Exactly. If there are open picks, we stick to the schedule. That was a tough decision I had to make when first setting this thing up, but I needed the focus to be on making it easier for people to participate so that we could draw in as many extra people as we could get. That meant keeping the damage under control and making the schedule somewhat predictable. Other people might experiment with alternatives in future mocks, but I had to keep this one friendly and inviting.
You did great with your last pick. Just don't pick a left winger, third baseman or goalie and you'll be fine.
I'm seeing it go down as Pickett and Willis pretty early. Then whatever team feels forced finding a way between15-30 to grab someone else. I think a couple more go in round 2.
I think the 5th year option is more important than ever BECAUSE of the level this class is at. They will all need more development than past classes. That 5th year may be needed for evaluation purposes based on how long they take to get into the starting lineup. At this point I would be shocked if anyone other than possibly Pickett was starting day one, and he would surprise me s well. I think teams are willing to ride a middle class veteran for a couple of seasons in order to give their young guys time to develop and still have them for 2-3 years on their rookie deals to chase a Super Bowl. Paying a guy $18M in that 5th year is a drop in the bucket of where these contracts have skyrocketed to. A 5th year at a bargain price is well worth taking the guy in the first round, if that QB is in your sights at all.
I still disagree. There might be a GM or two who agree with you. But overall if the QB isn't ready, in today's league, you may well be fired before he ever gets there anyways. How many GM's are getting 5 years to turn things around? Not to mention the decision of leaving a hypothetically great player on the board only to reach on a QB who probably doesn't work out anyways. If he was "that good" someone would have taken him in the top 14 already. As for the savings, I'm looking at it differently. If you find "The Guy", I'm saying you don't care what you have to pay him. You're just glad you've answered the toughest question in sports. In the meantime I'm just a believer in adding the best player available (if only at a position of need). Still wouldn't force a late 2nd round grade QB in over a 1st round CB, Edge, WR, etc. Those positions are costly too, and you still get a big savings using your 5th year option now. Look what's happening to those contracts as well. Teams can never finish paying them out, always trade, release, or restructure 3-4 years into the 5 year deals. Maybe I just hate this group of QB's more than most. And most don't like them. Let me ask another question. Almost everyone thinks Willis is the clearest true 1st round prospect in this class. If it was between just Malik Willis and Trey Lance, who goes first?
Meanwhile, in Newark, TD is scrounging the interwebs for a picture to post for his next pick promptly at 11:30am
That hits another big factor with this year's class. With nearly all of them, you'd do more harm than good throwing them in as day one starters. Another factor to me is that I can picture Carolina or Atlanta using their top picks to take Malik Willis, but I have doubts that McAdoo would be so gung-ho on Pickett and I have doubts on Atlanta using the #8 on any QB other than Pickett or Willis. And even Atlanta is a guessing game on whether they'll go QB this year or wait until next year's draft class. For a mock, I love the scenario of taking Willis at #8 (and I would have done it too), but the Falcons would also do quite well to get a top edge rusher, offensive lineman or receiver with that #8 pick. Put it together, and there's an interesting scenario... we might see Pickett as the only one going in the top 10-15. But if you're right and teams do want that fifth year option on Corral and Howell, then after that we might be in for a run on QBs in the 21-32 range with teams trading into the back end of the round to snag them.
Plus, a head coach/GM can try to insulate themselves from being removed for one more season by drafting one to develop.
