ESPN's Analysis of Our Pick, And Why I Feel It Was The Wrong Pick

[Proudiddy]

http://m.espn.go.com/nfl/draft?year=2015&grouping=rounds&round=1&src=desktop

What he brings: He's a tremendously versatile player after playing linebacker, safety and even some running back at Washington. He lacks ideal size as a linebacker but is an excellent mover in space who can cover sideline to sideline against the run. He's also a good tackler and has above-average man-to-man coverage skills against running backs and tight ends.

How he fits: Defensive coordinator Sean McDermott can play Thompson at linebacker when he goes to his nickel package, as he often does, and line up Thompson at safety in run-heavy situations. Thompson should also strengthen Carolina's special teams, and he could fill in at running back in an emergency. However, Carolina has more pressing needs, and Thompson doesn't have a natural position fit at the NFL level, making him significant reach at this point.

LOL at that last bolded part.

I said at the end of last season, when the Seahawks eliminated us, that the same problems that went unaddressed prior to the season were what ended our season - lack of weapons and protection for Cam.

We destroyed our receiving corps last offseason, made one, possibly two, viable additions to it and called it a success.

In the end, not addressing it cost us our season.

Sure, our defense came around and became dominant once the right guys were given the PT and put in the right spots... But the issue was, our offense was so stagnant, it couldn't put up enough of a threat to keep our defense off of the field and it finally broke them against the seahawks.

Why couldn't the offense score? There was no one that could take the top off of the defense, ALL of our WRs outside of maybe Philly struggle to get separation consistently and probably give Cam the smallest windows to fit passes into. You put that up against a team with championship-level defense and an offense with a wide array of weapons (power runner, shifty receivers, tall/fast receivers, accurate QB with scrambling ability), and it becomes obvious who would win.

Point is, defense wasn't the problem and that is where we've made the most moves, AGAIN. WR has been the biggest problem for two years and has seen the least attention, AGAIN. Offense is what lost us games and ended our season, and this despite having the most dynamic player in the entire NFL at QB. It's a shame.

I have never really outright poo poo'd a pick we have made the same night. I didn't like the KB pick last season initially, but I still said I hoped to eat crow and felt there was a strong possibility I would. And for the most part, I did (although he needs to shore up that drop issue). But I would've been lying to myself if I didn't see him contributing immediately and ignoring his potential.

I am going out on a limb here, but I don't have that feeling about shaq. It's the first time, possibly ever, that I just don't like anything about the pick. I predicted both Cam and Luke months before they happened and said both of them would be among the best in the NFL before we ever took them... So, I feel like for a fan, I have a good eye for talent and fit... I just don't like this pick... Again, considering what lost us our season, it just doesn't make sense to me and was an obvious reach for a front office that swears they won't do just that.

Flame away.

[t96]

This won't be a huge impact pick for this year. It's more for the future. He'll help us this year for sure, though maybe not as much as another pick. But when TD starts to slow down a bit (it's inevitably going to happen and sooner rather than later) we won't lose a step with Shaq here. DG understands the big picture. Still have 8 picks to address other issues, and last I checked DG hit in rounds 2, 3, 4, and 5 last year...

[MedellinHeel]

This won't be a huge impact pick for this year. It's more for the future. He'll help us this year for sure, though maybe not as much as another pick. But when TD starts to slow down a bit (it's inevitably going to happen and sooner rather than later) we won't lose a step with Shaq here. DG understands the big picture. Still have 8 picks to address other issues, and last I checked DG hit in rounds 2, 3, 4, and 5 last year...

 

I see Shaq starting beside Luke and TD and sliding to SS in nickle. 

 

Immediate impact

[Squirrel]

Plenty of WR's in the draft.  There was only 3 great wr's the rest of the top 20 wrs are all in the same category.  Glad we didn't reach for one of them.  Shaq is special and once he settles into LB he will thrive.

 

 

Now OT we need to address in the 2nd round

[AceBoogie]

With a defensive coordinator pretending to be a head coach, you would think he would want more talent on the side of the ball he's clueless at. Instead we keep building our team like the Jets with Rex Ryan.

[davos]

The way I look at it: We just made our defense elite. 

 

If we got one of those WRs: Is that really different for Shula compared to a Dezmin Lewis/Locket/Bell/etc.?

[AceBoogie]

Plenty of WR's in the draft. There was only 3 great wr's the rest of the top 20 wrs are all in the same category. Glad we didn't reach for one of them. Shaq is special and once he settles into LB he will thrive.

Now OT we need to address in the 2nd round

Shaq was a huge reach and luxury pick. Wasn't even bpa

[t96]

I see Shaq starting beside Luke and TD and sliding to SS in nickle. 

 

Immediate impact

 

Of course he's going to be an impact but he's not going to be playing 100% of the snaps like he will be once TD retires. He won't play SS on every nickel package snap and we only played base on like 30% of snaps. I'd really love for him to become a Chancellor-like safety, but he's not there yet and may never be there. He's a natural LB and there aren't many snaps at that 3rd LB spot. I definitely see snaps at safety and in different formations but he probably won't play even 75% of snaps. I think we could've had a more immediate impact with a guy like Dorsett, but this was the best value pick and the best pick for the future.

[cbarrier90]

Honest question: How many seasons is it going to take for you to trust that we have a general manager that knows what he's doing?

[x djdrew x]

Shaq was the pick because those attractive OT and possibly a WR we were high on were all gone when it came time for us to be on the clock. Reaching for an OT or a WR that we weren't high on wouldn't have made this any better. 

 

I feel like tomorrow will tell us how to feel about this, as in, do we get better on offense tomorrow? I sure hope so, otherwise this one starts to sour fast.

[Squirrel]

Shaq was a huge reach and luxury pick. Wasn't even bpa

 

who was BPA?

[Proudiddy]

This won't be a huge impact pick for this year. It's more for the future. He'll help us this year for sure, though maybe not as much as another pick. But when TD starts to slow down a bit (it's inevitably going to happen and sooner rather than later) we won't lose a step with Shaq here. DG understands the big picture. Still have 8 picks to address other issues, and last I checked DG hit in rounds 2, 3, 4, and 5 last year...

That's the best case scenario though, imo... I mentioned in another thread because people keep comparing him to TD, but it appears many forgot, TD took several years to even become a starter-level player. If we could go back to his third or fourth year, it would be interesting to see how many even thought he would stick. Now, a huge part of that was our coaching staff kept switching his position... But, I felt TD was a much more naturally talented, instinctive, and explosive player when he came out.

So, I agree with what you're saying, but I'm not betting the farm that he will just automatically step into TD's role, considering how hard it was for TD to become what he has become in the first place (as a better natural football player, imo).

[Squirrel]

That's the best case scenario though, imo... I mentioned in another thread because people keep comparing him to TD, but it appears many forgot, TD took several years to even become a starter-level player. If we could go back to his third or fourth year, it would be interesting to see how many even thought he would stick. Now, a huge part of that was our coaching staff kept switching his position... But, I felt TD was a much more naturally talented, instinctive, and explosive player when he came out.

So, I agree with hat you're saying, but I'm not betting the farm that he will just automatically step into TD's role, considering how hard it was for TD to become what he has become in the first place (as a better natural football player, imo).

 

TD started at safety though when he first came in.  So that hurt his development  

[AceBoogie]

Honest question: How many seasons is it going to take for you to trust that we have a general manager that knows what he's doing?

Um how about when we get back to back winning seasons for the first time in our history. Gettleman is extremely lucky the NFc south is on the decline right now