As usual during the offseason I put together a little powerpoint graphic for myself showing all our projected starters and backups on both sides of the ball. And as usual, seeing it all laid out visually reveals a lot to me.
Our strongest units look to be:
1. Defensive backfield. Assuming starters are Conley/Worley and Joyner/Joseph, we're set pretty nicely, and with backups like Nelson, Lawson and Harris we're doing just fine. We should see good play throughout the year with some clutch stuff in the mix and a handful of "holy shit" plays.
2. O-line. We should be mauling motherfuckers out there. Trent Brown is a fucking mountain. Assuming we move Gabe back to LG like we should, running to the left side behind Brown/Gabe/Hudson should be our bread & butter. Those guys should be able to wipe out half a defense all by themselves. Pass game somewhat hinges on Miller sinking his teeth into the RT spot, but we have some decent depth to patch that spot up.
A surprise to me is the LB crops, which looks only below average to average now - as opposed to atrocious before we signed Burfict and Marshall. Barring season-ending injury for one or both of those guys, we have 3 serviceable guys in Whitehead, Lee and Morrow (all of whom got average PFF grades last season) who can platoon and keep the unit going. There is nothing remotely great anywhere here, but it approaches stout. I'll call it semi-stout, and if either of the young guys can turn a corner in 2019 we might actually see our LBs do something good every now and then.
Areas that don't particularly impress me OR or depress me are d-line and RBs. We've added a little bit of talent (I like the Alex Barrett signing at DE) but we need some serious rookies in both these areas. We need to spend 1-2 of our first 4 picks on the DL and 1 on a RB. IF we don't draft a RB then we likely bring Warren onto the 53-man roster and go to war with Crowell/Richard/Warren. That's not going to strike much fear into anyone's heart, but it's not as bad as what the Lions and Packers have been putting out there for years.
Here's what terrifies me:
1. TE. We have nothing but a solid blocker who gets open every now and then and a bunch of dog shit. We MUST draft one fo the top 3 TEs or trade for a top-15 TE in this league. TE is especially important because the second thing that terrifies me is:
2. WR. Guys, beyond AB and Tyrell Williams we have precisely shit. Ateman can't run a route to save his life, and couldn't separate even if he figured it out. JJ Nelson can separate but can't catch. Ryan Grant is pretty much Seth Roberts.
Seeing everything laid out like this, our MUST HAVES in the draft look like this in terms of priority:
1. Pass rush (2)
2. TE
3. WR
4. LB or RB
I would probably say LB over RB because we have both Marshall and Burfict for only 1 year, and the fuckin LB cupboard is bare in 2020.
Mayock has to make damn sure we come away with a damn fine player at every one of those positions. And if we don't, he has to find them somewhere else.
However, the draft being what it is this season, I would SERIOUSLY consider the following:
#4: Quinnen Williams (ONLY if Joah Allen is off the board - I am assuming he and Bosa will both be gone)
#24: Hockensen or Fant
#27: Marquise Brown
Rd2: Jaylon Ferguson
Then go after the best RB or LB in the 4th, depending on what the board looks like. if there's one close consider trading up into the 3rd to get the guy we really want.