What about Stephenson he did pretty good as a rookie filling in for Albert could he be the next LT? And yes we need another C/OG as a backup if not for any other reason but they can be picked up on the third day of draft or FA.
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What about Stephenson he did pretty good as a rookie filling in for Albert could he be the next LT? And yes we need another C/OG as a backup if not for any other reason but they can be picked up on the third day of draft or FA.
picking an LT #1 then moving albert seems like a waste of money and the #1 pick. albert has to my surprise turned into an elite LT, he does not dominate but he gets the job done in pass protection. our nee would now be at guard. none worthy of a #1 and should be some available in rounds #2 & #3. now w/joeckel available might be possible to trade down a few spots and pick up an extra pick we can use for the O line. we also need a stud CB, MLBor ILB, and S. of course this is all after QB. Stephenson has played very well indeed against some of the leagues best and could be insurance aginst an albert hold out or overpaying. there should be alot of value in this draft for us, it just has to be handled correctly. we will see how the new regime does on draft day. no big deal if we don't take a QB in round #1 there is equaly good talent in #2. the differene from geno to barkley to tyler to landry is about the same as dalton to ponder. not much!!!
The only thing that I am worried about Albert is his back he missed a few games this year because of it, how many will he miss with a big fat contract? But we have Stephenson who did a good job of filling in as a rookie for him, is he a good replacement for Albert that is already on the team?
Not sure how Albert will feel about that since he was getting talked up as a potential pro bowl,candidate and one of the top 5 LTs this season. Only way he would even consider signing if we drafted a LT would be to make him one of the highest paid guards in the NFL, even though he hasn't ever played guard in the NFL. Albert is fine, focus on interior line and all that her positions that are lacking.
If I had to guess, I believe that Stephenson will show the new regime enough that they won't take a LT at #1, but they also won't put a franchise tag on Albert or pay him top 3 LT money like he may want ( to me, he isn't even a top 3 LT in the AFC West, let alone the NFL ).
It's going to be interesting, for sure.
top centers are barret jones who had a monster day for alabama and travis frederick from wisconson.....jones is projected late 1st to early 2nd round, fredrick is mid to late 2nd . if we do pick a starting center hudson can move back to guard to replace lilja.
of course we can grab warmrack from alabama their guard who also had a dominant day. expected to go from top 5 to 10...he should be a plug-n-play guy, or copper from nc mid to late first round if he fell to us.