I will also add in the combine to this list of critical items before things really start to matter.
A lot of potential top 10 picks need to prove elite athleticism to be there. A guy like stingley if he shows up and runs a 4.32 I’d be shocked if he doesn’t go sky high and could be top 5 without batting an eye. If he runs a 4.45 with his injury history he might go at 16 who knows? If we consider Neal a near lock to the Jags, the Detroit takes their edge, we just need a QB in the top 3 (which I believe has happened in all but 2 of the last 20 drafts or something like that) or Houston to find a reason to prefer any other player than the second edge. A guy like Stingley or Hamilton going bananas in Indy could make that very thing happened
Exactly.
I say that about cornerback now because it doesn't look like there is a super-elite CB prospect. Maybe one emerges. Maybe we take care of virtually every other need in a significant way other than CB before the draft.
The only reason I consider Hamilton is it looks like he is that can't-miss superstar prospect. The fact some people reasonably think he could go #3 overall helps support that in my mind. If Hamilton somehow slipped to 10, it would be hard to pass that up. I think 4 is either an OL or an edge right now. But it's January.
