First Round NFL Draft: 8 OTs (record), 6 QBs (ties record) and 7 WRs (ties record)

Cowherd has been screaming for years that teams need to start doing this. Took them a few to realize it but here we are.

I remember Colin couldn't stop raving about Darnold and Rosen before the 18 draft.

He wasn't a fan of Allen or Lamar though, hated Baker.

quote:

---

One takeaway is that the NFL rules are over-indexed to the offensive side of the ball.

---

It's a takeaway, but a bad one

Defense adjusts to the offense and had a pretty good advantage last year, IIRC

This just wasn't a draft with elite D talent. No elite edges, no 2-way DIs, 2 good CBs who had some issues. No great coverage safeties.

quote:

---

If the rules were so advantageous to the offense, it would arguably increase the value of the top end defensive talent

---

This is exactly why CB became so valuable, as I argued at the time.

quote:

---

Speaks more to how poorly the QB and tackle play has been in the league the last few years and the explosion of the WR position and having a deep class at all three of those premium positions for possibly the first time ever

---

Correct.

Deep drafts at QB, WR, and OL and a defensive draft without elite talent.

Teams are also just getting smarter. Even 5 years ago, you'd have multiple teams reaching for defensive players b/c they rated them within the draft, and not historically. They just don't make that mistake as much anymore.

quote:

---

nd the development is structured around making a system around their strengths vs trying to fit them into a rigid coaching system,

---

This can't be over-stated.

You still see a lot of dinosaurs online talking about players fitting systems and it's been shown you should do the opposite.

Think a lot of that becomes pretty apparent and interesting to compare new guard vs old guard in BBs and Sabans commentary on the QBs and some of the WRs (areas BB struggled in recent years to draft)

You can tell his mind set it just 20 years out of date for developing those positions. More about how they will fit into a scheme and looking for the least flawed prospect, when the only way to develop a QB in todays game is to either stack the roster deck to insane levels or to build a team built specifically around those flaws and strengths.

Now he may be totally right on all those QBs, because it’s still a total crapshoot when you draft a QB. But the odds become much higher when you’re trying to fit them into your box instead of building something to fit them

quote:

---

I think it has more to do with rookie contracts being such a bargain for those positions compared to other ones. A QB on a rookie deal is such an advantage when journeyman back ups command 15-20 million a year if they are stop-gap starters

---

This is a good point as well.

Also is funny how despite this there has been often 1-2 teams that decide to burn this value in the trash by drafting a guy that takes 3 years to see the field (ie Pennix)

That’s why the “Green Bay model” - despite anecdotal success, is honestly terrible resource management

quote:

---

That’s why the “Green Bay model” - despite anecdotal success, is honestly terrible resource management

---

I understand that anecdotal evidence is misleading, but at what point does following a logical process that makes sense on paper but produces subpar results indicate the process is flawed?

I know this is still early on in the rookie wage scale era and teams adjusting to new salary cap rules, but at what point do we say maybe that organization is closing it right and we aren’t?

quote:

---

Idk but 2 successful examples over the course of 20 years probably isn’t that threshold

---

So what about all the failed examples of reaching for QB’s at the expense of the rest of the team? Do they not count?

quote:

---

It's a takeaway, but a bad one

Defense adjusts to the offense and had a pretty good advantage last year, IIRC

This just wasn't a draft with elite D talent. No elite edges, no 2-way DIs, 2 good CBs who had some issues. No great coverage safeties.

---

The statistics bear out that offensive yards per game has had a steady increased since 2000. League average passing yards per game has gone from 204 to 234. Rushing yards have remained steady going from 113 to 117. The last two season have had a correction about 10 total yards per game across the league.

Oddly enough the number of total TDs scored and points per game has remained very steady. Rules certainly favor offense when it comes to yards, but it hasn't affected point totals.

There's definitely truth in the class being light on quality defense; the trend does favor that teams are more focused on offense. Offensive players were drafted on average in 14 spots during the first round before 2010, starting in 2010 the average has pushed to nearly 18. 2017 was an outlier that drove the average down with only 13 offensive players going in the first round.