Is drafting an Offensive Lineman with the 1st overall pick a waste of a draft pick?

[Trip]

but if you wanna talk about importance I do think the exterior OL have gotten overated while the interior linemen(more guards than C) have become underrated.

Guys like Iupati can change teams. See Warmack and Cooper this year.

 

[JAC12]

This year's linemen are probably pretty happy that it's a weak year for QBs. That said, once you have a capable QB, the next step is to protect him. From what I've seen of Joeckel and Fisher, either one would be ready to plug in and make a difference right away.

 

[MegaTronBomb!]

I'm only talking about 1st overall picks in the entire draft.

So the Dolphins did a good job because they drafted an elite LT instead of reaching for the best QB in the draft and him potentially being a bust?

Orlando Pace was a #1 overall pick.


What good is drafting a QB if you don't have the means to protect him?

Ya Know, Atlanta turned right around the very next year after Drafting Matt Ryan.... and drafted Sam Baker.

Matt Ryan was lucky to fall into a situation where he had quality around him, and a running game.

 

[CrimsonTider]

youre not getting fired for picking Luke Joeckel

now if you took him over Clowney or Luck then thats a different story...but there isnt that blue chip type of prospect this year

No, he should get fired for hiring Andy reid and trading for Alex Smith.

But,Luke Joeckel could turn into the greatest LT of all time but, if they can't win consistently he will get fired.

The flaw in this is that it assumes that Matt Ryan was the difference maker in the Falcons' success and that he'd have been just as good if the Dolphins had taken him.

I rather take a chance on the best prospect at QB in the draft then the best prospect at LT.

thats all I'm saying

Never a waste because the game is won in the trenches

 

[Taadow]

You think these QBs had bad season because of the OL?

I thought AR and Big Ben had bad OL last year.

So Brady and Manning have an above average line every year?

Luck and RG3 didn't have bad lines?

AR and RG3's lines had injury problems.

Yes, Brady and Manning have abover average lines ever year. Brady has one of the best lines going. Manning had a great line in Indy, and has a pretty good one in Denver - the same one that made Tebow look good the year before.

Luck had a lot of weapons and threw a lot, so his lines' problems were masked (is he elite, btw?).

I can't watch the Steelers, so I don't have any intel about them.

-----------------

Carson Palmer was an All-Pro before he got behind that POS line he was stuck with.

c'mon - Mike Vick had the worst O-Line in football last year.

Cutler's O-Line was trash AND they didn't like him.

A lot of teams would like any of those ^3, but they'd have to protect them.

 

[jadillac]

I think so.

The 1st pick in the draft should be someone that can drastically improve your franchise.

It should also be someone that energizes the fan base( Increase Jersey and ticket sales) Based solely of his potential.

Taking a Left Tackle does neither of these things. I actually think it is a cop out for the most part.

I rather swing and miss on somebody with the potential of Dez Bryant with the 1st overall pick then take Joe Thomas.


What do yall think?

Well if it was me(unless my line was just awful), I'd probably trade down depending on my needs.

Rather than pick early and late, I'd just trade the #1 pick and swing or miss on say the 8th and 15th pick. MAybe you can get another lineman as well as a skill player

 

[yseJ]

Name a QB that was/is elite that got ruin because he could not overcome a bad Oline.

you dont realize you dont become elite without help in the first place ? teams used to throw #1 pick qbs into fire to start right away and wondered why they sucked. david carr is still mentally scarred by that texans oline.

look at that 04 draft. ben was drafted to a team who were always contenders with one of the best defenses in the league. rivers was drafted onto a winning team with tons of talent. eli is the one who had to go through the most, and he STILL had good dline, great run game/run-blocking ol and tiki to help him out.

qbs are thriving in good situations where they arent by themselves with bunch of bums around them. you think colin kaepernick would be as good behind arizona's oline last year ? stop it.

big the reason warner sucked in new york was lack of good pass pro...

 

[Taadow]

Orlando Pace was a #1 overall pick.


What good is drafting a QB if you don't have the means to protect him?

Ya Know, Atlanta turned right around the very next year after Drafting Matt Ryan.... and drafted Sam Baker.

...and:

Orlando Pace was a difference maker, was the best player available, AND sold jerseys! A lot folks around here had Pace jerseys (I live in Missouri). He was hardly a waste...

 

[yseJ]

but if you wanna talk about importance I do think the exterior OL have gotten overated while the interior linemen(more guards than C) have become underrated.

Guys like Iupati can change teams. See Warmack and Cooper this year.

best post Ive seen you make on this site

 

[yseJ]

c'mon - Mike Vick had the worst O-Line in football last year.

'zona breh. that zona line was a trash can in a plastic bag in a garbage truck at a car dump. fukkin trash on trash on trash

 

[DaPresident]

Sandra Bullock said it best... " First thing you pay is your mortgage, second thing you pay is your insurance"

you nikkas been playing Madden far too long, thinking that a Left Tackle can't drastically change the future of a franchise.

You think them GSOT Rams teams work with just an average ass LT protecting Kurt Warner?

Jake Long, Joe Thomas, Orlando Pace, Walter Jones, Jon Ogden, Willie Roaf we all wastes of picks... cause they weren't dynamic playmakers and nobody wants to buy their jerseys.

Exactly,

Half of the men u mentioned have super bowl rings as well

1st rd guys are 50/50..,league is made up of MOSTLY later round cats

I'd rather spend that pick on an almost sure thing who will see 3 career contracts as opposed to the "playmaker" skill guy who "potentially" will make it. ALL of those guys u mentioned had LONG nfl careers, not 3-4 years and begging for another chance.

Statistics say take the tackle and solve your OL problem and help keep elite abs elite or protect avg ones so they can "potentially" become elite....WAAAAAAAAAAY better odds of that happening

 

[FloorGeneral]

Ok, for the sake of argument, let's do this: Offensive Lineman drafted #1 overall = Jake Long (2008), Orlando Pace (1997) & Ron Yary (1968). There were a couple that were Pre-60's, but let's stick with these 3.

Alternative picks. We'll stick with the Top 5, and the top QB taken if it was outside of the the top 5. We could probably stick with Top 3, but I'll expand to 5. Anything outside of that is not a legit candidate to be #1 , agreed? Ok.

2008 = Chris Long, Matt Ryan, Darren McFadden, Glenn Dorsey

1997 = Darrell Russell, Shawn Springs, Peter Boulware, Brian Westbrook (first QB taken - Jim Dru(n)ckenmiller at 26 (sorry Niner fans...)

1968 = Bob Johnson, Claude Humphrey, Russ Washington, Fred Carr (first QB = Greg Landry at 11)


Now, you tell me, are the teams that picked their OT at #1 overall fine with their choice? Of course they are. Yary is a HOFer. Orlando Pace is a soon to be HOFer. Jake Long has been in the league 4 years, 1st team All-Pro once, 2nd team All-Pro once.

The only argument you'd have is Long, with Matt Ryan being there, but that depends on how you feel about Ryan. Of course Long is now in St. Louis, but that doesn't take away the fact that he's one of the better linemen in the league.


The idea that an OL is NOT an impact player is ludicrous. Football games are won and lost up front. If you can't keep the other team away from your QB, chances are you're not gonna win very many games. On the flip side, if you can't get to the other team's QB, chances are you're gonna have a long and frustrating season.

What's funny, is we're having this discussion when there's literally been 3 OL picked #1 overall in the past 45 years, so the entire basis for this thread is practically null. If Joeckel goes #1 , then he goes #1 . Who exactly should KC pick instead? Fisher? Johnson? 2 other OT's. Or how about Jordan, or Lotulelei? In case you haven't figured it out, this draft isn't exactly busting with star power.

 

[Brandsdale]

Take what position you need.

Possibly end up with the next Warren Sap on on your line if you play your cards right

 

[Mandizi]

Nah it isn't.

What's the point of having Alex Smith if you gone let him get Kolb'd from not having suitable protection?

 

[Trip]

@CrimsonTider

who would you take first overall?