The CHIEFS took a home run swing. I hope they didn’t miss.

Which is where I get to the irony of all that.

I mean -- I'm consistent. You can go into that god-awful COVID thread where I argued loudly that being literate and having critical thinking skills is a really good substitute for credentials in some of this stuff.

I hate appeals to authority. Always have. "You think you know more than Burt Valanche!?!?" is the most braindead bullshit take this board has to offer. And it offers it...lots.

Nobody - NOBODY - myself, Crow, Duncan, or anyone else that has come out against this pick, has asserted a medical opinion. We haven't purported to. We haven't hid the ball there.

It's been...math. It's history. It's been a combination of both.

"Well where'd you get YOUR degree?!?!"

Well shit, I actually have a lot of training in stats and methods. Took several classes on it because I liked the professor. I'm pretty good at extrapolating tables and data. And that's all any of us have done here.

Which is why I keep saying that the only way to directly address these studies is to distinguish them. You have to ignore them because {insert the reason here}.

And MAYBE that's appropriate. Depending on said reason. But "you're not a doctor" isn't a reason. It's an end run.

Maybe there's been advances in this surgery that happened in the last 2 years that don't show up in the data set -- we've acknowledged that. Maybe there's been advances in imaging and diagnostics that give us better insight into the status of the recovery than guys previously had and those allow us to know that he already stands apart from that data set. We've acknowledged that.

And maybe Andy Reid went into that draft hell bent on picking a LT in the 1st round and just blew the data set off. Oddly, none of y'all wanna acknowledge that. The possibility has equal merit and thus far equal substantiation to anything being presented on the other side. Maybe the team hated the draft board and decided that they'd be fine with the 85% chance that this pick amounts to dick because they don't see anything safe enough with the ceiling to justify taking instead.

Maybe. I dunno. Nor does anyone jerking themselves off over the pick.

The issue is that a whole bunch of folks seem to want me to start and/or end a post with "In my opinion" and maybe attach my CV while I'm at it. Why? You know it's my opinion -- I'm typing it. And if you don't know my CV by now...well fellas, I talk a LOT and I've been here for about 2 decades now. Pay attention. I have no inclination to litigate it any time I post a contrary opinion.

We want him nasty - he plays in the trenches. These "character concerns" are so important that no one has bothered to mention what they are. Anywhere.

My concerns are the exact opposite of that tweet.

They might miss, but I'll never give them shit about doing so, especially at pick 32.

Nah - they trickled through the draft forum at some point.

Like I said -- I was already out, so I didn't give them any further thought. But they're out there. Nobody ever puts names on that shit, but several folks mentioned it and specifically articulated the concerns. I think it was Brugler's draft guide that had the most comprehensive take on them.

If you have a link I would love to see that.

At Kauffman Stadium to deep center field....

Man, remember

Fischer or Joeckel?? Debates?

Joeckel, Joeckel Joeckel!!

It's odd that the sample size is too small to form a negative opinion.

But the sample size being 0, meaning there are no examples to give to support a positive opinion are somehow enough. What?

I think there's one example where the player played 7 years. Just one. So that's the best possible outcome. Half of those players were greatly diminished after the injury and nagging pain and swelling are almost always associated.

That's bad for an O lineman.

At least the Royals are not the ones swinging the bat.

Oh, and Crow has offered a little physiology as to the makeup of the joint, the mechanics of the ligament and the biology of the healing process of a rupture and specifically how that may impact not just an athlete, but an offensive lineman.

I haven't -- I don't know anything about that (and haven't claimed to). He does. And has presented some bonafides. But he hasn't said that he's examined the medicals with Simmons. He's been completely forthright that this is merely a demonstrative example of the hurdles faced in Simmons recovery. And he's dovetailed that knowledge with the studies to explain WHY they may have come out the way they have. Or WHY this 'double graft' may not be relevant.

Y'all can just...ignore it. Fine - free country.

I've stayed away from the medical and gone to numbers and player evaluation. I've focused on the outcomes of the studies and why I don't think Simmons is the sort of blue chip prospect that would convince me to walk away from those. Why I don't think the reward is worth the risk. I've stayed in my lane. Do I have a scouting department? No -- but I've been right about these things more often than I've been wrong; I'm at worst batting .500 when I'm in direct opposition to a decision Veach has made. I've damn sure been right more often than most of the knuckle-draggers shaking my tree at the moment.

Y'all are welcome to give all that no weight. Or to give it weight and disagree anyway.
But you oughta at least be fair about what people are saying, their basis for saying it and why they've said it.

I didn’t want Simmons. I view the selection as a tad desperate and not an ideal strategy. Ultimately, it’s the draft, and if a guy plays well, the rationale doesn’t matter anymore.

And Simmons is here whether I wanted him or not. At some point the pads are going to come on, and it would greatly benefit the Chiefs if he’s a good starting LT.

So I’ll continue to engage in the intricacies of this player debate for a little while, and after a week or two, it’s time to root for his success and the success of the team.

That's still better than Balto.

"Give me an example..."

{gives example}

"No, give me another..."

{provides entire dataset}

"yeah, but give me an example..."

:rolleyes:

Then I stand corrected - someone mentioned them. Of the insane draft coverage I watched the last two weeks no one wanted to explain those takes. That tells me something. No one was willing to elaborate on those concerns and attach it to their name in most media.

We also see these types of rumors get spread to push a falling player even further down to benefit someone.

I'm good with the selection. The more he fell, the more it felt like am inevitability the Chiefs would take him.

If they've done their due diligence on his knee and came away more than satisfied with their findings, then that's good enough for me, especially Burkholder's seal of approval.

I'm just the glad they didn't trade up for him and instead got him plus a 5th after moving down a spot. Hard to argue against the value as it has the potential to be remembered as an absolute heist.

I’m also curious about if time heals all wounds. What if you gave an extra year to rehab? I imagine many of these players or teams were eager to get these guys playing. Rest is easier to justify for a rookie.

Also, niang is a caution but also a reason for optimism. It means we’re very experienced dealing with this. So we have a good idea of where he should be in rehab. Maybe we learned from experience ways we could have rehabbed niang better.

I'm not much of a draft guy, so the opportunity cost of all this I'm pretty murky on.

I'm fairly shocked they took the risk. Part of me thinks we're good enough at WR, QB obviously, Secondary. I don't like the first rounder on a RB (though I'm open to some of these kick ass prospects), LB or IOL (especially with all the IOL we currently have).

I think DE or DT (especially with some of these guys) is probably the better gamble. But I dunno much about the medicals or prospect. But I think I'd be jittery making the call.

So if he works out, it will be a steal of all ****ing steals. But this is definitely a risk. I'd be more than interested to know their risk assessment.

People rely on denial when the truth is too ugly to admit to. Not one type of people - all people. Any chance at a positive outcome is better than no chance even if that chance is imaginary.

2023: Simmons allowed 1 sack in 13 games with 443 pass blocking plays for buckeyes

2024: Simmons allowed 0 sacks and 1 pressure in 6 games with 158 pass blocking snaps before injury.

Top 10 pick before injury, chiefs believe he can be that again with pick 32 + 5th.

Best draft evah so far?

What a disappointment for drama... I was expecting some huge haymakers or meltdowns with this kind of post, but outside of a couple of the usual ignorable reeruns, seems like this all stems from people trying having a pretty damn civil conversation?

I mean... yeah, the entire internet isn't going to agree all the time. :shrug:

That's probably my greatest concern - perhaps I haven't articulated it well.

There's really not much of a path to a MEH or FAU sort of 'disappointing player for his draft position but still someone who can contribute'

I don't see much of a gap for that kind of outcome. I mean, I guess if he's just healthy but not very good...thats where you land.

But mostly this looks ENTIRELY boom or bust. And damn, that is just so so so rare in the 1st round. Most of the time there's a floor in place that mitigates the risks associated with taking a guy in the top 50 picks or so. The Trey Smiths of the world with no floor to speak of go on day 3.

This sure looks like a 'no floor' player taking where it's just damn rare to see them taken.

Actually I'd probably compare it to Kelce's microshock surgery. It was an extremely rare injury for an NFL player with almost no data to pull from. What data was there was from NBA players and not NFL guys.

Something like 50% of NBA guys retired and it was over. Really bad odds. We got lucky and Travis had a nice long career and it was never an issue again.

I'd be curious if this was something that stem cells could really help with. It seems like a tendon that just doesn't want to heal right and always leads to pain and inflammation. Perhaps injections could help it heal faster and better.

Teams don't exactly make elite LTs available in this league very often, as we've gotten to understand over the past half decade since Eric Fisher got hurt.

Yeah, I'm willing to take a chance on this one.

I'm aware of all of these cases. I messed up Bentley (being on his second deal with Cleveland, crossed it in my head to second season in New Orleans). The staph infection prevented us from knowing what that recovery would have looked like, yeah.

I don't look at PFF grades because I generally consider them BS (I was actually annoyed at the study that's been cited because it relied on PFF grades to measure return to performance level, which was iffy at best). I do know that since Conklin blew out the patellar tendon, he came back and blew out every tendon in his OTHER knee shortly thereafter.

Jack Conklin is NOT the same. He was a two-time first team All-Pro before the injury, which occurred when he was 27 or 28, if memory serves. Sources in Cleveland have cited him as a trade candidate because of his declining play, and his most recent PFF grades had him ranked around 60 of NFL T - a far cry from being a first-team All-Pro.

Buckhalter came back and was productive. Jimmy Graham came back and was productive for a single season before falling off. Neither one of those guys was as explosive athletically as they were before. Both lost speed and quickness and cutting ability (things that are generated by the power of the quadriceps). Those are the best feathers in the cap I've seen cited, and they're not great ones.

The LT they signed as a FA.

It seems more like the Comerica Park center field, to me...

I don't disagree, but maybe when you have to pick 30 plus every year, this is the dice roll you have to take.

Apparently I missed that Jawaan Taylor has knee issue and is rehabbing it?

Whether you like this pick or not, everyone needs to acknowledge the pick was based on need.

That’s not really debatable, yeah?

That's my concern. And Veach just doesn't have a history of taking these types of risks. This is a guy that hates players over 30 because they fall off quickly and get hurt.

IIRC, he was on the injury report with the knee issue throughout the postseason.

I bet someone rubbed deer antler cream on it and healed it for him which was a really nice thing to do. Thank goodness.

Even if we assume the Chiefs fully believe he's the long term solution at LT (and one might assume that isn't the case based on this pick last night), doesn't somebody have to also play RT after Taylor goes?

You know the number to the 700 Club?...

I asked Grok on NBA recoveries.


NBA Players with Patella-Related Surgery
Kyrie Irving
Injury: Patellar fracture

Details: Suffered a left patellar fracture during the 2015 NBA Finals. Underwent surgery to implant screws. In 2018, he required additional surgery to remove the screws due to an infection at the site. Missed the end of the 2017-18 season.

Recovery: Returned to play, appearing in 50 games in the 2024-25 season before a torn ACL in 2025 ended his season.

Blake Griffin
Injury: Broken kneecap (patellar stress fracture)

Details: Suffered a broken kneecap during the preseason of his rookie year (2009) with the Los Angeles Clippers after coming down from a dunk. Required surgery, causing him to miss his entire rookie season. Later had arthroscopic surgery to address swelling in the same knee.

Recovery: Returned for the 2010-11 season, became a perennial All-Star, and powered the Clippers to playoff contention.

Andre Roberson
Injury: Ruptured left patellar tendon

Details: Suffered a ruptured left patellar tendon on January 27, 2018, with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Underwent surgery, followed by two additional procedures (one to clean out scar tissue and another to remove an irritating suture).

Recovery: Missed significant time, with a recovery timeline of at least six months for sports resumption. His return was uncertain, and he did not regain his prior level of play.

Jeremy Lin
Injury: Ruptured right patellar tendon

Details: Suffered a ruptured right patellar tendon in the 2017-18 season opener with the Brooklyn Nets. Underwent surgery the day after the injury. Expected to miss the entire season.

Recovery: Was traded to the Atlanta Hawks in 2018 and reported being ready for training camp, with videos showing him back on the court shooting and running.

Dino Radja
Injury: Left patella fracture

Details: Required surgery on a left patella fracture in January 1997 while with the Boston Celtics. Missed the remainder of the season.

Recovery: Did not return to the NBA the following season (1997-98), marking the end of his NBA career, though he continued playing internationally.

Antonio McDyess
Injury: Ruptured patellar tendon

Details: Suffered a ruptured patellar tendon 10 games into the 2001-02 season with the Denver Nuggets. Underwent surgery, missing nearly two seasons.

Recovery: Returned but never regained his pre-injury form, averaging 7.8 points per game post-injury compared to 17.6 pre-injury.

Randy Foye
Injury: Stress reaction/fracture in left patella

Details: Diagnosed with a stress reaction in the left patella in November 2007 while with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Did not explicitly require surgery, but the injury is noted as a stress fracture, which may have involved surgical intervention in some cases.

Recovery: Returned to play, remaining active as a rotation player, though his statistics never fully recovered to pre-injury levels.

Unnamed Player (2005-06 Season)
Injury: Torn right patellar tendon

Details: Underwent surgery in January 2006 after injuring the right patellar tendon just before the end of 2005. Had prior left knee tendinitis a decade earlier (1995-96 season with the Raptors).

Recovery: Missed the remainder of the season. No further details on identity or return-to-play status.

Unnamed Player (2006-07 Season)
Injury: Right patella fracture

Details: Suffered a right patella fracture in November after 20 games. Attempted to heal without surgery but required surgery in February 2006 to insert screws, missing the rest of the season.

Recovery: Returned for the 2006-07 season, playing all but one regular-season game, and played all 82 games in 2007-08, though with slightly reduced stats due to fewer minutes.

Unnamed Player (Chondromalacia Patella)
Injury: Chondromalacia patella (roughening under kneecap)

Details: Underwent surgery on the left knee at the end of October to repair chondromalacia patella, described as similar to a bone chip. Missed four months.

Recovery: Did not play in the 1996-97 season but appeared in 45 games for the Lakers in 1997-98, the most in his short NBA career.

Notes
Patellar Tendon Tears vs. Patella Fractures: The list includes both patellar tendon ruptures (e.g., Lin, Roberson, McDyess) and patella fractures (e.g., Irving, Griffin, Radja). Tendon tears often have poorer return-to-play outcomes, with studies showing only 75% of NBA players returning to play after patellar tendon surgery, often at reduced performance levels.

Recovery Variability: Recovery times vary significantly. For example, Blake Griffin missed a full season but returned as an All-Star, while Antonio McDyess never regained his prior form. Patellar tendon repairs typically require 6-12 months of recovery, with risks of long-term weakness or re-tear.

Data Limitations: The sources do not always specify the exact nature of the surgery or the player’s identity, especially for older injuries. Some players (e.g., Randy Foye) are listed with stress reactions/fractures that may not have required surgery, but they are included due to their relevance to patella injuries. Additionally, microfracture surgeries (e.g., Greg Oden) or other knee procedures are not included unless explicitly tied to the patella.

I think a sizeable number of us are looking at Taylor going as a good thing.

From what I was told by the PhD PT who is married to my old roommate/
colleague, and some of what I've read (think DJ dug up something in the draft forum that spoke to this), the biggest issues with the patellar tendon repair is getting the tendon to be "just right" when it comes to tightness. Make it too loose and the tendon doesn't function properly and transfer power. Make it too tight and the tendon doesn't function properly, limiting mobility, range of motion, flexibility, etc.

I was already out when old roomie and I had our usual pre-draft call. What her husband told me shifted me even more firmly that way.

Is Ray Lewis on Chiefs medical team? Lmao

Do ya?

I mean, I used this analogy in the other thread, but do you need to take a HR swing when you're down by 1 with 2 runners in scoring position?

We signed Moore. We just went to the Super Bowl.

This isn't a '2 out, nobody on, down 1 with the bottom of the order due up' situation here.

I just don't think there's a good argument to make that we NEED to be swinging for the downs.

Maybe in their evaluation they were able to see that they got it "just right". Yes, I'm going to choose to believe that.

Ya done ****ed up. I did that with El Travador and got pounded for years for it. I know, it's there but it's different shock to different joints.

Agreed, which is all the more reason to take this chance and add tackle depth.

Does anyone really think the Chiefs didn't do their due diligence regarding the injury?

That's a pretty rough list.

Roberson, Lin and Victor Oladipo are tear guys whose NBA careers ended after it. Lin is kicking around a southeast asian league now, I think.

I didn't realize that was the knee injury that hit McDyss, but that is more evidence of how serious and difficult it is to return from this injury with the same level of leg power and explosiveness.

And the sooner the better.

That's the hope.

I was reading about it a few weeks back on webMD or something and they mentioned a condition where it just flares up with swelling and pain periodically which happens to "almost everyone." I don't remember the name of it but basically it was a given - this injury gives you this condition and you just have to go easy on it. Perhaps it's like gout or something, I don't know, but it was basically a given.

Predicting the future is difficult whether or not you did your due diligence.

It doesn't feel like the Chiefs are basing their draft on best player available. Hell in Veach's press conference he has already said he plans to draft multiple d-linemen on Day 2. They are targeting positions and specific players and locking on.

Now the one place I'm somewhat okay doing that is left tackle. But how about we let the second round play out before we declare we're taking multiple d-line Friday night?

I believe they did all the diligence that is possible at this point.

Like I said earlier, if all he has been cleared to do, really, is squat up to 225 pounds, you're not measuring yet if the leg has returned to the full strength and form that it had before the injury. You can't be.

Maybe they did some additional tests beyond that leaked thing about his squats from Wednesday. I'd feel a lot better if we start hearing some of that now that the pick is locked in. I don't think we have yet, but hey, it's only been like 14 hours since the pick was made.

Maybe Matt Derrick will be courageous enough to dig into that as much as the Chiefs will let him. He's probably the best guy for the job, considering he has torn both patellar tendons.

Yeah. Any time you mess with a knee capsule, chronic flare-ups and pain become problems. Mrs. Idaho had a meniscus repair earlier this year and had some arthritis in the kneecap part of the capsule. Doc said that chronic flare-ups/aches were going to just be a part of her life (until it gets to a point she needs a replacement).

You could tell at this point if any arthritis has already developed from the surgery to fix it, so the fact they cleared him makes me believe that is NOT the case.

And the basis for our 1st round pick.

The good news is this pick could be a disaster but he's so good in the later rounds it may not matter. Our scouting dept is big dick Inc. and it seems like every late gamble we take pays off.

We've already won two SB's with shit tackles so there's at least a sample size for that argument.

I think that's the issue.

I won't speak for Duncan here, but he said that riiiiiiight around the time the "He's squatting 225 lbs" thing came out.

Which, for me, says they CAN'T know that. They can't see that. Because you can't until that ligament really gets taxed and really starts to carry a legitimate load. When it's starting to really have to drive. Or cut WHILE under load.

I - not Duncan or Crow or Burkholder or anyone else - cannot see how that question can POSSIBLY be answered when he's squatting about half what you'd expect from a high level college offensive lineman. That means it just way too early.

And Duncan can actually attest to this -- I disagreed with HIM in PMs about exactly how much risk Simmons carries. I'm absolutely willing to listen to someone explain how they can possibly have this level of insight when it comes to a dexterity and blood flow issue in a replaced ligament. When, by his own admission, Simmons isn't able to actually tax that ligament.

Can he do it under lighter load by higher reps? Shit, can he get on a recumbent bike, turn the tension up and put in 5 miles to provide some rough rough approximation of what load would be and then examine it?

Find me THAT. But I think a prima facia case here has absolutely been made to put the ball back in the other court. There's a LOT of evidence out there that this isn't a surgery that guys come back from with any regularity at all. So please, do explain to me why Simmons will be the exception to that.

It's starting to have the feel to it.

I don't love it.

More Patella surgery data


Impact on Elite Athletes
Return-to-Sport Rates: Recent studies show high RTS rates: 90.3% for patella fractures, 94.4% for tendon ruptures, and over 90% for PPTTs. However, returning to pre-injury performance levels remains challenging, with rates ranging from 51.6% (fractures) to 83% (tendon ruptures).

Reduced Complications: Newer fixation methods (e.g., plates, non-metallic sutures) have lowered complication rates (e.g., 5.1% for patella fractures) and reduced reoperation needs.

Faster Recovery: Minimally invasive techniques like arthroscopy and optimized rehab protocols have shortened RTS timelines, particularly for PPTTs (3.9 months) and tendinopathy (via APR).

When Wanya Morris is the guy on deck….

Yeah, swing big.

And we got Kelce in the 3rd that year.

I'm gonna stop you right there, buddy.

But you only need a single to score 2.

I don't see any reason to believe that Jaylon Moore isn't exactly that.

I remember it as the worst draft in my lifetime. And we have the first pick. :mad:

Crow, you’re probably the most respected poster here, IMO. You post opinions with sound logic, data and analysis. You’re one of the few posters that I feel I’ve learned a little more about the nfl from. If you post less, the quality of this board will decline. If you’re like me at all, CP gives you a mental break from kids and family and helps us be more present when we need to be. I hope you’ll shake this off and stay engaged at CP. it’s definitely better when you’re here.

I didn't know that. So you know pretty early if knee surgeries are a success or not? That is good news.

I know my buddy had an acl and mcl (I think) one after the other and said both were painful as hell and a bitch to rehab. You have to deal with the pain or it won't heal right. Do all the rehab or it won't heal right. Do all the stretching or it won't heal right.

Then you have an elevated risk of a different injury due to the tendency to over compensate and use other joints and limbs too much.

Right or wrong we basically agreed to all this risk to save 20 draft slots. That's what it comes down to. We didn't want to pay the price to move up into the top 15 to get a top 15 talent.

I keep forgetting that.

Point being that there was just no 1st round talent in the 1st round of the draft that year. We got lucky and landed one of 4 guys worth taking in that 1st round.

How many of offensive linemen were part of this study? Also, we're not asking Simmons to run - just block. His knee may be stable enough to run and pass block, which is all we need.

He should be. But it’s far from a lock.

I was a fan of the Moore signing but never did I believe it should preclude them from going after an upgrade long term. At a minimum, you need depth and you need an answer to replace Taylor.

I'll be shocked if they aren't talking about this guy being a 1st ballot HOFer going into the bye week.

The best part was the Jags troll who joined that offseason being forced to watch his own team take Joeckel

The baseball analogy doesn't fit.

If you want a long-term answer at this spot, you either mortgage an entire draft more or less, or you roll the dice that Simmons returns to form.

It's not as big a risk as multiple high picks. It's a big risk, but it's not a crippling blow if it tanks.

I can't believe after that disastrous super bowl that people are banking on Jaylon Moore to protect Mahomes...

Most teams can’t find two quality tackles at once as we know, but really, there’s no position it’s more important to have a quality depth guy at than OT.

We were truly one unlucky break away from being right back where we were last year. A Jaylon Moore injury, no matter how good he becomes, ends your season if Wanya is the next man up.

We don't need Simmons to return with NBA athleticism.


He already is an incredible technical player, just knows how to play tackle. He just needs to come back decently enough and he's a star.

Knee and back injuries to big guys are worse. Much worse. They carry more weight and absorb more punishment.

Even if he doesn't turn out to be the greatest LT in the universe, life will go on.

'Success' in surgery for professional athlete terms means "didn't fail"

You know if the graft didn't take. Or if it yielded a bunch of scar tissue that obviously compromised the joint.

But every pitcher that ever returned to a mound had a 'successful' surgery first, even if they're throwing 10 mph less than they used to.

A successful surgery is the first, easiest hurdle to clear.

Might just have to settle for multi-year All-Pro.

So depth needed to be a first rounder? That;s what we're going with?

AI has parameters set on their search. Its only 100% accurate when its following those parameters. Especially Grok. Its known as the lamest AI being used by a legit IT based company.

Or you pay Trent Williams a record-setting deal when he’s in his 30s…. Oh wait they tried that and got denied.

Shit isn’t easy.

That's not entirely accurate. As I understood it he plays in an odd blocking scheme that doesn't directly translate to many NFL teams and he's going to need polish and technique.

The fact that he is a freak athlete and good mover is why he shouldn't have a steep learning curve.

Tunsil for a 3rd.

Had we done that this risky pick wouldn't even bother me as much - we'd have a solid answer if it does take time to heal.

Because those second and third round OTs have given us so much to be excited and optimistic about the past few years. LMAO

How is this board seemingly so unaware of how hard it is to find long term solutions at this position?

Not even just that, but the complete and total lack of depth. You're one snap away from Morris being in again, which simply cannot happen. He's a backup RT at best, he can never see the left side again.

Now, you have true competition for Taylor when he knows his ass is going to be cut next year. He needs to put some better tape out there if he wants to land another deal. So, he either steps up or Moore takes his job. Either way, you now have three starting caliber tackles when you ended last season with barely even one in Taylor.

The more time that passes, it's obvious this was the one and only choice, and I bet the Chiefs are freaking thrilled. There will be plenty of RBs, DL and WRs who can contribute day one in rounds 2-3, the same cannot be said for OTs.

It wasn't just the right pick, it was the only pick.

How do you figure?

If Jaylon Moore is an average LT, he has probably 6 years or so at that level. That's the bulk of PMs remaining career. That's as 'long-term' as it gets.

We may already have one. And like I said, presuming coin-flip odds for both guys, all you've really done is improve your odds by about 25% by taking Simmons anyway.

That's a whole lot of risk you're taking for a marginal return.