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What are Our Options?

By Matt M (GGM)

With almost 2 months until free agency starts, it might be nice to get a good picture of what our options are going forward. We have a lot of needs going into the 2012 season. That seems to be a trend, hmmm. There are 3 ways to fill these needs, free agency, draft, or trade. I will only focus on the first two in this thread.

In free agency, there are two routs we could take. We can take the cheaper rout, and look for inexpensive gems, in the hopes that they shine with us. Then there are the stars of the NFL. These guys demand the big pay checks that go along with their big play. It's unrealistic to think we can get anymore than one star in any given off season. I will give you 3 of the top free agent, prospects for each position of need, and then 2 value guys.

In the draft, the chances of grabbing a starter outside or the 4th round, are very slim (Unless we are talking kicker or punter). In this section, I will give you my top 3 draft prospects for each position of need. This sort of goes without saying, but these guys are unproven talent. There are some positions of need, that I personally don't want a rookie taking.

More after the jump...

Our needs are:

1. OLB/DE: A 3 down pass rusher is needed desperately

2. RT: Hunter is not the answer at RT. We need a suitable replacement now.

3. FS: Pool is a suitable backup, but we need a legitimate starter.

4. SS: I don't think Jimbo is coming back. We will need a replacement.

5. WR: Even if we keep Plaxico, he is only good in the red zone. We could use a #2 WR for the rest of the field.

6. QB: Sanchez needs to be pushed. A suitable #2 QB would do just that.

7. RB: With LT most likely retiring, and Powell being useless, a new RB will be needed.

8. TE: I would be very angry if Matthew Mulligan is on this roster next year.

9. ILB: There have been rumblings that Scott won't be back next year. Either way a replacement will be needed soon.

10. K: We would benefit greatly by getting a more reliable kicker.

11. P: A new punter is a must going into 2012.

Free Agency

OLB/DE:

  1. Robert Mathis
  2. Cliff Avril
  3. Ahmad Brooks
Value Picks
  1. Matt Roth
  2. Anthony Spencer
RT:
  1. Demetrius Bell
  2. Jared Gaither
  3. Kareem McKenzie
Value Picks
  1. Geoff Schwartz
  2. Jeff Backus
FS:
  1. Dashon Goldson
  2. Michael Griffin
  3. Reggie Nelson
Value Picks
  1. Mike Adams
  2. Dwight Lowery
SS:
  1. LaRon Landry
  2. Tyvon Branch
  3. Reggie Smith
Value Picks
  1. Tom Zbikowski
  2. Deon Grant
WR:
  1. Vincent Jackson
  2. Dwayne Bowe
  3. Marques Colston
Value Picks
  1. Laurent Robinson
  2. Robert Meachem
QB:
  1. Matt Flynn
  2. Kyle Orton
  3. Jason Campbell
Value Picks
  1. Josh Johnson
  2. Brady Quinn
RB:
  1. Marshawn Lynch
  2. Michael Bush
  3. Peyton Hillis
Value Picks
  1. Tim Hightower
  2. BenJarvus Green-Ellis
TE:
  1. Fred Davis
  2. John Carlson
  3. Kellen Davis
Value Picks
  1. Joel Dreessen
  2. Scott Chandler
ILB:
  1. David Hawthorne
  2. Dan Connor
  3. London Fletcher
Value Picks
  1. E.J. Henderson
  2. Jovan Belcher
K:
  1. Matt Prater
  2. Connor Barth
  3. Josh Scobee
Value Picks
  1. Rian Lindell
  2. Phil Dawson
P:
  1. Steve Weatherford
  2. Mat McBriar
  3. Nick Harris
Value Picks
  1. Donnie Jones
  2. Dave Zastudil
The Draft

OLB:
  1. Courtney Upshaw
  2. Whitney Mercilus
  3. Nick Perry
RT:
  1. Matt Kalil
  2. Jonathan Martin
  3. Riley Reiff

FS:
  1. Markelle Martin
  2. Winston Guy Jr
  3. Trumaine Johnson

SS:
  1. Mark Barron
  2. Markelle Martin
  3. Delano Howell
WR:
  1. Justin Blackmon
  2. Alshon Jeffery
  3. Michael Floyd
QB:
  1. Andrew Luck
  2. Robert Griffin
  3. Ryan Tannehill
RB:
  1. Trent Richardson
  2. Lamar Miller
  3. Chris Polk
TE:
  1. Dwayne Allen
  2. Coby Fleener
  3. Tyler Eifert

ILB:
  1. Luke Kuechly
  2. Dont'a Hightower
  3. Audie Cole
K:
  1. Randy Bullock
  2. Caleb Sturgis
  3. Quinn Sharp
P:
  1. Shaun Powell
  2. Bryan Anger
  3. Kyle Martens




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