Quote:
Originally Posted by jspchief
Nothing says superbowl more than centers and TEs.
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It's all about the shell game.
If you can keep drafting average to above average interior lineman it keeps you from having to burn $10-$15 million in cap space on them.
That's cap space that can then be used to pay for higher impact players.
Look at this way - the Raiders had a cap hit of $13 million for Hudson last year and $13 million for Osemele this year; that's $26 million for a couple of very good interior lineman. Those guys will likely be better than what we'll get out of Morse and LDT, but they won't be $24 million better. So are Morse and LDT championship makers? Well no, but they free up the salary that allows you to re-sign Houston. Or go after Maclin AND Schwartz in FA.
Dorsey's ability to backfill areas on the roster with existing, cheaper talent allows him to supplement that talent outside of the organization. It allows him to keep the window open.
So even if he's not hitting homeruns in the first rounds, if he continues hitting singles and doubles in the later rounds, he'll manufacture the runs he needs. Honestly, it's a hell of a lot more sustainable approach than moving forward on the assumption that you'll keep getting pro bowler's in the first round.
I think in the end it circles back to this idea that way too many people have on this board that all first rounders are studs and that all second rounders should be immediate starters, 3rd rounders eventual starters, 4th rounders key contributors, etc, etc...; the large numbers are obvious - the draft doesn't work that way. There's not a team in the league constantly nailing its first rounders or filling its roster with premier talent in the 2nd and 3rd rounds. Dorsey's draft returns have been well above average and I don't see any reason to believe that would change.