FA and Draft predictions

[Matt62881]

FA: I think we pick up some vet players on one year deals that can allow us to draft more bpa. My biggest targets are a DT, LT, slot Cb, ILB all either older or coming off down seasons like Fuller and Peter's along with a few pure run stoppers that could play on early downs. I think we then spend a little more resigning Tre, Bradberry, and McCoy if he comes cheaper then last year considering his play. I think we run a 43 base but play nickel 75 to 80% of the snaps, all this requires much less then trying to make a 34 work and allows us to BPA the draft. In the draft we take the most freakish talent available weather that be CB, DE, DT, LT, LB or if the right qb falls(my least favorite option). Then I think we take a Center in the 2nd,  because that's where the franchise ones seem to gather, if we have to trade up to get the franchise signal caller for our line, do it. The rest of the draft is complete bpa, maybe some raw guys that can fill in for the older guys next year I talked about in free agency but need to be taught up. What do you guys think we should do?

[Ship]

Tepper's sports science facility is actually a cloning operation. We'll start cloning Luke and Cam this coming spring and hopefully they'll be ready by start of the season. They'll sign as UDFAs.

I think we lose most of our FAs from this past year. Maybe one or two stays. Depending on how the rest of the staff shakes out, I bet we bring in players from prior teams. Anyone from the Colts D-line who is available and cheap. Maybe some random guy from NOLA when Brady was there. I agree with the draft, would expect some heavy o-line to lay the groundwork. Gonna have to find a young run stuffer on the D-line though.

Maybe a mid - late round pick on a LSU or Baylor kid somewhere.

[MMA]

My prediction would be that we trade Cam Newton to the Patriots for their 23rd pick. We send the 7th, 23, 2nd and 2021 1st round to Cincinnati and take Joe Burrow. I don’t see guys like Mario Addison, Gerald McCoy and James Bradberry coming back anymore now that Luke has retired. It’s full rebuild mode. Maybe, Rhule picks up a vet tackle like Jason Peters or Anthony Castonzo to be stop gap LT for Burrow his first 2 years. 

[Montsta]

We sign Matt Rhule and Joe Brady to 28 year deals and wait for all 26 of Cam’s kids to be of age to play and sign them all. Profit. 

[Matt62881]

2 minutes ago, Montsta said:

We sign Matt Rhule and Joe Brady to 28 year deals and wait for all 26 of Cam’s kids to be of age to play and sign them all. Profit. 

That would be a freak team of athletes, I always thought Cam could catch and run with the ball.

[Matt62881]

1 hour ago, Ship said:

Tepper's sports science facility is actually a cloning operation. We'll start cloning Luke and Cam this coming spring and hopefully they'll be ready by start of the season. They'll sign as UDFAs.

I think we lose most of our FAs from this past year. Maybe one or two stays. Depending on how the rest of the staff shakes out, I bet we bring in players from prior teams. Anyone from the Colts D-line who is available and cheap. Maybe some random guy from NOLA when Brady was there. I agree with the draft, would expect some heavy o-line to lay the groundwork. Gonna have to find a young run stuffer on the D-line though.

Maybe a mid - late round pick on a LSU or Baylor kid somewhere.

I fear all top 10 qbs, unless they are freakish and worth the #1 pick, this is the only reason I'd rather run with Cam. Burrow looks good but could bust as easily as Luck did, and yes imo Luck busted along with RG3 ect. Most qbs lately I've like have went later.....best to throw picks at them while you still have a franchise qb until you hit one.

[MMA]

15 minutes ago, Matt62881 said:

I fear all top 10 qbs, unless they are freakish and worth the #1 pick, this is the only reason I'd rather run with Cam. Burrow looks good but could bust as easily as Luck did, and yes imo Luck busted along with RG3 ect. Most qbs lately I've like have went later.....best to throw picks at them while you still have a franchise qb until you hit one.

You do realize that Cam Newton was Joe Burrow in 2011 right? The Heisman winner, National Champion and potential #1 pick. Cam had a fantastic rookie season. Luck was a good to great QB that retired early because of injuries. Luck is no “bust” and calling him that is just ignorant. Since 2011, six quarterbacks have been the 1st overall pick: Cam, Luck, Jamies, Goff, Baker and Kyler. From that group, Jamies is really the only one with a question mark. But he has shown flashes and potential. He is just too inconsistent and a turnover machine. Goff, Baker and Kyler all have the abilities to succeed in the NFL for the next 8-12 years. Goff was in the Super Bowl last year and lost to the greatest HC and QB of all time. Blake Bortles is the only QB drafted in the top 5 since 2011 to “bust”. And I wouldn’t call Mariota a bust. He has just never been able to take the next big leap. EJ Manuel had no reason to be draft 16th overall. The guys you are talking about that went later like Mahomes and Watson were not seen to be elite talent coming into the NFL at the time. Mahomes and Watson both went higher than they were projected to go because Kansas City and Houston did their homework. If Rhule and Brady feel that Burrow is their guy, they should trade the farm for him. Dave and NY clearly believed in Daniel Jones at pick #6 when Stephen A Smith and everyone else told them to take Haskins. NY struck gold and is the one laughing now. 

[JustinG772]

Okay.. this is how I want things to go.

1. Get rid of Butler, Cockrell, Horton, Elliot. Either If it’s trading them or releasing them.

2. Pick up a LB and OL in FA, Van Noy or Jamie Collins are solid. I like Nick Vigil also for the LB position. 
3. Hit big in draft. Take Simmons at #7, take a stud DT in the 2nd round, get a couple OL picks in rounds 3-5. 
 

With Joe Brady coming in I expect him to want to take advantage of a Cam and CMC combo. Maybe focus on a QB In the draft next year or the year after.. I still have hope in cam. Now I know there’s a 0.00001% chance things go this way but hey a man can dream right? 

[Daddy_Uncle]

42 minutes ago, JustinG772 said:

Okay.. this is how I want things to go.

1. Get rid of Butler, Cockrell, Horton, Elliot. Either If it’s trading them or releasing them.

2. Pick up a LB and OL in FA, Van Noy or Jamie Collins are solid. I like Nick Vigil also for the LB position. 
3. Hit big in draft. Take Simmons at #7, take a stud DT in the 2nd round, get a couple OL picks in rounds 3-5. 
 

With Joe Brady coming in I expect him to want to take advantage of a Cam and CMC combo. Maybe focus on a QB In the draft next year or the year after.. I still have hope in cam. Now I know there’s a 0.00001% chance things go this way but hey a man can dream right? 

Taking offensive line in round 3-5 every year is why our QBs get consistently killed. It doesn't matter what we do if we cant protect our QBs

[Matt62881]

7 hours ago, MMA said:

You do realize that Cam Newton was Joe Burrow in 2011 right? The Heisman winner, National Champion and potential #1 pick. Cam had a fantastic rookie season. Luck was a good to great QB that retired early because of injuries. Luck is no “bust” and calling him that is just ignorant. Since 2011, six quarterbacks have been the 1st overall pick: Cam, Luck, Jamies, Goff, Baker and Kyler. From that group, Jamies is really the only one with a question mark. But he has shown flashes and potential. He is just too inconsistent and a turnover machine. Goff, Baker and Kyler all have the abilities to succeed in the NFL for the next 8-12 years. Goff was in the Super Bowl last year and lost to the greatest HC and QB of all time. Blake Bortles is the only QB drafted in the top 5 since 2011 to “bust”. And I wouldn’t call Mariota a bust. He has just never been able to take the next big leap. EJ Manuel had no reason to be draft 16th overall. The guys you are talking about that went later like Mahomes and Watson were not seen to be elite talent coming into the NFL at the time. Mahomes and Watson both went higher than they were projected to go because Kansas City and Houston did their homework. If Rhule and Brady feel that Burrow is their guy, they should trade the farm for him. Dave and NY clearly believed in Daniel Jones at pick #6 when Stephen A Smith and everyone else told them to take Haskins. NY struck gold and is the one laughing now. 

I agree with you on Luck, I was just never a fan and didn't think much of when he chose to retire. My statement was biased, so my bad however imo as good as he was during the regular season he always seemed to choke horribly at the worst moments in the playoffs. I saw him with the game on the line throw a 10yd int to a defender that was sitting in front of his intended receiver. Not to say he didn't have any good playoff games I just felt he was one of those qbs good enough to not let go of but yet not good enough to win it all. 

[Catamount]

I'm struggling with the "go all in on Burrow and enter full rebuild mode" narrative.  This is an oxymoron! What we need is DRAFT PICKS if it's truly going to be a full rebuild.  Why would we trade all of our draft capital for the next several years on any QB just so that we can waste his rookie contract years on a garbage team with tons of holes BECAUSE we traded away all our picks to get him? 

If anything, I think we trade Cam for a draft pick and/or trade down a couple spots in the first round and get another couple 2nd rounders or another 1st and 2nd.  Then pick up Bridgewater as a free agent to be a not great but solid starter for a couple years while we get some support around a future QB.  

In general, I think we need to keep and value our draft picks so that we can build through the draft......with a big assumption that Hurney or hopefully his replacement or new sidekick, can draft well over the next 2-3 drafts.

[Your GFs favorite huddler]

I’m really hoping we get one of the FA LTs preferably Castanzo, would be nice while Little progresses. Move Daley to LG and draft a mid round guard as well. 
 

Defense is prbly not going to be fixed in one offseason but we can make a couple low tier signings and stack the offense with bpa in draft and at least be competitive IF cam is healthy. 

[MMA]

2 hours ago, Your GFs favorite huddler said:

I’m really hoping we get one of the FA LTs preferably Castanzo, would be nice while Little progresses. Move Daley to LG and draft a mid round guard as well. 
 

Defense is prbly not going to be fixed in one offseason but we can make a couple low tier signings and stack the offense with bpa in draft and at least be competitive IF cam is healthy. 

I like Castonzo too but let me tell you who we should really go after in free agency. After seeing so many panthers fans wanting to fix the OL, the guy we need is “Jack Conklin”. Conklin is better than anyone we can get in the draft. He was a stud coming out of MSU and has lived up to expectations. If not for Taylor Lewan, he would be a LT in the NFL. Conklin and Lewan are the reasons why Derrick Henry is running over defenders. Plug Conklin at LT, Little to LG and leave Moton at RT. Our OL just got a whole lot better. 

[Matt62881]

10 minutes ago, MMA said:

I like Castonzo too but let me tell you who we should really go after in free agency. After seeing so many panthers fans wanting to fix the OL, the guy we need is “Jack Conklin”. Conklin is better than anyone we can get in the draft. He was a stud coming out of MSU and has lived up to expectations. If not for Taylor Lewan, he would be a LT in the NFL. Conklin and Lewan are the reasons why Derrick Henry is running over defenders. Plug Conklin at LT, Little to LG and leave Moton at RT. Our OL just got a whole lot better. 

Then draft a center and fix our run defense and the team as a whole looks a ton better.