IowaSkinsFan
08-05-2003, 09:57 AM
I posted this argument in an earlier thread, but I want to open it for discussion to a broad group, so here it goes.
I am a self confessed draft junkie. I have been watching it religously since '94 when the Skins took Shuler. I was surrounded by Cowboy fans and was tired of hearing Aikman this and Aikman that. I wanted a franchise QB for our Skins that would sell jerseys and silence the Cowboy fans. Talk about blowing up in your face. Anyway. While a lot of teams would have drafted Shuler in that position, we can say in retrospect that he was a bust and should not have been drafted there. But, the Skins had a need and they drafted for it. This was followed up by busts in '95 with Westbrook and '96 with Andre Johnson (remember him). '97 was a serviceable pick with Kenard Lang at the 17th position. No first in '98 (Stephen Alexander in the 2nd), and then jackpot in '99 (Champ in the 1st and Jansen in the 2nd). Everyone should be up to date after that.
So anyway, my point is that when you draft for need, you have a tendency to reach, meaning the player you are taking could be availble later on. History shows that if you take the best available player, over the long haul, you will have a better team. That's why this years draft, while it was only 3 players, showed good discipline. Our team stuck to its board and took what they viewed as the best available player.
I feel that these picks will make the team stronger down the road, more so than if we had taken Doss in the 2nd.
I am a self confessed draft junkie. I have been watching it religously since '94 when the Skins took Shuler. I was surrounded by Cowboy fans and was tired of hearing Aikman this and Aikman that. I wanted a franchise QB for our Skins that would sell jerseys and silence the Cowboy fans. Talk about blowing up in your face. Anyway. While a lot of teams would have drafted Shuler in that position, we can say in retrospect that he was a bust and should not have been drafted there. But, the Skins had a need and they drafted for it. This was followed up by busts in '95 with Westbrook and '96 with Andre Johnson (remember him). '97 was a serviceable pick with Kenard Lang at the 17th position. No first in '98 (Stephen Alexander in the 2nd), and then jackpot in '99 (Champ in the 1st and Jansen in the 2nd). Everyone should be up to date after that.
So anyway, my point is that when you draft for need, you have a tendency to reach, meaning the player you are taking could be availble later on. History shows that if you take the best available player, over the long haul, you will have a better team. That's why this years draft, while it was only 3 players, showed good discipline. Our team stuck to its board and took what they viewed as the best available player.
I feel that these picks will make the team stronger down the road, more so than if we had taken Doss in the 2nd.