Author: /u/bingmyname

We have 11 picks up hit on what I believe could change this team around quickly and the best part is that we don’t need to spend premium on all the positions. Just 7 areas we need to add contributors/staters in no particular order:

1. WR- we need to spend some premium capital to find a good WR that can help Mills and Pep.

2. Guard- the entire IOL needs to be replaced but we can probably get by for a year with Britt and Cann. We absolutely need at least 1 premium guard though because last year was atrocious.

3. RB- we have to find our bell cow back this year but good thing is that we can probably get one pretty late. Maybe even in the 4th round we can get a guy like Haskins. Can also add to the committee with UDFAs.

4. TE- another position we could find late. Charlie Kolar, Chigo Okonkwo, etc. Just need someone who can block and complement Jordan for Pep’s twin TE sets.

5. Edge- desperate for an edge player opposite of Greenard. One who can pass rush and set an edge in the run game and be a complete 3 down defender. Probably need to go premium here.

6. CB- we need a boundary corner. Lonnie could potentially be CB 3 or 2 if he continues off where he left off at the end of last season but we need a CB 1 who fits what Lovie wants to do.

7. FS- can probably get one around the 3rd if we’re not going Hamilton. We don’t really have any starting caliber talent in the safety room outside maybe Stewart.

Of course we need to fill in way more but if we get key contributors/staters in these spots in this draft, I think it will change the team drastically and our outlook will be very promising. I will be very happy if Nick can pull it off.

This post will probably get made and talked about 100x over but imma do it now anyways.

Personally I strongly believe that in today’s NFL, the best chance to not only win but to win consistently is by having an elite QB or having an elite scheme. No offense to Pep but while I consider him a good coordinator, I don’t consider him on the level of Shanahan or McVay. Therefore, I need an elite QB.

Unlike what many people have been saying, I don’t think Mills is merely a game manager or a guy with a Cousins/Carr ceiling. I think his strengths lie in his intelligence (that unlike many smart guys, he’s able to translate it to the field- how else could he be so high on the EPA at second reads chart after only 11 college starts?), his leadership (look at how hard his WRs started to play for him), his mental fortitude (plenty of late game heroics in college and this year).

So what do we need to see from him this year to know that he’s on the path to elite and not going to put us in QB purgatory?

Well first I need him to improve his mechanics and to be a consistent thrower. I’ve had this qualm with him since his college tape. He did seem to get better but still funky especially throwing to his left when he has limited space. His footwork can be very inconsistent.

Secondly he can’t take steps back for very long. System is going to be a bit wider so there may be early on struggles but he has to pick it up quickly. If he’s going to be a cerebral QB I need him to show it.

Thirdly I need to see more of that anticipation he had in college. I want him to, as Bucky Brooks put it, start attacking more than reacting. I want him to be in more command and control of the entire field. And I’m assuming this is something Brady has done but I want him to be able to skip reads based on quick post snap analysis (eg. he should be able to see the post snap coverage, see #1 is covered, recognized based on the coverage and the play call that 3 is more likely to be open than 2). Again that last part is something I assume Brady is able to do and he’s the ultimate cerebral QB not named Peyton Manning.

Tldr: I need to see Mills be on the path to elite by showing a combo of high level cerebral characteristics and improvements in throwing mechanics. Otherwise I think we should look to draft a QB with more upside.

The starting price that Nick Caserio himself said is 3 first and a combo of picks and YOUNG players amounting to 5-7 assets. The Panthers are ALREADY prepared to give up 3 1st and Brian Burns and possibly more. That’s not fan speculation. That is from their own reporters reporting. Therefore, in order for you to even stand a chance you need to match that or offer better. Enough of this nonsense about how we’ll never get 3 first.

In this post I will try to consider what’s best for all 3 parties. That means the Texans have to like the value of the trade, the team has to be interested in Watson and Watson has to have a reason to be interested in said team. With that being said, I think the most realistic trades are with 2 teams:

1. The Pittsburgh Steelers- They have reason to be interested after losing their HoF QB. They saw last year what lies behind that for them if they don’t get a QB. They can offer up 3 first over 3 years and have plenty of talent to offer on their roster. Watson would be interested because it’s a good team with a HoF black coach at the helm. They have a good standing with their culture and have enough picks and talent such that it wouldn’t ruin their future.

2. The Philadelphia Eagles- They are in the best position to trade for DeTraitor from a draft capital standpoint. They have a stunning amount of picks and clearly could use an elite QB to compete in a division that might only be slightly better than it was this year. They can offer up 2 first this year, a second this year, a first next year and either a player like Josh Sweat or some combo of players and draft capital. I don’t believe they would offer D. Smith. Despite Watson saying no to them last year, they’ve been persistent and a lot of Watson’s prime options are now off the table. The Eagles have the ability to meet the Texans demands and not destroy their future. They have weapons for him on offense and a good run game. Their coaching staff and GM are all very well respected. He would have a good chance at having a good offense and defense there. Also, considering the division, he would have a strong chance at the playoffs every year from year 1. The media and ruthlessness from the fans would only be short lived if he can keep showing up in the playoffs.

3. Seattle is now a good contender because they could offer up 3 first over 2 years BUT what talent do they really have that would attract Watson? After a trade, they could be out on a lot of talent but they will still have enough draft capital to get some offensive weapons.

I think the Bucs could be on DeTraitor’s wishlist but they would need to offer up a lot of their talent for the Texans to be interested and idk how that’s going to work out with all the big contacts they’ll need to sign.

The Panthers are a quite popular trade candidate but I think they would be a last resort to DeTraitor. For one, their draft capital already STINKS. They would have to give up a first this year and then they don’t pick again until the 4th lol. Next year they wouldn’t pick again until the 3rd because we’d take that capital too. Their future would be bleak. And Watson doesn’t likely want to go from one disaster of an org (BoB regime) to another. Their coach is on the verge of being fired and they don’t have a good outlook on culture.

Maybe we do or maybe we don’t have the luxury of taking a WR relatively early this year but I am starting to fall for the idea of taking David Bell from Purdue. I hadn’t heard much about him before but this guy is a true weapon that can thrive on any team imo. He’s creative and can win really quickly on routes and is a phenomenal route runner, which I’ve been begging for. The main downside to him is he’s not extraordinarily quick/fast but he’s winning on routes quickly anyways and can get open versus man and zone. You can get the ball to him in space and although he’s not fast, he still runs tough and he’s a tricky and crafty runner. I got him mid 2nd to early 3rd. I think he would make this offense quite a bit better.

I’m going to say what my old calc 2 teacher used to say, “don’t complicate!” I get the reasoning behind trading Tunsil but I think it’s an unnecessary complication. You have Tunsil and Howard who can be your tackles for the next few years and when it’s time to negotiate contacts, the cap will be much higher and you can do a much better job than BOB. If you’re unable to reach a deal then you can worry about that position years from now with a more developed Heck potentially being able to take his place. You don’t have much of a luxury to waste time or picks on lesser proven tackles. Get IOL fixed and worry about key spots elsewhere. No need to complicate matters by trying to be too smart.