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I am afraid that I will have to disagree with your opinion that the offensive line should not be a priority. If I remember correctly Waters is on a one year deal. If so he will not be under contract next year. Do you want to trot Costa out there as a starting guard next year? What depth will you have behind him?
I am not saying force the pick. But I would be ok with trading back a little in the first (especially if there is no one on the board that we covet) and taking four of the highest rated players in the first three rounds and hopefully they would be in positions of need, including offensive and defensive lines. I'm not convinced we need to take a safety at all in this next draft.
Let's walk through your scenario.
We allow Waters to retire (even though he was our best OL for a few weeks before injury) ... done.
We have our current starting OL AND top 3 back ups return in tact.
We have:
LT: Smith, Weems
LG: Leary, Frederick
OC: Frederick, Costa
RG: Bern, Costa
RT: Free, Parnell
So you would go out and use an R1 draft pick at OG??
A guy who may not be able to unseat Bern or Leary?
And you don't think we need a safety? Huh???
PFF is just a service but they grade Bern a top 20 OG. Wilcox and Heath rate outside the top 50 Safeties.
How does your plan make any sense in that light?
I would always be willing to move down if value fell like it did this year but I wouldn't always move down.
If Star had fell to us instead of Floyd we probably pick that kid and he starts all year next to Hatcher.
If we had Reid right now (who we boxed) he would have been a day 1 starter and rate about 30 slots higher than either Wilcox or Heath.
I wouldn't force a pick either, but there is no way I enter next season with the current safeties. That position simply must be upgraded so if the draft doesn't send one my way I've got to spend money there.
And it can not be a bottom of the barrel re-tread.
If the draft doesn't present a guy who can walk in and start I've got to buy one.
Safety play can not continue to be this bad.
We are the worst team in the NFL at the position and it is very easy for offenses to pick us on there.
The only are we are worse is LB when Sean Lee comes out hurt.
What Chicago did when Lee came out was straight up bullying.