Trusting Ballard, as I am merely a fan

[IndyNorm]

Playing armchair GM is part of being a fan. It's just odd that after prioritizing the OL in previous off seasons Ballard seems to have gone away from that this year. Maybe Davenport and Tevi are much better than we're giving them credit for, quality depth and human turnstile respectively, but at this point it's more likely that they are what they've been.

Also, for all of the great picks Ballard has made Edge has been one position where he has struggled despite spending some pretty high draft picks on it (CB being the other one that comes to mind). Hope Paye and Odeyingbo buck that trend, but I'm not going to hold my breath.

[Racehorse]

Originally Posted by IndyNorm

Playing armchair GM is part of being a fan. It's just odd that after prioritizing the OL in previous off seasons Ballard seems to have gone away from that this year. Maybe Davenport and Tevi are much better than we're giving them credit for, quality depth and human turnstile respectively, but at this point it's more likely that they are what they've been.

Also, for all of the great picks Ballard has made Edge has been one position where he has struggled despite spending some pretty high draft picks on it (CB being the other one that comes to mind). Hope Paye and Odeyingbo buck that trend, but I'm not going to hold my breath.

I am hoping that those guys were victims of circumstances, but will flourish around our linemen.

[Chromeburn]

Originally Posted by Racehorse

I am hoping that those guys were victims of circumstances, but will flourish around our linemen.

I wouldn’t get your hopes up. Chargers laughed at the Tevi turnstile comments last year when they played him. This year they let him go and drafted a LT with their first pick. They would rather start a rookie than have him there.

I don’t have a problem with what Ballard does, it what he doesn’t do that I find perplexing. We seem to go into every year with a hole on the roster and I don’t understand why. It certainly isn’t a lack of money. We have a QB with confidence issues and now his blindside is gonna be protected by backups. You can’t hide LT behind other positions, it’s on an island. You going to park a blocking TE there every play? That really limits you schematically. We got outmaneuvered in the draft. I really hope they bring in a better vet for the position.

[Dam8610]

Originally Posted by Chromeburn

We got outmaneuvered in the draft.

This is the problem I have. They got jumped in at least 3 rounds for OTs they wanted by their own admission. The talent they got isn't all that bad (not who I would've chosen, but I'm hoping they pan out now), but they entered the draft with a gaping hole at LT and they left the draft with a gaping hole at LT in the deepest OT class in a decade. That seems like poor planning, exacerbated by the fact that the last viable option in Round 2 was taken the pick before the Colts. Bottom line is Ballard gambled and lost, and now he has his work cut out for him to fill the gaping hole he left on the roster.

[JAFF]

Originally Posted by Dam8610

This is the problem I have. They got jumped in at least 3 rounds for OTs they wanted by their own admission. The talent they got isn't all that bad (not who I would've chosen, but I'm hoping they pan out now), but they entered the draft with a gaping hole at LT and they left the draft with a gaping hole at LT in the deepest OT class in a decade. That seems like poor planning, exacerbated by the fact that the last viable option in Round 2 was taken the pick before the Colts. Bottom line is Ballard gambled and lost, and now he has his work cut out for him to fill the gaping hole he left on the roster.

Yeah lots of OTs. That doesnt mean quality.

[YDFL Commish]

ll of the OT's after Darrisaw were knocked for having short arms. This must be trait that Ballard really values in a LT. He did say that many of them looked like guards to him.

[Dam8610]

Originally Posted by YDFL Commish

ll of the OT's after Darrisaw were knocked for having short arms. This must be trait that Ballard really values in a LT. He did say that many of them looked like guards to him.

Jenkins had adequate arms. That's the one that's going to endlessly frustrate me. He was the one that was too good to pass up at 21, not Paye.

[Dam8610]

Originally Posted by JAFF

Yeah lots of OTs. That doesnt mean quality.

The 9 OTs drafted in the first two rounds of this year's draft (which, to clarify, are Sewell, Slater, Leatherwood, Darrisaw, Jenkins, Eichenberg, Little, Cosmi, and Radunz) will likely be Day 1 starters. Go back over the last few years and see how many OTs were drafted in the first two rounds and how many of those were Day 1 starters. Then you'll understand the depth of this class.

[apballin]

Originally Posted by Dam8610

The 9 OTs drafted in the first two rounds of this year's draft (which, to clarify, are Sewell, Slater, Leatherwood, Darrisaw, Jenkins, Eichenberg, Little, Cosmi, and Radunz) will likely be Day 1 starters. Go back over the last few years and see how many OTs were drafted in the first two rounds and how many of those were Day 1 starters. Then you'll understand the depth of this class.

This is where the variable we have no idea comes into play (character) so they’re sitting there in round 1 looking at Paye vs Darrisaw and I guarantee it came down to character, work ethic, coach ability

Ballard puts those above all so that part I’ll have to trust

I’d rather have the hard worker

[JAFF]

Originally Posted by Dam8610

The 9 OTs drafted in the first two rounds of this year's draft (which, to clarify, are Sewell, Slater, Leatherwood, Darrisaw, Jenkins, Eichenberg, Little, Cosmi, and Radunz) will likely be Day 1 starters. Go back over the last few years and see how many OTs were drafted in the first two rounds and how many of those were Day 1 starters. Then you'll understand the depth of this class.

I will judge it after they play