Actually not to get off track, I really like Landry as a player and Hines Ward was always one of my favorite non-Dolphin players for the way he approached the game and the way he always had a smile on his face after every play, no matter what happened. (Not that Landry will ever be Hines Ward).
My reaction to this draft was mixed because I thought we would draft by the BPA approach in a way that added other dimensions to this team.
I was all for adding a WR but I was hoping for one that added something different to the offense. As in a red zone target or a player with run after catch ability. Something I feel we are lacking.
Instead we spent a high pick on a very tough 4.5 speed, possession type WR who can make the tough catch. He's basically a shorter (3"
version of Brian Hartline or a clone of Brandon Gibson. That's great if you are pre-planning salary cap moves for the future but it doesn't really offer much this year in terms of added dimensions or TD's.
Instead Hickey seemed to fall in love with certain players and never considered BPA. By his own admission, he targeted certain players.
I like JJ as well but you kind of paint yourself in a corner when you fall in love with one player.
I also thought we would add a running back that would offer another dimension in the running game. Maybe someone to compliment Moreno....a bruiser who could be a short yardage guy to take over Daniel Thomas' role (that never developed). We passed and it didn't happen.
We have a "supposed" starting RT. That's great. It was a huge need but you almost set yourself up to have to take one because you knew there was a shortage of starting caliber RT's around pick 19 in the draft and you decided not to go after a FA right tackle when it probably would have been easier to find guards in the draft.
We added a blocking TE but he has 56 career receptions over 4 years in college. Not really a pass catcher. Isn't that what Dion Sims was coming out of college? They had almost identical numbers in college. So we get rid of Fasano one year and now are trying to draft Anthony Fasano?
Hopefully Walt Aikens can offer some versatility as a safety if he doesn't work out as a CB. It's where he started when he went to Illinois but is he really going to fight for a starting role against Finnegan or Taylor. His college competition was schools like Catawba College and the University of Charleston. Not many future NFL Wr's in that bunch.
I guess I was hoping for the type of draft that Tampa Bay just had. They already had 6'5 Vincent Jackson and Doug Martin but still added 6'5 Mike Evans, 6'5 Austin Sefarin-Jenkins and a pass catching, play making RB, Charles Sims.
I know they had higher picks but that is what I call putting points on the board.
Will Ja'Wuan James pay bigger dividends THAN a player like Brandin Cooks, HaHA Dix, Kelvin Benjamin or Darqueze Dennard?
Jarvis Landry over Davante Adams, Bishop Sankey, Cody Lattimer or Carlos Hyde?
Billy Turner over Charles Sims, Marcus Martin, Chris Borland or Donte Moncrief?
Only time will tell.