OT Anthony Davis Rutgers

[Lurker64]

don't know but i think we to go D in the first round.

LT's come in the first round. The Packers have extreme need at tackle, unless you were thinking of grooming Allen Barbre.

Worthy LTs come in the first 5-10 picks. They're as rare as good QBs. There's a shot a good one will fall a la Oher last year or Rodgers in 2005 (as long as we're keeping the QB rarity comparison).

I guess it'd depend on TT's determination whether they can get one worthwhile at #23 or if that would be a reach for whoever's left on the board.

this statement is so flat out wrong, i don't know where to begin to talk about how false this is

Well please start somewhere.

Left tackles who are elite, and will play the position for a decade, make numerous pro bowls, and have a shot at the pro bowl, are top 10 picks. I'm talking guys like Orlando Pace (in his prime), Johnathon Ogden, and Anthony Muñoz. Joe Thomas has a shot to be another guy like this, but Cleveland is terribly dysfunctional. When you see a guy who has a chance to be like that, you do what it takes to get him.

On the other hand, most NFL players are not hall of famers at their respective positions, and serviceable NFL starting left tackles often come from the second round or the late first.

Examples

Peyton Manning's blindside protector, Tony Ugoh, was a second round pick (#42). Drew Brees will be protected by a fourth round pick in the superbowl (Jermon Bushrod). Sebastian Vollmer, a second round pick(#58), started a bunch of the games this year as the Patriots Left Tackle as a rookie, filling in for another second round draft pick LT Matt Light (#48). The Falcons drafted Matt Ryan's left tackle, Sam Baker, at #21 in the first round and he's played reasonably well when healthy. The Baltimore Ravens drafted Michael Oher at #23 to be their left tackle of the future, but the only games he played at LT this year were filling in for an injured Jared Gaither who was a fifth round pick. The Chargers left tackle, Marcus McNeill, was the 50th overall pick in the second round. The Cardinals had some issues at left tackle this year, as they had to replace Mike Gandy (a 3rd round pick) with Jeremy Bridges, who was a sixth round pick. The Bengals played Andrew Whitworth (a 2nd round pick, #55) and Anthony Collins (a fourth round pick, #112), at left tackle this year. You can go on and on like that. You don't need to spend a top 10 pick on a left tackle in order to be able to protect your QB's blind side.

[red]

2009

23-micheal oher
39-eben britton

2008

12-ryan clady
14- chris williams
15-brandan albert
17-gosder cherilus
21- sam baker
26- duane brown

2007

26- joe staley
42- tony ugoh

2006

39- winston justice
50- marcus mcneil

[pbmax]

Chad Clifton - 13th pick, Round 2 (#44 overall)

[Bretsky]

don't know but i think we to go D in the first round.

LT's come in the first round. The Packers have extreme need at tackle, unless you were thinking of grooming Allen Barbre.

Worthy LTs come in the first 5-10 picks. They're as rare as good QBs. There's a shot a good one will fall a la Oher last year or Rodgers in 2005 (as long as we're keeping the QB rarity comparison).

I guess it'd depend on TT's determination whether they can get one worthwhile at #23 or if that would be a reach for whoever's left on the board.

this statement is so flat out wrong, i don't know where to begin to talk about how false this is

RED

You know what's going to happen, don't ya ?

Spiller is a fallin; he'll somehow drop to us on draft day and we'll be licking our chops

TT will take the OL

[gbgary]

don't know but i think we need to go D in the first round.

LT's come in the first round. The Packers have extreme need at tackle, unless you were thinking of grooming Allen Barbre.

Worthy LTs come in the first 5-10 picks. They're as rare as good QBs. There's a shot a good one will fall a la Oher last year or Rodgers in 2005 (as long as we're keeping the QB rarity comparison).

I guess it'd depend on TT's determination whether they can get one worthwhile at #23 or if that would be a reach for whoever's left on the board.

this statement is so flat out wrong, i don't know where to begin to talk about how false this is

RED

You know what's going to happen, don't ya ?

Spiller is a fallin; he'll somehow drop to us on draft day and we'll be licking our chops

TT will take the OL

probably. not sexy but a great need. another back somewhere in this draft would be good.

[Lurker64]

Remember, there's a lot of good RBs that will be available in round 3 or later. Just because we don't take a C.J. Spiller or Johnathon Dwyer in the first, doesn't mean we can't land a Dexter McCluster, a Ryan Mathews, a Montario Hardesty, a Toby Gerhart, a Stafon Johnson, or a LeGarrette Blount in the third. Though Matthews will probably go in the second, crazier things will happen.

Jahvid Best would also be a second round possibility if he falls.

[Smidgeon]

don't know but i think we to go D in the first round.

LT's come in the first round. The Packers have extreme need at tackle, unless you were thinking of grooming Allen Barbre.

Worthy LTs come in the first 5-10 picks. They're as rare as good QBs. There's a shot a good one will fall a la Oher last year or Rodgers in 2005 (as long as we're keeping the QB rarity comparison).

I guess it'd depend on TT's determination whether they can get one worthwhile at #23 or if that would be a reach for whoever's left on the board.

this statement is so flat out wrong, i don't know where to begin to talk about how false this is

Well please start somewhere.

Left tackles who are elite, and will play the position for a decade, make numerous pro bowls, and have a shot at the pro bowl, are top 10 picks. I'm talking guys like Orlando Pace (in his prime), Johnathon Ogden, and Anthony Muñoz. Joe Thomas has a shot to be another guy like this, but Cleveland is terribly dysfunctional. When you see a guy who has a chance to be like that, you do what it takes to get him.

On the other hand, most NFL players are not hall of famers at their respective positions, and serviceable NFL starting left tackles often come from the second round or the late first.

Examples

Peyton Manning's blindside protector, Tony Ugoh, was a second round pick (#42). Drew Brees will be protected by a fourth round pick in the superbowl (Jermon Bushrod). Sebastian Vollmer, a second round pick(#58), started a bunch of the games this year as the Patriots Left Tackle as a rookie, filling in for another second round draft pick LT Matt Light (#48). The Falcons drafted Matt Ryan's left tackle, Sam Baker, at #21 in the first round and he's played reasonably well when healthy. The Baltimore Ravens drafted Michael Oher at #23 to be their left tackle of the future, but the only games he played at LT this year were filling in for an injured Jared Gaither who was a fifth round pick. The Chargers left tackle, Marcus McNeill, was the 50th overall pick in the second round. The Cardinals had some issues at left tackle this year, as they had to replace Mike Gandy (a 3rd round pick) with Jeremy Bridges, who was a sixth round pick. The Bengals played Andrew Whitworth (a 2nd round pick, #55) and Anthony Collins (a fourth round pick, #112), at left tackle this year. You can go on and on like that. You don't need to spend a top 10 pick on a left tackle in order to be able to protect your QB's blind side.

I agree that serviceable LTs can be found all over. Serviceable QBs are as well (although to a much smaller extent). By "worthy" LTs, I was referencing the type you can put on an island and not worry about. Much like a QB you can trust to not lose games and occasionally pull out a win that shouldn't have been there. Yeah, GB can get by with any LT as long as they have a RB or TE on that side to chip. I'm not looking for one of those. One of those LTs is not someone that I get excited about. One of those LTs I'll always be waiting to have replaced (some sooner than others).

Now don't read any of that to be an indictment on any of the players specifically mentioned. I haven't watched them play. Maybe tackles are harder to project in the NFL (*cough*Mandarich*cough*) or need more coaching to develop right. I don't know. What I do know is that those stud LTs, the ones I called "worthy", are as rare as stud QBs.