Todd McShay ESPN Mock draft has us taking.....

[football karma]

Quick question for those of you in the "DRAFT THE BPA" crowd.

Suppose when the Patriots 1st rounder comes to be.. Suppose Matt Ryan is the BPA.. Does that mean the Patriots should take a QB with their 1st rounder when they clearly don't need one? Trust me when I tell you, there's few teams that can afford to hold that mindset (take the best player available) on the board in the top 10 moreso than the Patriots.

QB is the one position where on day one you pass if the team is set. The issue is one of salary cap cost.

For every other position, if the guy is clearly BPA, you can pretty much count on the guy getting playing time even if you have proven starters already at whatever position it is you draft.

I am a BPA guy, but also recognize the relative imprecision of the draft rating system. If you need a CB but not a RB, and when you draft the highest rated CB carries a grade of (lets say) 90 and the RB carries a grade of 91 --- go with the corner even though he isnt necessarily the BPA. But if its RB 91 and CB 80 -- then you have to take the RB.

 

[49ersfan]

You could also trade down

 

[JerkFace]

You could also trade down

Easier said than done in some cases.

 

[vinnymac]

Let's see. Calvin Johnson was BPA Lions had Roy williams WR was not the most pressing need. Hogwash might be pushing it. Just because some teams drafted on need doesn't mean that BPA doesn't exist or work (and btw Peterson, Landry and Gozalez were considered BPA or close to BPA when they were drafted)

Teams do draft on need. BPA is just a mind game that teams try to play on each other for trade reason. If a team says we draft BPA, then another team with a need at position might do some trading with them. That holds true in the later rounds.

 

[earthsci]

I guess none of this talk really matters because, as we know, the Cardinals will do what they are going to do. I guess what the "BPA crowd", or at least I, feel is that there is nothing wrong with targeting certian positions. I think many like me would have had, especially after seein performance this year, a dream pick of Joe Thomas. Are we getting a need even though Adrian Peterson is there. I know, JT wasn't there, just a dream pick. Point being is that if your need is there and he belongs at that pick, get him. One rated a 91 and the other rated a 90 or 89 doesn't matter. That's so close that with a margin for error the players are comperable. There is compromise. The problem is that is you are so focused on one or two positions that you pass on the RB that is rated much higher than the OLB that you are grabbing.

This years draft is pretty deep. We should be able to grab a player that is going to fill a need this year while still grabbing a player that belongs there.

 

[DoTheDew]

Pure BPA or pure need are both bad draft philosophies. Drafting on value is the true philosophy that teams should use. Value meaning you are getting a player that is going to help you most either short term or long term. Therefor the Patriots for instance would never draft a QB at number 7 even if he was clearly the best player (unless they thought they could pull a draft and trade ala the Chargers and Eli Manning.) Additionally if there's only one first round caliber FS available and he gets drafted at 5 and the team picking at 6 needs a FS more than anything else, you don't draft the next guy who is projected in the 3rd or 4th round.