NFL Draft Debate: Quality vs. Quantity

[michael89156]

NFL Draft Debate: Quality vs. Quantity

Posted on April 18, 2012 7:38 am by The Commish




By: Justin Pawlowski
 
It was Saturday April 28th, 2007 as I sat on stage at Raymond James Stadium set to host “The Buccaneers Official Draft Day Show.”  The rumors were already flying around that the Buccaneers might be interested in making a major trade to move up and grab one of the elite players in that draft, so the debate was on.
 
The Buccaneers sat with the 4th overall pick in the 1st round and two 2nd round selections.  For a team that needed some youth, extra draft picks appeared to be very good to have.  At the time, the Bucs were getting very old and needed multiple splash players on both sides of the ball.
 
Jon Gruden was still the head coach of the Buccaneers in 2007.  He had invested high draft choices in offensive players for the few years leading up to the draft in 2007, so many made the assumption that the Bucs would allow defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin to make some selections to help his aging group.
 
Once again, the rumors were flying and apparently true, that the Buccaneers were considering trading their 1st round and both 2nd round picks to the Detroit Lions to move up just two slots to select Georgia Tech WR Calvin Johnson.  Some fans agreed with this move, but most fans did not.  The fans leading up to the draft and at the draft day party wanted quantity over quality.  The Buccaneers hesitated in pulling the trigger on the trade and stuck with their original selections.
 
Instead of the trade up for Calvin Johnson, who has become one of the most feared players in the NFL, the Buccaneers selected Gaines Adams with the 4th pick, Arron Sears early in round 2, and Sabby Piscitelli with the final pick of the 2nd round.  Adams passed away suddenly a few years ago after struggling early on in his career, Sears is out of football, and Piscitelli is a backup for the Kansas City Chiefs.
 
Fast-forward to 2012 and the Buccaneers now sit with the 5th overall selection in the NFL draft.  According to many analysts, there are 5 elite prospects in this draft; Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, Trent Richardson, Morris Claiborne, and Matt Kalil.  Sitting at the 5th pick, the Buccaneers are guaranteed at least one of these elite prospects to be available to them.  With that said, fans are still clamoring for them to trade down.
 
There are examples that support and argue every debate, but for a team like the Buccaneers that needs star-power in the worst way, does it make sense to trade down for the sake of just trading down?  Will an extra 2nd or 3rd round pick make the Buccaneers a success sooner than just getting one of the elite prospects in the draft?
 
Of course, if a team offers a package of picks that include extra picks this year and the addition of at least a 1st round pick next year, any team would have to listen, but to trade down just to gain an additional mid round selection and miss out on an elite prospect does not make much sense in my eyes.
 
There is also the thought of a trade down that includes a player.

[alldaway]

Extra picks don't improve a teams chance to draft legit players. Sometimes just drafting based what is on the board is the most prudent thing to do instead of being cute by trading up or down.

[The Anti-Java]

Extra picks don't improve a teams chance to draft legit players. Sometimes just drafting based what is on the board is the most prudent thing to do instead of being cute by trading up or down.

Agree.   And as the article mentions, there are 5 elite players in the draft and you have the #5 pick, who would you bail?