I know its WAY early........Williams - LT Alabama

[MikeCurtis]

A guy I am amazed with, and sometimes gets lost in all the stars at ALABAMA is LT Jonah Williams

 

https://www.profootballweekly.com/2018/11/02/gabriel-2019-nfl-draft-breakdown-alabama-ot-jonah-williams/a5e2s9f/

 

The guy is simply dominant. He was able to mirror LSU DE/LB on pass rush and he engulfed them

 

He has done this all year from what I have seen

 

I didn't see any push back from the DL....... It was like they were running into a brick wall.

 

On run plays...... he was amazing..... He pancaked a few guys (like QN) He is a nasty player

 

He will be spending many years at the pro bowl...... IMHO

   

 

I think we will be drafting in mid teens in 2019... 

 

My heart says go defensive line

 

But.......... Williams MAY still be on the board, because of the many DL "stars" getting drafted ahead of him

 

Its a MASSIVE BORING pick!!!  BUT.....

 

Look at our team

 

We are ONE LT injury away from oblivion

 

AC is doing awesome...... but

 

AC will be 31 in 2019, and is a FA in 2020 (when he will be 32)

 

The guy will want to get PAID, and the way our line is set........ 

 

We have ZERO viable depth at EITHER tackle

 

Lets be honest...... the Haeg, Clark, and Good OT experiments...... are a failure

 

All 3 of these players.... AT BEST are depth.....  and your QB is at risk for a season ending injury 

 

 

At 56, I am still learning much about whats important to have a great football team

 

These days,  to have a lasting championship level team a top 5 QB is STEP ONE

 

A dominant OL is STEP TWO..... Part of keeping STEP ONE Viable is an excellent LT

 

We do NOT have the LT of the future on this football team

 

We may (will probably) be drafting in the 20s, in future years

 

Is there a future great LT available..... in the 20s? (Probably not)

 

Do good LTs become available often.......  NOPE

 

Can you imagine an offensive line (2019) of

 

AC   -  Nelson -  Kelly -  Smith - Williams

 

This could be the best OL seen in the NFL over the past 2-3 decades

 

ANY RB could gain 1300 yards behind a line like this

 

Luck could sit behind this line and do his taxes

 

Williams can be groomed at RT for 2 years, then move over to LT

 

We can fix a problem (for 12 years) that most teams cant seem to get right

(Did you see how much money LT Solder got in FA??)

 

He is an average LT.....  people are reaching to fix this important position

 

We can draft defense in round 2-8 

 

Another player that might be available in round 2-4 that we should look at is Taylor Rapp

 

The nickname is RAPP ATTACK

 

 

 

Watch his tape

 

He is fast enough and big enough to play either safety spot. He has an ending closing burst that I havent seen.... (Since Hooker)

He is listed this year by one writer as 216, big enough for SS

 

He also has a nose for INTs... much needed

 

Way too early........  but two players that could make a difference

 

 

 

Pick ONE - OL

 

Pick TWO - Best DL available.... In one of the deepest DL drafts in a while, there should be excellent talent in round 2

Also remember we will have Turay with a year under his belt, as well as Lewis.

 

Pick THREE - Best Defensive player available

Picks FOUR on - Repeat Pick 3 action

 

We should also be looking for a late first or second pick for our Brissett......

 

There are PLENTY of clipboard holder QBs in the NFL that could backup Luck

 

Deano

[Trueman]

The biggest critique I've heard about Jonah Williams is that some people feel he'll be a guard in the NFL. I won't pretend that I've studied tape , or that I'm an OL guru , but he looks pretty good to me. I think the questions stem from his measurables. 

AC is good enough to get the job done , I don't think anyone would argue that , but getting a dominant LT of the future should never be completely disregarded. Williams could also play RT while he learns the league and Costanzo plays out his deal. If Jonah translates to the NFL , it would complete our line. 

That said , if I had to guess, Williams won't be available where we select. I think we'll be picking in the 9-15 range. Buffalo, Arizona and the Jets are just some of the teams I think would look at Williams if he's available where they select. They need immediate OL help more than we do , and they all have young QB's they need to protect. 

For me , BPA in the DE/DT/OT positions makes the most sense , but we'll see what happens. 

As for Taylor Rapp , I really like this shout and he's someone I've had my eye on as well. I think we desperately need to improve upon Geathers , and safety needs to be addressed next offseason. Good suggestion by you , imo.

 

[tvturner]

CB, DL, or WR in round one

 

We're not going OL

[Boiler_Colt]

Would he be a safe pick, yes, but we absolutely have to start investing premium picks on defense in order to compete.

[NewColtsFan]

I’ve read the same thing as Trueman..   it’s not clear Williams is a tackle.   His best position might be guard.

 

We will know more after the Combine...

 

[NewColtsFan]

53 minutes ago, tvturner said:

CB, DL, or WR in round one

 

We're not going OL

 

We’re also not going CB or WR in the first round either.

 

Thats not my opinion.   Ballard has often said that CB is not a premium position in his defense.   And this appears to be another poor class of WRs... 

 

DL appears to be the priority.

 

[stitches]

9 hours ago, NewColtsFan said:

 

We’re also not going CB or WR in the first round either.

 

Thats not my opinion.   Ballard has often said that CB is not a premium position in his defense.   And this appears to be another poor class of WRs... 

 

DL appears to be the priority.

 

Disagree about the WRs. I like this class and if we are drafting in the teens I can see multiple WRs being in contention for BPA. 

[NewColtsFan]

3 hours ago, stitches said:

Disagree about the WRs. I like this class and if we are drafting in the teens I can see multiple WRs being in contention for BPA. 

 

The wide receiver viewpoint us one I found this week in Sports Illustrated.  And it was the view of 4-5 unnamed NFL execs who were explaining why they supported Dalllas trading their first round pick in Cooper.

 

The consensus was this was another poor class of WRs and that Cooper was better than what was coming out and the Cowboys might be able to draft.

 

Colleges are doing a crappy job of preparing WRs for the NFL.   These kids may have great raw talent, but they’re not ready for the NFL when they enter the league.

 

Just some food for thought, but judging how Ballard has not shown interest in stocking the position, it’s hard to see him spending a one. 

 

[stitches]

2 hours ago, NewColtsFan said:

 

The wide receiver viewpoint us one I found this week in Sports Illustrated.  And it was the view of 4-5 unnamed NFL execs who were explaining why they supported Dalllas trading their first round pick in Cooper.

 

The consensus was this was another poor class of WRs and that Cooper was better than what was coming out and the Cowboys might be able to draft.

 

Colleges are doing a crappy job of preparing WRs for the NFL.   These kids may have great raw talent, but they’re not ready for the NFL when they enter the league.

 

Just some food for thought, but judging how Ballard has not shown interest in stocking the position, it’s hard to see him spending a one. 

 

You have to consider the context of such puff pieces and the selection bias it creates when it comes to the opinions on multiple levels. I don't believe this is a representative sample of what NFL execs think and I don't even think most NFL execs have plunged into draft evaluation yet, when they are amid the regular season with their teams... Reportedly the best other offer for Cooper (other than Dallas' was a second). If it was such a no-brainer there would be multiple WR hungry teams lining up to outbid the Cowboys and the market just wasn't there. IMO Dallas made a mistake, but oh well... I'm just some random fan with no qualifications, so... I very well might be wrong. 

 

I'd take Arcega-Whiteside on a rookie contract pretty easily over Cooper in his current contractual situation. And AW is not even my clearcut no. 1 receiver. 

 

One thing is for sure though - we still don't know how Ballard values WRs in his positional value ranking. He hasn't invested in WRs high in the draft but still picked 2 this year. IMO he knows we need more explosive weapons. Right now we are riding a high wave of couple consecutive OK performances of our WRs(actually mainly our TEs), but we should NOT forget that they had like 20 dropped passes in the previous 3 games and they cost us real points in those games and will likely continue to cost us even more in the future. Can you imagine Luck throwing that fade/jumpball to AW on a isolated 5'11 CB instead of that hard fade to TY on the closing drive vs the Eagles for example? Can you imagine Hakeem Butler or N'Keal Harry or AJ Brown running post or corner routes and trucking people after the catch instead of Chester Rodgers dropping balls all over the field? 

 

Cain's injury was such a blow in this regard and in regard to evaluating how important getting a high end receiver in FA or the draft will be next year. This was supposed to be the year for him to show if we can rely on him to be a reliable contributor going forward and now after the injury the doubts about us having a reliable second receiver have not just not dissipated but are stronger than ever and IMO we cannot afford to go into another season with the iikes of Ryan Grant, Chester Rodgers, Zack Pascal and Marcus Johnson starting games for us. Now, Luck can and has in the past made sub-par talent looks alright, but where we are going alright will not be enough. We need high end talent at the positions that matter most and WR is one of those positions. 

 

This team needs high end talent at a lot of positions and I realize that we cannot address everything in one summer, but look at the LB core now. It looks at least promising, I like our safeties too... I like how our OLine is shaping up(but the depth is not great). We need pass rush, and cornerback talent and we need WR though... IMO those are the most glaring needs right now and I wouldn't be shocked if we picked any of those with our first 3 picks. BTW for the reasons expounded by OP I'm not ruling out us taking a tackle high in the draft either.

[Defjamz26]

19 hours ago, NewColtsFan said:

I’ve read the same thing as Trueman..   it’s not clear Williams is a tackle.   His best position might be guard.

 

We will know more after the Combine...

 

The problem is that I’ve heard that on just about every draft eligible tackle. I’ve heard Risner is a RG at the next level. As hyped as the Wisconsin O-line is, I’ve heard that their tackles are guards at the next level too. Some of these projections have to be taken with a grain of salt. After all people also said  Braden Smith was only a guard.

[MikeCurtis]

I would ask that everyone watch Williams play

 

The guy has great side to side footwork.....  Not like any guard I have ever seen for pass protection........ But...... he blocks in run support like an all pro guard

 

Usually a LT offers great pass protection and so so run blocking effort

 

IMHO he dominated on both. (And has all year)

 

Supposedly he has allowed ONE pressure.... all year...... 

 

Not a sexy pick

 

But SAFE, and is in a position of need

 

We can still improve the defense with FA and all of the other picks (two seconds, and 2 fours)

 

If you are truly looking at the future of the franchise.......  for the long run.....

 

AND....... knowing that we have almost ZERO depth and we will need to replace

AC in the next 1-3 years..... at one of the top 2-4 spots on the team.

 

Lastly at 15-16....... I believe the DL players that make a REAL difference,

(Bosa, Ferrell, Oliver, Williams (DT), and PROBABLY Polite........... WILL BE GONE 

 

I dont think we will take a WR, LB, QB, OG, or CB in a round 1

 

There are a lot WORSE picks we could make

[MikeCurtis]

And..... IF Williams is there at 15....... someone would have to explain why he wouldnt be Best Player Available.......

 

 

[NewColtsFan]

4 minutes ago, MikeCurtis said:

And..... IF Williams is there at 15....... someone would have to explain why he wouldnt be Best Player Available.......

 

 

 

Because he might not be the best player available.

 

Someone else might be better.

 

[MikeCurtis]

34 minutes ago, NewColtsFan said:

 

Because he might not be the best player available.

 

Someone else might be better.

 

You may be right.......

 

I am a best player available believer

 

But.......

 

I THINK you would agree

 

Suppose you are at 15, and the BPA is a CB, QB, G, TE or a WR in this draft?

 

I think BPA first, with a "weight" toward need is the best approach

 

Obviously ...... WAY early, many things will and can happen

 

A slow week

[NewColtsFan]

39 minutes ago, MikeCurtis said:

You may be right.......

 

I am a best player available believer

 

But.......

 

I THINK you would agree

 

Suppose you are at 15, and the BPA is a CB, QB, G, TE or a WR in this draft?

 

I think BPA first, with a "weight" toward need is the best approach

 

Obviously ...... WAY early, many things will and can happen

 

A slow week

Hey...    I hear you.

 

And to be clear, I’m a Mike Curtis fan!  Both on the playing field way back when,  and here on the website.  Big fan!

 

So please don’t take anything I say here as if I’m giving you a hard time.   I’m not trying to.

 

I think the beauty of the upcoming ‘19 draft is the strength of the draft — defense — especially the DL, both ends and tackles, matches up perfectly with  our needs.

 

That’s why I’m confident we will take a DE or a DT in the first.   It’s why I think we’ll take the other with one of our two 2nd round picks.    

 

Even if Ballard now believes the O-line is fixed and set with Glowinski and Smith on the right side, I think we are likely to grab another OL as quality depth that might eventually be the replacement for AC.   

 

The rest of the Day 2 picks I think we go defense.   Safety, Corner and another LB in no particular order, though my hunch is one each of the two DBs.

 

I apologize if it seems like I’m beating the same drum over and over again.   I know I’ve made similar posts too many times to count.  

 

I think offensive playmakers — what I lovingly call “Toys for Andrew” come in the 4th.   A wr and a rb.   

 

Some of this will be fluid as none of us knows what Ballard will do come the ‘19  free agency...    that could impact draft decisions.

 

Slow day?    I feel you!     

 

[AZColt11]

I don't know if this guy is any good or not, and I don't know if the Colts will go OT early, and I know it would probably set this forum afire if they did, BUT I would not mind it.  The last two drafts and seeing those results now have convinced me building up the lines first is the way to go.  The only caveat in that is I think they ALSO need to spend at least one high pick on the DL as well, preferably DE.  But look at this OL now from where it was just a year ago.  Now...…..imagine them getting better.

[MikeCurtis]

13 hours ago, NewColtsFan said:

 

 

And to be clear, I’m a Mike Curtis fan!  Both on the playing field way back when,  and here on the website.  Big fan!

 

So please don’t take anything I say here as if I’m giving you a hard time.   I’m not trying to.

 

I think the beauty of the upcoming ‘19 draft is the strength of the draft — defense — especially the DL, both ends and tackles, matches up perfectly with  our needs.

 

That’s why I’m confident we will take a DE or a DT in the first.   It’s why I think we’ll take the other with one of our two 2nd round picks.    

 

 

No man.... we are good

 

I always enjoy reading your posts.

 

IMHO, You are one of a few that are "thinking" fans. You are even lightening up on the correcting of the young'ns    

 

Some posters are so absolute...... then wrong when it goes the opposite, ......then absolute....... then wrong....... A bit funny

 

Then they argue for THREE PAGES.....after the team went the other way... 

 

You never seem to take the absolute position, which is intelligent, as we dont have all the facts, and it sometimes goes the other way (Yes we are all wrong at least a significant percentage of the time)

 

Who knows what is going to happen..... we definitely need DL......  One of the 4 that I REALLY like, just may make it to us........  

 

I was watching the draft last year hoping we wouldnt go boring.......Hoping for a LB or a SS...... 

 

After this year, and seeing what a real OL can do..........  I'm getting the Ah ha moment.

 

I actually prefer a DL, and think Oliver would/could be the "warren sapp" type that this defense desprately needs.  He is probably long gone when we pick

 

This old dog, is STILL learning that the PAID talent in scouting..... just may know a bit more than me 

 

I will still have a "thought"...... but dont lose my mind if others disagree

 

Take care

 

Deano

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Dark Superman]

I know we have Castonzo and Smith playing the tackle spots, but I wouldn't be upset if we snagged this guy. If Castonzo walks after 2019 we have our future LT in place in Williams. Kid is a mauler.