Jaybirds

The Eagles have two 3rd round picks. It'd probably take more than that, but I could see them being a trade-back partner as well. Maybe for a QB, maybe for Stanley. But man, this draft could be amazing with 3 picks in the second round. I'm sure we'd get a WR and a CB.... and possibly a second CB after that! We could still get a guy like Jaylon, Spence, or Leonard Floyd in the first. Maaaaaybe even Treadwell since we're still ahead of Detroit (if Megatron retires, I don't see Treadwell getting past the Lions). I hate getting my hopes up. But this could be great for us.

I have Ragland, Elliott, and Robinson at the end of my Tier 2 instead of the beginning of Tier 3. That is to say, I think they're more talented than the group you have them in, but less useful than the guys you have above them. Otherwise, yeah. I think this sums it up well. Actually.... would I take Ragland over Jack? Maybe. I'll have to think about that.

Well, it helps if we like him as a kick returner. But right now it looks like he could be a fifth FB/RB, compete for a WR spot, or maybe a TE if Pitta is gone. Actually, yeah. Comparisons to Juice aside, this may be in case Pitta retires.

Have you tried hitting the word "Quote" instead of the "+" sign next to it?

$675,000. Cap hit is $750,000. No guaranteed money, so we'd clear all of the 675 from the cap if we cut him. Oh boy!

Fair enough. I'm not going to try to predict Jones' mind, but I do see what you're saying. I guess I'm speculating that Jones is infatuated with Manziel's Texas fans still. But it might not be worth it anymore.

I know Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery got the headlines. But Martellus Bennett and Matt Forte caught a LOT of passes under Trestman. So yeah, I'm not surprised to hear we met with a receiver out of the backfield. And we usually carry at least one fullback. But I wonder what's wrong with just using Juice more?

Does this change if Manziel becomes available? Because that's looking like a real possibility.

I like his game as an ILB, even if he didn't move to the outside. I like getting younger at all four of those spots, too. That's mainly why I mentioned him. Upshaw and Orr are both at the end of their contracts as well. So I'm not going to riot if we do end up getting an inside linebacker in the draft. It's also why I probably have Jaylon Smith and Noah Spence a bit too high right now.

I've used this system for fantasy drafts. It works so much better than just numbering the players 1-250. You're right that it does cap reaching on its own. BUT in the world of over-analyzing the NFL draft, it will lead to talking heads calling everything a reach. If you have 7 guys who are good value for, say, pick #15 then some pundit is going to insist you just took a #21 guy at 15. Your board clearly says you didn't, but the criticism will still be there. This is exactly how I could see us taking A'Shawn Robinson at #6. If there's only 4 or 5 guys in our top tier, Robinson could likely be in the second.

Kubiak has avenged us. Sadly, he didn't do it in purple. But still. I think that's why I'm fine taking Stanley at 6. We've seen what a line can do for both our passing and our running game. It's almost always a good investment.

I certainly wouldn't mind a front of Jernigan, Williams, and Buckner. Let Davis and Urban fill in wherever. I think that would really help out the defense.

I have him behind Tunsil in general and Ramsey for us. But it likely won't matter. The only reason I have Ramsey higher is there's 2 or 3 spots on the depth chart where he'd be an improvement already. If Jaylon Smith is even close to healthy, then he's my pick. But who knows?

I think you and I are on the same page here. I personally have Spence and Smith in my top six (yes, I think there are 8 "top six" guys), but it's not my job on the line so that may be easier for me to say than our front office. So I left them out. The Boss said we need a pass-rusher. If the front office isn't sold on Spence or Smith, then there isn't really a natural pass rusher at #6, except for Buckner. If we think Buckner is ready to start this year (seems like it), we'd also save some coin if we cut Canty. I think Buckner is probably high on our board just because he makes good practical sense. Does he need some work still? Probably. but 10.5 sacks in 13 games is a better pace than anyone on the roster today. The only downside I could see is their investment in Urban; this could block his development. I still think we do it if Buckner is there at six.

I agree: if Jaylon Smith is off crutches by the combine, I think we consider him at #6.

This sounds like a different mind frame from you: guys who are ready to go early in their first season (more or less). If that's important to you at #6, and I see why it would be, then I think guys at other positions would be a consideration. Myles Jack, Reggie Ragland, and Ezekiel Elliott may not represent pressing needs for us, but they would likely contribute well in their rookie years if we got them. I could see Ragland in particular moving into the conversation between now and the draft. But I think you're being a little more conservative than necessary. I think the Ravens probably do value Hargreave and Stanley that high, plus Buckner. I think their board looks something like Ramsey, Bosa, Tunsil, Buckner, Stanley, and Hargreave as all worthwhile. I don't think they trade back if those guys are there, and one will be. I'm guessing Treadwell is top 10, but still just outside the top 6.

Based on how we used Pitta, and how Trestman used Martellus Bennett a few years back, I'd say the plan is for Maxx Williams to be Our Guy much the way Gronk and Graham became primary targets. Perriman's role is to take the top off the defense, but that may be all we expect. Sure, we like having a "#1 guy" like Smith or Boldin. But overall I think The Plan is already in place, it just hasn't come to fruition yet. That's different than there is no plan or it never will work.

I'm not sure why you're worried about a guy drinking beer outside.

That last statement: I have heard that the 49ers gift shop had all the Kaepernick jerseys at discount prices this winter. Then they all skyrocketed back up to full price just a few hours after Chip Kelly was announced as the new coach. I think someone from ESPN tweeted about it. Anecdotal at best. But I don't think anyone is forecasting them to be in the QB market anymore in mock drafts, either.

You make a good point, and I think I agree with you. I think a lot of people have a knee-jerk reaction (hehe) after Perriman missed the entire year. Also, it could be more difficult to see how he compares if he misses the combine or team workouts. Personally, I'm wondering (hoping?) he falls to us in the 2nd round, so taking him in the first still seems like a reach, just by how the market might value him. I could be dead wrong about that though. At six, we could have to choose between Jack, Buckner, Spence, and an injured Smith. I'm not sure how to handle that. I don't know if we have to be patient with Smith if Buckner and Spence are sitting there.

The only "problem" I see is that Upshaw is a free agent (I don't think we bring him back), and three out of 4 starting LBs are over 30. So we may want to look into that. Otherwise, I'd be ridiculously happy with this plan. If we manage to sign Weddle, I propose we just delete this entire forum and start over. That would change so much. I also agree about vjax, but Weddle moreso.

Not less money for CB or OT, but comparable money. Less-than-great-examples: if KO walks or we cut Monroe, then Stanley at $4.5 million isn't a stretch for our budget. Cutting some combination of Kendrick Lewis, Kyle Arrington, and/or Elam would mean Ramsey/VHIII/Alexander wouldn't change our budget much. We don't have those kinds of options at WR (and maybe not DL either). So we'd play SSS less and sometimes line Treadwell up in the slot for this year? Or just not bring Aiken back and give Treadwell first crack at slot receiver. Okay, yeah, I guess I could see that working for a year. And like I said, I think SSS gets injured next year anyway. If Smith had stayed retired we're not even having this conversation: it's Treadwell all day. But I think we'd get more impact next year out of a DB. And Harbaugh already said we're looking for players, not projects. But thank you, this does make more sense to me than it did yesterday. I'm not sold yet, but it's more palpable than it was.

Quarterback play. Palmer has added a couple of years to Fitzgerald's career, GB got pretty far without Jordy (and I don't think Cobb is that good on a different team), and Roethlisberger isn't bad, especially when he has a running game and Heath Miller to take the pressure off. Pitt actually counts both ways: Bryant and Wheaton would be perfectly fine for a lot of teams. When he was healthy LeVeon Bell was definitely a receving running back. And Heath was the man for a few years there. Yes, they have a great receiver. They aren't built around him the same way Atlanta is though.

I'm going to say something horrifying: I don't think it's an accident we don't have a big time AJ Green/Antonio Brown wide receiver. I think it's an intentional decision. I think it's why we let Torrey and Boldin walk. I think it's why they keep talking about how Flacco can develop these guys. I think it's why we go after not-quite-prime guys like SSS and Aiken last year. I think it's why the FO and the coaches keep saying this is a run-first team even after they hired Trestman. I think it's why Pitta, a tight end, was our primary target for a few years there. I think it's why Bisciotti didn't mention taking a WR in the first, and why Ozzie said we were looking for one or two guys there for "depth". So yeah, I'm sure we wouldn't mind Dez Bryant on a rookie contract. But A) he'd have to be Dez Bryant day 1. and B ) like Torrey, he wouldn't be here much past that rookie contract. Maybe it's our own version of a Moneyball thing. We look at teams like Seattle and New England with good-not-great WRs and big tight ends. And then we go get Perriman (we had him at 17th, and saved a few million when he dropped to us) and Maxx to replace Pitta. I think it's a matter of team philosophy. If there' a left tackle, pass rusher, or help in the secondary, we're skipping Treadwell. Bisciotti said as much in the State of the Ravens press conference this year. And I think there will be. Treadwell is probably in our top 10, sure. But I really don't think he's in our top 6. I know this sounds insane. And I'm not just playing devil's advocate. But our front office isn't dumb. This is the only explanation I've found that seems to explain everything. We're just not interested in big time wide receivers. But if someone can tell me who we would bench to start Treadwell, and where we'd get the money, then I'll stop tilting at this windmill. And I'll admit I'm wrong if we do take him. I just don't see it based on everything up to this point.

Best guess: they're waiting until the combine to see that new knee. second best guess: teams haven't quite decided where he plays, which goes back to seeing him at the combine. So basically I think that hype train is scheduled, but isn't here yet.