Is there room for Orakpo and Rob Jackson?

[BigHairedAristocrat]

Originally Posted by 12thMan

He's a first round pick for crying out loud and there are some who say he's an elite talent. He has the potential to be in the 15 sack echelon. Time to live up to it.

So every player picked in the first round should be the top 4 at their position? Statistically, that's impossible. The fact that some people say he is an elite talent is also irrelevant. I could say John Beck is an elite talent, but that doesnt mean anyone should expect him to play like Peyton Manning. Does orakpo have the potential to get 15 sacks in a year? Sure, but so do half a dozen other players on any team. It all depends on what position a player plays, what scheme he's in, what plays are called, what offensive lines he's playing against, how immobile the quarterbacks are, etc. If Haslett called CB blitzes every snap, Hall would probably have 15 sacks. You cant just look at a stat like sacks in a vaccum and grade a players quality and value based on that alone. I get that Orakpo may not have lived up to your personal expecations yet, but I think youre oversimplifying things and being a bit unrealistic.