(05-16-2021, 09:58 PM)Bullseye Wrote:

(05-16-2021, 05:58 PM)TheO-LineMatters Wrote: That is a very accurate description. 

Agreed. I just wonder how much of a chance he will get with Chark, Jones and Shenault ahead of him, not to mention Etienne lining up at WR on some plays? I liked what i saw from Johnson last season. There is always a place for a big, redzone target with good hands.

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I was expecting Johnson to run somewhere in the 4.57 to 4.70 range. Remember, Jerry Rice ran a 4.71/40, so speed isn't everything.

I wonder what the depth chart will be going into camp.

Presumably, it will be something like:

Chark
Shenault
Jones
and then Johnson, Etienne, Dorsett and the rest filling in the rear.

But someone raised a point earlier about Etienne vis-a-vis Shenault.  It seems Etienne will be utilized in many of the same ways that Shenault was used last year.  While it's entirely possible Meyer simply wants more playmakers, it does raise the question of why you should have two guys dong essentially the same thing instead of having 5-6 guys to complement each other.  Who knows what UM, Baalke and Lal concluded after reviewing the tape.

As for Rice's speed, I had always heard he ran in the 4.6 range, but your larger point about speed not being everything still stands.  Wilford could be timed with the OL & DL and might finish in the middle of the pack of the DL, but he wound up being better than faster and higher drafted Reggie Williams and Matt Jones.

But I reiterate that I hope Jimmy Smith is right about Collin Johnson and I hope he gets his shot to thrive in this offense if Smith is right.  While I believe in emphasizing skill players early, it is important to bolster the trenches next year.  Even assuming Walker Little starts this year and upgrades one of the T positions, contracts are expiring, players are aging, and some just flat out need to be replaced, and there's depth needed, and this is just on the O-Line.

I thought Shenault was used terribly last year. There were so many opportunities for us to get creative with where he lined up and Gruden failed spectacularly. When he did try to mix him in at other spots, his play calls were so "vanilla" they could see the play coming a mile away. I hope Bevell does a better job than Gruden did, although I'm expecting a ton of bubble screens. Bevell used them a lot during his time in Seattle and they rarely worked. 

I googled Rice's Pro Day 40 time and it comes up he ran a 4.71/40. That's what comes up. He certainly wasn't fast, but he did look quicker than that during his heyday. 

Amen! That is why I was so surprised we only brought in one O-Lineman in the draft and no UDFA O-Linemen.

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