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Managing the salary cap

DMoney said:
There has been a lot of discussion about QB recruits signing 7-figure NIL deals. It got me thinking- since money is not unlimited, what is the most important place to focus NIL resources? I went and compared five-star QBs and DL from 2016-2020. Since there are more DL than QBs, I used the Top 5 QBs every year even if a couple were high 4-stars.

The list is below with draft spot in parentheses. First rounders and projected '23 first rounders (per Dane Brugler in the Athletic) are bolded. Based on this, it seems the smart money is spent on five-star DL. That is the traditional bag spot and there is a method behind the madness.

QB

Shea Patterson
Jacob Eason (4th)
KJ Costello
Malik Henry
Feleipe Franks
Davis Mills (3rd)
Hunter Johnson
Tua Tagovailoa (1st)
Jake Fromm (5th)
Tate Martell
Trevor Lawrence (1st)
Justin Fields (1st)
JT Daniels
Dorian Thompson-Robinson
Justin Rogers
Spencer Rattler
Bo Nix
Jayden Daniels
Ryan Hilinski
Graham Mertz
Bryce Young (projected 1st)
DJ Uiagalelei
CJ Stroud (projected 1st)
Hudson Card
Ja’Quinden Jackson

DL

Rashan Gary (1st)
Dexter Lawrence (1st)
Ed Oliver (1st)
Nick Bosa (1st)
Derrick Brown (1st)
Oluwole Betiku
Jeffery Simmons (1st)
McTelvin Agim (3rd)
Rashard Lawrence (4th)
Benito Jones
Jaelan Phillips (1st)
Marvin Wilson
Chase Young (1st)
Joshua Kaindoh (4th)
Aubrey Solomon
AJ Espenesa (2nd)
LaBryan Ray
Xavier Thomas
Eyabi Anoma
Micah Parsons (1st)
KJ Henry
Taron Vincent
Brenton Cox
Nolan Smith (projected 1st)
Kayvon Thibodeaux (1st)
Antonio Alfano
Zacch Pickens (projected 1st)
Zach Harrison (projected 1st)
Travon Walker (1st)
Christopher Hinton
Bryan Breese (projected 1st)
Myles Murphy (projected 1st)
Jordan Burch
Gervon Dexter
Will Anderson (projected 1st)
Jalen Carter (projected 1st)
Chris Braswell
Sav'ell Smalls
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Many of the DLs on this list that weren't 1st round picks were still badasses in college..
 
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DMoney said:
Georgia won this year with a walk-on. Alabama and LSU won a combined 7 titles between 2002-2015 with average QBs. Ohio State beat us with a terrible QB and a great DL. Ohio State won another title with their third-string QB.

Now show me a single team that won a national title without stud DL.
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I just said UGA doesn't win with that scrub had Alabamas WRs hadn't gotten hurt. They scored the same amount of points in SEC title game on offense as Nc game the problem was Alabama couldn't score as much because of the WRs being out.

2007 was a long time ago. You aren't winning NC now unless you have an elite QB. Game managing QBs aren't the formula anymore.

The 2 favorite for this years NC game have the top 2 projected QBs in 2023 draft.

Alabama hasn't had a first round DL draft pick since 2019. They are about to have their 3rd straight first round QB.

LSU 2019 didn't have a single DL drafted off that team in the first round. Joey B and the WRs Led that team.

Alabama tried the strategy in 2017 had to go to bullpen to get Tua to bail them out.

I already explained the big difference between Clemson 2017 and 2018. Trevor Lawrence. Had the same exact DL, in fact lost Dexter Lawrence for 2018 playoffs due to PED test.

Elite DL are great, and usually a by product of elite teams because they recruit as such a high level. IMO now you need that elite QB.
 
You can scheme around a average OL. You have an average DL you are toast. The big war daddies in the middle that disrupt games are hard to find and they don’t come cheap.
 
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Wideouts and pass rushers are of immense value in today's NFL and they're just as valuable in the college game. Bama's offense put up 41 points against UGA's defense in the SEC title game when they had Jameson Williams and John Metchie. With Metchie out and Williams leaving the national title game early in the 2nd quarter just one month later, they were suddenly punchless offensively despite having a future Top 5 pick at QB.

A lot of traditional thinkers thought the Bengals made an ill-advised decision drafting Ja’Marr Chase over Penei Sewell based on positional importance. That's just one anecdotal example, but that once-controversial decision clearly paid immediate dividends.

 
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gacaneaddict said:
I just said UGA doesn't win with that scrub had Alabamas WRs hadn't gotten hurt.
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But that's not a fact, it's a guess. Georgia won. And not with an average QB. With a walk-on QB. In 2022.

The fact is that no team since 2000 has won without studs on the DL. Many teams have won bad/average QBs. But always a good DL.

Alabama hasn't had a first round DL draft pick since 2019. They are about to have their 3rd straight first round QB.
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Alabama has had an elite DL for the entirety of their dynasty. The QB thing is new. Their best player now is a DE, Will Anderson. He would've been the first overall pick this year, if eligible. Their second best player is probably the other DE. And they've had three second rounders and a third drafted in the past three years. They always have an elite DL.

LSU 2019 didn't have a single DL drafted off that team in the first round.
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K'Lavon Chaisson was a first rounder. They also had three guys who got picked in the fourth.

I already explained the big difference between Clemson 2017 and 2018. Trevor Lawrence. Had the same exact DL, in fact lost Dexter Lawrence for 2018 playoffs due to PED test.
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Clemson is a great example. During their four-year run, they had four first round DL, a second and a couple fourths. It is essential.
 
Rod Is Godly said:
Clemson been whooping the **** out of our behinds since 2015 and the best WR they had since then was Hunter Renfrow. Please build how they did 😂
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2016 - Deshaun Watson, Mike Williams, Deon Cain, Ray Ray MCloud & Hunter Renfrow
2017 - Kelly Bryant, RayRay McCloud, Hunter Renfrow, Deon Cain, Tee Higgins
2018 - Trevor Lawrence, Tee Higgins, Justyn Ross, Hunter Renfrow, Trevion Thompson
2019 - Trevor Lawrence, Justyn Ross, Tee Higgins, Diondre Overton, Joseph Ngata
2020 - Trevor Lawrence, Cornell Powell, Braden Galloway, EJ Williams, Frank Ladson Jr
2021 - DJ Uiagalelei, Justyn Ross, Beaux Collins, Davis Allen, Joseph Ngata & Dacari Collins

They won National titles in 2016 & 2018, and made the playoffs in 2019.

The years they didn’t win a Natty or make the playoffs was when they didn’t have good NFL caliber QB’s & WR’s.

When they had Kelly Bryant, a good Defense & average WR’s they were capped at how far they could go, as soon as they got an elite QB, their WR’s increased their play & the were winning titles & contending on an annual basis.

Clemson had an elite Defense last year with NFL players in their secondary & the best DLine in the ACC, so why didn’t they win the conference last year??? DJ Ukulele can’t throw a ball 15 yards & their WR’s are pedestrian.

If we’re building like Clemson, then it start with QB & WR play, then Defense.
 
Liberty City El said:
Clemson had the #2 Defense in the Nation last year, why didn’t they win the ACC/ make the playoffs?

QB play...
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Miami's QB was putting up Burrow numbers and is projected as a Top 10 pick. We still sucked.

Clemson won 10 games with a horrible QB. Because of their defensive front. If they had their best DL (Breese), they would have been even better.

You can't talk about Clemson's mini-dynasty without mentioning the four first round DL they had between '15-'18.
 
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aelmiami said:
I think that’s going to change soon though. AJ Brown just got a $100 Million. He’s good but that’s still a big tag for him. Guys like Jefferson and Chase are probably going to $200 Million.
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It rotates. The market flows with the big names. This was an unusually high turnover year for wide receivers. Next year if someone like Myles Garrett or Aaron Donald get 30 plus then that’ll reset the DL market and they jump WR.

QB, WR, OL, Pass Rusher and DB get paid period.
 
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Bar none, teams that win have:

Great QB play if not a great QB
Consistent Playmakers on O
A great OL
At least one elite level player on a good or better DL
Above average, smart and consistent play everywhere else
 
DMoney said:
Miami's QB was putting up Burrow numbers and is projected as a Top 10 pick. We still sucked.

Clemson won 10 games with a horrible QB. Because of their DL. If they had their best DL (Breese), they would have been better.
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They would have been better & still not made it to the ACCCG.

Clemson’s success in the playoff era has been directed correlated to their QB’s & WR’s.

Yes their DL’s have been good too, but the point I’m making is, there’s a limit to how far you can go with just having a bunch of DL’s & OL’s, you need elite QB play & big time WR’s.

Without an offense that can score at will, your team can’t win a championship in this era.
 
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The truth is you need everything because teams like Alabama and Ohio State have everything now.

But the separator is DL. That's a non-negotiable. The evidence is overwhelming and goes back decades.

There is a reason Oklahoma looked like a pretender in the CFP. And it wasn't their QB, OL and WR.
 
PittsburghCane said:
It sounds like teams that win are good on both sides of the ball. You’re both right 🤷🏽‍♂️
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I’m not saying that Defense or having a great DLine is insignificant, I’m saying that having great QB/WR play supersedes having a great Defense unless you have an elite roster everywhere else.

Meaning, you can have an average Defense, but with great QB/WR play you’re more dangerous than a team with a great Defense with no QB/WR’s.

They’re both important, but QB/WR play (in this era) is most important.
 
DMoney said:
They still won 10 games.

We had TVD and the coach got fired.
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We also had Manny Diaz, that neutralizes TVD & tbh our WR corps outside of Rambo wasn’t that great, but they were good enough. If Lashlee was our HC we probably would’ve won 9 games last year if he were allowed to run the team.

Oregon won 10 games because the Pac-12 is by far the worst P5 conference in college football, they were worse than the MW, AAC & Sun Belt as a conference last year.

They won games off running the ball & good defense, until they had to have an offense that could actually move the ball through the air & then they got completely stifled & looked like a FCS program.

They had a limitation as to how far they could go, they were able to ride that No QB/WR offense until when it really mattered & then they got shellacked by Utah & Oklahoma.
 
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