Building Up vs. Picking the Face of the Franchise
This year’s draft class offers QB needy teams an ideal situation. Allow me to elaborate. In any given year there’s usually at least one Quarterback projected to be a top five caliber player in the draft. And typically in any given year there’s at least one team sitting in the top five that has a giant hole under Center. This year is no exception to the latter of those statements as you could make arguments for Detroit, Houston and the Giants. However, this class does not have a clear-cut top five talent at QB. And that means these QB needy teams can choose to build the way QB needy teams SHOULD build.
Let’s take a look back just two years. Typically when a team is picking top five and has a big need at Quarterback they also have a talent deficiency at other spots on their offense. The Bengals that rolled into the 2020 draft were a perfect example of that. They held the #1 pick, and had a big need at Quarterback and an offense almost entirely devoid of talent. For Cincinnati the pick was easy. You don’t select a Jedrick Wills or Tristan Wirfs at 1 when you have a passer like Joe Burrow available, not unless you want every analyst criticizing you and every fan turning into certified arsonists. But after watching Burrow suffer that knee injury I’m sure they wished they had spent their draft capital more wisely on the O-Line in seasons past. A passer of Burrow’s caliber can help cover up those problem areas on a team, but a talentless offense can just as easily wreck a young passer’s career, just ask Tim Couch, Brady Quinn and Brandon Weeden (I kid…mostly).
The 2022 draft class doesn’t offer up a Joe Burrow, but it does offer a lot of talent at Receiver and along the Offensive Line. Here’s a look at the QB needy teams in the draft that should opt instead to fill the void with a veteran so they can use their picks to build up the offense for the franchise signal caller they take in the future:
Detroit: The Lions need at least two more Receiving options with the hope that one of them can become a premier player at the position. They could also use a solid swing Tackle to backup Sewell and Decker. Build up with their selections now and use Goff for one more season before making a play for his replacement next year.
Houston: No, I don’t believe Davis Mills is their future, but taking who they hope to be their future when that entire offense is a complete mess is a good way to put a young passer out of the league before their career really gets going. They need to add some young Receivers. Cooks has had solid back to back seasons, but he’ll be 29 this season and he deserves to go to a team that’s not in full rebuild mode, so trade him and draft a pair of replacements. They also need a three down back option, because Rex Burkhead is not the long term answer there either. And they have to overhaul that Offensive Line. O’Brien really buried them, the organization needs to be patient with the staff they have while they work towards digging the team out.
NY Giants: Do I think Daniel Jones is the answer? No. But that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t give Daboll a crack at him, he did do wonders for Josh Allen’s career. Besides, the Giants HAVE to fix that O-Line before they worry about who is standing behind it. If they don’t, that QB is going to be out of the NFL before you can blink. I’ve also heard the rumors about Barkley being a trade option and I think that is the right call. He hasn’t looked the same since his rookie season and you can see the toll the injuries have taken. Ship him out and find a younger, cheaper option to man the position. As for their Receivers…good luck. That position alone should’ve kept the Giants from letting Gettleman “retire” like it was his decision.
Carolina: The Panthers need to fix their Offensive Line, because right now it's a season ending QB injury waiting to happen. Their Receiving corps is solid, but I wouldn't call any one of the Moore, Anderson, Marshall trio a superstar. They are talented enough to help a young passer grow.
Washington: They have one legit option at Receiver in McLaurin. I think Dyami Brown could become a second option, but clearly he needs more time to develop than I believed heading into the draft last year, so perhaps another outside Receiving option is in order. I’d also consider shoring up the rest of the O-Line before putting a shiny new Quarterback under Center. Of course, Rivera may be on his last leg with the front office, and a rookie QB showing signs of life by the end of the season might be the only shot he has at saving his job.
New Orleans: Winston’s contract is up and Taysom Hill is clearly not the long term answer, hence the Saints being a QB needy team. But I believe their best option is to bring back Winston or Bridgewater, smooth things out with Michael Thomas and draft another Receiver to compliment MT. If Thomas is unwilling to work things out, then trade him for as much as you can get and draft two Receivers, there are plenty of options in this class to make that work. I know Thomas has reworked his contract and the Saints are adamant they aren’t trading him, but I’ve also heard plenty of teams in the past say the same thing, so we’ll see where they’re at come draft day. Also, with the legal issues facing Kamara, it might behoove them to use a mid-round pick on a RB. At worst, he’ll hold down the fort while Kamara sits out whatever suspension he’s handed. At best, the rookie back could prove to be a valuable trade piece, or potentially the future if Kamara starts showing signs of wear and tear. Either way, run it back with Winston or Bridgewater, especially in a wide-open NFC South, if whichever one you choose is not the answer at the end of this season then next year’s draft class will have more to offer and the offense will be better situated to help them.
Pittsburgh: Given the offensive weapons this should be a hotspot for a Quarterback looking to go into a win now situation. That in itself makes me think Pitt needs to go with a veteran because the transition for a rookie can be bumpy and this class doesn’t offer an immediate impact player at the position. And let’s not forget about that non-existent O-Line they ran with this past season, that’s a recipe for destroying a young QB that hasn’t yet mastered getting the ball out of their hands quickly.
Having said all of that I will add that I don’t hate this QB class. Pre-Combine I find that I really like Matt Corral, Kenny Pickett, Malik Willis, and Desmond Ridder, and I’ve got a couple guys I like as sleepers. But I think each one of them would benefit from being put in a position where they could sit and learn for a year with teams like Atlanta, Minnesota, Las Vegas and Tennessee. There are two QB needy teams that I think offer good situations for any one of those young passers to step in right away and be able to find success: Denver and Tampa Bay. Both offer plenty of talent at the skill positions and at least decent blocking along the Line. Denver needs a QB that can take them to the next level, and Tampa needs someone who can take over for Brady and keep them competitive.
Ideally, you want a rookie QB to step into a situation where they can be most comfortable. That means having solid blocking in place, a couple of talented pass catchers, and a Running Back to take away some of the pressure. The problem is, you don’t always have a valid excuse for taking that Offensive Lineman or that Receiver over the next “face of the franchise,” but this year a handful of those QB needy teams have the perfect excuse and should take full advantage of it.
