Slowik answered the motion question. "We're different offenses" is a nice way to say what he did say in the next line which translates to, "We have a 3rd string line, MF'er." I counted 8 of Stroud completions using pre snap movement and a couple on the running plays, more than game 1 and 2 for sure. 49ers use a bunch of pre snap movement. Dolphins over do it, 80%. Ha.
I don't get why we would trade for a receiver. Our receivers are doing fine. Collins and Dell could be our 1 and 2 for years. We just need to get our offensive lineman back and have some sort of a run game.
If WA was number 1 on their board, then that means the trade was actually to get Stroud. As many were speculating, Stroud could have been taken first to manipulate the trade market. Through that lens, the trade is at least equally about how Stroud performs and whether it’s worth it to use assets to grab your QB of the future when you have the chance.
So just to clarify what we are setting up for, if Will Anderson is elite and worth the trade up, then actually he was the first choice all along and it’s technically Stroud we traded for. If Stroud is elite, then we have to look at WA to make sure the trade was worth it? So basically both picks have to be elite for the trade to be worth it at all? Well good thing they both look good so far.
I agree, but sometimes it's about opportunity. While WR looks better than we might have imagined (I'm a big Dell fan and love how Nico had been playing) if we can add another weapon at a reasonable price, I'd be for it. As for OL, I would have signed Dalton Risner and would be checking out L. Collins right now.
I'm not. The Texans traded the 12th & 33rd picks in this past draft. Given 3 QBs went top 5, the 12th pick would've netted the Texans a top-10 non-QB prospect & the 33rd pick would've netted them a top 30 non-QB prospect (or more picks, since the pick was eventually traded to Tennessee). So that's two top 30 prospects. Yes, I'm speculating on where next year's picks will land - but 5-10 actually represents improvement over picking 2nd overall. And, again, because we know QBs are going to go early, even if the pick is middle of the first round, they still would've had a shot at a ~top-15 non-QB prospect. The top 80 pick is actually pretty conservative. If they pick.... 15th, that third round pick would be #79, and, again, it's removing QBs from their draft pool. So, yeah - this is just reality. They absolutely gave up a top 10 & a top 30 prospect. And likely a top 10-15 and top 75-80 prospect, as well. Those future picks are less tangible, obviously - but next April... I think you're going to feel the effects. And with Green looking like a bust and Stingley unable to stay healthy - one of his red flags as a prospect - it's looking like Caserio is going to turn six premium first round picks into CJ Stroud, Will Anderson + R124 draftee. That's atrocious.
I feel like draft prospects are hyperbolic. Just like draft position. Saying you gave up a top 10, top 15, and top 30 for one guy is disingenuous. Think of what ppl are going to offer to move up for one of those QBs next year. And this wasn’t for some random top 5 prospect. This was for the near-consensus best player in the entire draft. Not to mention Caserio failing with all his first round picks, I’m good with him giving them up for more of a sure thing. Let’s just wait and see how this year goes and what the draft actually looks like next year before we call it a loss. Also, as much as I don’t like Caserio, he’s not the only one making these trades… panthers gave up 2 firsts and DJ Moore for Bryce. 49ers gave up 3 firsts for Trey Lance.. I would say Will Anderson is looking like the best trade of the bunch. but I still don’t trust caserio. I just don’t hate him for this particular move.
It's not, though. All of these guys are unknown prospects, including Will Anderson. But it sweeps aside what is my central objection to the trade: the Texans needed/need a large-scale infusion of talent - and Caserio gave away ample resources to acquire that talent. Their plan should've been to acquire picks - not trade them - and flood the roster with prospects. He's too often done the opposite and it's just a poor allocation of his assets. This is a strange take on two fronts: if Caserio is bad at judging prospects... why do you trust he got Will Anderson right? You can't pick-and-choose when he's good/bad at evaluating prospects. It should alarm you that the guy who picked Stingley over Gardner likes Anderson that much. But, also: if we accept this idea that Caserio drafting is a liability.... WHY IS HE STILL HERE???? The bar Will Anderson has to get over for this trade not to be a loss is extremely high. Someone mentioned Clowney - who's had a very nice career. If he's Clowney 2.0 - which, again, means he's very productive - the trade is a disaster. Like, Will Anderson has to be "best pass rusher in the NFL"-level good for this trade to start making sense. Both of those examples are teams swinging for QBs, the far and away most important position on the field. Having said that, the Panthers are a terrible organization so I'm not sure why bringing them up in any way validates the Texans. The 49ers are not terrible - but they were also a year removed from playing in the SB when they swung for Lance - that's when you make a big move. Not when you're coming off an 11-38 three-year stretch and your roster is bereft of any top-line talent.
I agree with so much of this post but felt the need to amplify your point on this one thing: The 49ers are a great organization that was full of talent but was weak at QB, the most important spot. Because they have so much talent and feel confident in their ability to find prospects and coach them up, they (rightly) felt empowered to swing for the fences with a loaded roster and give up draft capital on a lottery ticket. Even though they were wrong about Lance, their belief was right. They are still a superbowl contender and that trade hasn't set them back despite it being totally worthless. If I'm a 49ers fan I don't regret that trade at all. Yeah it sucked, but your org is so good that they were able to swing like that and it not matter that they got it wrong because they get it right so much that the roster is still stacked. Time will tell if Caserio (or next GM) is able to build a stacked roster, but so far the answer is no. I'm skeptical because it's hard to do that if you aren't regularly producing a high number of average or better players in your draft class that can start for you. The 49ers are a great org that can swing at big FAs and big trades largely because they keep hitting on talent over and over in the draft that replaces guys they don't want to pay. The Texans are paying their offensive line a ton of money and even if they were healthy they would be average.
Thanks, and while I mostly agree with this, too - the 49ers finding their highly-competent starting QB at the end of the draft has helped ease the sting considerably. Without Purdy, they're investing even more capital in a Jimmy Garapollo or... It's even harder when you're trading away picks, too. I keep think about Jeff Luhnow - no, it's not apples to apples - but the first thing he did here was flood the minors with prospects; the more the merrier because it was low-cost/zero risk and the potential reward was significant, not only in potentially find a hidden gem (Marwin Gonzalez was one) - but in procuring enough talent to eventually deal for Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole. The Texans should have taken the same approach. Instead, Caserio wasted picks drafting Mills and trading for Collins, Metchie, Anderson.... He has not handled the draft well at all, IMO.
I mean there are a lot of posters that claim Stroud is actually who we traded up for. So I guess that’s swinging for a QB? and I don’t care about Caserio’s evaluation of Will Anderson. Demeco loves him. So I trust Demeco with pick 1.3 over caserio with picks 1.12, 2.33, and 1.top 10… again, I agree that caserio should be done. I don’t trust him, but I think he won the Watson trade, and I would rather have Will Anderson rather than : Stingley/Green/Blacklock. Which is probably who Caserio would have gotten with the other picks. we also just inherently disagree on the values. You want to say a top 10, top 30, and top 10. Which is fine. But I think a consensus top 1 who is the best DE in the last 2 years as well as this current year of college. That’s 3 straight drafts he would be the top DE off the board. I agree he needs to be great to make it worth it. But to call it a stupid trade already is just focusing on numbers and not football. but we’ll see how this year ends and who all was available. In the mean time. Who would you have picked at 12 and 33 just to compare and add to the list with the first rounder next year. And I’m saying 12 and 33, not moving up to 9 or anything like that. Cuz that’s just too convoluted. Even though you have an extra 3 games to evaluate your picks, I still want to see who it would be.
I know all the machinations. They drafted Stroud 2nd and had to give up a lot to draft Anderson 3rd. There's no "well, actually"ing allowed here, lol. Again, you're cherry-picking - why don't you love DeMeco getting a crack at 3 top-whatever prospects? Once it became abundantly clear the allegations against him were not going to be an issue.... a monkey could've won a trade involving a 25-year old franchise QB. But, yes - Caserio did well... and then promptly did less well by trading too many of the picks he acquired. And yes, if we pick the absolute worst case scenario, Anderson looks good. Replace Stingley with Sauce; Green with... literally almost anyone but let's go Kyle Hamilton; and Blalock with Breece Hall. Still fired up about the deal? As you asked, let's ground this more in our reality: would you trade Jahmyr Gibbs, Sam LaPorte &.... let's say.... the 1st/2nd best WR in the '24 class + a top 100 prospect for Anderson*? Think about what is the single most crucial thing they must do in 2023 - develop Stroud - and look at what they could've had... I LOVE Will Anderson. I'm thrilled they have him. But they drastically, irresponsibly overpaid for him. I'll never be convinced otherwise. Maybe it all works out. I hope it does. But I'll never be ok with the compensation. * - I'm not suggesting that's how they should've used the picks - it's just in-line with players picked in those spots.
I definitely understand the point you are making and your view, I think we just differ on opinions for this one. For the “well actually” part, I was just mentioning the manipulation of what the trade would cost by getting stroud at #2 instead of #3. But I get your point. And when you say why not let Demeco get a crack at all those picks, I really think he did, he wanted Will Anderson that bad. as for the trade? Yes I would do gibbs, laporta, top 2 WR and a top 100 prospect for Will Anderson. But that is me taking the picks you sent. If you want to name 2 others that were available for #12 and #33 let me know. Next year there is almost zero DLine prospects and it’s the deepest class of WR maybe ever. I just think we can get similar RB, TE, WR talent but not similar DE talent. I think in the end, you are against the trade and I’m in the wait and see stage. I know, it’s a boring stage for limp conviction, but I really have no idea what any of this is going to look like. So much changed from February-April last year, who knows what happens next year. I’m a bird in the hand guy, and as of right now, I take WA in the hand. I guess we could have taken WA at #2 and waited on a QB. But it would also be tough watching Stroud do all this while we tanked again. But I guess we’ll see.
I guess if they’re average, maybe go with the 2nd/3rd stringers who put up 30 points with no sacks or QB hits?
The Texans need to scout the Washington Huskies line. Their QB has only been sacked 6 times in 2 seasons.
