Is it bad draft strategy to go heavy on defense?

LittleBoyBlue

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I know, I know... BPA.

BUT, if we are really to help get Romo a ring I think there is enough offensive pieces in place.

I would throw as many defensive players up against the wall and see which ones stick?

Giants went heavy on DE's years back and it helped home get 2 superbowls.

Bad strategy?
 

Phrozen Phil

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While I'd probably go heavy on D this year, I'd pay attention to the crop of OT's available. Getting another O-Lineman into the rotation could be a difference maker and a hedge against injury. Our O-Line was good this year, but we need to stay ahead of the curve. Pat Kirwan did say on Sirius/XM radio the other day that he thought there was a healthy crop of D--Linemen in this draft. His opinion is not universally shared. My belief is to stay to the strength of the draft and you will improve as a team. Having said that, I can see a win-win scenario in which we fill needs and not reach for players. There are a lot pretty good Wr's this year, but one would have to be outstanding to make this team. The Giants did get a good pass rush for a few years, but they did not follow up with a long-term strategy to maintain that strength on the team. JPP was good a while ago, but the bloom has faded on that rose.
 

Derinyar

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If that's how it drops, no. But you don't draft defense to draft defense. I think if we end up with defense in one staying in place it's probably a CB.
 

Idgit

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Hey, if a player like Beckham or Martin is there, you have to take him. That's why you backfill your positions of need in VFA prior to the draft as much as you possibly can. It's more important to add good players than it is to add players at a particular position.
That said, you can navigate the draft to be in those spots where you expect to have options you like at your positions of need, too. I think we sign two of our three FA LBs, add a VFA pass rusher and then add another in the first two rounds of the upcoming draft. I expect we pretty much go BPA from there. I like that a lot better than I do when we forced three picks at CB and ended up with Goodrich-Larrimore-Edwards for our trouble.
 

xwalker

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I know, I know... BPA.

BUT, if we are really to help get Romo a ring I think there is enough offensive pieces in place.

I would throw as many defensive players up against the wall and see which ones stick?

Giants went heavy on DE's years back and it helped home get 2 superbowls.

Bad strategy?

Free Agency.

At #27 you can't really count on significant production from a rookie. Maybe you get lucky, but you can't count on rookie's being difference makers unless they are drafting in the top half of the 1st and even then it can be hit or miss.
 
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Hardline

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If there is a top tier offensive player on the broad and nothing but second tier defensive players on the board I am taking the offensive player regardless of position.
I would take Gurley over any defensive players that are on the broad when we pick unless a miracle happens and a top tier defensive player slides.
 

Yakuza Rich

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Yes, it is a bad strategy.

Whose to say that the Giants going heavy on D-Line wasn't them going after the BPA according to their scouts?

The key to the NFL is to not put too many eggs into one basket. The injury rate and its effect on player performance is too great in the NFL for anything to be reliable. And the best route is generally to acquire the best players regardless of their position. Filling perceived holes can be undone by injuries and a player underperforming. And going for the BPA can allow a team to fill those holes.

For instance, our defense was not very good this past season. But, it was supposed to be FAR worse, especially after losing Lee to injury along with Hatcher to FA and releasing Ware. But, we filled those holes far better than expected because we went after the BPA in Martin and created a running game and offense that could score points and control the football.

We drafted a DE in Lawrence...and he got injured.

This past season should be a glaring example of the follies of drafting to fill holes over drafting BPA.





YR
 

Risen Star

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You already knew the answer before asking. It's always a bad strategy to have tunnel vision in the draft. If you treat the draft like an extension of veteran free agency you will be one of the poorer drafting teams. The draft's about opportunity at long term investments.

Besides, ya know what else would help Romo? A better RT and some fresh legs at RB. Another WR with some size wouldn't hurt too.
 

jrumann59

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Yeah cannot lock in one or two position groups or you end with Shante Carver, Ekuban. You go in with priorities and plans, if your gotta have player is not there do not draft the next guy in his positional group you go BPA. Follow what they did last year with Martin. They had plan A, then Plan B, then Plan C, and then Plan D which was Martin
 

LittleBoyBlue

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You already knew the answer before asking. It's always a bad strategy to have tunnel vision in the draft. If you treat the draft like an extension of veteran free agency you will be one of the poorer drafting teams. The draft's about opportunity at long term investments.

Besides, ya know what else would help Romo? A better RT and some fresh legs at RB. Another WR with some size wouldn't hurt too.

Yes, it is a bad strategy.

Whose to say that the Giants going heavy on D-Line wasn't them going after the BPA according to their scouts?

The key to the NFL is to not put too many eggs into one basket. The injury rate and its effect on player performance is too great in the NFL for anything to be reliable. And the best route is generally to acquire the best players regardless of their position. Filling perceived holes can be undone by injuries and a player underperforming. And going for the BPA can allow a team to fill those holes.

For instance, our defense was not very good this past season. But, it was supposed to be FAR worse, especially after losing Lee to injury along with Hatcher to FA and releasing Ware. But, we filled those holes far better than expected because we went after the BPA in Martin and created a running game and offense that could score points and control the football.

We drafted a DE in Lawrence...and he got injured.

This past season should be a glaring example of the follies of drafting to fill holes over drafting BPA.





YR


Yeah I did kinda know the answer.... But.... The defense is going to make or break us.

Ok I will play devils advocate here. How many players are a "miss" anyways in draft? I don't know that's it's not worth taking a chance this year.
 

LittleBoyBlue

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Free Agency.

At #27 you can't really count on significant production from a rookie. Maybe you get lucky, but you can't count on rookie's being difference makers unless they are drafting in the top half of the 1st and even then it can be hit or miss.

I hear ya... Maybe we work it so we can get two picks in top (de/de or de/cb) 20 picks?
 

Yakuza Rich

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Yeah I did kinda know the answer.... But.... The defense is going to make or break us.

Ok I will play devils advocate here. How many players are a "miss" anyways in draft? I don't know that's it's not worth taking a chance this year.

I think the issue is that everybody is a terrible predictor at what is going to happen. Whether it is Bill Belichick or Joe Fan. The best you can really do is have a coach and coaching staff that is good at developing talent and try to play the odds in your favor by acquiring talent.

We can say what you will about Jay Ratliff, but he was a major coup for us in the draft as he was a 7th rounder. Or you can look at Romo being a UDFA. Conversely, we had Claiborne who was widely regarded as the best defensive player of his draft class. Tough to predict those guys that are busts and those guys that surprise everybody.

And just because we don't win the Super Bowl next season doesn't mean we can't win it in the 2016 or 2017 season. I'm sure there were Packers fans wanting to go for broke in 2005, 2006 and 2007 when Favre didn't have much left to go and Aaron Rodgers was a lowly backup (and they had major question marks about as a backup). But they didn't give up the farm and then they win the Super Bowl in 2010.

Patience pays in the NFL.





YR
 

LittleBoyBlue

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I think the issue is that everybody is a terrible predictor at what is going to happen. Whether it is Bill Belichick or Joe Fan. The best you can really do is have a coach and coaching staff that is good at developing talent and try to play the odds in your favor by acquiring talent.

We can say what you will about Jay Ratliff, but he was a major coup for us in the draft as he was a 7th rounder. Or you can look at Romo being a UDFA. Conversely, we had Claiborne who was widely regarded as the best defensive player of his draft class. Tough to predict those guys that are busts and those guys that surprise everybody.

And just because we don't win the Super Bowl next season doesn't mean we can't win it in the 2016 or 2017 season. I'm sure there were Packers fans wanting to go for broke in 2005, 2006 and 2007 when Favre didn't have much left to go and Aaron Rodgers was a lowly backup (and they had major question marks about as a backup). But they didn't give up the farm and then they win the Super Bowl in 2010.

Patience pays in the NFL.





YR

Patience ... And time..... Tic toc.....
 

Longboysfan

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I know, I know... BPA.
Giants went heavy on DE's years back and it helped home get 2 superbowls.
Bad strategy?
Well. Look back at the Eagle drafts they went heavy at one position a few times.
Yes. It works to get good talent in.
But not for all teams when the talent is good not great.

I like a mix of positions. Hit the D line and D backs.
Look for BPA at all times.
 

Risen Star

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Yeah I did kinda know the answer.... But.... The defense is going to make or break us.

Ok I will play devils advocate here. How many players are a "miss" anyways in draft? I don't know that's it's not worth taking a chance this year.

The Cowboys were eliminated from the divisional playoffs by a horrendous call by the officials. Now maybe they would have still lost that game, but the officials and not the Packers eliminated them. This was with a terrible defense.

Don't get caught up in thinking you have to have a flawless team. You don't. You just have to be better than the rest. With as many holes as they had, they were really close this year. At the minimum they were on par with the two NFC powerhouses Seattle and Green Bay and the Super Bowl was decided at the goal line in the last minute of play.

I'm not trying to excuse how bad this defense is and how it might be okay to trot out these same stiffs next year. I'm just trying to illustrate how close they were to winning a title this year despite significant weaknesses in the roster. Now maybe next year they don't get a few breaks and this same group of players go 8-8. That's possible. But so is competing for a title again.

Ideally, it would be great if most of the value in the draft falls on the defensive side. We just shouldn't go into the draft thinking defense only.
 

LittleBoyBlue

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The Cowboys were eliminated from the divisional playoffs by a horrendous call by the officials. Now maybe they would have still lost that game, but the officials and not the Packers eliminated them. This was with a terrible defense.

Don't get caught up in thinking you have to have a flawless team. You don't. You just have to be better than the rest. With as many holes as they had, they were really close this year. At the minimum they were on par with the two NFC powerhouses Seattle and Green Bay and the Super Bowl was decided at the goal line in the last minute of play.

I'm not trying to excuse how bad this defense is and how it might be okay to trot out these same stiffs next year. I'm just trying to illustrate how close they were to winning a title this year despite significant weaknesses in the roster. Now maybe next year they don't get a few breaks and this same group of players go 8-8. That's possible. But so is competing for a title again.

Ideally, it would be great if most of the value in the draft falls on the defensive side. We just shouldn't go into the draft thinking defense only.

They didn't okay well enough to win packers game. I am not going into those details again.

Not looking for perfect team or defense. Still we need 2-3 defensive players.

Without making this defense a lot better maybe we font breaks next year and end 8-8. Gotta make a real effort in fixing defense.
 

CF74

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I'd go BPA in any order they fall with the following positions or trade down:

QB, DE, DT, CB, S, LB, OT, or G.

And if we don't believe we are going to keep Murray then add RB to the mix.

Upgrades to at least 3 of these key spots in this draft and the next would set this franchise up nicely for years to come. I do believe we are set at LB but it's such a battle harden position u can always use another quality player for depth...
 

Nightman

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We need more than 2-3 players on defense. We need that on the DL alone.

We get Lee, DLaw and Claiborne back from injury
Add McClain, Spencer, Durant and Moore from our guys
Add a DT and/or DE in FA
Add a DT, DE, CB in the draft
 
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