You can never have too many good linebackers. Why can't people comprehend the idea of building depth through the draft? It's not always about filling your biggest need in round 1. If it was everyone would have all star rostersand the draft would be boring. Maulugua fits our scheme and would add some very good depth..unfortunately I think # 17 is a tad too early for him and if he was a prime target we should be trading down.
Building depth is one thing, but using our number 1 pick for DEPTH is another. Sure it would be great to have a guy like Rey in our LB core, especially when LB's is probably the most important position(s) in a 3-4 defense, but you can't draft a guy in the first round whom you would expect to start off the bench. First Rd pick is usually meant for the filling the biggest need in our team, or if anything drafting the best guy available. Either way, he isn't either one.
Nah, you're wrong here in the sense that you can use a first round pick on whatever you want. With the salary cap, you have to watch what your paying people, and first round picks make alot of money and count alot against the cap. So people that make that kind of money, should be starters. To have people making that kind of money that are sitting on the bench will destroy your cap situation. I don't think you could ask one gm in the league if he would be happy with one of his first rounders sitting the bench, and he says yeah I don't have a problem with that.
I'm not saying the guy should/will be a back-up for life. And yes eventually you're gonna want the player to be a starter..But this is about sticking to your draft board and taking the best player available. When you do this you build an overall roster,competition and depth. W/ all the sub packages in today's game...you're gonna give a guy a chance to have a role and earn his money..especially at linebacker. In the process, he's able to develop at a reasonable pace. IMO, unless the player will not have a major role within the team within his first 2 seasons,if the player is #1 on a team's big board, and there's nobody close that fills a bigger "need" he should be the selection.
Maualuga fits Rex Ryans defense very well. I'm confident that if he is the pick that Rex will utilize him and develop him into a very good linebacker. Give Rex Ryan Maualuga in round 1 and Gilbert in round 2.
