-Truth-

The first point is spot on. The fact that it wasn't a financial decision makes it far worse. It means that it could be conceivably continued but simply won't be despite the series of pleas otherwise. It's an unreal sentiment to use as as a defense of the decision. To add on, referring solely to percentages can be slightly misleading considering that the figure is relative to what its derived from. Wording the active figure of only about 3% somewhat sidesteps the fact that the figure equals to well over 2,000 members. We weren't exactly being overrun by tumbleweeds. It also does nothing to show the comparison from before since it doesn't reference the peak numbers or any numbers prior. I'm not questioning that there was a decline personally, but the aforementioned points remain.

I hope you stay in contact. You are one of the most insightful members on this forum, easily among the most fair and objective, and that says a lot considering the great deal of respect that I have for numerous other members. I share your sentiments entirely about the second paragraph.

@allblackraven is right on the money. The expectation of reducing pertinent content in order for the ideas to appeal to the average reader is one of the main issues in the migration. I am sure about the reasoning. Whether or not the assumption of the motive behind it is accurate, my post touched on their stated belief about the evolving landscape. I disagree with this sentiment, therefore I feel that I am able to discount it.

I love you too, man!

It is a mistaken notion to automatically presume that the judgment behind the decision is sound simply because the decision was made. It essentially implies that there are no miscalculated decisions, which is obviously far from the truth. The most likely explanation behind the shutdown is that it’s a cost-cutting measure that can now be written off under the guise of an expected natural progression of migrating conversations to the more current and popular social media platforms, i.e. Facebook and Twitter, an unspoken declaration of forums being an outdated means of discussions. If this is the expectation, then we have been woefully misread as a demographic. As a long-standing member on this forum, I can personally attest to the fact that I have zero interest in migrating my sports conversations to the wholly unmoderated platforms that are the physical manifestation of thousands of people standing in a single room and talking at the same time. I certainly can’t speak for everyone, but I would assume that this would be less than ideal for a sizable portion of other seasoned members. I’m on multiple social media sites, have been and will be. From personal experience, I can tell you that the vast majority of the football discussions that occur in the comments are a barren wasteland of misinformation, uninformed opinions, and arguments which turn into poo-flinging contest and personal insults that immediately stream away from the main topics of discussion. This is mostly because a great deal of sports fans are relatively casual observers, thus the bar set for general insight is significantly lower. Couple that with the lack of repercussions for trolling or steering off-course, and in reality, the aforementioned result no longer comes as a surprise. And ironically enough, although we do debate on other platforms under our real names and profiles, the fact that we are unlikely to see the same faces in other discussions considering the infinitely-deeper pool of participants makes the ordeal less personal in comparison. The entire reason of most members joining forums is because they have a vested interest in the details of the sport that is generally greater than that of a casual observer. It has a sense of community where there are long-term residents, so you can choose whom you gravitate towards and whom you gravitate away from. And there are rules for everyone to abide by that ensure that the overall sense of integrity is protected, that this remains a place for intelligent discussions. That doesn’t mean that you won’t see head-scratching concepts or ill-informed ideas tossed around. But it’s still a far more ideal experience than that of the other platforms. These are the points being missed in the migration. Instead, it's treated that if we like X, we must like Y. What’s being lost on whomever is pulling the plug is that most members will either cease to hold their discussions on the internet, migrate to another forum, or go through a progression from the first to the second. It is of no surprise that other forums were immediately explored once the news broke. And I personally hope to see the familiar faces there.

lol Fair enough. As long as I get partial credit. You do as well obviously.

One of my favorite prospects in that class against one of my most disliked. In an objective world, feeling that strongly about a prospect is likely reserved for a handful players in a class. But given that Richardson had a 3rd round grade before the draft, I couldn't stand his tape. With regards to size and length, I could not agree more that they aren't the be-all and end-all. Arm length can be an issue on the outside for sure, but otherwise, I'd rather an OT have traits like balance and lateral movement.

Sources close to arnie_uk suggest that he could be upset with the lack of rumor discussions. Confirmation pending.

They absolutely do. Perhaps Hollins goes in mid-rounds, but their comparison of Mike Wallace raised a few eyebrows, and a 2nd rounder would be a hefty price to pay, especially since Lawson could fall to our 2nd. They're also higher than most on Jordan Willis. That's not to say that any of those three will struggle. Their Ravens mock looks to be the most egregious. I also don't see Leonard Fournette falling to 24, or going to Oakland for that matter.

I'm personally a fan of Mayock, Jeremiah and Cossell. I've been using PFF as a resource for almost a decade, but their draft coverage can be spotty at times. They typically go off the reservation to an extent, so they're a solid go-to when looking up prospects who aren't known or discussed. They earned some credit last year for listing the likes of Cody Whitehair, Michael Thomas, Karl Joseph and Chris Jones as first round talents. Same goes for their skepticism on Darron Lee and the Alabama DT duo. But they do habitually fall victim to judging by the bottom line and overrate prospects based on the results instead of assessing their traits. One of the biggest sins being ranking Rashard Higgins in the Top 40 while somehow assessing Deion Jones to be an undraftable prospect, with the latter being a complete head scratcher.

Much appreciated.

Definitely a fan of the Price and Brown selections. Brown is significantly underrated in my eyes.

They could run more 12 personnel with Howard and Delanie Walker, but the latter has been highly productive for them during his stint in Tennessee and he has two years remaning on his deal. Walker has quietly been one of the better receiving TEs over the past three years, and he's always been an above average blocker. Howard can obviously be his future replacement, and it would make sense for them to nab a TE in such a ridiculous TE class. But perhaps trying their luck for a No.1 WR to bookend Rishard Matthews with Walker in the middle could be the more sensible move.

If those aren't smokescreens, that would make sense.

The exact quote that I've seen is, "Westbrook’s interviews here in Indianapolis have been horrible. Those at the interviews say Westbrook has been guarded and seemed untruthful." Definitely a talented prospect, and it only takes one team to pull the trigger, but couple the interviews with multiple charges against the same woman, and he could very well slip into the middle rounds. Perhaps later. There are a few players now with early round talents whose draft stocks range from the early rounds into the UDFA category.

I saw that. He's eligible until he's possibly suspended, but the biggest factor I overlooked is that he's still technically under contract by Arizona. So it looks like I'll have to rescind the signing. Did it on a whim during work hours just in case he was available.

The worst part is that he's only slated to meet with the police on Monday, meaning that his case may not have a resolution or at least a clear indication until after the draft. He could go anywhere at this point. What an insane turn of events.

Agreed there. I'd expect Redick to bump up somewhat from 237 to say the forties. I personally don't see him as someone who'll be limited to just the passing downs, especially since he'll likely be shifted around between the LB spots and will see time at ILB. And we've seen players lighter than Redick in their Combine weights who've stuck with full-time roles, i.e. C.J. Mosley.

Spot on assessment of Thomas. He caught my eye a year or two ago when I was watching a prospect's tape against Temple, and I was impressed by how he sets up moves in the open field. He uses his entire body to misdirect defenders with head fakes included (Link1, Link2). I'm sure you've seen those plays, so I'm throwing them out as examples for others. He has average long-speed and inconsistent leg drive upon contact, but his quick and precise upfield cut and short area quickness soften the issue. If we're giving a shifty RB a look in the 6th round, I hope we also give Tarik Cohen a look, but I certainly wouldn't mind Thomas.

With the process finished for this year, I'd like to say that I was able to reach the accomplishments I set out to achieve. It obviously wasn't difficult considering that I selected one of the most talented teams in the league. That being said, the tweaks and additions should make this roster a playoff contender in this upcoming season and with SuperBowl aspirations. The roster does have a ton of turnover with all of the skill-player starter being new additions, but I assume that Derek Carr wouldn't complain with Keenan Allen and Brandin Cooks at WR, Carlos Hyde in the backfield with DeAndre Washington and Kyle Juszczyk at FB. Adam Thielen excelled as a starter last year and would help fill in if Allen succumbs to another injury, with Chad Hansen splitting the No.3 duties with Evan Engram in that instance, who's arguably the best receiving slot TE in the draft. I could run a multitude of personnel groupings, such as the 12 personnel with both Engram and David Njoku on the field. The OL may be among the best groups in the league with the additions of Larry Warford and Ricky Wagner. There's enough depth in the likes of Nick Mangold and Co. to account for any injuries. Conor McDermott could potentially be groomed to be Donald Penn's future replacement, which will give him time to hit the weight room. It would be interesting to see what Hyde would do behind this front considering that he put forth a solid season behind one of the league's worst units last season. Overall, I feel that it's a balanced group, with enough in the running and passing games to keep teams honest. Defensively, the front would once again be a formidable one. The passing downs would consist of pairing the reigning DPoY Khalil Mack at LE with Sheldon Richardson at 1T, Frank Clark and David Irving at 3T and Aldon Smith at RE. If Andrew Billings plays to his potential, he could give Dan Williams a shot for his money at NT on running downs. If Williams regulates his weight issues, he'd likely return to form. Mario Edwards Jr. will be moved back to DE, where he excelled before struggling last season at DT. Bruce Irvin could be moved around as the Spinner Sam and brought off the edge for additional pressure. He can handle himself in every facet thus far. Jerrell Freeman was an elite LB last season, one of the best in coverage, and Ramik Wilson had an impressive campaign himself, as one of the better coverage linebackers in 2016. The depth there has questions, and it's my main concern with the roster. At CB, I'd have a four-man competition between Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, David Amerson, Quincy Wilson and Terence Newman. Rodgers-Cromartie and Newman are coming off of lights-out seasons, although it's hard to envision Newman continuing the trend at the same pace given his age. Amerson played like one of the best CBs in the NFL before the knee injury. Wilson, who may very well have been overdrafted based on him potentially going in the 2nd in real life, could offer some long-term value on the outside. K'Waun Williams is a dark horse to enter the discussion. He took the last season off to rehabilitate after a tumultuous exit from Cleveland surrounding his ankle injury, meaning he should be healthy, and he was one of the better slot CBs in the league in his first two seasons. Both Adrian Amos and Karl Joseph were rock solid last season and I'd expect them to continue the trend. The ST unit remains similar to last year albeit the competition at kicker, which is a plus. Overall, I feel like this could be one of the best offenses and best defenses in the league. The biggest question would be how fast the offense would gel given the new pieces, though it shouldn't be a difficult situation to manage given the talent level of the newcomers. Fortunately most of the rookies wouldn't be thrown into the fire right away. The only position to start rookies is TE, which has been historically difficult to translate. But having two of the top five prospects at TE should help. There aren't many holes on either side. Obviously it can't be judged fully until it stands the test of time during the same time next year. But I do like the unit on paper. Hopefully it'd make some noise in the AFC.

The only issue is that most have Robinson pegged as a guard prospect, so if our FO sees Robinson as a guard, they may be more inclined to take him than if he were projected to remain at LT.

I'm on board with most points, especially one, two and four.

Good to hear. That gives me relief. Absolutely with regards on the latter. I feel like Mt. Crushmore, who'd sneak in after the real-life draft and quickly sign all of the players that were drafted. #ShotsFired