We have two very good WRs. We don't have a single very good TE. Conklin had 600 receiving yards last season, the most of his career. I get that young OTs are building blocks, but so are young TEs. Is Sam Laporta a building block? Of course he is. I would just stress again that Bowers is a TE by name only. He's a weapon. The league is about weapons. Weapons are amazing building blocks, especially ones you can just dump the ball to behind the LoS and let them do all the work.
Weapons are nice, but I agree with the philosophy that Joe Douglas preaches (yet refuses to actually follow) that we should build from the inside out, focusing on the line. This line still isn't where it needs to be. The most important piece of it has a significant injury history and he's tasked with protecting a 40-41 year old QB coming off an achilles tear. Douglas needs to get the best OT he possibly can in this draft so that guy can both learn from Tyron Smith while also being perfectly ready to step in and replace him when he undoubtedly misses time. If we have a turnstile again at LT, all the weapons in the world aren't going to matter if Rodgers is down and we have Tyrod Taylor (another injury risk who has missed significant time in recent years) running for his life with Zach Wilson potentially up next on deck.
This is where people lose me with the OT argument… No one we draft there is going to be “perfectly ready“ to step in and provide starting caliber play at one of the most important positions on the field. We would have to get extremely lucky for that to be the case.
That is baked into the reason that made Tyron Smith such an attractive signing for us in the first place though. Or more specifically a great band-aid fix since he's all but guaranteed to miss at least 1/4 of the upcoming season. Covering a cut that still hasn't gone anywhere under that band-aid. As I pointed out a month ago the best and most simple way to look view Smith is similar to how any of us Floridians would view the tarp on our roof after the latest hurricane came barreling through. It is a very welcome in the moment temp fix, but nothing that should make you lose sight of the fact that you still have a tarp on your roof. Completely looking past that and talking about how cool it would be to buy and have a jacuzzi in the backyard when the roof still has a massive hole in it that needs fixing is where you lose people on Bowers.
Odunze https://ras.football/ras-information/?PlayerID=25166&ovl=Washington If Alt is gone I really want this guy.
Joe Douglas has had countless opportunities, and will have even more before and after the 10th overall pick, to find offensive line developmental depth the usual ways intelligent GMs will do. If he uses the 10th overall pick to draft an OT not named Alt or Fashanu, to me it means he's using that pick to compensate for his failures to find depth and it's just another reason he should probably be looking for work in 2025. Especially if there's a top flight offensive skill player sitting there, and there will almost definitely be somebody that falls.
Because it’s a luxury to have a good TE. It’s absolutely not a necessity. I don’t get why this is difficult to understand.
So you’re not going to draft a tackle unless you deem them “perfectly ready” to step in and play day 1? Good luck ever finding one then. How many rookies per year at any position are “perfectly ready” day one? Like 4? Makes no sense.
I mean hopefully he's the long term fix that is not being rushed and looks better latter in the year then he would have day 1 of season after we luck out on Tyron at least waiting until latter in the season to go down to injury. He's also the best leave no latter doubt that you did everything you could solution on the table here for Joe D imo. And sometimes that is just the best you can ask and hope for out of a GM move.
No room for convo with anyone that labels Bowers a TE and moves on without context. You didn’t read. I’m responding to people who pretend we are screwed at LT when Smith misses a few games if we don’t take an LT at 10.
Nicely said. As a band aid just for this year, Becton might be as good as a rookie. The issue is looking ahead to the future be it AR for 2-3 more or our new rookie QB. We need talent at the T spot and it doesn’t hurt to start now.
I voted OL. To me the same arguments could be made to draft WR or OL (injury prone FAs on one year deals, lack of depth) but if you absolutely had to bring someone off the street during the season I feel it's easier to find a receiver than OL. I've settled on taking the highest rated offensive player according to our scouting dept. If they think Bowers is far and away the best prospect then fine take him but our whole season hinges on keeping Rodgers on the field.
If you won’t have a conversation with anyone calling bowers a TE then you won’t being talking with anyone, because that’s what his position is. You know tight ends run routes and catch the ball right?
I doubt they go OT because I believe the contingency plan if Smith were to go down is Bhaktiari. He hasn’t signed with anyone and he’s apparently healthy. I wouldn’t be surprised if we add him after the draft anyways to get in shape. let’s say 4 QBs go and then Alt, Harrison, Nabers, Odunze not in any particular order in the top 8. Who are we taking? I think it’s a trade back or possibly trade up in the top 8 or it’s Bowers or Brian Thomas
For real. The draft is a crap shoot. Caleb Williams being touted as a generational prospect might not even be "perfectly ready".
You guys are forgetting that we have Aaron Rodgers. One of the most decorated QBs in the league. It doesn't matter who we have on offense he will make them look good. You have to protect this man at all costs. Teams are already coming for our head after all the hype from last year.
Yeah 600 yards with last years QBs is a miracle. I'm not a big fan of leaving decisions up to Rodgers but FO would be fools not to get his input. For example, Bowers might be a top "offensive weapon" but if he's going to be wasted with Rodgers/Hackett then he shouldn't be the pick simple as that.
