Jiggyonthehut
Footballguy
There have always been rumors of clubs that strictly follow the BPA strategy as evidenced by strange picks that represented incredible value but may not have been the most pressing issue. But as we say today, an almost consensus top-10 pick in Brady Quinn slid past 22 teams, meaning at least 12-15 teams passed on him, all of which would have gotten substantial value from that respective pick. Four teams actually may have had interest in a Day-1 QB and he represents an upgrade at the QB spot for the majority of those teams. Does this imply that the BPA school of thought is defunct? Is it because teams are more consicous of expensive players and are not willing to take on a contract of that size?
One example is the Jacksonville Jaguars, a team which, arguably, has some issues at the QB position. Leftwich is staring at free-agency after playing very well with the team but never making it through an extended period of playing time. James Shack Harris always has had a BPA mindset with selections of Marcedes Lewis and Matt Jones as example. Brady Quinn unquestionably would have been the BPA pick here over Nelson but that wasnt the case. We even have the cap room to sign him.
Is this a signal that BPA is an ineffective method?
One example is the Jacksonville Jaguars, a team which, arguably, has some issues at the QB position. Leftwich is staring at free-agency after playing very well with the team but never making it through an extended period of playing time. James Shack Harris always has had a BPA mindset with selections of Marcedes Lewis and Matt Jones as example. Brady Quinn unquestionably would have been the BPA pick here over Nelson but that wasnt the case. We even have the cap room to sign him.
Is this a signal that BPA is an ineffective method?
Thats my take on it as well. With the relative talent of prospects on the rise, compared to those of yesteryears, the organization takes immense heat if the rookies cant come in and make an appreciable impact immediately. OTOH, more production from rookies leads to more and more bloated contracts, and in the end, the organization may end up losing money even if they try and skimp on the rookie contract. I feel like its not that easy, however, to explain. We are now seeing more and more developmental prospects, allocation to the NFL Europe and the first signs of athletes who have little football experience. Take for example the combine, which has gained much more emphasis in the modern era. Why? When teams are judging the relative merits between prospects, they are relying more on physical statistics and seemingly less on game play. It really seems like BPA would be the way to go in this scenario, as athleticism is viewed as a football equivalent to versatility in modern standards.But we just didn't see that today. Again, sticking with the Jaguars, they passed on C Ryan Kalil, clearly the BPA, and chose ILB Justin Durant, a need pick if anything. They have historically been a BPA team- why not this year? He represented exceptional value and an upgrade over a current position. We also are in a very favorable salary-cap situation so money was hardly an issue here. Baltimore is a team that also historcially went BPA when possible. Why not try and make a play for Kalil? Instead, they traded down, grabbed picks and essentially are settling for less in a very top-heavy draft. Kalil was on another tier as a Center yet lasts till the end of round two. Wow. BPA's days must be numbered.
