That's not how great franchises operate. They understand the value of draft picks and accumulate them any way possible. A 3rd here, a 5th there, another 3rd here, and before you know it your draft flexibility is outstanding, your team depth is improved, and you have the leeway to throw picks at proven veterans like Baltimore does routinely b/c they know how to work the draft and work the system for compensation picks. If you think the 3rd is insignificant then I don't know what to say. You want the Oline to be a mean machine? Sua-Filo is still available. That extra 3rd could've been used to trade up our 2nd for a top tier guard who otherwise won't make it to 50. It could've been used to trade up for one of the top TEs [Seferian-Jenkins whom we met with] or Marqis Lee [whom we met with twice].
My personal draft plan was very clear, after the first four lineman there wasn't anyone left that was top 20 value, James being one of those.he's not a top 20 talent imo, not a first round talent, I was Fine taking an Olineman first under one condition, has to be a trade down, if you couldn't get the trade down you cannot afford to lose that top 20 pick on someone who doesn't have top 20 talent.. Not a lot of power in this mans game, finesse player who lunges at pass rushers, plays a bit loose and to high at times, waist bender.. Not a fan of the pick, not a fan of how the GM could not make a deal, and I feel like regardless of how desperate the need is, you simply cannot spend top 20 value on a 2nd round pick.
This was definitely a reach. We picked for need. Which is what I expected. Everyone picks for need. They pick BPA at a position of need. No one every truly goes BPA. I never believe a team when they say that. However, I do believe he is a good player. I do believe he will solidify the RT position. He will play more snaps than Cooks would have.
How is the weather out in Knee-Jerk city? We grabbed a RT, the rest of the draft it still ahead of us. Still time to take some good pass catchers, Beckham included.
For a top 20 pick his play has to be real good GM, meaning a player that you can devise plays for because he creates a mismatch..I don't see top 20 talent so it's tough.
He's a pass-protecting RT. He'll create mismatches by allowing the quarterback more time to throw the ball. We are in a division with Mario Williams, Chandler Jones and we had nothing at right tackle.
WADR does what any of us see or not see have any real bearing on whether he will be a good pick or not? Because there might be handful of people on the entire board who've seen more than a few cut ups of his college play.
I have to think that RT was such an obvious choice that people fell in love with the alternative, no matter what it was.
You're not wrong. I don't think anyone was in love with the idea of Shazier or Mosley but those names became pretty prominent because they weren't tackles. There's such a stigma about drafting lineman on this site.
Actually they still have the left guard, Jeff Allen. Jon Asamoah and Geoff Schwartz split time at RG. I think Schwartz was destined to be a backup only, but Asamoah got hurt and missed about half the season. Schwartz stepped in and played well and earned a nice payday from the Giants.
I agree. I think it was worth the risk (not a huge one) of losing James. I think they drafted with a bit of fear and that rarely works out. I have been banging the proverbial table for over two years on the OL so I'm not entirely unhappy. But, James better perform well or it is a big time fail not picking up an extra 3rd.
Moderating that is the UDFA "lottery", the Draft is but one way to acquire young, inexpensive by cap standards, talent. Also should point out that picks like James is but one of the host of reasons why analytics is a hodge podge of results, on paper may be a great move, in reality came at one hell of an opportunity cost.
Agreed. Getting a 3rd would have given Miami a lot of flexibility in both the 2nd and 3rd round tonight to maneuver and get more talent. They could have afforded to trade a 5th or 4th and move up to grab a talented player in the 2nd or sat where they are and picked up an extra 3rd round talent. I think they are in a very limiting situation with no extra picks. It's going to be conservative-mediocrity.
I dunno man, that Cards D is pretty stout and they could upgrade from Massie at RT with James. The Panthers have bigger holes at WR than OL so that pick made sense to me. Denver is moving Franklin from RT to LG so they could have taken James as well. Seattle would have been another destination. I like James, I think he's a good fit for the scheme and apparently he's got LT upside. That's not too bad for a 1st rounder. Philly traded back and ended up having their board picked clean by the time they drafted, that was a risk Hickey was unwilling to take. A trade down would make this pick more palatable, but there is tons of offensive talent still in the draft and I'm glad RT is out of the way so Miami isn't chasing one at the expense of a TE/WR/RB in the next rounds.
I like the position they drafted. Hell, I would be happy if they spent the next seven picks on linemen as well. Don't know how good a pick james is specifically but its the right area to draft. Personally, I'm hoping for another lineman next rd
Juwuan James would not have been available in the 3rd. He'd be gone early today, way before the Dolphins 50th pick. He was the right pick in the first round, they just left a 3rd round pick on the table because they panicked and/or did not do a good job evaluating the round.
Some of you guys sound like fathers whose kids get a B and they punish the kid for not having gotten an A. Hickey took no chances, even though there wasn't much risk of losing James. No chances at all. He was very conservative. That's all. Next pick.
There's no way James was a top 20 talent in this draft. It was most certainly a reach, and phinsational is making a strong case for where we could've gotten him. There was a clear drop-off after the top 4 tackles, and we're the only ones who reached into that second tier...and we did it at 19. Lots of tackles still available. Seems like we got nervous about a big run on tackles happening...but none of them got picked. Very frustrating. Like I said pre-draft and earlier, I would've taken Bucannon there had we stayed. Sounds like moving down was an option, and AZ got value from New Orleans and still managed to get Bucannon at 27...major win for them. Hickey better have something good today, cause yesterday was a big check in the negative column to me.
Bucannon is not a top 20 talent either. In fact, James is rated higher than him. http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/prospectrankings
I would have loved that #3 for ammunition to move to the top of Rd #2, Rb/DT/T even Te, still plenty of talent on the board at positions we could use some. Still would LOVE to draft a MLB to be "our" MLB, apologies to Ellerbe, for all of the noise he talked last offseason about re-establishing that tradition, he looked lost an awful lot last season.
And yet he went a few picks after Clinton-Dix, and went to a team that has been killing it with defensive back picks the last few years (Peterson, Mathieu). Not unusual for the media to miss on a guy who came from a god-awful defense. He was the best safety in the draft, imo, had him in the five guys I wanted at 19 list. Oh well. Hopefully James makes us forget about right tackle for a few years.
We don't know what type of offers were made(if any) for our pick. James or Moses had to be selected, so thank the ginger (who had SIX off-seasons to build an Oline) for being the creator of this predicament. btw, filed under the rich getting richer: The 49ers have 5 picks tonight. Two 2s, Three 3s.
Why are we talking about need here, when it's not really apparent who would be and would not be picking for need? Why is naming an offensive tackle on the team an explanation why the team wouldn't pick that player? Maybe if it's already a Right Tackle, but otherwise? Branden Albert. Boom, the Dolphins drafted not at all for need, it was BPA now.
Amazing... watching NFLN this AM. Who got called out for over reaching? Not the Fins - the Pats for taking a guy with shot knees who was slated for round 2 They also slammed Jacksonville for taking Bortles so high. Weird choice there. The loved Carolina taking Benjamin. Rest of show about Manziel... Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk
Carolina reached worst than Miami. Benjamin was a late 2nd round pick, easy. Juwuan James was a borderline 1st rounder, definitely a gonner early in the 2nd.
Please stop with this "fans were oblivious to not see this given pick of a 1st round right tackle coming" nonsense. Had Eric Ebron made it to 19, James would still be on the board as we speak dude. There were scenarios where we were NOT taking James, so stop patting your back just b/c Ebron, Shazier, and Beckham being removed from our board left Hickey with few options. Furthermore, Pouncey was an obvious choice to myself and many others. Only difference is Pouncey was worth the #15 pick as he was an elite prospect and represented the top talent on the board, none of which can be said about James who was taken only a few spots after Pouncey. Again, it's NOT the player we have an issue with; it's the draft position. This is no different than how the NFL over-drafted 2nd round QB's in the 1st round. Using a #19 pick on James doesn't suddenly turn him into a mid first round tackle.
Didn't really diss it. Said he liked the player and pick, but thought it was a reach for that 19 spot.
All right, Hickey. You have two days to shut up these guys who are saying you left a third rounder on the table because you're stupid, chicken or both. Come on, Hickey!