(12-10-2018, 08:27 AM)JagJohn Wrote:

(12-09-2018, 04:51 PM)NYC4jags Wrote: Personally - I don't think Kessler really needs any major caveats in his evaluation. He's got some experience. He may not be fully developed, but he ought to be darn close to it by now.

I also wouldn't say he has a weak arm necessarily,  but his velocity is certainly nothing spectacular.  He seems to be able to make up for the velocity issue with decent accuracy and anticipation though.  You're not going to see him throwing it 40 yards on a rope like a Patrick Mahomes or Josh Allen type, but he's got a manageable toolbox to work with.

I disagree to be honest, I think there definitely should be somewhat of a caveat in this case. He is playing the position with the biggest mental element in the whole sport, by far. He has yet to experience a stable and steady offseason in the NFL preparing as a starter. You can't underestimate how important game experience is at the position, and once again, he has only started 10 games... It's fair enough if you think his ceiling is capped for some reason, but to suggest he doesn't have the potential to improve is disingenuous in my opinion. Bortles, for example, is unfortunately a book that has almost been fully written at this stage, we've seen more than enough to know what he is and to know what he never will be. Kessler, on the other hand, is still writing the first chapter.

I definitely don't think he has zero potential to improve.  I think that we shouldn't be looking for improvement anywhere near that  improvement expected from a rookie moving into his second year, but rather that of a young vet learning a system. 

I think the two degrees of improvement there ^ are pretty disparate. 

He's had three offseasons under Hue Jackson (albeit with three different QB coaches), he's played significant time in ten NFL contests - plenty more preseason games and logged plenty of time in the film room, with the scout team , and holding clipboards on the sideline.  All that stuff adds up to being far more comfortable and prepared than a rookie. 

I think where he is in development does not at all equate to "essentially his rookie season."  Not by quite a long shot. 
He can get better - sure  - but I'd not look at him as a rookie with vast potential.

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