Luke Kuechly

[Sorter]

Originally Posted by Mecca

Kuechly is going to be attached to us because his attitude etc etc speak Patriot way, Pioli and all that. Oddly his athletic numbers are right there with Mayo's his draft year...

Mayo played in a 3-4 and plays DJ's position. Normally I would agree and think that Pioli was drafting Kuechly as a form of insurance for DJ, but with Brockers likely available, I doubt it. Kuechly would be great if DJ goes down with an injury or we decide to "groom him". Yes, he won't be an immediate starter/upgrade over Belcher but if DJ goes down, there is nobody to replace him. If we end up drafting Kuechly, that is Pioli's thinking IMO.

[Mecca]

Originally Posted by Sorter

Mayo played in a 3-4 and plays DJ's position. Normally I would agree and think that Pioli was drafting Kuechly as a form of insurance for DJ, but with Brockers likely available, I doubt it. Kuechly would be great if DJ goes down with an injury or we decide to "groom him". Yes, he won't be an immediate starter/upgrade over Belcher but if DJ goes down, there is nobody to replace him. If we end up drafting Kuechly, that is Pioli's thinking IMO.

If we had a NT Kuechly could play with DJ...I think they're gonna take Brockers but the fact that taking a 5 tech in the first round again is ok speaks to what this front office has done to the fan base.

[Sorter]

Originally Posted by Mecca

If we had a NT Kuechly could play with DJ...I think they're gonna take Brockers but the fact that taking a 5 tech in the first round again is ok speaks to what this front office has done to the fan base.

To be fair, Pioli has only drafted 3 5-techs, and Magee is gone. There are plenty of teams that take 5-techs in the first round each year, I don't have a problem with that. However, the fact that we've drafted a #3, a 3rd, another 3rd, and now a 1st either seems like our scouting staff is a bunch of ****ing idiots, or its an extreme position of need. I think it falls in-between. If we draft 2 DEs for a 3-4 this year, or another next year, then there is reason for concern. I agree with the NT idea, as an above avg NT makes your entire 3-4 better, especially if you somehow get lucky enough to draft one that can push the pocket ala Wilfork.