6956bear said:
Shocky1 said:
^ 6956, wut ima hearing is significantly less portal transfers in & out than last season but agreed it's gonna be an interesting offseason when the portal opens up on december 4th for only 30 crazy azz hectic days (new ncca timeframes, last year it wuz open for a much longer 45 days)
I am suprised to hear they expect significantly less movement in and out. The roster is really not very strong. There are very few impact guys. A lot of very average P4 level players. And this roster lacks team speed. Ott and Jet can run. The defensive front 7 other than KEO is well below average in speed and quickness for their positions.
They need at least 2 OL and 2 Safeties and likely 2 OLB/edge guys. WR needs help. These positions must be addressed in the portal. I would like another CB as well.
Good points 6956,
Where I would differ a bit is the extent of our need at WR. Obviously we want to upgrade talent wherever we can and WR would be no exception. But I don't think WR is one of our top needs. We only lose Hightower and Monroe Young to graduation, and then J. Hunter could decide to test the NFL waters. I am very happy with Grizzell as one of our top 3 targets next year, and I think Taj Davis could step up and fill some of the void if J. Hunter leaves.
But we have a lot of promising WRs that didn't get a chance to contribute this year:
-Mason Starling leaps to mind as a guy I'm excited about if he can return from injury. --Mavin Anderson disappeared this year, but could be be a solid contributor if given more opportunity?
-Nyziah Hunter was a heralded recruit who has now had a year in the system.
-Dortch is a speedy receiver....couldn't he contribute, or was he a bust?
-Robinson, Plummer, and Mangum are 3 other guys in the program that might be able to move up and contribute.
It's possible that some of these guys didn't see the field because they aren't as good as the staff hoped. But more likely is that they just haven't gotten their chance yet because they're young and not as good as the WRs ahead of them.
There's a mix of speed and big receivers in that group. I would always want more speed if we can get it, but the cupboard is not looking bare. Now
Spav will want to bring in several WRs every year in perpetuity, just to keep the pipeline stocked. So I'm not saying our WR room will be the strength of the team....no, we should definitely look to upgrade.
But my point is that, to me, WR is not among our top 4 needs.
Position groups that are a higher priority for me are:
DB -- Need to replace McMorris and Nohl Williams -- those guys are important cogs. Woodie will be gone, too.
LB -- As you said, we need one or more edge guys that can pressure the QB. Reese graduates. We obviously lose Sirmon in the middle....maybe Uluave or Allen can be his replacement, but getting another couple solid rotation pieces (or starters) would be helpful.
OL -- I agree we should bring in 2 experienced O-linemen. I hope the Michigan State guy decides to come here.
DL -- We have a lot of depth here (we lose Long) but we could use more quickness. Signing one impact player would be better than adding a plethora of additional depth. Who knows what Brett Johnson will decide to do, but if he departs, this position group is a greater need than WR to me.
Special Teams - We need to figure out who can kick field goals for us. Maybe Luckhurst clears his head and becomes the guy, but if not, let's bring in a kicker. I don't think Bhagani has enough range to be the kicker on a team that has a thin margin for error. We will also probably need another punter...Wilson has been great -- we'll need someone to replace him (assuming he leaves).
QB -- I love Mendoza too, but we need a competent backup. I don't want our season to be destroyed if Mendoza gets injured. I'm in favor of Jackson staying, but that's mostly up to him. I suspect Finley departs too. So I think restocking the QB is a significant priority, even though we already have our starter.
WR - This is where I would put our WR needs. As I said above, we should add some guys every single year. But if by some chance we were going to add no new talent at a position, I'd rather stand pat with our WRs than our QB room (I am assuming we lose one or both of Sam and Finley). Thus, I would say QB is arguably a higher priority.
RB - I love our RB room and I'll still love it next year assuming no unexpected departures. I think Williams-Thomas, Cardwell, and Doerue will make up for the loss of Ifanse. So RB is our lowest need.
