acruther
Active Member
- Messages
- 114
- Reaction score
- 28
- The guy is a physical freak. 6"6', 306 and runs a 4.75 forty. He benched one less rep than Joe Thomas - top 10 rated Joe Thomas. Several coaches on hand at his pro day stated it was one of the best workouts by an offensive lineman they had ever witnessed. He could end up being the best OT in this draft.
- He is a legitimate left tackle prospect. This means we can finally replace underperforming Flozell Adams (in 2008). Further, his speed will allow him to deal with the speed rushers that have eaten Adams alive.
- We are not in a position where we have to start Staley immediately. We can give Staley a year to get stronger and work in with the current offensive line. Then in 2008 he will be ready to take over. If he is not, then we still have the option to keep Adams.
- Staley's speed and athleticism will allow us to have a ton of flexibility with our running game. Last year, we had one guy who could pull well - Kosier. Columbo was OK at it as well. Adams, Rivera, Gurode - please. With Leonard Davis, Kosier, and Staley on the roster, we could have 3 guys who can block in space. This is great because we could run screens and counters to both sides of the line.
- Staley is a smart player who could very well play guard for us this season. The guy played TE, RT, and LT in college, a fact that actually hurts his draft grade (he's had less experience at LT). However, this kind of flexiblity will serve him well in Dallas.
- Staley had a sprained ankle in college. That's it. He's got his original knees. So we're drafting a very healthy player. Always a good sign.
- 3 out of our 5 starting offensive lineman are free agents. None of our starters are on their rookie contracts. As a result, we are sucking up a ton of our cap in the OLine. We need to get younger, cheaper, and more athletic on the OLine and Staley accomplishes that.
- The quality of offensive linemen drops off precipitously after the mid second round. Depth at WR and CB is much better. I don't see anyone who we can draft who will definitely start for us this year (except possibly Blalock or Nelson). So if we're drafting for the future, there are few positions as important as LT.
- Our policy of not drafting offensive linemen early has not worked. The guys we've taken in the 2nd and 3rd rounds have not worked out for the most part. Obviously Gurode and Adams are the most recent exceptions, but the list of failures is a much, much longer list. Jones needs to revisit this assumption of his. LT is one of the elite positions in the NFL and it's worth investing a 1st round pick in one.
- Games are won in the trenches. It's a plattitude, I realize, but it is undeniably true. If we continue to invest in our OLine, we will improve all our offensive skill position players as a matter of course.
- EDIT: Vela did a great analysis showing that tackles had one of the lowest bust rates of 1st round picks. (http://theboysblog.com/2007/03/25/bust-factors-offense/)
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