(06-06-2023, 02:38 PM)NYC4jags Wrote:

(06-06-2023, 01:29 PM)Caldrac Wrote: They'll get a chance, respectively, in year two. No doubt about it. They already committed to that path with them last year so I don't seem them changing it. I just hope we don't get stagnant results, because, if we're not seeing much improvement from these two guys by week ten? Who are we blaming here?

Is it the players? For not catching on? Is it Caldwell? For playing them out of position to begin with? Is it Baalke? For drafting them to begin with? I just worry about the short window we have here. We won't be able to keep this unit intact for year three and year four. We only lost three players in the off season, a starter in Taylor and a rotational player or two in Key and Smoot. 

What happens after 2023? That's my concern with a pair of 1st RD selections still being pigeonholed into roles they don't seem to thrive in.

Right - it is this assumption that they are being played out of position that I'm talking about. 

Is it not possible that the positions envisioned for them by these professional football coaches and scouts may indeed turn out to be more accurate than the assumptions of us fans? 

I just find it very strange that so many fans have their minds so made up on this. 

I understand the traits and struggles of each player that make us want to project them elsewhere, but this notion of knowing exactly what a player is after one season always seems like jumping the shark to me. Especially when said player(s) came in after having been utilized as Swiss army knives in college.

To back up this point, off-ball LBers have consistently struggled to start their careers in recent years.  OCs have feasted on those short routes, especially over the middle of the field, and those are hell for young LBers to adjust to.  Isaiah Simmons basically got benched for half a season after Shanahan set up plays to torch him in the opener.  Basically the only exception to this has been Micah and he's just an outlier in every sense.  Even the good (or perceived good) ones took time to get there.  Tremaine Edmunds struggled until this past season. Roquan was OK but didn't really take off until he got to Balt.  Devin White has been largely bad except for some splash plays and a great postseason run.  It's just tough being an off-ball linebacker with the way offenses operate right now, so it will probably take some patience for Lloyd to really get his bearings and become the player he can be.  Hopefully he makes some good strides this season.

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