Potential 3T's and their Combine Results so far

[TBro]

-Da'Ron Payne's 4.95 40 was impressive. He was a little weaker on the bench at 27, but I think he definitely put himself in the 10-20 range. 
-Taven Bryan was similar running a 4.98 40 and putting up 30 reps. 
-Vea running a 5.11 40 is ridiculous at his size and weight. I don't think he makes it past 15. 
-Harrison Phillips strength really impressed me. He put up 42 reps to lead all lineman. A little bit slower in the 40 at 5.21 but he had nice sack
numbers(7.5) at Stanford last year for an interior lineman. 

If all of the 1st round caliber O Lineman are gone by 30 which is a real possibility, I would not be disappointed if we picked Bryan or Phillips, or the best edge rusher available if Key or Hubbard are graded out as better prospects. 

[Guest]

Not a super impressive field without the kid from Clemson...

[Guest]

Payne's and Vea's times are shocking.  I did not think they would be anywhere near that fast.

Any of these guys would be good picks but 3 of them should be long gone by 30.

[Guest]

Harrison Phillips is a monster. But I think drafting a 3T here is misguided. We drafted Jaleel Johnson at the top of the 4th round last year, and by most accounts, he looked pretty good. 

So you'd have a 2nd year 4th rounder competing with a rookie late 1st rounder. I'd say that's a wash. You may or may not get impact above what you had with Tom Johnson. And this is a position where a big impact would get huge results. 

I bring in a free agent "bridge" here and let JJ keep cooking and gaining experience in rotation. Sheldon Richardson is the prize, but there are others.

[Guest]

Not one of these guys was as good at rushing the QB as they were against the run. So now you're projecting development.

But that same thing is the case with Johnson, as Maroon pointed out. If you pick one high you're basically just increasing the odds of one developing.

At the same time there is virtually guaranteed to be an instant contributor sitting there at #30. Be it RT,.OG, TE, situational DE to spell Griff/Hunter, CB.

But I'm also not sold on either former Jets DTs. Richardson & Wilkerson both play better when a contract is at stake.

And what exactly did Sheldon do in Seattle this year? I didn't see any kind of career year out of their DEs. Granted, older Defense than Minnesota's, but he didn't exactly have some kind of huge impact.

Signing him could easily become a waste of cap space. And he's had serious off field issues.

Honestly, I don't think the 3T gets solved this year. Let JJ start with TJ playing on obvious passing downs. Get BRob more looks inside. More obvious passing downs snaps for Linval as Zimmer's mentioned. Grab another edge rusher in the second or third.

There's a bevy of solutions to get more production from that spot besides using the first pick on someone who may develop pass rushing skills or signing a guy with a chance of not producing for big money.

[Guest]

There is a decent chance the Dolphins cut Suh. He is still very productive, but I suspect he will always go to the highest bidder. A mercenary DT. But what if we had these mutually exclusive options:
1. Cousins;
2. Case and Suh;
3. Sam and Teddy and Suh.

[Guest]

How about Da'Shawn Hand at the end of the 2nd?  He has motivation concerns, but all the talent in the world - if he hits, he's a potential star, not just another guy. IMO that's the kind of prospect you hope your top defensive coaching staff can turn on the light.

[Guest]

@MaroonBells said:
Harrison Phillips is a monster. But I think drafting a 3T here is misguided. We drafted Jaleel Johnson at the top of the 4th round last year, and by most accounts, he looked pretty good. 

So you'd have a 2nd year 4th rounder competing with a rookie late 1st rounder. I'd say that's a wash. You may or may not get impact above what you had with Tom Johnson. And this is a position where a big impact would get huge results. 

I bring in a free agent "bridge" here and let JJ keep cooking and gaining experience in rotation. Sheldon Richardson is the prize, but there are others.

MB, I like JJ, but he hardly earned any playing time. Even at the end of the year when our line looked tired Zimmer hardly played him. I'm not a big fan of Richardson either as a high priced FA. If Bryan or Phillip's can make an impact, we need to consider drafting one of them unless someone unexpected like Billy Price falls to us with his Pec injury. I'm not convinced we have a 3T solution on the roster.