2014 Mock Offseason

[Catalyst]

Might be a little early to be doing this, but the Beason trade has me thinking about the future a bit. I'm not going to touch the coaching situation at this point.

PLAYERS TO CUT:

DeAngelo Williams: Yes, he's playing well, but he's 30+ and Stewart, when healthy, is better at this stage of their careers. Not to mention Kenjon Barner has shown potential. Besides, RB's are a dime a dozen these days.

Charles Godfrey: We've seen with Beason that an achilles injury can be very hard to come back from. Godfrey has never been more than an average safety at his best. He's overpaid and with our front 7 it's not like we can't find a cheaper alternative.

FREE AGENTS TO RETAIN:

Greg Hardy: The big one, obviously. Some have said we should let him walk, but I disagree. Unless he legitimately wants C.J. money we need to keep him. I think Gettleman will be able to get a long-term deal done or if nothing else franchise him and trade him for a 1st round pick the way the Chiefs did with Jared Allen a few years back.

Jordan Gross: He's said he'll either be a Panther or retire. I say bring him back on a 1-year deal to shore up the LT position in the short-term - or if we land a LT early in the draft Gross can play RT - or the rookie can. Either way, it's an upgrade.

Ted Ginn: If for no other reason than his return ability he needs to stay. However, he's shown flashes that he can be a viable weapon on offense. Unless he starts demanding too much money we need to keep him in the fold.

Domenik Hixon: Our WR corp is going to be decimated after this season with only Smitty remaining under contract. We need to fill out the position anyway, and Hixon is solid depth and should come cheap if we bring him back. Plus, he already knows the offense.

Colin Cole: Should come cheap and is solid depth along the DL. Considering we'll be losing Dwan Edwards, this would be a good move.

Captain Munnerlyn: I have a feeling Gettleman just doesn't put a lot of resources into the secondary and for that reason he'll probably look to bring in someone more or less around Captain's skill level. That being the case, why not just bring back Captain himself? This obviously changes if Melvin White can develop into a starter and Josh Thomas continues to develop, but even then Captain is a solid nickel corner.

FREE AGENCY:

Hakeem Nicks, WR, Giants: This seems like a no-brainer to me. Nicks is a hometown guy and looks to be unhappy in N.Y. Plus, Gettleman has connections there as well. Assuming the Giants continue to struggle it seems likely he'll be allowed to hit the market and quite possibly coming off a down year on a bad Giants team with no OL. That said, he could come relatively cheap, particularly if he gives us a hometown discount. We can't afford to give him big money, but for the right price he'd be a great addition.

 

Scott Chandler, TE, Bills: We saw how much a viable 2nd receiving threat at TE could help with Shockey 2 years ago. Chandler is the perfect #2 to Greg Olsen and would give us a legitimate dual TE threat to go along with Nicks and Smith at WR.

Wade Smith, OG, Texans: We have to address the RG position. I'm not sure what Smith will fetch on the open market, but if it's a reasonable deal he'd be a good get to plug in until Kugbila is ready - assuming he ever is.

2014 DRAFT:

1st: Antonio Richardson, OT, Tennessee: I'm assuming here that we'll be picking anywhere from 17-25 range. I LOVE Mike Evans at WR, but odds are he'll go top-10. I think it's also doubtful either Lee or Watkins will fall to us and IIRC Lee has been injured anyway. That being the case, I opted for our LT of the future in Richardson. He's one of the most well-rounded OT's in this draft and the gap between him and the 'top' tackles isn't nearly what many seem to think. We can either play him at RT as a rookie with Gross at LT or switch them around. Whichever works best.

2nd: Brandon Coleman, WR, Rutgers:We signed Nicks, but Smitty is still getting old and LaFell left for FA in this scenario so we need to address WR early on. Brandon Coleman has had success at Rutgers producing in a run-first offense, which very much fits what we do on offense. If we can't land one of the top WR's in round 1, Coleman is a solid option in the 2nd.

3rd: Ty Zimmerman, S, Kansas State: Obviously safety is a need since we don't retain Mikell here. Zimmerman may not be there in round 3 - it's way too early to say - but he'd be a guy we could plug in day 1 and start as a rookie, IMO.

4th: Devin Street, WR, Pittsburgh: Boston can play both safety and corner and we have needs at both positions. The thinking here would be to try him at CB first, but also allow him to compete with Mitchell at safety.

5th: Prince Shembo, OLB, Notre Dame: Blackburn is gone in this scenario so we will need a new starter at strongside linebacker. A.J. Klein could be that guy, but it never hurts to bring in competition/depth.

 

6th: Bruce Gaston, DT, Purdue: With Dwan Edwards gone we'll need another DT to fill that spot in the rotation. Kawann Short will be starting here; why not draft his former teammate from Purdue to play alongside him in the rotation?

6th/7th (f/NYG): Aundrey Walker, OT/OG, USC: Late in the draft it never hurts to add some depth along either line. Walker has experience playing tackle and guard and could develop into a starter, but should be at least decent depth.

7th: Cody Riggs, CB/S, Florida: We'll still need depth at CB and we might as well take a flyer on one in the 7th since in this scenario I haven't taken one yet. Riggs can also play safety, which could theoretically save us a roster spot if he shows he can play both well enough.

 

 

2014 ROSTER:

Italics = Rookie

Underlined = FA Signing

 

QB: Cam Newton, Derek Anderson

RB: Jonathan Stewart, Kenjon Barner, Mike Tolbert

FB: Mike Tolbert, Richie Brockel

WR1: Hakeem Nicks

WR2: Steve Smith

WR3: Brandon Coleman/Ted Ginn

WR: Devin Street, Domenik Hixon

TE: Greg Olsen, Scott Chandler, Ben Hartsock, Brandon Williams

LT: Antonio Richardson, Nate Chandler

LG: Amini Silatolu, Aundrey Walker

C: Ryan Kalil, Jeff Byers

RG: Wade Smith, Edmund Kugbila

RT: Jordan Gross, Byron Bell

 

LE: Charles Johnson, Frank Alexander

NT: Star Lotulelei, Colin Cole

DT: Kawann Short, Bruce Gaston

RE: Greg Hardy, Wes Horton, Mario Addison

SLB: A.J. Klein, Prince Shembo

MLB: Luke Kuechly, Jason Williams

WLB: Thomas Davis, Jordan Senn

CB1: Josh Thomas

CB2: Melvin White

CBN: Captain Munnerlyn

CB: James Dockery, Ciante Evans

FS: Robert Lester

SS: Ty Zimmerman, Colin Jones

 

K: Graham Gano

P: Brad Nortman

LS: J.J. Jansen

[carolina-chuck]

Why would we resign Hixon and why would we not do anything about the CB position?

[MichaelNewtonII]

we need corners and nicks would be a dream come true

[unicar15]

LaFell? Also...I don't like anyone on Tennessee's team. They suck. I don't know about any of the OTs this year. I thought I liked Kouandjio but I'm not sure anymore. We need someone who can really move and he looks like a Otah type.

[Estrada]

Might be a little early to be doing this, but the Beason trade has me thinking about the future a bit. I'm not going to touch the coaching situation at this point.

PLAYERS TO CUT:

DeAngelo Williams: Yes, he's playing well, but he's 30+ and Stewart, when healthy, is better at this stage of their careers. Not to mention Kenjon Barner has shown potential. Besides, RB's are a dime a dozen these days.

Charles Godfrey: We've seen with Beason that an achilles injury can be very hard to come back from. Godfrey has never been more than an average safety at his best. He's overpaid and with our front 7 it's not like we can't find a cheaper alternative.

FREE AGENTS TO RETAIN:

Greg Hardy: The big one, obviously. Some have said we should let him walk, but I disagree. Unless he legitimately wants C.J. money we need to keep him. I think Gettleman will be able to get a long-term deal done or if nothing else franchise him and trade him for a 1st round pick the way the Chiefs did with Jared Allen a few years back.

Jordan Gross: He's said he'll either be a Panther or retire. I say bring him back on a 1-year deal to shore up the LT position in the short-term - or if we land a LT early in the draft Gross can play RT - or the rookie can. Either way, it's an upgrade.

Ted Ginn: If for no other reason than his return ability he needs to stay. However, he's shown flashes that he can be a viable weapon on offense. Unless he starts demanding too much money we need to keep him in the fold.

Domenik Hixon: Our WR corp is going to be decimated after this season with only Smitty remaining under contract. We need to fill out the position anyway, and Hixon is solid depth and should come cheap if we bring him back. Plus, he already knows the offense.

Colin Cole: Should come cheap and is solid depth along the DL. Considering we'll be losing Dwan Edwards, this would be a good move.

Captain Munnerlyn: I have a feeling Gettleman just doesn't put a lot of resources into the secondary and for that reason he'll probably look to bring in someone more or less around Captain's skill level. That being the case, why not just bring back Captain himself? This obviously changes if Melvin White can develop into a starter and Josh Thomas continues to develop, but even then Captain is a solid nickel corner.

FREE AGENCY:

Hakeem Nicks, WR, Giants: This seems like a no-brainer to me. Nicks is a hometown guy and looks to be unhappy in N.Y. Plus, Gettleman has connections there as well. Assuming the Giants continue to struggle it seems likely he'll be allowed to hit the market and quite possibly coming off a down year on a bad Giants team with no OL. That said, he could come relatively cheap, particularly if he gives us a hometown discount. We can't afford to give him big money, but for the right price he'd be a great addition.

 

Scott Chandler, TE, Bills: We saw how much a viable 2nd receiving threat at TE could help with Shockey 2 years ago. Chandler is the perfect #2 to Greg Olsen and would give us a legitimate dual TE threat to go along with Nicks and Smith at WR.

Wade Smith, OG, Texans: We have to address the RG position. I'm not sure what Smith will fetch on the open market, but if it's a reasonable deal he'd be a good get to plug in until Kugbila is ready - assuming he ever is.

2014 DRAFT:

1st: Antonio Richardson, OT, Tennessee: I'm assuming here that we'll be picking anywhere from 17-25 range. I LOVE Mike Evans at WR, but odds are he'll go top-10. I think it's also doubtful either Lee or Watkins will fall to us and IIRC Lee has been injured anyway. That being the case, I opted for our LT of the future in Richardson. He's one of the most well-rounded OT's in this draft and the gap between him and the 'top' tackles isn't nearly what many seem to think. We can either play him at RT as a rookie with Gross at LT or switch them around. Whichever works best.

2nd: Brandon Coleman, WR, Rutgers:We signed Nicks, but Smitty is still getting old and LaFell left for FA in this scenario so we need to address WR early on. Brandon Coleman has had success at Rutgers producing in a run-first offense, which very much fits what we do on offense. If we can't land one of the top WR's in round 1, Coleman is a solid option in the 2nd.

3rd: Ty Zimmerman, S, Kansas State: Obviously safety is a need since we don't retain Mikell here. Zimmerman may not be there in round 3 - it's way too early to say - but he'd be a guy we could plug in day 1 and start as a rookie, IMO.

4th: Devin Street, WR, Pittsburgh: Boston can play both safety and corner and we have needs at both positions. The thinking here would be to try him at CB first, but also allow him to compete with Mitchell at safety.

5th: Prince Shembo, OLB, Notre Dame: Blackburn is gone in this scenario so we will need a new starter at strongside linebacker. A.J. Klein could be that guy, but it never hurts to bring in competition/depth.

 

6th: Bruce Gaston, DT, Purdue: With Dwan Edwards gone we'll need another DT to fill that spot in the rotation. Kawann Short will be starting here; why not draft his former teammate from Purdue to play alongside him in the rotation?

6th/7th (f/NYG): Aundrey Walker, OT/OG, USC: Late in the draft it never hurts to add some depth along either line. Walker has experience playing tackle and guard and could develop into a starter, but should be at least decent depth.

7th: Cody Riggs, CB/S, Florida: We'll still need depth at CB and we might as well take a flyer on one in the 7th since in this scenario I haven't taken one yet. Riggs can also play safety, which could theoretically save us a roster spot if he shows he can play both well enough.

 

 

2014 ROSTER:

Italics = Rookie

Underlined = FA Signing

 

QB: Cam Newton, Derek Anderson

RB: Jonathan Stewart, Kenjon Barner, Mike Tolbert

FB: Mike Tolbert, Richie Brockel

WR1: Hakeem Nicks

WR2: Steve Smith

WR3: Brandon Coleman/Ted Ginn

WR: Devin Street, Domenik Hixon

TE: Greg Olsen, Scott Chandler, Ben Hartsock, Brandon Williams

LT: Antonio Richardson, Nate Chandler

LG: Amini Silatolu, Aundrey Walker

C: Ryan Kalil, Jeff Byers

RG: Wade Smith, Edmund Kugbila

RT: Jordan Gross, Byron Bell

 

LE: Charles Johnson, Frank Alexander

NT: Star Lotulelei, Colin Cole

DT: Kawann Short, Bruce Gaston

RE: Greg Hardy, Wes Horton, Mario Addison

SLB: A.J. Klein, Prince Shembo

MLB: Luke Kuechly, Jason Williams

WLB: Thomas Davis, Jordan Senn

CB1: Josh Thomas

CB2: Melvin White

CBN: Captain Munnerlyn

CB: James Dockery, Ciante Evans

FS: Robert Lester

SS: Ty Zimmerman, Colin Jones

 

K: Graham Gano

P: Brad Nortman

LS: J.J. Jansen

 

You say we should cut D-will. I would rather have D-will at this point because J-stew has seen about as much of the field as Beason has. I know D-will is 30, but I would rather have him starting than J-stew injured all the time. We will see what J-stew does coming off his surgery and how Barner develops, as well as how Gettleman addresses the RB situation in the off-season/pre-draft. 

 

You want to cut Godfrey and start a rookie at SS- Zimmerman at that? The only reason you have Zimmerman in the third is because WalterFootball has him going that high. Both nfldraftscout.com and CBSsports have him going no earlier than the fourth, and more as a fifth rounder. One free agent no one is talking about but would fulfill a need for us is Bears SS Major Wright- him I do want. 

 

The only player of those you said we should keep I don't agree with is Hixon- all he is doing is filling a roster spot at this point.

 

I don't agree with any of the Free Agency pickups either. Everyone on this board is clamoring for Nicks but I would rather us draft someone than sign an injury prone diva. I am on the Mike Evans bandwagon and I don't care how high he is projected, we must land him if he falls to us. Scott Chandler is a no. 1 tight end and I don't think he would take duties as a no. 2 to Olsen. Yes the double tight end set was lethal with Olsen and Shockey, but I say we go after receivers, and stick with Olsen. I see Chandler resigning with Buffalo or going somewhere where he will be no. 1. I can't really knock Wade Smith because I've never really heard of him. I agree that we need a RG, and I say we pick up Jon Asamoah from the Chiefs, if there is anyway we can lure him away, because I know Reid will want to keep him. Smith plays LG anyway, and Asamoah is a RG. Him and Wright are the only free agents I really want. Either way I have us taking Spencer Long from Nebraska in the third. 

 

As far as the draft, I don't like Richardson in the first. The only OTs I want early are Erving from FSU in the first, or Ogbeuhi from TAMU in the second- and that depends on whether either of them declare- I have them as my top choices for 2015.

 

You also don't have us taking a corner until the seventh- we really need one. Whether or not Riggs declares is a question mark. 

[C47]

I'm not a huge Richardson fan until about the 40ish range.  Think he's a reach until that point.  Also, I really doubt Evans goes in the top 10 after he runs in the 4.5's at the combine....

[Catalyst]

I don't care what Evans runs at the combine, if he's there we need to take him and run.

 

 

You say we should cut D-will. I would rather have D-will at this point because J-stew has seen about as much of the field as Beason has. I know D-will is 30, but I would rather have him starting than J-stew injured all the time. We will see what J-stew does coming off his surgery and how Barner develops, as well as how Gettleman addresses the RB situation in the off-season/pre-draft.

 

Unless he agrees to take a pay cut I see no reason to keep Williams. Stewart may well not be the answer long-term due to injuries, but at this point he's the best we've got when healthy. I also think Barner can be at least solid. But as I said, RB's are a dime a dozen these days. I'm not opposed to keeping DeAngelo (far from it) but he'll be overpaid at his age, even coming off a 1,000 yard season.

 

 

You want to cut Godfrey and start a rookie at SS- Zimmerman at that? The only reason you have Zimmerman in the third is because WalterFootball has him going that high. Both nfldraftscout.com and CBSsports have him going no earlier than the fourth, and more as a fifth rounder. One free agent no one is talking about but would fulfill a need for us is Bears SS Major Wright- him I do want.

 

I just don't see Gettleman going after any big names in the secondary. I just don't think he values those guys that much. I feel like he looks at our front 7 and would rather use our cap space/early picks to address the offense rather than over-paying for DB's. As for Zimmerman... at this point it's impossible to say who will be drafted where. At this point last year Robert Lester was a projected 2nd/3rd rounder. It's just too early, but I did my best based on current projections. Godfrey is done. He's only ever been decent and after an injury like he suffered we'll be lucky if he's even borderline starter material. Whether we sign a Major Wright or draft someone to start, we will be replacing Godfrey. Again, Gettleman will look at his salary and injury and cut him at the first opportunity and rightfully so.

 

 

The only player of those you said we should keep I don't agree with is Hixon- all he is doing is filling a roster spot at this point.

 

That's precisely the point of Hixon. Remember what Gettleman said early-on about if you're not improving the bottom of your roster then you're not improving? Hixon is the perfect example of that. He doesn't and wouldn't cost much and if he never plays then great, it means our top-3 WR's are playing well and staying healthy. But Hixon is a good one to have around and not an expensive one. Our entire WR corp. is set to hit free agency save for Smitty; we not only need to upgrade the position, but also fill it out and Hixon does just that - very well as a 4th WR, IMO.

 

 

I don't agree with any of the Free Agency pickups either. Everyone on this board is clamoring for Nicks but I would rather us draft someone than sign an injury prone diva. I am on the Mike Evans bandwagon and I don't care how high he is projected, we must land him if he falls to us. Scott Chandler is a no. 1 tight end and I don't think he would take duties as a no. 2 to Olsen. Yes the double tight end set was lethal with Olsen and Shockey, but I say we go after receivers, and stick with Olsen. I see Chandler resigning with Buffalo or going somewhere where he will be no. 1. I can't really knock Wade Smith because I've never really heard of him. I agree that we need a RG, and I say we pick up Jon Asamoah from the Chiefs, if there is anyway we can lure him away, because I know Reid will want to keep him. Smith plays LG anyway, and Asamoah is a RG. Him and Wright are the only free agents I really want. Either way I have us taking Spencer Long from Nebraska in the third.

 

I agree 100% on Mike Evans. I LOVE him as a prospect and if he falls to us we should jump all over that. I'd be as happy to land him as I was when Star fell to us. I'm just trying to be realistic here in that I don't see us getting him unless we end up picking top-10 anyway. We could always trade up, but I have a tough time seeing Gettleman doing that. What I envision for Nicks isn't a big money deal, but a 2-3 year 'prove it' deal. After what is likely to be a down year in N.Y. that could well be an option - particularly if he values coming home to play. As for the OL, again, I don't see Gettleman making any major signings. He'll sign a couple mid-level starters to medium-sized deals, but Asamoah is going to command a lot of money. I disagree about Chandler not accepting a #2 role as he would essentially be accepting a role similar to what the Pats ran before Hernandez got in trouble.

 

 

As far as the draft, I don't like Richardson in the first. The only OTs I want early are Erving from FSU in the first, or Ogbeuhi from TAMU in the second- and that depends on whether either of them declare- I have them as my top choices for 2015.

 

Well, I just disagree on Richardson, but I will say that it was tough to project based on where I had us picking. Best case scenario, IMO, is Mike Evans, but if he's not there and Watkins doesn't fall I don't like any other WR's enough to take them in the 1st round. That being the case, OT is the next logical pick and Richardson is a relatively safe bet to be there when projecting this far out.

 

 

You also don't have us taking a corner until the seventh- we really need one. Whether or not Riggs declares is a question mark.

 

Well, I do project a bit with Melvin White and Josh Thomas. If they don't look like viable starters by season's end then CB becomes much more of a need I agree. Personally I think White has a ton of potential. Not as sold on Thomas, but as I said before, Gettleman doesn't seem to value the secondary that much and as a result I can't see him picking a DB before the 3rd round when he's already publicly said he'd like to help the offense out in this draft.

[carolina-chuck]

With the money Gman is creating, I believe Hardy will be back. I really cant see Godfrey being back or if he is he will have to take a pay cut. Same for Dwill and Stew.

 

I'd love to go after a Rodger Saffold (OT) and Alterraun Verner through FA; possible? and I'd be all over Evan in the draft.

[Estrada]

Unless he agrees to take a pay cut I see no reason to keep Williams. Stewart may well not be the answer long-term due to injuries, but at this point he's the best we've got when healthy. I also think Barner can be at least solid. But as I said, RB's are a dime a dozen these days. I'm not opposed to keeping DeAngelo (far from it) but he'll be overpaid at his age, even coming off a 1,000 yard season.

 

 

D-will did take a pay cut:

 

Williams still will be paid $5 million this year, mostly in the form of a signing bonus. But the Panthers reportedly lowered Williams' salary-cap number by $3.2 million this year by extending the contract and reducing Williams' salaries in upcoming years.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000201008/article/report-deangelo-williams-restructures-panthers-deal

Yahoo: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/panthers-save-3-2-million-cap-space-restructuring-121345904.html

ESPN: http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/9277332/deangelo-williams-carolina-panthers-reworks-deal-source

Cap numbers: http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/carolina-panthers/deangelo-williams/

 

If J-stew gets and stays healthy and returns to form, I'm for him being the feature back, but until I see it I'm for keeping D-will. I know 30+ is a graveyard for RBs, but with D-will’s lack of playing time I don’t think he will suffer a letdown in production. I think he has a few years left of quality production.

 

And then there is this:

…Mac has all the particulars in his deal, but the cliff notes version is that the Panthers will give Williams a $4 million dollar bonus this year and have reduced his overall cash takehome from $18 million to $10 million over the next 3 seasons.

 

It’s a move that I can’t really understand. While this will bring Williams’s salary back in the line with the market in terms of cash value, his cap charges remain around the top 10 in the NFL for the next 3 seasons due to the large bonuses he was paid when the Panther signed him to that ill-advised contract in 2011.

 

 

Williams will be 31 next season so a release should still be considered a strong possibility, which is why I dislike moves like this. If they need the cap relied there has to be a better player that a team can do this with to at least give the team some longer term benefit. If they release Williams next year they receive no benefit and get nothing but bad press for a $9.6 million dead hit on a player that the staff does not seem to want to utilize. 

 

http://overthecap.com/brian-mcintyre-deangelo-williams-restructures-deal/

 

Williams is 9^th on that list, and guess who is no. 10? J-stew.

 

Plus there is this:

 

"I'm not going to start anything or push anything out there," Williams said Tuesday. "I can say this, though -- a different offensive coordinator. I can definitely say that. The last offensive coordinator got rid of his starting running back."

 

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/9717943/deangelo-williams-carolina-panthers-critical-former-offensive-coordinator-rob-chudzinski

 

Deangelo Williams Primed for a Big Year

 

RBs are a dime a dozen, but with our contracts and cap problems, we are stuck with them.

[Estrada]

I just don't see Gettleman going after any big names in the secondary. I just don't think he values those guys that much. I feel like he looks at our front 7 and would rather use our cap space/early picks to address the offense rather than over-paying for DB's. As for Zimmerman... at this point it's impossible to say who will be drafted where. At this point last year Robert Lester was a projected 2nd/3rd rounder. It's just too early, but I did my best based on current projections. Godfrey is done. He's only ever been decent and after an injury like he suffered we'll be lucky if he's even borderline starter material. Whether we sign a Major Wright or draft someone to start, we will be replacing Godfrey. Again, Gettleman will look at his salary and injury and cut him at the first opportunity and rightfully so.

 

 

You are right about Gettleman:

 

None of the free agents Carolina has signed carry blockbuster names; this is not because of salary cap limitations this off-season. Instead, it is a byproduct of Gettleman’s approach to add capable veterans who will create competition with young up-and-coming players in the secondary and receiving core.

 

http://draftpanthers.com/2013/04/02/gettleman-strategy/

 

I agree that Godfrey is done. I just figured go after Wright because he, Tillman and Jennings are all UFA for the Bears, and if they can't keep all of them, maybe we could get him for the right price. Oh well. 

 

That's precisely the point of Hixon. Remember what Gettleman said early-on about if you're not improving the bottom of your roster then you're not improving? Hixon is the perfect example of that. He doesn't and wouldn't cost much and if he never plays then great, it means our top-3 WR's are playing well and staying healthy. But Hixon is a good one to have around and not an expensive one. Our entire WR corp. is set to hit free agency save for Smitty; we not only need to upgrade the position, but also fill it out and Hixon does just that - very well as a 4th WR, IMO.

 

 

Good points- gotta give it to ya there. 

 

I agree 100% on Mike Evans. I LOVE him as a prospect and if he falls to us we should jump all over that. I'd be as happy to land him as I was when Star fell to us. I'm just trying to be realistic here in that I don't see us getting him unless we end up picking top-10 anyway. We could always trade up, but I have a tough time seeing Gettleman doing that. What I envision for Nicks isn't a big money deal, but a 2-3 year 'prove it' deal. After what is likely to be a down year in N.Y. that could well be an option - particularly if he values coming home to play. As for the OL, again, I don't see Gettleman making any major signings. He'll sign a couple mid-level starters to medium-sized deals, but Asamoah is going to command a lot of money. I disagree about Chandler not accepting a #2 role as he would essentially be accepting a role similar to what the Pats ran before Hernandez got in trouble.

 

 

I would be cool with that. While he is injury prone, which I knock him for, he has played at least 13 games every year since his rookie season, so it's not like he is missing tons of time. If we sign him to a deal that reflects that, I'd be happy. Asamoah is a quality guard, and I would only expect us to land him for the right contract- it's a long shot but I still want him.

 

I figured between Wright and Asamoah, sign one of them- I never saw us getting both- and for the right price. 

 

I would be down with Chandler if it happened, but I just don't see it- what kind of money would he command?

 

Well, I just disagree on Richardson, but I will say that it was tough to project based on where I had us picking. Best case scenario, IMO, is Mike Evans, but if he's not there and Watkins doesn't fall I don't like any other WR's enough to take them in the 1st round. That being the case, OT is the next logical pick and Richardson is a relatively safe bet to be there when projecting this far out.

 

 

Agree. Richardson would be there, but I prefer Erving because he is more athletic, and Ogbeuhi is underrated. They might actually declare this year, so they are my 1a and 1b.

 

Well, I do project a bit with Melvin White and Josh Thomas. If they don't look like viable starters by season's end then CB becomes much more of a need I agree. Personally I think White has a ton of potential. Not as sold on Thomas, but as I said before, Gettleman doesn't seem to value the secondary that much and as a result I can't see him picking a DB before the 3rd round when he's already publicly said he'd like to help the offense out in this draft.

 

 

I agree he has potential, but we have to see how he plays beyond the Giants game. Can you provide the source for that comment by Gettleman? Not that I don't believe you, I just have a hard time tracking down Gettleman quotes. I know he's about building from the lines out. Whether or not Rivera stays is still a question, but I've heard he doesn't like to take DBs high because he believes they have a lot to work on. And I heard Gettleman doesn't like to take O-lineman high for a similar reason. These are things I read on the Huddle but could not track down. 

 

 

[CardiacCats]

Signing Hardy and Nicks. Cool. How the hell do you plan on giving Cam and Keek huge long term deals? Not a big fan of that draft either