Can teams afford best player available under cap?

[Coltscrazy]

Can you afford to have high level talent at every position on your team?  With polian, we always let our linebackers go, and had undrafted players starting at DT.  How can you draft the best player available, if it means you won't be able to pay a more important position?  I know we need safeties, but do you really draft one first round?  Isn't OLB and ILB far more important positions on our defense?  One example would be Megatron for Detroit.  You have the best WR in football, but he is sucking up a lot of cap space and it has to do some damage somewhere.

 

Every team and every GM has to have a plan, and it just seems silly to say just draft the best player available.  I don't really think it is possible to be a balanced team under the cap  A previous thread talked about this being the most balanced Colts team in years, and I have to agree. Luck has weapons, we attempt to run, and the defense is fantastic.  We are really lucky to have so much talent that can do so many things and to fit it all under the cap.  Is Grigson a genius, is this by design?  Or is this going to blow up into cap heck?   You have to pick your strengths.  Are you a passing team, a running team, or a defensive team?  You have to build and spend accordingly. 

[Gavin]

Draft BPA, With the rookie wage scale it prevents them from getting an insane amount of money on there rookie deals, Don't draft a Safety (for example) because you need one, Sign one in FA...even if it means some middle of the pack Safety to a short term deal...If the need aligns with the BPA then go for it...otherwise get that need in FA

[NewColtsFan]

The new rookie wage scale,  set-up in 2011,  makes drafting any player regardless of position, not only possible,  but easy.

 

The salaries are so greatly reduced from what they once were it's no longer a problem.    Take the best player,  or take the player you want/need -- whatever -- and simply sign them.    It will not screw up your salary structure on your team.

 

Those days are long gone.    And a darn good thing of it too!       

[crazycolt1]

^^^ See above.

[Superman]

You don't base who you're going to draft off of what might happen in four years when their contract comes due.

 

Also, the cap is going up, so a team that has kept their cap obligations under check in recent years will continue to have cap space moving forward. That includes the Colts, even after Luck gets his next deal.

[Defjamz26]

Can you afford to have high level talent at every position on your team?  With polian, we always let our linebackers go, and had undrafted players starting at DT.  How can you draft the best player available, if it means you won't be able to pay a more important position?  I know we need safeties, but do you really draft one first round?  Isn't OLB and ILB far more important positions on our defense?  One example would be Megatron for Detroit.  You have the best WR in football, but he is sucking up a lot of cap space and it has to do some damage somewhere.

 

Every team and every GM has to have a plan, and it just seems silly to say just draft the best player available.  I don't really think it is possible to be a balanced team under the cap  A previous thread talked about this being the most balanced Colts team in years, and I have to agree. Luck has weapons, we attempt to run, and the defense is fantastic.  We are really lucky to have so much talent that can do so many things and to fit it all under the cap.  Is Grigson a genius, is this by design?  Or is this going to blow up into cap heck?   You have to pick your strengths.  Are you a passing team, a running team, or a defensive team?  You have to build and spend accordingly. 

 

Well you can never look that far into a rookie's future. You can't not draft a guy based on the fact that he may be so good in 3-4 years, that'll you'll have to give him an insane amount of money. You'd be selling yourself short. Plus that's the nature of the game and what a lot of people work toward. You draft a really good player you like and think can make you a better team. As a player, you try to outplay your worth when it comes to your rookie contract so you can be resigned for more money.

 

The thing with Megatron is that he got his deal when he was the best player on the team. He was more elite than his QB, so he got the huge deal. That's the real reason you need an elite QB. Not just to be competitive, but so that you don't have to give ridiculous money to receivers and RB's. It's what the Pat's have done, and they've got 3 rings in the BB era from it.

[austriancolt]

I think you should always draft the best player available at a position of need! That's the way you improve a roster. 

[Valpo2004]

Best player available that makes sense...