2021 Draft Discussion - Bolts Pick 13th

[Bolt Dude]

Ughhh.
Northern Illinois.

I can see now why you're so against drafting an OT in R1.
Poor lil Woody, you've been traumatized.

[jamrock]

It's funny how everybody slags on Fluker as if he was a complete bust, but he still is still a starting offensive guard in the NFL and a complete road grader in the run game. Keep in mind most thought he would be moved to guard in the pros. It's also not like that first round was littered with NFL stars. I think they hit rate on that first round was about 10%, many never saw a second contract or are out of the league now.

I do t know if he’s still a starter but he has been respectable. Recent work out photos make it look like he’s getting into better shape. The other thing about Fluker was his enthusiasm and charisma. Sometimes he made dumb penalties but he wasn’t a bust.

[jamrock]

Greg Cosell no longer considers lack of arm length a deal breaker at OT. All this Wide Zone business leads to short armed athletic guys on the outside.

One of the Schwartzes says,
it's not that you need an all world OT,
but that you cannot be weak anywhere--defenses will attack that, as much as they will the EDGE per se.

This is gonna be interesting--damn near all of them have short arms.

Most important position on the OL is center. Do we play modern football or is everybody still flashing back to Joe Theisman

[wu-dai clan]

Most important position on the OL is center. Do we play modern football or is everybody still flashing back to Joe Theisman

We play modern football !

[wu-dai clan]

I can see now why you're so against drafting an OT in R1.
Poor lil Woody, you've been traumatized.

I am tellin' you.
Darrisaw is Fluker.
In one of them funny looking
VA TECH unis.

[Xenos]

It's funny how everybody slags on Fluker as if he was a complete bust, but he still is still a starting offensive guard in the NFL and a complete road grader in the run game. Keep in mind most thought he would be moved to guard in the pros. It's also not like that first round was littered with NFL stars. I think they hit rate on that first round was about 10%, many never saw a second contract or are out of the league now.

Yeah the 2013 first round was pretty bad. There were some hidden gems like Kyle Long and Travis Frederickson. Stars in Hopkins and Lane Johnson. But overall it was definitely disappointing.

[Panamamike]

I am tellin' you.
Darrisaw is Fluker.
In one of them funny looking
VA TECH unis.

Not even close. Darrisaw is a much smoother more fluid athlete. He didn't even allow a QB hit this year playing in the conference versus the deepest set of draftable pass rushers in the country .i don't see the comparison at all.

[equivocation]

You can overcome shorter arms.

You can't develop longer arms. Longer armed defenders will get first contact with you so you better be able to absorb and get your punch in.

[equivocation]

Darrisaw is, like, literally the opposite of Fluker.

[Boltnut]

Greg Cosell no longer considers lack of arm length a deal breaker at OT. All this Wide Zone business leads to short armed athletic guys on the outside.

One of the Schwartzes says,
it's not that you need an all world OT,
but that you cannot be weak anywhere--defenses will attack that, as much as they will the EDGE per se.

This is gonna be interesting--damn near all of them have short arms.

Have one of the Schwartzes find NFL LT's with arms shorter than 33 1/2 inches. I have. There are exactly 2. One is soon-to-be-retired, FA, 39-year-old Jason Peters. The other is scheduled to move to RT next year (Riley Reiff). Now if he tries to find 33" and under arms (Slater, AVT, Cosmi, Jenkins, Eichenberg)... he won't find any. They're all RT's or guards. Which is why smart pundits are adding the caveat to these players, "teams may see them as guards or RT's".

It is true... you can't be weak anywhere [along the OL]. You are only as strong as your weakest link.
Finish the job... it's only 1 pick. Use the rest to plug holes on defense. No more weak links... it's affecting the overall team. And you are right, #13 doesn't have to be Pro Bowl. Just solid. Not adequate... solid.

You could hope small school guys like Spencer Brown and D'Ante Smith could make the jump, develop quickly (within a year) and not waste our unique rookie QB contract. But man is there a lot of risk with that. 34' Radunz probably won't be there @#47 (not with all these T-Rex's). And you'd probably have to reach for Brown/Smith in the 2nd. Have you seen the talent you would bypass in the 2nd...? It's ridiculous! 2nd and 3rd is where you start stacking up Staley type DB's. And for the record, I moved on from Leatherwood many moons ago. He's an OG, long arms and all, because of his feet. There's your DJ Fluker fans...

[wu-dai clan]

And Waddle is the poster boy for
you can't teach speed.

Put them tackles on the rack.
Stretch them arms out.

Of course I am being figurative,
not literal, about Fluker vs Darrisaw...I smell overdraft.

[equivocation]

Darrisaw's strengths are a mirror of Fluker's weaknessess. Darrisaw's weaknessess are a mirror of some of Fluker's strengths. Get over the past and evaluate the prospect for who he is.