I've been thinking - 4th year players

[BengalChris]

(08-14-2019, 10:06 PM)HarleyDog Wrote: I didn't know who Ringo was until he got hurt. No Shit! Some of these guys have not really had a legitimate shot. But, I see a lot of upside in Vigil and Erickson. Vigil did well last year until the injury. Also, to add to you opinion about past leadership, that has probably been the demise of many of these players and it's unfortunate. Our leadership didn't know how to coach up, teach, discipline then trust. A lot of players with great talent came here via the draft that had failed careers. Granted, a lot will not fair well under ZT either, but at least they will get attention and given the ability to show their stuff and learn from their mistakes. They will get a legitimate chance to make or break their own careers.

Marvin was an idiot at player development and so was the rest of the staff. John Ross is a good example, well, maybe a bad one in the same breath. Too many rookies didn't get their shot because of declining players with seniority. 

A large number of players were developed under Marvin. The fact that Ross flopped says more about Ross than Marvin.

Hopkins has developed into a reliable backup C and can start as needed. He was an UDFA.
Marvin Jones was a 5th round pick.
Geno Atikins was a 4th round pick.
Sanu was a 2nd round pick.
Boling was a 4th round pick.
Iloka was a 5th round pick.
Shawn Williams was a 3rd round pick.
Uzomah was a 5th round pick and was our 3rd leading receiver last season.
Westerman was a 5th round pick.
Vigil was a 3rd.
Burfict was an UDFA.

There are more if I would have gone back further.

When a coach has a front office that, in most cases, will not upgrade positions in free agency, then he has to rely on mid and late round picks to fill positions. This is why Mike Brown covets those comp picks.

Just remember Ross only had one good season in college.