I hope Fujita likes Walleye

I rec all Joe Thomas facts.

Ha. I love these Joe Thomas things. We should have a fanpost just for them.

You’re missing a carrot at the beginning of the link to enclose the HTML link. If you were interested.

Damn, it hurts to see the Warren sandwhiched in between all those probowlers.

I put very little stock into what happens in draft Bowl games especially in the offensive line.

Offensive line takes such cohesion that it is practically impossible to get any kind of familiarity with all the subbing and rotating in and out. I give the week of one on one practices much more value, and like you noted, Iupati did very well until he was asked to move to OT (a postion he wouldn’t be asked to play here in Cleveland).

I can understand what you mean about the Guard position, but I really think that this position is undervalued. You look at great running teams, they usually have very good guards. Faneca left Pittsburgh and their run game has suffered while NYJ has really taken off. Same could be said for Hutchinson.

Plus, I think that Iupati would be a very easy sign, which should matter close to nothing, but is worth a mention.

woah woah remember. You have to take advantage of where a guy is "supposed" to go. If you are a team who thinks the guy is worth more than his "projection" your job is to pick him within that projection and then have him out perform the players picked before him.

We are talking 10 picks. I am not suggesting we draft Sam Young with the seventh pick.

As for the rest of your statement, you casually leave out how impossibly hard it is to trade out of the top 10 picks. It is rarely done and is something that almost never happens.

Would I love to trade down? Hell yes, I wrote an entire article on it. But I am realist and realize that the chances of us moving down more towards where Iupati is “projected” are minuscule.

If the front office thinks, like I do, that Iupati is the best player on the board at that spot, than they damn well better take him.

Remember the economics involved: every player in the first round is paid in between the picks that come before and after him. Positional value is key here, the most expensive positions are better values higher in the round and then the late round picks are where you can take the lower value positons (like guard)

If we draft Eric Berry at 7 we will be paying him in the neighborhood of what Antrell Rolle got. No matter the position, we are going to be paying through the nose. Elite guards make big coin. I am not that worried about it.

You don’t want to pick Iupati way up at #7 and pay him like an elite Left tackle (or any other high draft pick) when you could make a trade down into the teens or low 20s and get more draft picks. Also you would be able to pay him more in line what his positional value is worth.

Again, you make it seem like trading down is nothing more than a snap of the fingers.

While I think Iupati is a great guy and could go on to be a great guard for a long time, I wouldn’t pick him in the top 10 of the draft. If we were to miss berry and trade down for him i’d like the move or if we were to take berry and then trade back into the round and take iupati I would like the move, but taking him at #7 is a bad move.

If you think he is going to be a great guard for a longtime (your words) then why and the hell would you care where you take him? If he is truly great then no matter what we are paying him will be worth it (think Joe Thomas).

Height is actually not very important for 34 linemen beyond reasonable limits. They are rushing the passer far less, thus they need to be less disruptive to the passing windows of quarterbacks.

I do think he would be better in a 1-gap system. I like the kid from Tennessee.

Also I don’t like hypenated names on guys.

It has killed Maurice Jones-Drew so far in his career.

bross is right. HB is the one position where height is really not a consideration anymore. In fact most scouts like a guy who is shorter than 6’ because of the lower center of gravity. Shorter guys are harder to tackle, run lower and are less injury prone in general.

MJD’s body type is much different than Harrison’s.

MJD is a human bowling ball. Harrison is not.

bross, there is more than height and weight that goes into build. Either you are neglecting this information that multiple people have referenced, or you are simply not accepting the differences in body type. Google somatotypes for more information.

The point is, it is flawed to consider someone a significantly worse player at RB because of his size. you look at talent, attitude, and intangibles IMO. there have been some very good backs around harrison’s size. People take height too much into consideration at many positions like HB (and QB)

No one is arguing that he is less of a player; we are simply providing reasons why it is unrealistic to go into the season with Harrison as the only capable back on the roster. You are arguing a point that no one is trying to make.

Tiki Barber was built like a truck. Short backs =/= small backs. There’s a difference.

I don’t get how either one can be called the “exception”.