Lol cherry pick early round busts to suit your argument all you want, odds are better of obtaining premier talent with a higher pick. Having incompetent managers and scouts who can't find that talent is another issue altogether.
Should I just run down the last 5 drafts and throw up names to fit my opinion too?
Woo hoo let's go get to 8-8 and get that studly OG we desperately need!
I'm the Texanstalk whipping boy, and I approved this post. Lol
(I'm sure you REAL fans will think of more clever names to call me, I'm giddy with
anticipation)
OK. Let's NOT Cherry Pick. Let's look at the top 5 picks from 2002-2010. How about that? And let's look at Pro Bowls for want of a better gauge.
1. David Carr - 0 PB (Bust)
2. Julius Peppers - 8 PB (Future HOF)
3. Joey Harrington - 0 PB (Bust)
4. Mike Williams - 0 PB (Epic bust)
5. Quentin Jammer - 0 PB
1. Carson Palmer - 2 PB, not worth a #1
2. Charles Rogers - 0 PB (Epic Bust)
3. Andre Johnson - 6 PB (Possible HOF)
4. Dewayne Robertson - 0 PB
5. Terence Newman - 2 PB
1. Eli Manning - 3 PB
2. Robert Gallery - 0 PB, Bust
3. Larry Fitzgerald - 7 PB
4. Philip Rivers - 4 PB
5. Sean Taylor - 2 PB Sad story
1. Alex Smith - 0 PB, Looked like a bust for years
2. Ronnie Brown - 1 PB, Good player
3. Braylon Edwards - 1 PB, Iffy
4. Cedric Benson - 0 PB, Bustish, a couple of decent years
5. Cadillac Williams - 0PB, a few decent years
1. Mario Williams - 2 PB, iffy
2. Reggie Bush - 0 PB, Looked like a bust for years
3. Vince Young - 2 PB, Bust
4. D'Brickasaw Ferguson - 3 PB, Good player
5. A.J. Hawk - 0 PB but good player
1. Jamarcus Russell - 0 PB, Epic Bust
2. Calvin Johnson - 3 PB, Possible Future HOF
3. Joe Thomas - 6 PB, Great pick
4. Gaines Adams - 0 PB, epic bust
5. Levi Brown - 0 PB, not a great pick
1. Jake Long - 4 PB, good pick
2. Chris Long - 0 PB, meh
3. Matt Ryan - 2 PB, iffy
4. Darren McFadden - 0 PB, bustish
5. Glenn Dorsey - 0 PB but OK
1. Matthew Stafford - 0 PB, iffy
2. Jason Smith - 0 PB, bust
3. Tyson Jackson - 0 PB, bustish
4. Aaron Curry - 0 PB, Epic Bust
5. Mark Sanchez - 0 PB, Bust
1. Sam Bradford - 0 PB, Bustish
2. Ndamukong Suh - 2 PB
3. Gerald McCoy - 1 PB
4. Trent Williams - 1 PB
5. Eric Berry - 2 PB
There are some good picks in there, especially at WR with Larry Fitzgerald, Andre Johnson, and Calvin Johnson. But there are more misses than hits with guys you're trying to portray as sure-fire.
Is the Best Running Back in the league in there? No. The Best Defensive Linemen or Linebackers? No. The Best QBs? Peyton was a #1 pick and most good QBs are first rounders, but the top 5 is a crap shoot.
Which is my one of my points.
Many of the best players are taken later in the first round or even later. Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, Roethlisberger, etc., etc.
If you want a team that has a winning mind-set (which I do), then I want them to go out and win every game even when the season's gone wrong. I don't want them to give up. I want a team full of high-motor guys like JJ Watt and Brian Cushing and I want them to fight from beginning to end.
I'm not going to get those players and I'm not going to get that sort of effort if I start asking them to fail.