Patriotic Obsession: Chargers Enter '08 season with One Goal in Mind...(AJ) Smith even swung a deal this year with the team he's chasing, giving up a fifth-rounder this year and a second-round pick next year to New England in order to take LSU's multi-purpose running back Jacob Hester in the third round. The idea was in part to give the Patriots defense, with its aging set of linebackers, another weapon to defend
The article lays out AJ Smith's obsession with catching the Pats. Could that obsession have lead to wasting a pick or over-paying for Hester?
Even so, I don't like what they paid for this pick. The fifth rounder is fine, perhaps, but second round picks are usually in short supply. They are a chance to get a starter with a lower price tag. High levels of talent are there if you can sperate the wheat from the chaff.
In essence, regardless of what year they are paid, the Bolts paid a second, a third and a fifth for this player - it seems like a very high cost for this kind of player.
Guru pointed out (fanpost July 17 '08):
Peyton Hillis - Height: 6-03/4 | Weight: 240 | 40-Time: 4.58
Jacob Hester - Height: 5-105/8 | Weight: 226 | 40-Time: 4.62
Hillis is bigger and faster than Hester. Obviously, the San Diego Chargers, who drafted Hester early in the 3rd Round felt differently. Over 150 players were drafted after the Chargers took Hester, while Hillis waited. What was the reason?
It's a good question. But, even with the Hillis question aside - for that price, Is AJ's obsession getting the better of him, or did the Bolts see something that all the rest of us missed?
