Rank the Roster 2023: #18

[Waldo]

Rank The Roster: 2023 Edition

1. Jaire Alexander (43%)[+2]
2. Aaron Jones (26%)[+6]
3. David Bakhtiari (34%)[+1]
4. Kenny Clark (50%)[-2]
5. Rashan Gary (57%)[+1]
6. Elgton Jenkins (54%)[-1]
7. DeVondre Campbell (29%)[--]
8. Christian Watson (32%)[+14]
9. Jordan Love (32%)[+21]
10. Preston Smith (32%)[+2]
11. Rasul Douglas (29%)[+2]
12. AJ Dillon (27%)[-1]
13. Keisean Nixon (36%)[+19]
14. Quay Walker (36%)[+5]
15. Romeo Doubs (27%)[+20]
16. Devonte Wyatt (39%)[+3]
17. Zach Tom (31%)[+20]
18. Current (xx%)[--]

Percent of vote the winner got will be in parenthesis, position change vs. 2022 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]

Getting into the "will he make the team" question with the most recent additions.

LVN is going to get some serious play time, and he's got a ceiling in the clouds. Highest upside available.

Myers is as safe a starter as is left on the board, he's my 2nd pick.

[Labrev]

LVN it is. He worked himself up to the 1s quickly. I think he's a Week 1 starter (*knocks on wood*) and his snap count will not fall off too much even when Gary gets back.

He has insane talent and no real serious weakness, I expect some high highs and lots of solid snaps, maybe some games where he does not grade out great but I don't think the lows will be overly low.

Just him for now. Second vote is a tough call. Myers, Savage, and Runyan will be out there a lot, but the first two are highly inconsistent, Runyan is meh. I have an eye on TE here for sure. I think Deguara is TE1 and could surprise people, but Musgrave could be a revelation like Watson was at WR, yet TE is a tough position to make an impact in Year 1 so it's tough to put money on it.

[Pckfn23]

Stokes, Myers, Runyan

Then I will throw Van Ness and Musgrave in there.

[Yoop]

Stokes and Savage again.

[Madcity_matt]

I went with LVN alone for this one as well.

[YoHoChecko]

I remain out on Stokes until I see him practice.

I went for JRJ but I'm not sold on it.

It's the evergreen tradeoff argument between safety of a pick/likelihood of the start, and high variance players. A big year from Savage, Myers, LVN, or even Musgrave/Kraft would matter more than anything JRJ will do this year. But as it stands, JRJ is a solid starter and the others are more in the average/below-average/unknown starter status.
I'm feeling safe today, but I reserve the right to reverse my case and vote at any given time.

[Pckfn23]

I remain out on Stokes until I see him practice.

He was out there today warming up.

[YoHoChecko]

I remain out on Stokes until I see him practice.

He was out there today warming up.

Bakhtiari was out there warming up in the offseason all last year, too.

Put on a helmet, play in team periods. Show the recovery.

A steel plate in the foot leading to 4 months in a wheelchair for a skill position player whose primary strength was his effortless speed is the sort of thing that, to me, says you're not the same player anymore until you prove that you are.

[Pckfn23]

I remain out on Stokes until I see him practice.

He was out there today warming up.

Bakhtiari was out there warming up in the offseason all last year, too.

Put on a helmet, play in team periods. Show the recovery.

A steel plate in the foot leading to 4 months in a wheelchair for a skill position player whose primary strength was his effortless speed is the sort of thing that, to me, says you're not the same player anymore until you prove that you are.

I mean sure, be wary, but Bakhtiari is not the rule, he is the exception.

[YoHoChecko]

I mean sure, be wary, but Bakhtiari is not the rule, he is the exception.

Oh sure. He is just evidence that you cannot judge how close a player is to participation by how he participates in warmups and along the sideline. The only clear indication that a player is close to being cleared comes retroactively when he is cleared.

But then, aside from the Bakhtiari situation, this specific injury for this specific player at this specific position does not get the benefit of the doubt to returning to form and development. I love the kid. I think he's so coachable and so diligent and so happy to be an NFL player with such elite physical tools that he was bound to be a success eventually, as his instincts and bank of playing experience grew.

But the injury was severe, and it is the type that can take a 99th-perccentile player in speed and acceleration and turn him into a 90th-percentile player. That changes the play style and prognosis to me.

I just won't vote for him until I hear things like "you just can't believe how he got from point A to point B in no time" like we heard about him the first two offseasons. To get there, he needs to be cleared to fully participate first.

[lupedafiasco]

I voted Runyan because I think an every down starter is is pretty solid is worth the spot. He and LVN should have been gone but we have significantly worse or underutilized players above him for some reason like Dillon (?!), Quay, and Wyatt. It doesnt make sense to me that players drafted in the 20s who struggled a seson ago are going ahead of a pick made at 13 who is at a more premium position.

[Cdragon]

Going Runyan, and Musgrave. Musgrave is going to get a lot more work with Love. He can't afford to sit on talent.

[Drj820]

I think stoked is gonna have a good year. Stokes warming up at practice has nothing to do with this prediction.

[Drj820]

It’s close to TJ Slayton time. Severely underrated.

[TheSkeptic]

I am voting only for probable starters. LVN will start until Gary returns but I don't see him starting after that. Preston and Gary will start.

Can't vote for Savage, he got benched last season for inadequate performance. He may start but if he does it is only because he is marginally better than other inadequate players.

Therefore I vote for our starting CB (assuming he is healthy, Stokes, and I think he is healthy now). Plus CB is a premium position.

And that leaves Myers, Runyan and Musgrave as my second vote. Runyan is never going to be a star player. Myers might become a star but he is not anything more than an average center starting his 3rd year. I chose Musgrave, IMO he is going to be a star before his rookie season is over.

[Yoop]

I mean sure, be wary, but Bakhtiari is not the rule, he is the exception.

Oh sure. He is just evidence that you cannot judge how close a player is to participation by how he participates in warmups and along the sideline. The only clear indication that a player is close to being cleared comes retroactively when he is cleared.

But then, aside from the Bakhtiari situation, this specific injury for this specific player at this specific position does not get the benefit of the doubt to returning to form and development. I love the kid. I think he's so coachable and so diligent and so happy to be an NFL player with such elite physical tools that he was bound to be a success eventually, as his instincts and bank of playing experience grew.

But the injury was severe, and it is the type that can take a 99th-perccentile player in speed and acceleration and turn him into a 90th-percentile player. That changes the play style and prognosis to me.

I just won't vote for him until I hear things like "you just can't believe how he got from point A to point B in no time" like we heard about him the first two offseasons. To get there, he needs to be cleared to fully participate first.

for all these reasons I wouldn't pay Gary till he plays back up to prior production, or at least shows he's completely healed from the knee injury.

I forgot about the lis-franc with Stokes, that does give me pause with his vote.

[Cdragon]

It’s close to TJ Slayton time. Severely underrated.

I was thinking that too. Definitely going to be a player we need on the D holding his own and then some.

[salmar80]

I REALLY hope Savage comes through in his contract year, and he's kinda penciled in as a starter at a thin position group. He has the tools, and if he can't put it together in a familiar system in a contract year, his career is toast.

Musgrave looks smooth as silk on tape and in shorts. I know 1st year TEs don't usually produce much, but this dude just might. Musgrave is just something else, which has led to some saying Tucker Kraft looks clunky when running. And Craft looks exactly like a normal upper echelon TE running.

[TheSkeptic]

I mean sure, be wary, but Bakhtiari is not the rule, he is the exception.

Oh sure. He is just evidence that you cannot judge how close a player is to participation by how he participates in warmups and along the sideline. The only clear indication that a player is close to being cleared comes retroactively when he is cleared.

But then, aside from the Bakhtiari situation, this specific injury for this specific player at this specific position does not get the benefit of the doubt to returning to form and development. I love the kid. I think he's so coachable and so diligent and so happy to be an NFL player with such elite physical tools that he was bound to be a success eventually, as his instincts and bank of playing experience grew.

But the injury was severe, and it is the type that can take a 99th-perccentile player in speed and acceleration and turn him into a 90th-percentile player. That changes the play style and prognosis to me.

I just won't vote for him until I hear things like "you just can't believe how he got from point A to point B in no time" like we heard about him the first two offseasons. To get there, he needs to be cleared to fully participate first.

for all these reasons I wouldn't pay Gary till he plays back up to prior production, or at least shows he's completely healed from the knee injury.

I forgot about the lis-franc with Stokes, that does give me pause with his vote.

Stokes is at camp and there is video. He is moving normally. No wrap or anything on the ankle and no limp.