- Thread starter dbair1967
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Really like the defensive players on this list. Landing one would be nice but getting 2/3 would be a coup.
Dayo Odeyingbo
Edge · Age 25
There are a bunch of veteran, big-name edge rushers available in free agency -- Khalil Mack, Matt Judon, Haason Reddick, Chase Young and Josh Sweat, to name a few -- and Odeyingbo could end up with as big a payday as any of them. A second-round pick (54th overall) out of Vanderbilt in the 2021 NFL Draft, Odeyingbo took on a larger role in his fourth season and led the Colts with 50 QB pressures, per Next Gen Stats. He's one of just six players with 30-plus QB hits and fewer than 20 starts over the past two seasons. And he is still only 25 years old. Teams often bet big on upside in crucial areas like edge rushing, so it wouldn't be a shock to see Odeyingbo land a deal in the range of $16 million to $20 million per year.
Aaron Banks
OG · Age 27
After the Chiefs placed the franchise tag on Trey Smith, Banks became one of the top guards -- if not the position's headliner -- on the free-agent market. A second-round pick (No. 48 overall) out of Notre Dame in 2021, Banks allowed just one sack on 471 pass-blocking snaps last season, according to Pro Football Focus' charting, while posting a career-high 67.2 PFF grade in 13 starts for the 49ers. Last March, the Panthers signed free-agent guard Robert Hunt to a whopping five-year, $100 million deal. If the market is right, Banks could land a contract in a similar range of $18 million to $20 million per season.
Drew Dalman
C · Age 26
High-end centers usually don't hit free agency, and Dalman should benefit. He missed time last season with an ankle injury but excelled when he played, allowing two sacks on 295 pass-blocking snaps and finishing with PFF's fifth-best grade among centers. A fourth-round pick (No. 114 overall) out of Stanford in 2021, Dalman has 40 career starts and might still have his best football ahead of him at age 26. A contract with an annual salary in the $13 million-to-$14 million range would make sense.
Tre'von Moehrig
S · Age 25
While much of the focus for safeties is on the future of Jevon Holland, don't sleep on Moehrig emerging as one of the big winners in free agency. A second-round pick (No. 43 overall) out of TCU in 2021, Moehrig already has 64 career starts and is still just 25 years old. He set career highs last season with 104 tackles and 10 passes defensed. He also put up a sparkling PFF grade in run defense (87.5). It won't be a surprise if he commands upwards of $12 million a year.
Jamien Sherwood
LB · Age 25
Zack Baun and Nick Bolton, two linebackers who have starred on the Super Bowl stage, will get a lot of attention in free agency. But there's also intrigue with Sherwood, a fifth-round pick (No. 146 overall) of the Jets in 2021 who recorded a career-high 158 tackles in 2024. PFF charted Sherwood with the 11th-best grade in run defense (77.1) among qualified linebackers. And he just turned 25 in January. If Baun and Bolton can push up the linebacker market, Sherwood stands to benefit, with a contract potentially in the neighborhood of $12 million a year.
Dayo Odeyingbo
Edge · Age 25
There are a bunch of veteran, big-name edge rushers available in free agency -- Khalil Mack, Matt Judon, Haason Reddick, Chase Young and Josh Sweat, to name a few -- and Odeyingbo could end up with as big a payday as any of them. A second-round pick (54th overall) out of Vanderbilt in the 2021 NFL Draft, Odeyingbo took on a larger role in his fourth season and led the Colts with 50 QB pressures, per Next Gen Stats. He's one of just six players with 30-plus QB hits and fewer than 20 starts over the past two seasons. And he is still only 25 years old. Teams often bet big on upside in crucial areas like edge rushing, so it wouldn't be a shock to see Odeyingbo land a deal in the range of $16 million to $20 million per year.
Aaron Banks
OG · Age 27
After the Chiefs placed the franchise tag on Trey Smith, Banks became one of the top guards -- if not the position's headliner -- on the free-agent market. A second-round pick (No. 48 overall) out of Notre Dame in 2021, Banks allowed just one sack on 471 pass-blocking snaps last season, according to Pro Football Focus' charting, while posting a career-high 67.2 PFF grade in 13 starts for the 49ers. Last March, the Panthers signed free-agent guard Robert Hunt to a whopping five-year, $100 million deal. If the market is right, Banks could land a contract in a similar range of $18 million to $20 million per season.
Drew Dalman
C · Age 26
High-end centers usually don't hit free agency, and Dalman should benefit. He missed time last season with an ankle injury but excelled when he played, allowing two sacks on 295 pass-blocking snaps and finishing with PFF's fifth-best grade among centers. A fourth-round pick (No. 114 overall) out of Stanford in 2021, Dalman has 40 career starts and might still have his best football ahead of him at age 26. A contract with an annual salary in the $13 million-to-$14 million range would make sense.
Tre'von Moehrig
S · Age 25
While much of the focus for safeties is on the future of Jevon Holland, don't sleep on Moehrig emerging as one of the big winners in free agency. A second-round pick (No. 43 overall) out of TCU in 2021, Moehrig already has 64 career starts and is still just 25 years old. He set career highs last season with 104 tackles and 10 passes defensed. He also put up a sparkling PFF grade in run defense (87.5). It won't be a surprise if he commands upwards of $12 million a year.
Jamien Sherwood
LB · Age 25
Zack Baun and Nick Bolton, two linebackers who have starred on the Super Bowl stage, will get a lot of attention in free agency. But there's also intrigue with Sherwood, a fifth-round pick (No. 146 overall) of the Jets in 2021 who recorded a career-high 158 tackles in 2024. PFF charted Sherwood with the 11th-best grade in run defense (77.1) among qualified linebackers. And he just turned 25 in January. If Baun and Bolton can push up the linebacker market, Sherwood stands to benefit, with a contract potentially in the neighborhood of $12 million a year.
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Our 1st rd pick is valued at 1200, Seatle's 1st rd pick (18th) is 900. 300 pts is a late 2nd rd pick. We have 6 picks in the 5th & 6th rounds, we could throw one of those in if needed.
Trading down and getting Metcalf and then drafting Omarion Hamton isn't a bad strategy. Then use the remaining picks on defense, another OL and a developmental QB.
Trading down and getting Metcalf and then drafting Omarion Hamton isn't a bad strategy. Then use the remaining picks on defense, another OL and a developmental QB.
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Damn they're stupid.
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Jerry's never gonna hire a Landry. C'mon.
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Myles Garrett "I will never sign a contract extension with the Browns" (then signs record deal with them)
DK Metcalf "I want to play for a contender in a warm weather city" (then accepts a trade to a team with no starting QB, in cold weather that hasnt won a playoff game since like 2016, oh and gets paid a boatload)
Micah Parsons "I don't need to be the highest paid non-QB, I want to take a better deal to help the team"- we know exactly how this will play out
DK Metcalf "I want to play for a contender in a warm weather city" (then accepts a trade to a team with no starting QB, in cold weather that hasnt won a playoff game since like 2016, oh and gets paid a boatload)
Micah Parsons "I don't need to be the highest paid non-QB, I want to take a better deal to help the team"- we know exactly how this will play out
