FanPost

Condition of the 2014 Draft




Alright, Raider Nation. I am most certainly not a "guru", like Mayock, Kiper, or McShay(lol), when it comes to drafting, but I have my opinions. This draft appears to be extremely thin when it comes to Elite Defensive Talent. Elite talent, in my eyes, is someone who can come to a team, and make an immediate impact that makes the unit as a whole, better. Think of players like Andrew Luck, Luke Kuechly, and Charles Woodson. Those are examples of what I view as "Elite talent". That is not me saying that people taken later in the draft are not capable of being impact players, but simply that these prospects are a lot more sure-fire. In this year's draft, as you all know, we have the #5 overall pick. That leaves us with a plethora of options. Do we take Johnny Football? Khalil Mack? Sammy Watkins? Well, I think that there are only two truly immediate impact players in this draft, and considering that Dennis Allen, and Reggie Mckenzie's job depend on making an impact this year, I believe we will draft one of those two players with our first pick. Those two are Jadeveon Clowney, and Sammy Watkins.

I think we're all on the same page when it comes to the likelihood of Clowney dropping to #5; he won't be there. The possibility of having a phenomenal Defensive line with Watt and Clowney is likely going to be too good to pass up for Houston. Hell, if I was the GM, I would look at Seattle's success, and do the same thing. Solid offense, and ridiculous defense. As of right now, we have neither. We need impact players on both sides of the ball (or all three sides for you nit-pickers). Watkins, I believe, is a truly special player. The kind that you get an opportunity at once in a decade. He's fast, quick, smart, and seemingly has permanent Stick-'em on his hands. He's exactly what our Offense is missing. I know, defense wins championships, but that's only with an on-par offense. We draft Watkins at 5, and our entire offense is looking formidable. The rest of the draft can be defense based, with a QB thrown in sometime in the middle rounds (Savage, Boyd, McCarron, Murray, etc.). As of right now, we have our starters on defense, and now we should be gaining depth at the positions.

What I'm trying to say is: If Clowney is there, take him. If Clowney is gone, but Watkins is there, take him. If they're both gone? Trade down, take the BPA by need, and hope for the best.

What do you guys think?

Just Win, Baby!