How can an NFL team have WR be their No 1/2/3 priority when you just watched the Chiefs win B2B Super Bowls without them? (1 Viewer)

[Ministry of Pain]

Bears, Washington, Patriots, Cardinals, Titans, Falcons

-All of them have top 10 picks, the Bears have 2 of them and I read WR listed pretty high on most of these team needs, WTH?
How long are teams going to pull the wool over fans eyes? Build out both sides of your lines and the playmakers you have already on Offense and Defense will look a lot better.
Sinking $30M a season to a WR or over 10% of your team's cap is kind of screwy right now.
It's a luxury most teams don't have and General Managers/Owners need to be called on it
There is something to "well at least we score a lot of points and are entertaining" but it won't get you very far.

Believe in your QB and let the prima donnas walk or trade them so you can afford the best OL to allow your QB to operate and roll thru his progressions.
Instead of spending on a WR, try spending some of that on your Edge rushers.
I don't understand why teams don't see this and adjust.

Along these lines...My Phins better not let DT-Christian Wilkins walk if they have any smarts at all. RG-Robert Hunt better be a priority as well if you thought Austin Jackson needed extending.
Love Hill and all the fun plays but maybe its time to see what Waddle is really worth as a No 1 WR.

 

[Wigglytuff's Gruff]

Sinking $30M a season to a WR or over 10% of your team's cap is kind of screwy right now.

Isn't this a reason to get a rookie WR on a much smaller contract right now?

I think you can make a case that the quality of the skill position players, including the WR's, on San Fran essentially elevated what is a mediocre QB to a team competing in the Superbowl. If you don't have a Mahomes level player who can carry everyone else, you probably need a few other guys to make some plays for you.

I do largely agree that the idea of drafting, well, almost anything before you've got your lines sorted is probably quite foolish though.

 

[Biabreakable]

Not every team has Mahomes.

Hill and Waddle took Miamis offense to another level that it was not at prior to that and would not be without them.

Diggs helped Buffalo's offense rise to a new level.

WR matter.

While it's all well and good to say prioritize offense and defensive line players, every team is doing that.

At some point the linemen are not good enough to be an impact player and especially not compared to the impact the WR can make on that team.

 

[Zeppelin]

Not every team has Mahomes.

This. The other stuff doesn't matter.

 

[IHEARTFF]

Just get the best players at whatever position. The top WR in this draft are probably the best players.

 

[SoBeDad]

KC has tried to find a #1 WR since Tyreek left. They always had one in Kelce, and now they may have another one in Rice.

The WRs recently coming out of college are better than a decade ago, so it seems. There are some good ones, middle and late 1st round and 2nd round, like Rice, AJB, etc. Plus lots of good TEs late first, 2nd round. TE is almost like WR, what do analytics say about their added value? But WR/TE is still not like the RB position where many later round draft picks are very good. You need to invest in an early round pick of a WR/TE.

 

[Boston]

Building a team is not a one-size fits all scenario.

 

[InDitkaWeTrust]

KC has tried to find a #1 WR since Tyreek left. They always had one in Kelce, and now they may have another one in Rice.

The WRs recently coming out of college are better than a decade ago, so it seems. There are some good ones, middle and late 1st round and 2nd round, like Rice, AJB, etc. Plus lots of good TEs late first, 2nd round. TE is almost like WR, what do analytics say about their added value? But WR/TE is still not like the RB position where many later round draft picks are very good. You need to invest in an early round pick of a WR/TE.

I'm not sure they are better, but they sure are more game ready for whatever reason. Used to be the 3rd year WR breakout was a huge part of fantasy football. Now, if a rookie doesn't post at least 500 yards they are considered a bust.

 

[Brunell4MVP]

QB. Coaching. OL. DL. CB. All the rest are plug and play.

They've done studies on the draft. WR is one of the least likely positions of success.

 

[Summer Wheat]

Not every team has Mahomes.

Hill and Waddle took Miamis offense to another level that it was not at prior to that and would not be without them.

Diggs helped Buffalo's offense rise to a new level.

WR matter.

While it's all well and good to say prioritize offense and defensive line players, every team is doing that.

At some point the linemen are not good enough to be an impact player and especially not compared to the impact the WR can make on that team.

Diggs has hurt as much as he has helped. Always pouting.

 

[Summer Wheat]

KC has tried to find a #1 WR since Tyreek left. They always had one in Kelce, and now they may have another one in Rice.

The WRs recently coming out of college are better than a decade ago, so it seems. There are some good ones, middle and late 1st round and 2nd round, like Rice, AJB, etc. Plus lots of good TEs late first, 2nd round. TE is almost like WR, what do analytics say about their added value? But WR/TE is still not like the RB position where many later round draft picks are very good. You need to invest in an early round pick of a WR/TE.

They don`t need one.

Mahomes, Brady, Peyton in his prime, Rodgers, they can get by with run of the mill WRs.

 

[-OZ-]

KC has tried to find a #1 WR since Tyreek left. They always had one in Kelce, and now they may have another one in Rice.

The WRs recently coming out of college are better than a decade ago, so it seems. There are some good ones, middle and late 1st round and 2nd round, like Rice, AJB, etc. Plus lots of good TEs late first, 2nd round. TE is almost like WR, what do analytics say about their added value? But WR/TE is still not like the RB position where many later round draft picks are very good. You need to invest in an early round pick of a WR/TE.

They don`t need one.

Mahomes, Brady, Peyton in his prime, Rodgers, they can get by with run of the mill WRs.

Kelce, gronk, Rodgers had good receivers.

Including Peyton is really weird here. Marvin and Reggie were not run of the mill.

 

[InDitkaWeTrust]

KC has tried to find a #1 WR since Tyreek left. They always had one in Kelce, and now they may have another one in Rice.

The WRs recently coming out of college are better than a decade ago, so it seems. There are some good ones, middle and late 1st round and 2nd round, like Rice, AJB, etc. Plus lots of good TEs late first, 2nd round. TE is almost like WR, what do analytics say about their added value? But WR/TE is still not like the RB position where many later round draft picks are very good. You need to invest in an early round pick of a WR/TE.

They don`t need one.

Mahomes, Brady, Peyton in his prime, Rodgers, they can get by with run of the mill WRs.

I think you underestimate just how special all 4 of those guys are. Manning is already in the HoF and the other 3 are likely 1st ballot guys. As of today, there are only 36 total QBs in the HoF. Finding a QB like that is an enormously difficult task.

 

[-OZ-]

Bears, Washington, Patriots, Cardinals, Titans, Falcons

-All of them have top 10 picks, the Bears have 2 of them and I read WR listed pretty high on most of these team needs, WTH?
How long are teams going to pull the wool over fans eyes? Build out both sides of your lines and the playmakers you have already on Offense and Defense will look a lot better.
Sinking $30M a season to a WR or over 10% of your team's cap is kind of screwy right now.
It's a luxury most teams don't have and General Managers/Owners need to be called on it
There is something to "well at least we score a lot of points and are entertaining" but it won't get you very far.

Believe in your QB and let the prima donnas walk or trade them so you can afford the best OL to allow your QB to operate and roll thru his progressions.
Instead of spending on a WR, try spending some of that on your Edge rushers.
I don't understand why teams don't see this and adjust.

Along these lines...My Phins better not let DT-Christian Wilkins walk if they have any smarts at all. RG-Robert Hunt better be a priority as well if you thought Austin Jackson needed extending.
Love Hill and all the fun plays but maybe its time to see what Waddle is really worth as a No 1 WR.

49ers have kittle, aiyuk, deebo
Last year’s SB losers were not getting there without AJ.

If you look at the top teams in the league, you either have Lamar / Mahomes along with top TE and defense, Allen, or top receivers.

 

[Anarchy99]

7 of the past 10 SB winning teams featured a HOF TE. Why don’t all teams draft a TE with their first pick?

 

[Summer Wheat]

KC has tried to find a #1 WR since Tyreek left. They always had one in Kelce, and now they may have another one in Rice.

The WRs recently coming out of college are better than a decade ago, so it seems. There are some good ones, middle and late 1st round and 2nd round, like Rice, AJB, etc. Plus lots of good TEs late first, 2nd round. TE is almost like WR, what do analytics say about their added value? But WR/TE is still not like the RB position where many later round draft picks are very good. You need to invest in an early round pick of a WR/TE.

They don`t need one.

Mahomes, Brady, Peyton in his prime, Rodgers, they can get by with run of the mill WRs.

Kelce, gronk, Rodgers had good receivers.

Including Peyton is really weird here. Marvin and Reggie were not run of the mill.

Talking about guys he made that were no good anywhere else. Garcon, Pollard, Stokley,Collie, Decker with the Broncos.

 

[massraider]

Diggs has hurt as much as he has helped.

really

 

[titusbramble]

A great QB can elevate mediocre WRs. Great WRs can elevate mediocre QBs. There's more than one way to build a team, although as a GM I would prefer to start with Mahomes and build from there

 

[-OZ-]

KC has tried to find a #1 WR since Tyreek left. They always had one in Kelce, and now they may have another one in Rice.

The WRs recently coming out of college are better than a decade ago, so it seems. There are some good ones, middle and late 1st round and 2nd round, like Rice, AJB, etc. Plus lots of good TEs late first, 2nd round. TE is almost like WR, what do analytics say about their added value? But WR/TE is still not like the RB position where many later round draft picks are very good. You need to invest in an early round pick of a WR/TE.

They don`t need one.

Mahomes, Brady, Peyton in his prime, Rodgers, they can get by with run of the mill WRs.

Kelce, gronk, Rodgers had good receivers.

Including Peyton is really weird here. Marvin and Reggie were not run of the mill.

Talking about guys he made that were no good anywhere else. Garcon, Pollard, Stokley,Collie, Decker with the Broncos.

Ok. But the post was about getting by without a great WR. IIRC, those guys weren’t the top dog. Decker had decent years with Fitzpatrick and Geno.

 

[-OZ-]

A great QB can elevate mediocre WRs. Great WRs can elevate mediocre QBs. There's more than one way to build a team, although as a GM I would prefer to start with Mahomes and build from there

I think 32 GMs would love to start with Mahomes.

 

[titusbramble]

A great QB can elevate mediocre WRs. Great WRs can elevate mediocre QBs. There's more than one way to build a team, although as a GM I would prefer to start with Mahomes and build from there

I think 32 GMs would love to start with Mahomes.

Indeed, the point I was making which I think you get is there's more than one way to win. Was Kurt Warner actually any good, or was playing with Bruce, Holt and Faulk more of a factor? Pick up enough surrounding talent, both in skill positions and the trenches, and you can mask perceived QB limitations (cf. Goff, Jared)

 

[travdogg]

Building a team is not a one-size fits all scenario.

100% this.

Also, as much as some of the replies have been "not every team can have Mahomes", that's probably also true of Reid. Not every play caller can scheme lesser guys open, and Reid's been doing it since the likes of Todd Pinkston and James Thrash.

I very much think a team can still win a Super Bowl with a mediocre QB, if the defense and run game are good enough, there is just a little less margin for error there. Some teams can win with a legit bad defense if the offense is good enough, its just tougher.

 

[Buckna]

“Build out both sides of your lines”

Ironically the biggest weakness on the current Chiefs are probably their left and right tackles (WR is obviously an issue too.) I could be wrong about this, but I believe their 3 studly interior line starters were all acquired in the last 3 years via non day 1 draft picks or Thuney who was a FA.

 

[travdogg]

7 of the past 10 SB winning teams featured a HOF TE. Why don’t all teams draft a TE with their first pick?

And George Kittle has been in 3 of the last 4 NFC Title games.

 

[Boston]

Building a team is not a one-size fits all scenario.

100% this.

Also, as much as some of the replies have been "not every team can have Mahomes", that's probably also true of Reid. Not every play caller can scheme lesser guys open, and Reid's been doing it since the likes of Todd Pinkston and James Thrash.

I very much think a team can still win a Super Bowl with a mediocre QB, if the defense and run game are good enough, there is just a little less margin for error there. Some teams can win with a legit bad defense if the offense is good enough, its just tougher.

I think when it comes to the QB you may be able to do it (win a title) for one year without a big time QB but you won't maintain sustained championship-level success (meaning you are a legit threat for a longer period of time) without one as you probably won't be able to keep those other pieces together for too long.

 

[Grahamburn]

Not every team has Mahomes.

This. The other stuff doesn't matter.

Thread should have been over here.

 

[The Duff Man]

No single position wins Superbowls.

Teams win Superbowls.

KC is back to back champion because they paired a good TEAM with a top QB.

I would rather have a top tier (insert most positions here) than a second tier WR.

 

[-OZ-]

think you get is there's more than one way to win. Was Kurt Warner actually any good, or was playing with Bruce, Holt and Faulk more of a factor?

He made a pro bowl with Arizona.
But yeah, those 3 and others (Fletcher, Little, bly, etc) were huge.

 

[ChiefD]

No single position wins Superbowls.

Teams win Superbowls.

KC is back to back champion because they paired a good TEAM with a top QB.

I would rather have a top tier (insert most positions here) than a second tier WR.

Yeah, this is a fact.

The Chiefs won this Super Bowl with an elite defense and just enough offense to score when they had to. That is the Mahomes factor.

But they aren't even in that game without Spags and that defense.

 

[efactor]

No single position wins Superbowls.

Teams win Superbowls.

KC is back to back champion because they paired a good TEAM with a top QB.

I would rather have a top tier (insert most positions here) than a second tier WR.

Yeah, this is a fact.

The Chiefs won this Super Bowl with an elite defense and just enough offense to score when they had to. That is the Mahomes factor.

But they aren't even in that game without Spags and that defense.

Yep on the bolded.

I get the Mahomes love BUT it's a bit over the top in regards to the Super Bowl. Only TD KC scored in regulation was the short 16 yard field after the punt. KC D played an amazing game. As a 49er fan, I watched every play of every game this year and no team came close to limiting the big plays like KC did. Browns in the rain in Cleveland maybe, but this was indoors, in optimal conditions.

 

[Anarchy99]

Who else finds the irony in @Ministry of Pain suggesting teams not load up on WR when Miami didn’t start winning until they added Cheetah and Waddle?

 

[beef]

Not every team has Mahomes.

/thread

 

[Lansdowne]

As others have already said, one size doesn't fit all. The Cowboys added Michael Irvin before they added Troy Aikman. The Colts added Marvin Harrison Sr. before they added Peyton Manning. The Rams had Isaac Bruce and drafted Torry Holt the year Kurt Warner broke out. The Packers won a Super Bowl under Aaron Rodgers with receivers he inherited from the Brett Favre era. And that Travis Kelce guy was already pretty good by the time Patrick Mahomes arrived on the scene and took the Chiefs to the next level.

The Chiefs defense has been clutch for them in their three Super Bowl title runs, reminds me a bit of how the Colts defense in 2006 woke up big for that playoff run. It's a deep, well-coached team with clutch playmakers in every phase and one of the 3 best QB's of all-time IMO. Mahomes is making it work with garbage at WR but it's not for a complete lack of help. Kelce has always been a stud, Pacheco was a revelation for the running game, and Rice really stepped up in the second half of his rookie season.

I think Marvin Harrison Jr. will be a special talent and no team that drafts him will regret it. Prospects the likes of Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels come around often in these drafts but not one of Harrison's pedigree among his peers. I think he's as can't miss as any prospect in the entire draft.

 

[beef]

Is WR, or even QB, really all that important when you have Taylor Swift?

 

[Ministry of Pain]

Who else finds the irony in @Ministry of Pain suggesting teams not load up on WR when Miami didn’t start winning until they added Cheetah and Waddle?

How many Playoff games has Miami won doing it this way?

NONE!!!

 

[nysfl2]

Lions are an interesting combination of great line, pretty good QB, and pretty good skill position players adding up to a great offense

 

[Gatorade]

so far there has been little interest in FA WRs. Are GMs getting your drift. Is this a bad crop of FA WRs.
OR is this incoming crop of rookie WRs just too good to pass up.

 

[Hot Sauce Guy]

Talent.

Teams should build around talent.

If the talent is a QB, you build around the QB. Mahomes can elevate mediocre talent around him at WR.

If a team’s talent is on defense, have a competent offense that doesn’t make mistakes. ‘85 bears, 2000 Ravens

If a team’s talent is at the WR position, build a beast of an OL to protect the QB. Greatest show on turf comes to mind. Not saying Warner wasn’t talented, but he was well protected and elevated by Holt, Bruce, Faulk. No doubt Warner was great, but a creative coach, elite talent on the OL & an incredible set of weapons helped a lot.

The 2023 49ers have elite RB, WR, TE, and defense - they were a couple coin flip plays from winning it all. Mahomes >>> Purdy. But Purdy’s surrounding talent made it a very tight game

There are many paths to the house next door. The question is a bit flawed. No player is an island. The Vikings could build around JJ & win. He’s an elite talent. Build around talent. Some teams do it differently than others.

I’d be shocked if KC doesn’t make a splash at WR tomorrow.

 

[Hot Sauce Guy]

Lions are an interesting combination of great line, pretty good QB, and pretty good skill position players adding up to a great offense

Yep. Goff is no slouch, but he’s elevated by ARSB constantly getting open & catching everything he throws at him.

 

[SuperFantasyFootballGuy]

Because the Chiefs have either the greatest or second greatest Quarterback to ever play the game, if you don't have that guy you need to give your guy weapons to prop him up close enough to potentially be that guy. Comparing anybody to the Chiefs is a fool's errand.

Teams can't build a team like the Chiefs because Patrick Mahomes is 1/1. If there were enough Patrick Mahomes to go around, then sure, WR doesn't matter, but when you have teams starting Joe Flacco, Jake Browning, Sam Darnold, Zach Wilson, etc then you need to give them weapons. Put any of those guys on the Chiefs and I don't even know if they make the playoffs, let alone get out of the first round last year if they somehow fell *** backwards into it.



Look at Mac Jones and Justin Fields, neither guy had any weapons and it turned out horribly for them. Meanwhile Joe Burrow got Jamar Chase and they immediately went to the Super Bowl. There's more nuance to it than to just try to copy what a team with a generational Quarterback has been able to accomplish.

 

[ChiefD]

Talent.

Teams should build around talent.

If the talent is a QB, you build around the QB. Mahomes can elevate mediocre talent around him at WR.

If a team’s talent is on defense, have a competent offense that doesn’t make mistakes. ‘85 bears, 2000 Ravens

If a team’s talent is at the WR position, build a beast of an OL to protect the QB. Greatest show on turf comes to mind. Not saying Warner wasn’t talented, but he was well protected and elevated by Holt, Bruce, Faulk. No doubt Warner was great, but a creative coach, elite talent on the OL & an incredible set of weapons helped a lot.

The 2023 49ers have elite RB, WR, TE, and defense - they were a couple coin flip plays from winning it all. Mahomes >>> Purdy. But Purdy’s surrounding talent made it a very tight game

There are many paths to the house next door. The question is a bit flawed. No player is an island. The Vikings could build around JJ & win. He’s an elite talent. Build around talent. Some teams do it differently than others.

I’d be shocked if KC doesn’t make a splash at WR tomorrow.

I think its gonna be Samuel.

 

[Hot Sauce Guy]

I think its gonna be Samuel.

He’d be a good fit - he can be used on jet sweeps out of the backfield, and is a sneaky good receiver.

I dealt him for peanuts years ago when he was injured, so it would absolutely figure if he ends up having a career year with Mahomes. I’m cursed like that.

 

[Mongidig]

No single position wins Superbowls.

Teams win Superbowls.

KC is back to back champion because they paired a good TEAM with a top QB.

I would rather have a top tier (insert most positions here) than a second tier WR.

Yeah, this is a fact.

The Chiefs won this Super Bowl with an elite defense and just enough offense to score when they had to. That is the Mahomes factor.

But they aren't even in that game without Spags and that defense.

They obviously changed the way they win when they traded Tyreek. Pacheco played a big part too. You know the game is over when Mahomes has the ball with a minute left or 13 seconds left. There aren't many QB's throughout history you can say this about. Mahomes didn't have to put up gaudy numbers this year to win another title. He just had to make the plays when asked to do so.

I do agree teams win Super Bowls but without the elite QB teams don't win Super Bowls. Obviously there have been exceptions to this but very rare.

 

[5-ish Finkle]

Isn't this a reason to get a rookie WR on a much smaller contract right now?

This.

Following the money is almost always the right answer.

 

[Mongidig]

they were a couple coin flip plays from winning it all. Mahomes >>> Purdy.

This is true. The Niners have elite talent all over the place. When called upon in big moments Mahomes is gonna make the play. This forces the other team to have to play nearly perfect but they often don't. How many teams throughout history in any sport were just a couple plays away? Elite talent wins out nearly every time.

 

[msudaisy26]

The Patriots were the best team in the league for 2 decades and they took their QB in the 6th round. All teams should do that.

 

[Gatorman]

KC has tried to find a #1 WR since Tyreek left. They always had one in Kelce, and now they may have another one in Rice.

The WRs recently coming out of college are better than a decade ago, so it seems. There are some good ones, middle and late 1st round and 2nd round, like Rice, AJB, etc. Plus lots of good TEs late first, 2nd round. TE is almost like WR, what do analytics say about their added value? But WR/TE is still not like the RB position where many later round draft picks are very good. You need to invest in an early round pick of a WR/TE.

They don`t need one.

Mahomes, Brady, Peyton in his prime, Rodgers, they can get by with run of the mill WRs.

Not sure I agree with this 100%. Mahomes has been frustrated by his medicre crew and if not for MVS and Hardman FINALLY catching long passes in the SB the WR group would be taking the blame for KC losing the SB.

Brady was elite with great WRs. He was really good with average WRs who knew the system. Guys they brought in off the street or traded for other than Moss and Welker really didn't grasp the system and were labeled as busts/bad deals. When he moved on to Tampa, he got a plug and play of two really good WRs and Gronk came out of retirement.

Peyton in his prime always had good WRs. Even past his prime he had good ones.

 

[Leroy Hoard]

The Patriots were the best team in the league for 2 decades and they took their QB in the 6th round. All teams should do that.

This is very true. Throw in a Superbowl QB like the 7th round Purdy and you have to wonder why teams are still picking QBs in the first round.

 

[Loipz]

The Patriots were the best team in the league for 2 decades and they took their QB in the 6th round. All teams should do that.

This is very true. Throw in a Superbowl QB like the 7th round Purdy and you have to wonder why teams are still picking QBs in the first round.

Why don’t teams simply just win the Super Bowl every year?

 

[Snotbubbles]

Building a team is not a one-size fits all scenario.

100% this.

Also, as much as some of the replies have been "not every team can have Mahomes", that's probably also true of Reid. Not every play caller can scheme lesser guys open, and Reid's been doing it since the likes of Todd Pinkston and James Thrash.

I very much think a team can still win a Super Bowl with a mediocre QB, if the defense and run game are good enough, there is just a little less margin for error there. Some teams can win with a legit bad defense if the offense is good enough, its just tougher.

SF almost did it.