Why?
You're perhaps the biggest supporter of the BPA approach on the board. I haven't seen one ranking where Peterson is ranked ahead of Thomas.
Thomas is ranked ahead of Peterson.
We're set at RB with Edge and Shipp, but could use all the help at OT we can get.
Quality OTs are much harder to find than quality RBs
Because I think that Adrian Peterson is a better prospect than Joe Thomas. I'm not enamored with Joe Thomas the way many on this board are. Why?
1. Wisconsin hasn't produced a OL NFL prospect since Al Johnson, who hasn't done anything in his 4 years in the league. Chris McIntosh was the last first round OL pick before that. Perhaps SeaChicken can come on here and explain how that's worked out for them.
2. It's impossible to tell how good Thomas is, because he hasn't faced anyone. Who are the feared pass rushers in the Big 10? Who'd he have to block against? Robert Gallery looked really good against similar talent in Iowa. How did that work out?
3. I think that Adrian Peterson is a better running back prospect than Reggie Bush was. He'll be the best running back in the NFL sooner rather than later. There's nothing he can't do when he's healthy. He'll be more healthy in the NFL because he'll be in a more balanced offense.
4. Quality OTs are not harder to come by than quality RBs. That's just plain wrong. I can name 10 top OTs off the top of my head:
Orlando Pace
Walter Jones
Chris Samuels
Tarik Glenn
Bryant McKinnie
Jonathan Ogden
John Tait
Flozell Adams
Marvel Smith
Levi Jones
Jamaal Brown
And these are just the guys on the left side.
On the other hand, it's really difficult to name 10 RBs that you can just throw into a lineup and expect them to gain 1200-1300 yards. LDT, Deuce McAllister... Tiki Barber's gone. Maybe Shaun Alexander comes back next season at 100%. Steven Jackson.
I'm sorry, but won't Edge be 29 or 30 when this season starts? You can't depend on him for the next 4 years. And Shipp, frankly, is a shadow of his former self, and his former self wasn't even that good. Passing on a possible Franchise RB because you were too cheap to plug the OLT hole you created in the offseason would be an inexcusable mistake by this front office.