Just looking at the D-line:
DT:
What I'd like for us to do:
Get another big DT, preferably in free agency, who is big enough to stuff the run but quick and athletic enough to rush the passer. Pair him with Maliek Collins and you have a nasty starting DT duo that can open up opportunities for the DEs. Guys in mind that will be available are Sheldon Richardson and Dontari Poe.
What I could see us doing:
We could stick with what we had this year and hope Collins naturally improves in his second year. That means keeping Collins at 3DT and either resigning McClain for 1DT or going with our biggest free agency acquisition from last year in Thornton. We could also slide Tyrone Crawford back into his 3DT position and slide Collins over to 1DT. In this case, we'd probably let McClain go and use Thornton in obvious run plays.
DE:
What I'd like for us to do and what I could see us doing:
Get the best available RDE in the draft that we can without mortgaging too many, or any, extra picks. Preferably we'd package Romo in some way if we needed to move up. A rookie probably won't be our starting RDE, but he could at least be used in a rotation until he takes over the starting role his sophomore year. The key is that Benson Mayowa is not the starter for money coveted defensive position on our team. It would be nice if we could get something out of Tapper. Likeliest scenario Lawrence slides over to starting RDE. He's in a contract year so maybe he'll have a career year.
Hopefully we can trust David Irving to take over the starting LDE position. He's also a guy you can move around and play inside on Nickel downs. I just hope he can start to consistently produce and not just show up 2-3 times a year. They key is getting Jack Crawford off this team. He plays hard but you're in trouble if he's one of your top DLmen. I'd also look for a mid-priced free agent who can rotate with Irving. I want Tyrone Crawford splitting snaps at his natural positions, 3DT, not LDE.
In summary:
What I'd like to see:
RDE - Lawrence, 1st round rookie, Mayowa
3DT - Collins, T. Crawford
1DT - high-priced FA, Thornton
LDE - Irving, mid-priced FA, Tapper
What I could see us doing:
RDE - Lawrence, 1st round rookie, Mayowa
3DT - T. Crawford, cheap FA/rookie
1DT - Collins, Thornton
LDE - Irving, Tapper
If possible, the $ needs to be spent in DE if a good one can be had.
The 2nd expensive FA would be CB.
The reason is that our DTs are not as bad - so the marginal improvement is much larger at DE than DT
Having said that, if a scary pass rushing DT is available instead of CB, then grab the DT instead.
Pass rush is # 1 priority.
This plan is actually cheap than what the Giants just did last year that took than defense to top 5.
Expensive FA means $15M/year RDE or CB. First year cap in 5 year contract with signing bonus of $25M would be ~$6M. Assume restructuring every year afterwards.
Salary cap in 2021 - who cares, blow it up if needed to get 2-4 premium draft choices while keeping Zeke and OL - hopefully Zeke is still good but cannot count on it. Draft picks used for WR1, RB and BPA
Scenario 1
RDE -
Expensive FA/1st round/Mayowa
3DT - Collins/Irving
1DT - Thornton/TBD
LDE - Irving/Lawrence/
2nd round
CB -
expensive CB #1/Brown/Oscan/
resign Carr if cheap
SS - Wilcox if not too expensive
WR2 - resign TWill
Gone: TCrawford, JCrawford, Mcclain unless cheap, Butler
Unreliable: Tapper, Gregory
Scenario 2
RDE -
Expensive FA/Mayowa/2nd round
3DT -
Expensive FA/ Collins
1DT - Thornton/Collins
LDE - Irving/Lawrence/
2nd round
CB -
1st round/Brown/Oscan/
resign one of Clairborne/Carr
SS - resign Wilcox if not too expensive
WR2 -
resign TWill
Gone: TCrawford, JCrawford, Mcclain unless cheap, Butler
Unreliable: Tapper, Gregory
Scenario 3
RDE -
Expensive FA/Mayowa
3DT - Collins/Irving/TBD
1DT - Thornton/TBD
LDE - Irving/Lawrence/
2nd round
CB -
1st round/Brown/Oscan/
resign one of Clairborne/Carr
SS - resign Wilcox if not too expensive
WR2 -
WR #1 like the guy from the Skins
Gone: TCrawford, JCrawford, Mcclain unless cheap, Butler
Unreliable: Tapper, Gregory
