Sorry I don't read every post from every member and I'm too old to remember what each on said.
I honestly do not think we know what we have at WR because of Bradford's injury in 2013. Before he went down he was in the top of the league TDs and was looking like a career year was sure to come. He seemed to be developing a good rapport with some of the guys and I expect those relationships to grow IF they can all stay healthy. Drafting a WR is just as iffy and can be more so than an OT, you just never know.
I don't see this team ever being a team that has a megatron kind of attitude when it comes to WR. This will be a run first team that throws the ball about 25-30 times a game. The TEs are going to get their share probably 7-10 targets a game. RB's maybe another 5 per game. That leaves about 15-20 throws a game to WR maybe 1 guy gets 5-7 targets a game, MAYBE. I don't see Watkins (presuming that is your choice) being as important to this team as the O line.
And that line from Les Snead is BS you have to replace injured personnel all the time. It happens guys get old and broken and can no longer perform.
Exactly.
Not sure if we are "set" at WR. But we shouldn't assume TE Cook can't do better with Bradford for a full season (which it is important to point out that he is more likely to do if we upgrade the OL with a blue chip, elite flexible LT/RT/guard skill set - not just in 2014, but for the next decade). That helps in the receiving weapons department.
Even WITHOUT Robinson, an upgrade which could elevate both the run and pass game (from guard initially, perhaps, RT or LT later), Bradford got off to a career best start. Which some expected. He had bad OL and WRs before, he didn't do great, surprise, surprise. As soon as we got a good LT (which Long might not be as long as we would like, given his recent tendency to get hurt) and upgraded receiving weapons like Austin and Cook (who did set franchise record for TEs, even without Bradford for half the season), he did better, again, surprise, surprise.
He had a 14/4 TD/INT ratio, which would have projected to 33 TDs. That was breaking in a new TE and rookie WR. Between drops and penalties, he easily could have had 18 TDs, which would have projected to about 40 TDs. Schotty used Austin criminally in the first half of the season. Once he mixed in more diverse routes and changed up his use out of the backfield, he broke out in the IND and CHI games with four 50+ yard TDs. Who does that? Only Hall of Famers Jim Brown and Gale Sayers. I don't get the dire gloom and doom vibe. How many passing TDs do we need to get? 50 TDs? 60 TDs?
* Some may be concerned that Robinson's pass pro is suspect, complicating his long-term LT projection (than draft Matthews if this is a big enough concern to STL). He has been graded as high as 1.2. That is despite the lack of an extensive pass pro body of work and film to go by. It is known, accounted for, and "priced in " as it were to his 1.2 overall grade. He has rare size, strength, agility and athleticism for a big man. With reps and experience, scouts think he has the feet to push speed rushers outside, and the power to defeat inside counters from power rushers. His upside is as big as any prospect in the draft besides Clowney.
Watkins has great upside, too. But if we get him and not OL, doesn't do much to decrease the chance Bradford could get injured. And than Watkins is rendered moot.
Adding Robinson (probably more so Matthews, accomplished pass pro chops), does do a lot to protect Bradford better, and therefore decrease the chance Bradford gets injured. That increases the chance we have Bradford (not just in 2014, but in the future) to use the receiving weapons we already have better and better. With reps and experience, not a stretch to think Cook and rookie Austin could do even better as they gain chemistry, timing and rapport with Bradford?
