Having a more talented player there could lead to using the position more.

We are in a nickel most of the time as are most teams in the NFL now. If you want to grab a good coverage backer like Mack Wilson in the draft. They can probably find a way for him to get on the field. Or if you think he is an upgrade to Walker. Perhaps trying to find a new hybrid defender that is part secondary part backer. But I don’t see them making a high investment in the SAM just to play more 4-3. The position is being phased out.

Offensive personnel will determine if we have 3 backers on the field imo

Exactly. Teams are in 11 personnel half the time, so you're already in Nickel 50%. Factor in 4 or 5 receivers sets and the use of SAM gets even smaller.

Hopefully Ballard can get good value on an undersized, athletic LB in round 2 again. A Deion Jones comp would be fantastic.

I know it's more complicated than this, but Ballard fixing the OL in two drafts really suggests to me that we were talking about fixing the OL for the last decade more than we were actually fixing it. Luck got his ass kicked for a 5 year span that nearly ended his career. Ballard fixes that in two years.

I guess Kelly was really a Grigson pick, but Grigs was pretty much toast at that point. And I have heard it argued that the Hooker / Mack / Walker draft was more of a Grigson team draft even thought Ballard was GM.

Then 2018 with three picks Ballard completely changed the landscape of this team .... Nelson, Leonard, Smith.

It's not just those three. Turay has contributed some on defense, and Hines and Wilkins have contributed quite a bit as well. I'm also excited to see what Lewis and Cain can offer when they return from injury.

Anyone arguing last years draft was a grigson team draft is either dishonest or an idiot. What gm gets hired after the season and shit cans the scouting department immediately? Maybe it happens but I don’t recall ever hearing it. Ballard dealt with what everyone deals with.

Yea, I agree, that was what I was trying to say. A Ballard draft with grigsons scouting team.

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Two points in response:

1) Whether Ballard’s situation was unusual or not isn’t really the point. The fact remains that he had to utilize Grigson’s scouting staff to prepare for the 2017 draft, instead of his own preferred staff (which he put in place after the draft). While I’d agree that it’s not fair to totally excuse Ballard for any mistakes in the 2017 draft – obviously he was heavily involved in the player choices – but at least those mistakes deserve an asterisk.

2) Setting all of this aside, the 2017 draft was still pretty decent. We picked mid-round, and obtained several starters from that draft (Hooker, Mack and Walker), and several backups (Wilson, Hairston, Stewart). True, there have been a couple of flame-outs (Basham and Banner), but is that really all that unusual in any draft? Yes, they were gone quickly, but I personally think that’s a function of Ballard’s approach. Other teams may have kept those guys on their roster for another season or two to avoid admitting their mistakes.

No. It doesn’t get an asterisk. That is just how things work. Sure it is somewhat of a handicap but it is his draft.