1. C.J. Beathard, QB
Many people dog on Beathard as harsh as they would on a player who was taken in the 1st round or just signed big bucks. This is over-the-top and unfair to Beathard (a mid rounder), but furthermore it is incredibly premature to start labeling the guy as a career backup after what was statistically a rock solid rookie debut. It wasn't a large sample size, but over his first six games, he totaled 1430 passing yards and 136 rushing yards with 7 touchdowns (4 passing, 3 rushing) and 6 INTs. Compare that with the first six games of several other current NFL starters: Joe Flacco (1076 yards, 2 TD, 7 INT) / Eli Manning (833 yards, 3 TDs, 8 INT) / Alex Smith (682 yards, 0 TD, 10 INT) / Matthew Stafford (1265 yards, 5 TDs, 12 INT, 2 rush TDs) / Matt Ryan (1164 yards, 5 TD, 3 INT) / Jared Goff (969 yards, 5 TD, 7 INT, 1 rush TD). You get the point by now... and hopefully you can see why I'm really looking forward to see what kind of jump he can make in year two. Beathard showed almost unheard of toughness out there and made some brilliant throws at times under duress. I see now what Shanahan saw in him, especially in terms of fearlessness, and can't wait to see where he's at in year two.
2. Joe Williams, RB
Frankly, we've barely gotten to see what he can do at all. He was stashed away on IR all of last year, but in terms of ability as a runner, by all means he seems to have RB1 kinds of tools. In brief action in last year's pre-season, you caught a small glimpse of this. I'm sure the staff hopes as much as the next guy that he can use this off-season to sharpen his game and earn a roster spot, but after no playing time last year, he's got an uphill battle. For the first time in years, the team didn't draft a running back. Perhaps this points to them still having faith in JW. Hopefully he can reward us all with a stellar showing so he can secure a place along side the other RBs on the final roster.
3. Pita Taumoepenu, OLB
Pita has spent the last year stashed on the roster with limited PT (just two games all of last season), but you have to believe there's a good reason they elected to not take a chance trying to put him on the practice squad. Scrappy, relentless, and highly athletic, Pita on paper seems like the perfect developmental SAM prospect. While it might be overly optimistic to expect him to overtake Harold for the SAM position, at worst his development should push Harold even further to step up his game (remember he's in a contract year this year). As much as Harold has been statistically disappointing, he hasn't been a "bad" player, he just hasn't been an "impact guy". Harold (remember 2017 was his first season as a 4-3 player) and Pita will both have continuity behind them going into 2018, so either way I'm looking for improvement, specifically in pass rush, at the SAM position.
4. Joshua Garnett, OG
I've been a vocal skeptic about Garnett since evaluating him as a college prospect, but will continue to root for him to prove me wrong. Now entering his third year, body reshaped, I'm hopeful he's had enough time to correct the flaws he had when he entered the league. I honestly don't trust any of the guys we have at OG outside of Person (experienced C/G who provides solid insurance) and Magnuson (who I think showed a lot of promise last year). Garnett's smarts and passion make him a guy with a lot of upside still. Perhaps he'll be a late bloomer. I hope he is, because we really need someone who can help shore up the interior for years to come.
5. Erik Magnuson, C/G
As previously stated, Magnuson was a guy who really flashed some starter potential last year to me. Just a gutsy, gritty competitor who came in and surprised a lot of people doing so well as a UDFA last pre-season and clearly earned himself a roster spot. Played well out of position at RT due to necessity, but he seems to be a roster lock this year as a younger Zane Beadles type of player (hopefully much better though). Personally, I think if he continues to trend upward, we could see him growing into the RG of the future and putting up a heavy fight against Cooper/Garnett for that spot. Hopefully that foot injury is 100% healed with no lingering after-effects.
[ Edited by OnTheClock on May 14, 2018 at 9:09 AM ]
