Quote:
Originally Posted by nunusguy
For openers he's not just a first round pick, he's a top 10 pick which by definition means he was drafted in the top third of the first round. And my criteria for success for a player drafted that high would include a level of performance within his first 2 years which indicates he's a standout, a "star" or atleast demononstrates the potential to rise to that level. And I'm not talking about flashing, about making a play or 2 in a game and then disappearing for a couple weeks. Gotta have more consistancy than that by the end of the second year. And so far I haven't seen that, maybe you have ?
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I would hope that any first round pick for us turns out to be a star, but the reality is that doesn't happen a majority of the time for any team. Think of how many top ten picks don't ever amount to much. We could argue over how much potential Okoye's demonstrated and probably never agree (although we're prob. not that far apart). I've just gotten to the point that I'm not that worried about where a guy was picked anymore. More draft picks fail than don't in the NFL. Picking at the top of the first round only slightly increases your chances of getting a star, if at all. I haven't done it, but I'm sure in the majority of drafts you could look at the first round (or top 10) and find far more guys who were only average, or worse, than standout players. It does matter when it comes to salary cap, but getting players who can contribute from later in the draft probably has as much if not more of an impact on making sure you're not towards the top of the round and forced to pay the high salary for a guy who's play likely won't match up.
I want all of our picks to be stars, but it's not going to happen. I would hope that we hit more than miss in the first round as well, but If all you get is a guy who is just an average starter...well you are probably still well ahead of the curve. Okoye did not have a good year at all. I doubt he'll ever be a star, but I still think he can play a big role on this team. He's still very young at a position that takes a while to grow into, so he might surprise us.