Rank the Roster 2023: #4

[Waldo]

Rank The Roster: 2023 Edition

1. Jaire Alexander (43%)[+2]
2. Aaron Jones (26%)[+6]
3. David Bakhtiari (34%)[+1]
4. Current (xx%)[--]

Percent of vote the winner got will be in parenthesis, position change vs. 2019 will be in brackets.

Here's how this works:

Each day there is a new thread/poll, starting at #1, on down to whereever we get. The whole point of this exercise is to have something to talk about in the lean news months to carry us to camp. Each poll will be open for voting for 24 hours. New threads will only be created on weekdays. Ties will cause a runoff poll. You may vote up to TWO players (a change that was made mid-poll last year, seemed to work well).

Simply voting is not enough!

Post why you voted for who you did and provide a player to add to the next poll (every poll will be a list of 15-20 guys, new players added in bunches every few days).

Here's the thing. There is no criteria. This is an exercise to foster discussion therefore there are no clear criteria for ranking. Who is better right now? Who will have the best season? Who was better last year? Sort of a combo of them all? Do you take positional value into account? It really doesn't matter.

Previous Years:
Rank the Roster: 2022
Rank the Roster: 2021
Rank the Roster: 2020
Rank the Roster: 2014-2019

[Waldo]

Bak really surprises me last pick. I mean, most fans openly wondered if he'd ever play again as late as late last season. To see elite play over a whole season again seems more like wishful thinking.

Then again, Clark wasn't all that different despite no serious injury. And Gary is still at the early stages of that same injury, however Bak's seemed unusually bad recovery-wise; I mean AD tore his ACL late one season and was running top form start of next season, Bak took 2 full seasons.

Gary then Clark

After that Dillon and Campbell

I'll get Tucker Craft up next poll, he and Muskgrave seem equally likely to play and make and impact.

[NCF]

Bak really surprises me last pick. I mean, most fans openly wondered if he'd ever play again as late as late last season. To see elite play over a whole season again seems more like wishful thinking.

Wishful thinking? I'd say it's pretty much what we got from him when on the field and he seemed to turn the corner with managing the lingering issues of the injury over the course of the second half of the season, so no reason to discount him.

[Labrev]

Clark. When he is on, it elevates our defense as a whole.

[go pak go]

Definitely between Clark and Gary. I went with Gary simply because I think Clark now has help and I am such a believer in Gary's talent, but man Clark makes or breaks this defense.

History has shown no player has a more important impact on our defense's success or lack thereof than Kenny Clark. But man. I such a believer in Rash Gary. If this guy stays healthy, I think his ceiling is just so freaking high.

[BF004]

Gary, then Kenny, then Elgton.

Next 3 seem pretty clear to me in that order.

[Cdragon]

Clark and Gary.

[BF004]

Bak really surprises me last pick. I mean, most fans openly wondered if he'd ever play again as late as late last season. To see elite play over a whole season again seems more like wishful thinking.

Guess I’m not expecting him to play 17 games this year. But he finished the whole 2nd half of the season without knee issues and unless he has a 2nd appendix, I can’t really foresee an issue keeping him out. And he was very very good when we was back.

I expect him to be pretty motivated too, he’s essentially playing for a contract this year, pride that he can do it and a needs a strong finish to his career to get a gold jacket.

[NCF]

Gary, then Kenny, then Elgton.

Next 3 seem pretty clear to me in that order.

We never agree on these, but I am with you lock-step so far.

[Yoop]

I penciled in Tucker Kraft today on principal alone, anyone forced to grow up next to no where, west of the bad lands South Dakota deserves it Kidding, I love the state.

I went with Baktiari the other day because he looked sound again to finish last year, I expect he'll be the same this season maybe even next, why not we've seen other OL after injury to a leg do it, not to worried about him doing it now.

same with Jenkins, he's back at LG and has shown as well that he's over his injury.

so I went with Clark again and also Jenkins, Gary has to prove he'll get back to what he was 2 seasons ago, I can't build a roster relying on a cripple

[Madcity_matt]

Clark then Gary still for me

[paco]

cmon, we know the next 3. Let's move on.

[APB]

I don't have any real evidence to support the notion but I think Quay makes some big strides this year. Now that he's got his feet under him, that athleticism will be able to shine. I think he needs to start getting into the conversation.

Anyway, it's Gary for me this pick. The Bakh recovery has spooked a lot of you. ACLs aren't the boogie man of the past. He comes roaring back.

[Madcity_matt]

I don't have any real evidence to support the notion but I think Quay makes some big strides this year. Now that he's got his feet under him, that athleticism will be able to shine. I think he needs to start getting into the conversation.

Anyway, it's Gary for me this pick. The Bakh recovery has spooked a lot of you. ACLs aren't the boogie man of the past. He comes roaring back.

I do agree on Quay. I almost bought his jersey at the Lions game but they didn't have my size at the pro shop. Then he got tossed and I thought I might have dodged a bullet lol. I think if he can play with that mean streak but shut it down at the whistle he could be really disruptive for us.

[wallyuwl]

I don't have any real evidence to support the notion but I think Quay makes some big strides this year. Now that he's got his feet under him, that athleticism will be able to shine. I think he needs to start getting into the conversation.

Anyway, it's Gary for me this pick. The Bakh recovery has spooked a lot of you. ACLs aren't the boogie man of the past. He comes roaring back.

Didn't Bak tear up his knee in practice in January 2021? And he was finally, kind of, his old self by the end of last year.

[TheSkeptic]

I don't have any real evidence to support the notion but I think Quay makes some big strides this year. Now that he's got his feet under him, that athleticism will be able to shine. I think he needs to start getting into the conversation.

Anyway, it's Gary for me this pick. The Bakh recovery has spooked a lot of you. ACLs aren't the boogie man of the past. He comes roaring back.

Didn't Bak tear up his knee in practice in January 2021? And he was finally, kind of, his old self by the end of last year.

Yes, after 2 years, Bakh is finally close to his old self. But he will be 32 years old in September.

[APB]

I don't have any real evidence to support the notion but I think Quay makes some big strides this year. Now that he's got his feet under him, that athleticism will be able to shine. I think he needs to start getting into the conversation.

Anyway, it's Gary for me this pick. The Bakh recovery has spooked a lot of you. ACLs aren't the boogie man of the past. He comes roaring back.

Didn't Bak tear up his knee in practice in January 2021? And he was finally, kind of, his old self by the end of last year.

Yep, but Bakh is the outlier. Most ACL injuries are back to form, some even stronger, within the year.

[Labrev]

I don't have any real evidence to support the notion but I think Quay makes some big strides this year. Now that he's got his feet under him, that athleticism will be able to shine. I think he needs to start getting into the conversation.

Anyway, it's Gary for me this pick. The Bakh recovery has spooked a lot of you. ACLs aren't the boogie man of the past. He comes roaring back.

Didn't Bak tear up his knee in practice in January 2021? And he was finally, kind of, his old self by the end of last year.

Yep, but Bakh is the outlier. Most ACL injuries are back to form, some even stronger, within the year.

True to an extent, they usually return within a year, and it sometimes has the effect of making that leg stronger due to all the training they have been doing on it, but a lot of athletes attest to the fact that there's also a mental hurdle where they need to trust their ability to use the leg for things like making cuts, planting, etc.

Sounds like Gary's rehab has been going well and he's trying to get back Week 1. More likely, our cautious medical team makes him wait 'til about around the same time Jenkins waited. But I think it may not be 'til midseason when he looks like his old self.