Quote:
Originally Posted by GGG
In modern times taking a defensemen number 1 overall has not worked out that well. There isn't any impact defensemen taken 1st overall. Hamrlik, Jovonoski, Chris Phillips are the best you do. In all drafts where they were taken first overall the drafts have been relatively week aside from 1. The 2006 draft was very strong. The top 5 was Eric Johnson, Jordon Staal, Jonathon toews, Nikolas Backstrom, and Phil Kessel.
I take all 5 over Johnson now. For me to take a defensemen first overall he would need to be head and shoulders above the rest. In this draft the consensus is that the top 3 are all close. So I take the forwards over the defensemen.
|
People overrate the historical argument. Jones is not Hamrlik, Phillips, Jovonovski or E. Johnson. He is a unique prospect. You have to evaluate him based on his game, not on how well former defensemen taken high have worked out.
I think people turn to the historical argument when they don't have much information to go on. But you don't make drafting decisions based on it. You have to base your decision on Jones's game and how well you think he projects 5 years from now.
Jones has the potential to be a franchise defenseman. His skating and mobility are awesome for his size and he doesn't have some of the drawbacks that Bouwmeester has. I'm sick of hearing how we shouldn't even consider him strictly because player X, Y and Z taken high didn't turn into franchise defensemen. Watch him play and evaluate him, or research his game and make your mind up from there. But to write him off because you don't like how E. Johnson or Hamrlik or Jovo or Phillips turned out is extremely silly thinking.
History may repeat itself in a broad sense but that doesn't mean Jones is E. Johnson.
The other argument against him that I've seen in this thread that is shortsighted and poor is that argument that d-men take longer and we need a star fast so don't take him. Well he's going to play in the NHL probably right away. And I don't think it'll take him long to become an impact defenseman.
The only argument against Jones that I buy into is that because he's American he may at some point be more willing to desert the Flames to go play for an American team than a Canadian or Scandanavian would. That is the only thing that at all downgrades him in my opinion.