I'm curious to see if he'd do what I would do. Hopefully this isn't a strain on him (or you). I just figured it was a chance to let him rep his team of choice.
If we did the full GMO thing this year, one thing I would be really, REALLY tempted to do at this point just for laughs would be to sign Julio Jones to a vet min benefit contract and then specifically take a WR with pick 2-26. (That's the pick Atlanta got from the Titans for trading Julio.)
Favourite QB in draft by far and I think he is worth a top 10 pick. There are a couple guys still on the board some people think falcons would prefer but I don't like them.
Yep. It would be really hard to argue against this pick, and assuming I didn't get a monster offer to trade down, it's exactly what I would do too. The bigger picture is that Willis probably needs a year before he's ready to step into the starting role. No problem - the Falcons have Mariota for two years. So this year, Mariota gets to prove himself and revive his career, and in the meantime Willis gets to ease his way into the league.
The other factors are that he's a local kid and that having a mobile QB will help electrify the fan base.
The Seahawks are kind of a fun team to mock this year. Extra picks, so many needs. So you’re free to go more of a true BPA and just stock an impressive looking class.
Whether Willis is worth a top 10 pick next week is an interesting question. But in this draft, the Texans set the market and made the answer a definitive YES. Willis was the clear top QB on the board at this point, likely to go at any time. He's also by far the best fit for Atlanta of any QB in this draft class. This was exactly the right time for @Falcons Guy to take him. The mobility factor can now become a key component of the offensive game plan. Mariota can move. Willis can obviously move. Feleipe Franks can move. So the coaching staff can now build in rollouts, moving pockets, empty backfield QB draw plays etc and know that they won't have to throw out the entire game plan if the starting QB gets banged up. And that will be a huge help for the offensive line.
I still debated taking Cross at #6 ahead of the other two. Purely for pass protection, I rate him the best of the three going into their rookie camps.
The kid is nailing it. No doubt about that. With two of his first three picks Seattle has a new starting QB with both experience AND upside and a franchise caliber LT to protect him for the next decade. Nice work, indeed.
