draft Becton was reported to weigh about 360 - big, but not necessarily big for his size. And in the blocking scheme used by the Jets he certainly had enough mobility to play at a high level. So based on all that it wasn't unreasonable IMO for Douglas to have taken him. But forward a year later when he's added 50 pounds instead of losing 20 or 30, asked to play a whole new scheme that puts a premium on mobility, and then we see his response to that in his inability to get himself back in shape, much of that has to be on Becton, not Douglas.
Of course the issue lies within Becton more than Douglas but these are all things you know when you're drafting a mammoth human to play a sport that relies on hard hitting and in 2022... speed. Hated the pick at the time, hate it even more right now as we are on the verge of spending the 4th overall pick to replace the 11th overall pick from two years ago. Just a huge botch no matter how you look at it.
I went to respond to this but then finished this thread up to this point and realized we'd just be hopping back on that merry go round again lol We might just have to agree to disagree on this one, my friend!
This is the way. I am fully expecting to draft Icky, hate it with every fiber of my being, argue with people here relentlessly for months, then revisit it two years down the road and bring up all the guys we passed on for an OT.
It seems we went from a GM who didn't value OL at all to one that thinks it's the only position that matters.
If that’s the draft, that’s a homerun. Two blue chip prospects and a promising receiver like Burks? Where do I sign?
It's absolutely a massive indictment, the guy JD passed on for Becton is already a pro bowler. OL was supposed to be Douglas' specialty. Becton failed a combine drug test and had weight issues even before we drafted him. His technique was also not nearly as refined as Wirfs' was, and he came with numerous off the field concerns when Wirfs had none. JD fell in love with height/weight/40 time with Becton. It's a completely amateur way to scout talent. What's even worse is Wirfs is an incredible athlete in his own right.
Regardless of where you want to assign the blame, a sign of a good GM is a willingness to acknowledge the mistake and move on. A bad GM stubbornly refuses to acknowledge the error and digs the hole deeper (see Mac passing on Mahomes and Watson because of Hackenburg).
Well said. If JD and the CS have serious doubts about Becton or they're not optimistic about Fant's longer term play at OT, then Ickey makes good sense, disappointing as it might be that their 2020 1st round pick is already a miss. If, on the other hand, JD and the CS do still really like Becton and Fant, I would hope they pass on Ickey.
I wonder how much Fant really plays into this. He's a solid player who had a good year. According to PFF, he had a worse overall year than Becton's rookie year, so its not like he was amazing. He's also going to be a free agent at the end of the year, and will be on the wrong side of 30. Its entirely possible they draft Ickey with plans on him being the starting LT this year. Becton plays RT if he's healthy and ready to play. If Becton isn't ready you have Fant at RT. Fant is a great depth option, and can maybe be flipped for a pick at some point. I don't hate the idea of drafting Ickey at 4, JJ at 10, and trading back up into the back half of the first for one of the receivers, whomever is available (Olave/Williams/Wilson/Burks) Go with a LB or CB with 38 and away we go.
My dream draft starts with the Falcons on the clock when pick 4 rolls around. We got the 8 and the 43 back from them in the deal. The Falcons are trading up to make the first bad QB pick of the draft. 8 - Sauce, CB 10 - traded to the Saints for the 16, 2nd in '23 and 120. They make the second bad QB pick of the draft. 16- Burks, WR 35 - Thibodeaux, Edge with a massive chip on his shoulder because he fell like a stone. 38 - Jahan Dotson, WR 43 - Trey McBride, TE What are we doing with all these skill players? We're giving Zach Wilson no excuses. He's going to have Moore, Burks, Dotson, Davis, McBride, the two vet TE's and Berrios as options. If he can't find 3 out of that group he likes throwing too well that's not on the system or the talent around him. The WR market is blowing up right now and it will be good to have a few good cheap ones for the next few seasons. 69 - Leo Chenal, LB 111 - Carson Strong, QB Take a QB every year until you know you have the guy who will take you to the finish line. Strong has a good arm and can spend a year running the scout team. 117 - Kyren Williams, RB 120 - Braxton Jones, OL 146 - Abraham Lucas, OL 163 - Smoke Monday, S It's an old Steelers trick of taking guys with great names and making them live up to it. Seriously, dude had 3 pick sixes in college and got better every year he played. Even if he is just a special teams guy odds are he will be a good one. Smoke also has some Satchel Paige in him in that apparently nobody knows his actual birth date. He was left by the stork. For those complaining about the Thibodeaux at 35 pick, it could happen. And of course the title of the thread is "what are your dream-draft-day scenarios" and I can dream pretty big.
What was Becton's ranking after his first season? What position does Wirfs play? If I remember correctly he was ranked very high top 10 even and Wirfs was a right tackle, why we continue to compare players that are not from the same position to prove some kind of point is beyond me. I am no great fan of Becton either tbh and I wouldn't have drafted him on his drug failure at the combine alone but nobody was really moaning about his play during season 1.
And you slate JD A CB that doesn't play the system we use with the 8 pick (no matter how good he is, he isn't for us) and Burks with the 16, hell no, in fact, he could be the faller you imagine for Thib. I have thought about drafting a QB myself tbh but who do you have the Falcons and Saints drafting #111 seems a long fall for Strong, I had been looking at Zappe.
Well you certainly took the "Dream" part to heart. So over two different threads you have Thibs going 35 and Jameson Williams going 38........
