You seriously took a 2nd QB in the 5th round, behind Josh Allen?
No matter what happens–unless none of your 3 rookies win a starting job or Najee gets hurt running the ball 40 times a game behind the league’s 30th-ranked O-line.
Two Ds and a K–bad idea in a real draft, ludicrous in a practice draft.
This draft gives new meaning to the term “mock” draft!
I get that but once done, why throw good draft capital after bad? You got Allen, might as well get a 5th-round RB or WR than fill a bench QB slot, no?
They also had the legitimate threat of a passing game as long as Ben was the QB. Now he not only has a shabby line, but he’ll be facing stacked boxes until the Steelers prove they can move the ball in the air.
That said, he’s a beast, I would take him third in the draft behind Henry and Taylor. You just wouldn’t have much left if he gets hurt.
I can trade Josh Allen later, for a decent QB2 and something else, especially if I have an unexpected preseason injury. Hurts was the guy I wanted to start, not Allen.
Actually, defenses played closer to the line because Ben wouldn’t throw downfield. Now the Steelers will have a starting QB who can throw it beyond 5 yards. Defenses will have to respect that.
I consider Henry a greater injury risk, and we saw it last season. Najee is young and big.
Taylor is a reasonable alternative, but keep in mind the Colts brought in Matt Ryan for a reason. Last season, they tried to pass more in the early games, until they realized Carson Wentz was shot. Say what you will about Ryan, and I saw many games with him last year, but he still has it. I expect the Colts to pass a little more this year, which should be good for Taylor’s efficiency, but not his touches.
We shall see. As I said, I have him as my #3 RB. My original point was more about the situation you’ve left yourself in if Harris gets hurt, not that Harris will suck when healthy.
Because of the TWO games he missed in his five year career prior to his broken foot last year? He was out long enough for them to screw a plate on his foot and then he was back with 20 carries in their playoff game. Henry is as close to an ironman as you will ever find.
Did your mock draft scoring system take touches into account? You’re basically saying you won’t draft Taylor because his touches might go down, even though you expect his fantasy points to benefit from greater efficiency. Since fantasy points are kind of the idea behind fantasy football, you might want to rethink that strategy.
Even ironmen grow old. Typically around 28. Henry is 28.
It’s a gamble. Just like with CMC. Both will be top 3, if they can stay healthy. Will they? We can debate about that all day - we’ll only know once the season is over.
I also see a monster season coming up for Najee. The Steelers offense will become more versatile with a QB who doesn’t try to get rid of the ball in under 2 seconds on every snap. (Nb: I’m not saying ‘better’ or ‘more successful’, only ‘more versatile’.) I also expect the o-line to improve, even though they will remain sub-par.
And I don’t think JT can repeat his RB#1 season, simply because that hardly ever happens. Todd Gurley pulled it off in 2017 and 2018. All other RB#1s regressed in the following year, some heavily.
2011: Ray Rice (2012: RB#5)
2012: Adrian Peterson (2013: RB#9)
2013: Jamaal Charles (2014: RB#7)
2014: Le’Veon Bell (2015: RB#48)
2015: Devonta Freeman (2016: RB#6)
2016: David Johnson (2017: RB#118)
2017: Todd Gurley (2018: RB#1)
2018: Todd Gurley (2019: RB#14)
2019: CMC (2020: RB#53)
2020: Alvin Kamara (2021: RB#8)
2021: Jonathan Taylor (2022: RB#??)
So simply based on empirical evidence, I would not draft JT as first player off the board. I also expect Nyheim Hines to cut a little deeper into JT’s receiving production. If he stays healthy, JT will still be top 5, though.
No, because of his 397 touches in 2020, immediately followed by a season where he breaks his foot and misses half the season. Did I mention he is 28 years old? In human years, that is him saying “I’ve fallen and can’t get up!”
The “ironman” had 62 yards rushing, although he did get a td. But even you have to admit his playoff performance looked off.
I never said I wouldn’t draft him. While his 383 touches last season puts him at increased injury risk, this is also true of Najee Harris, so that concern is moot.
My main concern is the Colts want to pass more this year. He likely won’t be seeing 18 td’s again this year. He likely won’t see 1811 rushing yards again this year.
But Mike Tomlin likes to ride his bellcows, and now he has one. I expect more from a Steelers RB than from Frank Reich’s RB. Reich only turned to Taylor after he realized Carson Wentz was a major bust.
Except he did get up, and had 20 carries in their playoff game. Sure, maybe he wasn’t at 100% in the playoffs, but that was an offseason ago. Certainly not the surrender you’ve characterized.
And I think Matt Ryan is the third-oldest QB in the league, behind Rodgers and Brady.
There is another factor with JT, and that is I can’t say I like his running style. He’s not Derrick Henry or Barry Sanders.
If I had to compare JT to anyone, it’s Emmitt Smith. Both of them ran behind disgustingly great o-lines, although the Cowboys were better (Larry Allen was the most amazing guard the NFL ever had).