happyrid

My hot take... if you want to try to win a Super Bowl in 2024, Adonai Mitchell is the guy likely to be available at #18 who gives you your best shot. He's slightly shorter (6'2" 1/4) than Tee but way faster (4.34). Kind of like Jahmyr Gibbs last year, who most were talking about as a late-1st or early-2nd, I think Mitchell is a guy who ends up in the Top 20 by Draft day. Imagine defenses having to try to stop Chase, Higgins, and Mitchell. The size and speed of that trio would be a nightmare for opposing defenses. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTHx4O6Mkns

Pollack seemed to talk about Barton as interior only. Fautanu seems like the main guy who could legitimately be very good at OT or OG. He is the one to target IMO if you want to have 6 OL and figure out your 5 best in camp. He could start over Volson in 24 and then take over for T. Brown in 25. Or you could just get a true OT and give him a redshirt year (barring injury).

Who knows how honest he is in these predraft interviews, but Pollack didn't seem real impressed with Suamataia on Lapham's podcast.

Need to draft a WR early too. Good ones are getting crazy expensive in FA.

While I made a case for WR in the 1st, I think the problem we run into is that there isn't a great OT in free agency. If we want a top RT, 1st round of the draft is the only real avenue. I think ideally you do sign a mid-tier OT who could start if the rookie isn't ready or the draft doesn't fall your way. Like a Jermaine Eleumenor type. Of the positions we need, DT is by far the most loaded in free agency. If I was running things, I'd try to get Reader back on a multi-year deal and sign a good FA defensive tackle. If they can't get Higgins extended, I'd also be very open to trying to tag and trade him for an early 2nd. This looks like the best WR draft in a decade. It is a very important position and I think they need to hit on one at some point in the first 2 or 3 rounds this year. If they trade Higgins for a 2, I like the idea of taking multiple 2nd round WRs to increase the odds they hit on one.

The Chiefs have had to rely on their defense this year just to get to 10-7 because Mahomes only had a HOF TE and one good WR and he couldn't single-handedly carry the offense. Are we going to expect Burrow to lead an elite offense if he has Chase and a bunch of JAGs?

I think we should (and probably will) go RT in the 1st. That being said, it seems like some of you guys are underselling the WR need. This offense needs a fresh infusion of dudes at the skill position. I'll use the term dude as shorthand for impact players who are mismatches for the defense in some shape or form. Look at the teams playing this weekend: 49ers: Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, George Kittle. Four definite dudes. Lions: Amon-Ra St. Brown, Sam LaPorta, Jahmyr Gibbs. Three definite dudes. David Montgomery is in the "kind of a dude" category and Jameson Williams is a potential dude. The two AFC teams have fewer dudes (Travis Kelce, Isiah Pacheco, Rashee Rice, Mark Andrews, Zay Flowers) but both teams are going to be aggressive again this offseason trying to add a 4th dude. They were not happy with skill position production and are likely to improve there next year. Looking at the Bengals... Ja'Marr Chase is obviously a dude. That's one. Tee Higgins is a dude, but is he here in 2025? Mixon is only in the "kind of a dude" category and could drop out of that (or get cut). Looking forward, this team is going to be a notch below the other top teams if they don't find a dude or two to for Joe to throw to. I don't know if you guys have watched Bryan Thomas Jr. much... but he is definitely a dude. 6'4, runs a legit 4.4, way shiftier than Tee. Big-time production at LSU, a school known for cranking out top WRs... I 100% get that all things being equal, you take an OL. But you get in trouble if you pass on a dude (like DJ Moore) for not a dude (Billy Price) at a position of bigger need. 5 years of a guy like Bryan Thomas for Burrow's prime year (at $3M per year the first four years) would not be a wasted pick.

I like Hunter Henry if we are going for an outside FA. Should be cheaper than Schultz.

Gives them options moving forward. Nick Scott's deal is 3 years but only $2M of dead money after year one. I like the player a lot. Positional need wasn't near the top of my list but I can see the reasoning behind it.

Sort of. Callahan said the switch to RT from LT was harder than people think and they definitely implied that Jonah was pretty locked in at LT. But we also shouldn't be surprised that they didn't telegraph exactly what their plans and goals moving forward were going to be. Can't take anything teams say about FA or the draft as 100% true in the lead up.

I think this buys them a year to figure things out. Jonah should be able to hold down the fort there this year. He'll hit FA next offseason and maybe Jackson can show enough this year to take over in 2024.

Definitely worth watching. Brown said specifically that he is playing LT, so that part of things is settled. I'd say 80-90% chance that Jonah simply moves over to start at RT. Maybe a 10-20% chance they'd trade Jonah. Still could be in the market for a RT of the future in the draft. He'd have a year to develop behind Jonah.

Wow, did not see that one coming. Explains why they were so conservative in not chasing guys like Bell and Hurst.

I think Robinson is completely washed post-Achilles injury. That is almost impossible for a RB to come back from, especially one who was not an elite athlete even before the injury. Jets traded for him and he couldn't even crack their top 3 after Breece Hall got injured.

The Bengals have made a ton of strides organizationally in recent years but there are still some "old Bengals" things that I won't believe have changed until I see them with my own eyes. One big one is refusing to cut/restructure vets that they like but who are obviously overpaid (Leon Hall was egregious back in the day). They should cut Mixon but I don't know if they actually will. I think they'd be just fine with Perine and a 2nd or 3rd round rookie. It's a deep class. I really like Kenny McIntosh and Tyjae Spears as guys who would instantly juice up the passing game.

Looks good, though I think they'll end up keeping a 7th LB (Flowers) over a 10th DL (Williams). The LBs are more valuable on special teams and we've tended to get pretty beat up at LB so the extra depth is needed. I wouldn't be surprised to see Little get cut in favor of somebody cut by another team. He's just a guy and we could really use a more experienced/talented backup WR. If there are any trades to be made, I think it would be a WR coming in and a DL going out.

Interesting that the Bengals got 808 in exchange for 800 in their trade down. Damn near a perfect match on the trade value chart.