Mix of thoughts

I think Nick Fairley is close.

has us taking Da’ Quan Bowers, that would be nice

They need pass rush, sure.
But man they need a safety.
And man they need OLine.

If they pick top 5, the main thing is get 2 impact guys. Take best available at those positions, go for the sure thing. Even CB, or a LB like HIghtower to take over inside.

I’m all for best player available, especially at these high picks. Do you stretch for a pass rusher over as sure a bet as you can get in the secondary or OL? I wouldn’t.
Besides WR, QB, and RB (and maybe OLB) there’s not a position they can’t upgrade.

Impact players on D, or stud OL, whatever’s sitting there after the other teams pick!

One mistake isn’t the difference between losing or winning a game, it’s just one mistake.

Tell that to Romo’s detractors, because any mistake he makes is deemed the reason for a loss, no matter what else has happened. Me? I’m with you. RW made a bad mistake, but there were plenty to go around, from Kitna’s INT that ended in a Saints field goal, to horrible safety play, to Newman’s blunder that gave the Saints great field position to get their final score.

Romo should play as soon as health allows it.

I’m torn on this one. On the one hand, he’s made it clear he wants to play this year if he can, and I’d like to see him back out there. On the other, is it worth risking re-injury? And I’d ask the same question about any player, from top to bottom.

I’m looking for another 4-man front pass rusher.

Can’t argue with this, but if they don’t strongly address the O line in this next draft, I won’t be responsible for my actions.

Couldn’t agree more. Pick up some O-line help in free agency, draft a solid O-line prospect in the 2nd or 3rd, but we absolutely need a blue chipper on the d-line.

Insert a blue chipper into our d-line who can get consistent pressure on the QB and I guarantee that everybody will be much happier with our secondary, even with the current personnel.

impact overall performance of the Offensive and Defensive units disproportionately.

On O – our gameplanning,situational playcalling and in-game tactics are compromised

On D – mass confusion in our Defensive backfield, disproportionate amount of big plays and players out of position trying to overcome the obvious deficiencies.

IMO – bad DE play causes heartburn for the OLB’s, bad Safety play is simply catastrophic. We’ve also seen under WP’s scheme, QB pressure/sacks does not necessarily generate successful Pass Defense.

The thinking that we can draft a DE high because the crop is rich and an OL in the 8-15 range will be a reach is precisely the kind of logic that has us where we are. You simply can’t defer replenishing top talent indefinitely. The Top 1/3 of the teams can afford BPA, the rest fill needs.

Would Garrett pick the unit coaches if we got rid of Campo? How much influence/control would the DC have. Also believe Garrett needs to give up OC – if nothing else, free him of the burden to focus on the overall. He can still have playcalling, plenty of HC’s do that.

Roy Williams before he became, well, Roy Williams?

Because having a quick and hard-hitting safety helps everyone out too. I can remember about 2 dropped passes a game by opposing teams when young RW was pounding people. Their heads were on a swivel.

It would help these CB’s and the LB’s in the middle to have a real safety for a change.

I don’t care as much about the position as I do that he’s an impact player.
If he’s a DL, he’d better be in there as a rookie causing plays.
If he’s a safety or CB, he’s playing a lot and causing some havoc.
If he’s OL, he definitely steps right in and solidifies 1/5 of the line.

I have to admit that the Dez pick, although I’ll wait to se how he does over 3 years, was an impact pick. He’s making plays and changing games.

If this team picks high, just give me an impact player. And putting me in minority, I’d rather it be a safety than anything else, to tell the truth.

But from reading all you guys’ comments, here and elsewhere, think my thought’s changing (changed?) to the DL top-priority camp. Whether it’s shuffling the DL to integrate whatever prospect/player, scheme adjustment, whatever, the QB pressure argument’s inarguable (to me) unless the D as a whole simply doesn’t allow points. Period. It’s key.

Comes down to how do you keep the other guy off the board. And you’re looking for answers, debating details. Good for you. All of you.

All your comments, OCC’s numbers in article on this (thanks OCC, hadn’t looked at those details till then), everything, it’s thought-provoking. While I’d be interested in the numbers in unrealistically excruciating detail (pressures vs opponent’s pass protection stats, impact on run production (how’d you even measure that?), broken down by opponent’s playcalling vs ours and adjusted to point-in-time we played), I doubt it’d skew the results OCC’s arrived at significantly.

Thanks for all the food-for-thought.

That said, when I keep it simple, I still like Realist’s overall thinking above.