The Big Prototypical #1 WR

If Pete swings for the fence at WR he would prob. go after a pure speed / athletic type. We would prob. wind up with a John Ross type guy that produces 210 yards in receptions over 2 years at the #9 overall pick. No thanks, find another Golden Tate type that can also return kicks.

2 birds, 1 stone, I like it. Not sure about WR kick returners, but a player that could fit in on the team as a Rd-7 or UDFA and have some potential to replace RB-Davis (if he leaves) & take over kick-off duties from Lockett is:

--RB/KR-Tony Pollard, Memphis, 5-11/210, est. 4.45/40, lightly used, good at running/receiving & kick returning.
2018, 14-games, 78/552/7.1-ypc/6-TD's rushing, 39/458/3-TD's receiving, + Kickoff returns 27/667/24.7-yd avg, 1-TD. (For: Career = 7 return TD's, His **** 4 kickoff return TD's in 2017 was #1 in NCAA, all-time.)

A nice profile of WR-Jalen Hurd, 6-4/228, detailing his versatility +
https://www.thehuddlereport.com/blog/?p=507
:smilingalien:

I somewhat disagree. You just need a really really good #2 receiver

I don’t think we need a big bodied number 1 star. When I look at all the really good offenses around the league, a lot of them just have a bunch of #2 or borderline number 1 guys. The Chargers, Rams, and Chiefs are great examples of this. The Saints are an exception with Thomas

So imo we don’t need a Hopkins, Brown, Thomas, etc. You can get a really good receiver in the second round. Quite frankly, the one thing I would never want for Russ is for him to get lazy and lock in on that number one guy. Even Brady got guilty of that with Moss but that well eventually dried up. Get a Thielen, Diggs, Marvin Jones type that can run crisp routes and compliment Baldwin and Lockett well. Defenses would have to pick their poison along with our running game. That, and a good tight end would do the trick. Eifert is injury prone but should be on the market

DJrmb":31w7vq0f said:

My opinion: Because it's not a high priority for good teams. How many of Tom Brady's 5 SB's did he need a big prototypical WR for? How many SB's has Julio Jones won? Larry Fitzgerald? Calvin Johnson? Those are probably the top 3 WR's over the past decade or so and none of them have a title. To me chasing a #1 WR is a mistake. Not to say a good WR doesn't make a team better, but it's a luxury, not a necessity.

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The main issue with the Tom Brady comparison is the Bill Belicheck factor. He knows what players will fit his scheme. His players always play way above their heads and are extremely disciplined.

Watching that Chargers game was mind blowing. The Chargers are the most talented team top to bottom and the Patriots destroyed them. That’s all coaching. We can’t expect to replicate that

DJrmb":2h4g09zk said:

My opinion: Because it's not a high priority for good teams. How many of Tom Brady's 5 SB's did he need a big prototypical WR for? How many SB's has Julio Jones won? Larry Fitzgerald? Calvin Johnson? Those are probably the top 3 WR's over the past decade or so and none of them have a title. To me chasing a #1 WR is a mistake. Not to say a good WR doesn't make a team better, but it's a luxury, not a necessity.

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The Hawks and Patriots are very similar in their personnel decisions, they both have systems and schemes that they believe in, and have no problem drafting, trading for and acquiring in free agency value players that they can mold into what that position needs.

Look anywhere on our roster since Pete got here, and it's a bunch of raw talent that Pete and his coaches molded into great players. In fact IMO it's probably the biggest trait of the great teams from the average to bad teams. Any team can stink for a decade and collect 1st round elite talent, the teams that sustain success are the teams that can mold, teach and develop where other's failed.

Flanker is no different, it's just not high up the priority list to spend high picks on, or spend money on in free agency.

We have not had the best track record for drafting WR's. For example in 2014 one of the better WR drafts I can remember we missed our chance to grab a keeper.

#45 we drafted Paul Richardson and at #123 Kevin Norwood

#53 Devante Adams
#61 Allen Robinson
#63 Jarvis Landry
#90 Donte Moncrief
#118 Martavis Bryant

Not to mention we traded down from #32 passing up #39 Marquees Lee and #42 Jordan Matthews.

True, but most teams passed on those same guys too. Not just the Hawks.

Another thing about big leaping receivers is that what goes up must come down. And, most big receivers come down hard on ankles and knees and such. Most never quite master how to deal with a fast approaching field coming up to smack and damage them. The very effective (when healthy) Sidney Rice, who wasn't among the heaviest of tall receivers, had surgeries on both knees and both shoulders before making the wise decision to retire.

Learning how to become productive while maintaining health is the goal for all players regardless of size or shape.

A lot of the big guys who can retain speed and hands aren't exactly unicorns, but there's usually only a couple of that type of blue chip WR per draft. Hawks have always had bigger needs, and when they do pick a WR in the first few rounds they seem to be the super fast athletic types. Tate, Richardson, Lockett, etc. I'm sure I'm forgetting a big body guy we've taken by the 3rd round, but Pete seems to go to the bargain bin when it comes to the big WR type.

Drafting a WR high would be stupidity while we are a run-first offense that doesn't scheme WR routes very well, IMO.

I don't even want to see us go after one; it'll be a waste in our system, just like Jimmy Graham was.

Least we forget, Amara Darboh with strong hands at 6'-2" and 215 lbs is still under contract. The Patriots tried to claim him while injured only to see him revert back to Seattle's injured reserve. His cause could be greatly aided by seeking out and building some chemistry with Russell Wilson during the off season.

We'll see.

Darboh's a waste of time. We need to stop asking Russ to work with raw projects. He deserves more than that at his stage of his career

Jimmy Graham was clearly washed. We blamed Bevell and Russ but he didn't work in Green Bay either. He actually performed better with Russ than Rodgers. He can be solid in the red zone

I'm perfectly okay with going after one in the draft because it would improve our run offense. We need more play action balance on offense anyway, we can be more explosive that way

John63":1n5exm52 said:

Aros":1n5exm52 said:

One thing I think we can all agree on is that for some reason, that prototypical 6 foot 4/5/6" primary target who runs like the wind with soft hands has eluded us. We flirted with success through the years but in short bursts (Joe Jurevicius comes to mind) but we can never seem to find that tall, talented #1 type WR. Why has it been so hard to find that player when many other teams seem to have found theirs through the draft?

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To be honest I don't think they feel they need it, when was the last time we drafted a big WR? When was the last time we picked one up in FA that was beyond a mid-level player? Joe was mid-level. When it comes down to it there are things they value and things they don't.

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Brandon Marshall.........................


Amara Darboh not 6"4 but suppose to elevate well.

Excited to get 6’4 Will Dissly Back at TE which might be as close as we get to a big body receiver in this type of offense

IMHO: The main reason Graham didn't shine here was RW's weakness in throwing a fade pass....YMMV.

LymonHawk":2g6kiqoq said:

IMHO: The main reason Graham didn't shine here was RW's weakness in throwing a fade pass....YMMV.

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I thought it was because they had him playing TE instead of a spread WR like N.O.

LymonHawk":3qsm7e09 said:

IMHO: The main reason Graham didn't shine here was RW's weakness in throwing a fade pass....YMMV.

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Lol

Yea let’s ignore his production in Green Bay and instead explain it away with RW narratives

It's pretty cold outside this morning. Thanks a lot Russ.

LymonHawk":2s3kgrha said:

IMHO: The main reason Graham didn't shine here was RW's weakness in throwing a fade pass....YMMV.

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Why didn't Graham shine any better in Green Bay then? :roll:

One of the first signings Pete tried to make when he got here was Brandon Marshall. Remember they flew him in on the Sea Plane and it was a big deal? So it's not that Pete hasn't wanted the big, prototypical WR, it is just that it has never worked out. Sidney Rice is definitely the closest thing and he fit in great in this Offense. It's too bad he got hurt and retired early.