When has Jabbar Gaffney gotten over 1400 yards and 11 TDs in a season? Gaffney was on the same Broncos team as Lloyd the year that Lloyd put up those stats and Gaffney got 875 yards and 2 TDs. Lloyd is a proven legitimate #1 WR in McDaniels' system while Gaffney isn't.
I also disagree with your premise of the needs. Yes, a big physical guy might have a better shot against Revis, but the Pats can do just fine with a legitimate #1 WR who requires the top CB of any team to shadow even if they effective against them. If Revis is shadowing Lloyd all game, that will leave mismatches for Welker, Gronk, and Hernandez. What hurt the Pats this year at times is that they did not have a legitimate outside threat and opposing teams could put their best CBs on Welker or Hernandez or Gronk.
If you are looking for a big physical WR, than neither Lloyd nor Wallace fit the bill. You need to look at Vincent Jackson. Steve Johnson, or Dwayne Bowe (if they don't get franchised). A big, physical WR would be nice to have, but I don't think it is crucial to significantly help this receiving corp. Adding a legitimate #1 WR threat of any kind will only give Welker, Gronk, and Hernandez (and even whoever the #3 WR is) more opportunities to make plays.
Cousin, I will throw you a curve ball. Coby Fleener from Stanford. A 6'6" and 256lbs , he is a former B Ball player with ups and soft hands who will run about a 4.6ish 40. I have watched tape on him. He can go deep. He gets separation. He has has some blocking skills on the line. I am trying to understand why the Pats would opt for Randle, Sanu, Hill, Toon or Quick when their times are about the same and Fleener does more. I picture Gronk and Fleener as dual TE's and Hernandez on the wing with Welker slotted. OK Revis et.al stop this! You Fave to consider the run with two TE's in and both run excellent patterns. Pleener also is invaluable for games like when we lost Hernadez for a while and SB 46 with Gronk.
There is your big WR who has what BB wants.......versatility as a TE too.
Obviously if Blackmon, Floyd, Wright and I will include Jeffries because he is the best hands catcher in the Draft, best leaper and will fight for the ball more than the other top three plus with all the "Hernadezisms" and "Spikeseze" being cast at him as fat and slow, he could slide our way late in round one. He played with terrible quarterbacks at Carolina but yet under a valid guru of the passing game in Spurrier, so his upside has not been scratched but I am sure he has been schooled correctly. He has no off the field stuff and I don't know what the talking heads are watching but the man can separate unless you triple Team him which happened.
At the end of the day If you can get a Reggie Wayne who I have more trust in than Lloyd and who has been with an intricate system, take Fleener as your jackknife and opt for a Broyles to slowly work back from a knee and you can get him perhaps in round three and even red shirt him.
Now here is my other 2 cents!. Now use your picks on Defense and perhaps a Center like the kid from Baylor Phillip Blake you can get in round four.Trumaine Johnson at 6'2" and rated as perhaps the best cover CB in end of round two and target Cards S Adrian Wilson who will more than have to be released from the Cards as a $6.5m CAP casualty or hit FA for a Griffith or Branch in the Safety market (I question another rookie S in this Defense) and you are reasonably upgraded.
Like to see:
OLB Curry-1
DE Crick-1 (toip fifteen pick if not for now recover pec injury)
TE/WR/HB
Fleener-2
CB Johnson-2
WR Broyles-3 (red shirt?)
C Blake-4
Cheaper BB Value FAs he is fond of-
Pick up FA S Wilson when he is released. He was rated the second best coverage Safety in the NFL last year but is 33 (Think a bigger Rodney for a couple years left)
Sign Wayne as a FA (better option than Branch or Ocho and Cheaper than Lloyd who is only two years younger)
Sign FA DE/DT Adam Carriker who has played well, had 5.5 sacks on a weak Redskins D last year and had more tackles than our interior D lineman combined other than Wifork who is still young and can be inexpensive. Very much like Mike Wright who BB loved.
Now my steal of a cheap FA WR who is way under the radar and your deep threat.
Raiders FA Chaz Schilens stands an imposing 6'4" and weighs 225 pounds. He ran his 40 in 4.38 seconds and had 43'' vertical leap. And he still has an amazing set of hands, something that followed him from his days in San Diego State. Since 2008 he has battled injuries but is now healthy. He has NFL experience and is still young.
Turn over the other two WRs. It was a good run but Branch is less visible every game and has not done a thing to be resigned. Cut Ocho. Not all his fault in the end. He was open. TB would not throw to him and BOB would not target him. A waste. Let's just cut him. He was the best blocking WR we had and kept a low profile. I blame TB and BOB as much as Ocho. Underwood? Nyet. Let's keep Slater on ST and Edelman can still back up at many positions including WR.
I say Koppen goes as his health is in the decline as he ages and as much as I like Law Firm, it's the CAP space to resign him and it may be Ridley's time. Same with Faulk, I want Light and Waters back and we then have some serious O-Line depth. Ellis, Guyton, Jones and Cunningham are not my cup of tea. They under perform. They go. Ihedigbo played out of necessity and was "Sanders like" toward the end of the year as in weak on cover but respectable as a player (but he was about 1/3 rd the cost) . Sergio Brown is not the answer for sure and are Barrett and Dowling ever going to be healthy?
Even if the Pats switch back to 3-4 you should still sign Carter and Anderson because like Nick C said, they still don't play a straight 4-3 or 3-4. Carter was great for the Team as a vet presence guy and Anderson picked up the slack and is still young.
OK I said my piece but Fleener is the sleeper pick that trumps Lloyd, Colson, Meachem or Jackson in my opinion. Wallace would be nice but I think Pitt keeps him somehow. They will cheat the system to allow him to stay...watch!
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