Alex Smith. He will be a pro-bowler this year. The biggest thing holding him back was his mechanics... they caused the high passes that lead to all those tipped interceptions last year. Coming out of college, his accuracy was exceptional. It has suffered since his injuries due to poor mechanics.
A stiff front leg is one of the worst possible mechanical problems you can have as a QB. The improvement in his mechanics will improve his accuracy and velocity. He will be effective on sideline deep routes, he will be more consistent throwing underneath. Combine his smart play from last year with improved arm strength and accuracy, and he'll be a top 10 NFL Quarterback.
Now, this all is dependent on those new mechanics taking. Chances are good, since he had great mechanics before the injuries, but there's a possibility he wont adjust. It'd doubtful he'll regress, but it's possible he wont. I think he will, though. Seeing him throw in some of the videos... it's night and day.
I do not have a lot of faith that Crabtree will develop. I think he'll be pushed down the depth chart by Jenkins and, eventually, Kyle Williams (who I believe has the greatest potential among the WRs on the roster right now). Crabtree is slow out of breaks and has a difficult time creating separation. He's a very good route runner, so there's really no way to improve this through coaching. He's simply too physically limited, and he has "good" size, not elite, so he can't make up for his shortcomings that way. Crabtree is a backup-level talent, and I don't see that changing. I definitely could be wrong here, and I hope I am, but the way he disappears in big games makes me nervous too. His huge games always seem to be against bad teams.
[ Edited by adembroski on Jun 3, 2012 at 6:00 PM ]