Roundtable discussions draw in a number of viewpoints and emphasize the power of a group focusing on central questions. Expect dynasty roundtables to be more frequent going forward.
Dorial Green Beckham flashed big-time against Jacksonville – would you give a mid-1st for him?
Jordan Spires: I would give a mid-1st for DGB. Justin Hunter is a yearly disappointment so far in his career. Kendall Wright is an aging and average WR. Delanie Walker does enough to be a decent option. DGB has managed to stay out of trouble so far in his 1st year in the NFL and he’s starting to flash. Purely based off size he can really create mismatches and dominate some smaller DBs. With Mariota at the helm, this is an offense trending upwards in to 2016 and DGB could be worth as much as 2 1sts or MORE if he continues to flash and stay out of trouble. He could be Mariota’s #1 target very soon.
Tim Torch: It would have to be a late first for me. I still have concerns with exactly how bone headed DGB could be. Even Josh Gordon kept things together for one season. Give me a full offseason after he has collected his NFL paychecks to see if I want him on my team.
Katie Flower: I would. He was a hard rookie to peg and I saw him going 1.04 to 2.04 in drafts last year, so even then I would have given a mid 1st if I had needed too. We knew that he would be raw because of his time away from the game, but he is starting to show us a preview of what to expect. One thing you can’t teach is size, some guys player bigger than they are. But for a guy with DGB’s size, you can teach him to play to his size, and once he starts doing that consistently we are in for some great connections between him and Mariota.
Were we all wrong and Allen Robinson is the WR2 from the 2015 wide receiver class?
Chad Parsons: Robinson had his strong supporters and he was a ‘check all the boxes’ type of receiver prospect. I wonder why he fell (relatively-speaking) in the NFL Draft, which is why he was commonly a late-1st rookie pick. I remember dealing an early 2nd and an early 3rd that year in a league to move up to 1.11 to grab Robinson. The picks I dealt away turned into Marqise Lee and Charles Sims. Robinson’s big Week 13 is the reason I will make the playoffs in that league this season.
Where do you stand with Isaiah Crowell? He is outpacing Duke Johnson and the coaching staff isn’t giving him any rope.
Chad Parsons: I like the tape – especially this past game – but Crowell has that ‘talented but marooned on a bad team’ feel. I feel that way about T.J. Yeldon some this season as well. Crowell has prototypical traits, was a top recruit way back in his football lifetime, however, he is an unstartable asset and might be a long hold as few owners out there will pay up at this stage.
Are you changing your tune on James White after a 10-catch performance going into the offseason?
Chad Parsons: I think White fits the typical Patriots running back mantra of week-to-week proposition. Dion Lewis is more talanted and was more involved. White is closer to ‘just a guy’ and I would angle to sell high all along the way instead of starting him or projecting White as a longer-term asset.
What happens to Drew Brees if Sean Payton leaves NO?
Chad Parsons: He sheds a tear probably. I am a big fan of longevity when approaching quarterbacks, offenses, etc. in the NFL. A long tenure like what we’ve seen in New Orleans should be applauded. Once the success slips though, all bets are off (look at the annual Coughlin watch in New York). Brees is also hitting the ‘year-to-year’ proposition on the age curve plus the turnover of his weapons has been strong in the past year or two. Their defense being bad will buoy his volume regardless of a new coach, but defenses can whiplash from bad to good and vice versa in a single offseason.
Is Todd Gurley going to be the next Steven Jackson?
Chad Parsons: Well, the Rams certainly already all that close on offense to winning a Super Bowl if that’s the question. I wish Gurley were used in the passing game like Jackson’s prime starting in 2016! Getting a quarterback in the NFL is the ultimate game-changer, but you have to get a little lucky or be truly bad enough to be high in the draft. The Rams are not high enough, but it doesn’t take much to get a guy better than Foles. Heck, maybe Sean Mannion is better. Kenny Britt and Brian Quick – while not ideal upside guys at this point – would certainly have more of a chance to open up the offense with a better quarterback. I think Gurley gets to more playoff games than Jackson.
