Gehlken chat transcript March 24, 2014

[Panama]

IMO, there's no way you count on Williams emerging as a starting CB opposite Wright and I would put Gilchrist ahead of Williams in your scenario entering OTAs. I pencil in Wright, Gilchrist as starters and Williams as nickle fighting with Marshal & Ghee- then add 1-2 draft picks and let the TC competition sort them out into preseason. There's supposed to be quality CBs and WRs into the 4th round this year and I am confident our scouting will get us both no matter the order.

Yeah, we don't disagree. I expect Gilchrist and Wright to be 2 of the top 3 as well. And I think it would be scary to count on Williams or Marshall or Ghee as the 3rd guy. I'm hoping Williams and/or Ghee develop, but like you say, we can't count on it.

[Panama]

My line of thinking is this - Where does a player fit/play the best. You want to put them in the best position to succeed. I think they saw Gilchrist over the past two years and decided to move him to SS to give him the best opportunity to succeed. He did have some modicum of success there as well, along with his ability to move over to Nickel. I just don't see them moving him back out to CB. My two cents.

I also think you are looking at the Cox issue the wrong way. I wouldn't even have signed him if they were content with giving Gilchrist the shot to start at CB. They would have signed a SS if they liked him at CB.

So, you would have gone into the season in a division with Peyton Manning with either Gilchrist or Cox at CB but not both? Seems to me you can't have enough CBs in today's NFL. Seems to me as well we didn't acquire someone to fill the hole at S and so gave Gilchrist a shot. With Addae coming along and Taylor healthy, I would be very surprised if Gilchrist were not one of the top 3 CBs on the roster.

[Steve]

My line of thinking is this - Where does a player fit/play the best. You want to put them in the best position to succeed. I think they saw Gilchrist over the past two years and decided to move him to SS to give him the best opportunity to succeed. He did have some modicum of success there as well, along with his ability to move over to Nickel. I just don't see them moving him back out to CB. My two cents.

I also think you are looking at the Cox issue the wrong way. I wouldn't even have signed him if they were content with giving Gilchrist the shot to start at CB. They would have signed a SS if they liked him at CB.

There is lot of merit, but you have to be practical. Who was our SS going to be if Gilchrist was at CB? I would rather play a guy out of position and get a better athlete/player on the field then wait for the perfect fit to a position. And that was a position I heard TT, MM and Pagano all echo last season.

Besides, isn't it the manrta of the team to let guys performance determine what they can and cannot do? Let him compete, and if someone plays better, let them earn the job over Gilchrist.

I am not suggesting that we pass on a perfectly good CB at 25, but let the draft board decide who we take, don't let the perception of weakness force us into taking someone to fill a "need". Let the best guy be on the field all the time, the next best comes on the 2nd most, and we can still have Gilchrist playing his best position the majority of the time (nickle). To me, playing him outside CB is no different then him moving to SS last year. Not necessarily his best spot, but it filled a need, and now that he has tried it, we KNOW he can't be a starting S (in this D anyway). Just slide him back inside on nickle downs.

[Coachmarkos]

I would be shocked, if we don't select a corner in the first two rounds.

However, that doesn't mean a thing. Because I am never right about the draft.

Carry on.

[Guest]

I would be shocked, if we don't select a corner in the first two rounds.

However, that doesn't mean a thing. Because I am never right about the draft.

Carry on.

I have a better feeling about trying to peg who Telesco will draft than I ever did with A.J..

[Panama]

I have a better feeling about trying to peg who Telesco will draft than I ever did with A.J..

I'll bet you money he doesn't draft Nix.

[Steve]

As much as most of us will hate this, I don't think we have much control over the draft. Who is there is going to determine the pick. I think Telesco is simply being honest when he says you need to be flexible. But with CB being an area of need, if a guy we like is there, and there is not an overwhelming choice at another spot, then we probably will take a CB.

most seasons, a draft starts out being pretty predictable for the first few picks, then somewhere, usually nearing 10, someone does something that none of the mocks predict, and suddenly it is hard to know where anyone will go after that.

[MakoShark]

As much as most of us will hate this, I don't think we have much control over the draft. Who is there is going to determine the pick. I think Telesco is simply being honest when he says you need to be flexible. But with CB being an area of need, if a guy we like is there, and there is not an overwhelming choice at another spot, then we probably will take a CB.

most seasons, a draft starts out being pretty predictable for the first few picks, then somewhere, usually nearing 10, someone does something that none of the mocks predict, and suddenly it is hard to know where anyone will go after that.

With the 5th pick in NFL 2014 draft the Oakland Raiders select Johnny Nobody, Water Boy, from the University of Taco! :Raiders:

[Steve]

The thing is that I am not getting the franchise QB vibe off of any of the QB in this draft. They are all good players, all capable of playing well, but so many of them strike me as guys who might end up being Matt Schaub/Andy Dalton types. The one guy I like is Teddy Bridgewater, but so many teams seem to be souring on him (at least according to Daniel Jerimah on NFL network via 1090). But the difference between a franchise guy and a good QB is about the entire 1st round. Guys like Dan Marino and Brees fell, because teams felt they had flaws that concerned them, and they clearly were franchise guys, and there have been a lot of Heath Schuler/Drew Bledsoe/Rick Mirer types at the top of the draft who ended up not being franchise guys. And if those guys jump around, then everyone else moves around.

[blueman]

I'll bet you money he doesn't draft Nix.

I'll take some of that action. Not gonna happen.