Khyber53

Going into the 2003 and 2015 seasons we were supposed to be the joke of the league each time. In 2003, John Fox was supposed to still be in rebuild mode. We had a guy named Peppers on the defensive line who was supposed to be pretty good. We had Rodney Peete as our starting QB and a line that was a lot of hope and not much experience. Our new running back was a guy the Redskins, errrr Commanders, had jettisoned for being too old. We had a good kicker and writers thought that was needed because there were going to be more field goals than touch downs. Heck, it looked like they were right up until just before halftime of that first game when we had to yank Rodney Peete and put in some Cajun duded whose name couldn't be pronounced. And Steve Smith? He wasn't Smitty yet. Moose Muhammad, well, he was close to being written off as a bust. You know how that turned out. And then in 2015, we had Cam Newton, who was electrifying to watch but hadn't really won anything yet. There was an offensive line in front of him that looked like it was made in a defunct Swiss cheese factory and our big hope on offense was the great Kelvin Benjamin. And then he got taken out for the year with a knee injury in training camp. Ted "Feet of Lightning, Hands of Stone" Ginn became our default go to guy beside our next best hope, yeah, Devin Funchess. Our defense was pretty good, a scrappy bunch with frikkin' awesome linebacker play and a cornerback who had done more than drank the Kool-Aid, but had snorted the powder. He played like a superhero and became sort of a bat-man during the season. By the Super Bowl he had completely lost his freaking mind, though, and managed to talk his way out of a contract with the team next year. No one was expecting us to win the NFCSouth that season, much less almost go undefeated and into the Super Bowl. So, 2026? Who knows? But our best seasons came when no one had a reason to believe in us, except us.

Let them disrespect us. They never thought we'd be any good going into the 2003 or 2015 seasons. It's time to run it back on them again.

Good luck to him. Hope to see him out there breaking up passes and causing problems for offenses. Welcome aboard man, we need ya.

He could be one of those guys that comes out of nowhere for us. He's got a seat at the table now and a paid gig for summer camp. He'll figure heavy into special teams and maybe get some time in the linebackers room learning from some of the best. He's got potential and he's got an opportunity. I hope it all pans out great for him and us.

I hope he ends up being our best ever at the position. Ryan Kalil left big shoes behind that we haven't quite been able to fill since.

Let's go safety or center here.

Or their travel vouchers aren't covering much. I've often said we should look to grabbing guys who grew up and played in the south so they'll be adjusted to the heat and humidity we can have during training camp and the early part of the season. It can be brutal for these big guys, especially. And yeah, I know, the winter games arrive eventually, but you can always put on some extra clothes, but you can only take off so many.

It does seem to come up regularly.

It was air-fryer nachos here.

I like the pick, but only in light of what they may be saying with it. I don't think Icky is coming back this year, and maybe not ever as a tackle. Moton has a history of injuries and is getting long in the tooth. We picked up a lesser known starting LT and have him on a short contract and we have two aging, injury prone guards. There's even a shake up at Center. What this pick tells me is that there isn't just a long term need on the line, there's an immediate one that we're not sure of. I wonder if they know of a retirement incoming before the season starts. You don't grab a lineman in the first with the idea of stashing him on the bench and developing him. On the upside, the kid is going to tower over his opponents, is excellent in the run game and pass protection and can swing to either left or right tackle. He's also from South Carolina and played in Georgia which is going to give him a lg up on surviving the heat and humidity of training camp and our first few home games. I wanted something else at 19, but I like the kid. He's one of our guys now, so I'll be cheering him on for sure.

Trade down with Buffalo, pick up Jacob Rodriguez, LB, Texas Tech. Pick up a 4th rounder this year, third rounder next.

Oh yeah, QB and I'm going to be sitting there pondering if Bryce gets another chance or if we sit him on the bench as a back-up QB or trade bait for SF or Minnesota.

If we can grab one of those top Safeties in the draft, then I'll be happy. If we grab the top TE, well, I'll be happy. If we go crazy and take Rodriguez way out of line (possibly after trading down a few spots) I'll be deliriously happy. If we grab another WR, I'm going to be a bit flummoxed. OT, yeah, I can be satisfied with that. Edge, I'd be scratching my head. DT, he'd better be the best out there. CB, I'd be wondering why not later with so many decent but not great options out there. Punter and I'm throwing the remote through the TV set.

Okay, so here's my prediction. 19. Jacob Rodriguez, LB, Texas Tech 51. Jalon Green, S, South Carolina 83. Lee Hunter, DT. Texas Tech 110. Germie Bernard, WR, Alabama 158. Caden "Vanilla Gorilla" Barnett OT/OG/C Wyoming 159. Ephesians Prysock, CB, Key and Peele State U. (Washington) 200. Beau Stephens, OG, Iowa

He won't be there by the time our pick comes back around in the second round. We've got to move in the first. Maybe, if the waters seem calm at the time, trade back with Buffalo and pick him then. Oh what the hell. Grab him if he's there in the first and then roll on. Take Jalon Kilgore, the safety out of SC in the second, and Lee Hunter the DT from Texas Tech in the third. And somewhere deep in the draft snag Caden Barnett "the Vanilla Gorilla" RT from Wyoming to study behind all of our linemen and set up to take over for one of them in 2027.

Yeah, in the end, this is what should be happening. Even at vet minimum, Will's soaking up some money that could be going for a younger player with some upside.

It's like watching those first faint bits of light on the horizon before dawn. It's going to be a good day, a good season.

Right now, it would be the swerve that would make things incredibly interesting. Look, I've tried to be someone who says Bryce is developing and that he needed time to grow, especially under the same coaching staff for a few years. And, well, he has, but there's still a lot of room to grow left. I've also regularly couched that with the idea that Bryce's best position might be as a top end back up QB. That sounds like a slight, but that's a damned good job to have in this world. If we chose to pick up Ty with that first round pick, it would set up some serious competition in training camp, pushing Bryce either to the next llevel (Dalton was there as a mentor/coach rather than competition) or giving Ty a chance to show he can win the day. At which point you have a new guy to develop and a couple of relatively inexpensive years with Bryce at QB2, adding to the mentorship or becoming trade material. But let's say it happens and Bryce actually takes off like the Artemis rocket and goes way beyond our expectations and becomes a top 12 QB. Then you've got a young guy on the bench behind him with great credentials, no pressure to come in and compete on a rotten team (like the one Bryce was brought in to) and he'll be learning at the side of a coach that will have sealed his reputation as a QB-developing coach. And that creates the QB factory situation that we've seen in Green Bay back in the day or SF now... taking draftees or retreads, rehabbing them and trading them off for other players or draft picks. If we take Ty, and I only think it's a minor chance, there's some upside to it and it would also signal that Morgan and Canales are happy with who they've picked up in the off season or developed here. Sheesh, can't wait until draft night.

Great write-up!

This ^!

It could be epic to grab one of the top edge rushers, to be honest. But the cost... and the fanbase would howl considering what happened the last time we did it. Right now, maybe we're picking at the best spot possible for us at this time. Some of the future Pro bowlers will be gone, but some of the overhyped as well. At 19 the dust should clear a bit, leading us to better decisions.

I'd be happy with those. Let's just get this thing done. Tired of the wait.

I'm a happy guy.

If you weren't always predicting against the team, I might pay more heed to what you're saying. But man, I just refuse to step in the turds you're dropping. At some point, especially in the off season, you've got to give yourself a chance to hope.

Nah, 10 wins this coming season. NFCSouth crown a second time, modest run in the playoffs. Tampa Bay is going to crumble. New Orleans is a couple of years behind us on the rebuild, but they've got a good young QB. Atlanta is a rumbling wreck.