A Tale of Two Drafts

[ajcardfan]

Steve Kiem's and his scouts evaluation of talent and setting up the Cards board verse our resident self-proclaimed experts: I know with whom I stand.

Isn't that the group that gave us Buster Davis?

The sad truth is, some of the fans have done just about as well as the Cards scouts in talent evaluation over the years.

 

[Crazy Canuck]

Yes, go with the people who identified J.J. Arrington and Daryl Blackstock and Brandon Johnson and Jon Lewis and Todd Watkins and Lance Mitchell and LeRon McCoy and Alex Stepanovich and Nick Leckey and John Navarre and Kenny King.

That brush paints both ways.

Apart from Arrington, second day picks... I believe.

Yup! I'll still go with them, as opposed to going with you.

It's the difference between having a degree of trust in people who evaluate players at field level, and those who regurgitate reports gleaned from the internet.

 

[Crazy Canuck]

Isn't that the group that gave us Buster Davis?

The sad truth is, some of the fans have done just about as well as the Cards scouts in talent evaluation over the years.

True... if one throws out enough names out there, after the fact, it's rather easy to claim that one would have done a better job.

 

[perivolaki]

True... if one throws out enough names out there, after the fact, it's rather easy to claim that one would have done a better job.

Amen! I don't know about you but I know I always have perfect 20/20 hindsight. We also don't really look close at other teams and see how many misses they have verses our own team. We're blinded by being to close to our own situation.

 

[WisconsinCard]

Isn't that the group that gave us Buster Davis?

The way I remember it was there were several on this board that loved that pick too.

 

[Cardiac]

There isn't a team in this league that doesn't have misses/busts. For many years we had way more that our share. Things do appear to be changing for the better, the bar was not set that high.

Drafting soley for need also increased the bust factor. I didn't see that happen in this years draft in the first 3 rounds and one could argue in any round.

Whiz and Graves did "weigh" their draft board so that player rankings did take into account which positions would have the biggest upgrade to our roster. The less we have to do that the better this team will be.

 

[Skkorpion]

As Harry said, prognosticating the draft can be fun. I don't do it but get my fun out of ridiculing the talking heads who get paid to do it.

Something said on NFLN about the Patriots 2007 made me go look it up. Apparently, the claim was that only 2 of the 9 Pats picks made their roster.

I tried to figure it out. Most of their picks were round 5 or later and their first two guys did make the team. I think 2 or 3 made the practice squad.

The point is that very few players in the later rounds ever make it. If we get just 1 or 2 guys from rounds 4, 5, 6 and 7 and free agency to contribute within 2 years, that's good.

Getting any more successes than that would be excellent.

 

[football karma]

The point is that very few players in the later rounds ever make it. If we get just 1 or 2 guys from rounds 4, 5, 6 and 7 and free agency to contribute within 2 years, that's good.

Getting any more successes than that would be excellent.

for all the enthusiasm about Tim Hightower or Brandon Keith, etc --

go back and look at any draft from 2004 or prior -- and read through the entire draft from round 3 on (not just the Cards -- the whole NFL) --

you find the vast majority of guys arent in the NFL anymore. I think even the 2nd round guys are maybe 50/50.

 

[Duckjake]

for all the enthusiasm about Tim Hightower or Brandon Keith, etc --

go back and look at any draft from 2004 or prior -- and read through the entire draft from round 3 on (not just the Cards -- the whole NFL) --

you find the vast majority of guys arent in the NFL anymore. I think even the 2nd round guys are maybe 50/50.

Hard to build through the draft when you only get 3 decent players a year and of the ones you do get right you lose 2 as free agents in year 5.

 

[Skkorpion]

Hard to build through the draft when you only get 3 decent players a year and of the ones you do get right you lose 2 as free agents in year 5.

Most good teams are built on a core of 9 to 12 good players with another 5 or 6 steady marginals. Not hard at all to build and sustain through the draft if you retain the ones that matter and hit on a few late rounders to refill the steady marginals.

History shows we have not been doing the retention part but that seems to be changing.

 

[Pariah]

I like this draft quite a bit. The BPA disciple in me LOVES the Doucet pick.

 

[Duckjake]

Most good teams are built on a core of 9 to 12 good players with another 5 or 6 steady marginals. Not hard at all to build and sustain through the draft if you retain the ones that matter and hit on a few late rounders to refill the steady marginals.

History shows we have not been doing the retention part but that seems to be changing.

That's still 14-18 players. At 3 keepers per year its a 4-6 year process and you still need 5-10 solid free agents.

Oddly enough it is about where the Cards are now 5 years after the first rebuilding draft of 2003. Anybody think it hasn't been a hard road to get here?