QB: 3 (Hoyer, Barkley, Beathard)
RB: 4 (Hyde, Williams, Hightower, Bibbs)
FB: 1 (Juszczyk)
WR:5 (Garcon, Kerley, Goodwin, Robinson, Taylor)
TE: 3 (McDonald, Paulsen, Kittle)
OL: 9 (Staley, Zuttah, Garnett, Beadles, Brown, Gilliam, Fusco, Kilgore, Magnuson)
DL: 8 (Buckner, Armstead, Mitchell, Thomas, C. Jones, D.J. Jones, Blair, Lynch)
LB: 7 (Bowman, Brooks, Foster, Smith, Armstrong, Coyle, Watson)
CB: 6 (Robinson, Redmond, Witherspoon, Johnson, Williams, Reaser)
S: 4 (Ward, Reid, Tartt, Jerome)
K: 1 (Gould)
P: 1 (Pinion)
LS: 1 (Nelson)
Quick thoughts on the above:
-QBs: Pretty straightforward (Hoyer - the bridge until next year that knows Shanahan's system, but in the meantime keep improving on the last 12 games started, which he's produced good numbers; Barkley will be a hopefully better-than-average backup; looking forward to seeing Beathard in the preseason)
-RBs: Bibbs over Breida at this time due to what they gave up to get Bibbs + Lynch has closely watched him play & he has ST abilities; Hightower makes it due to his experience in Shanahan's offense + what he showed last year in NO
-FB: "Juice" was the Free Agent FB I was hoping the team would get (been watching him pretty closely w/ the Ravens)...he'll do a lot for the team at FB - as an "OW"
-WRs: Only five due to no obvious 6th WR at this time (wouldn't mind seeing a breakout candidate make it such as Bolden); Ellington is already hurt and not liking his chances so far
-TEs: I like McDonald's playmaking ability he showed last year but again, he needs to stay healthy and continue to limit those drops; if you only have 3 TEs, I don't see where Celek and Bell make it over any of the above; Paulsen is a good blocking TE & was sought out in FA by the new regime; really looking forward to seeing what Kittle can do; Hikutini will probably be on the PS
-OL: I like to go with 9 with all the wear and tear/injuries on the OL during the course of the season; Barnes doesn't make it as you already have three who can play C in Zuttah, Kilgore, and Beadles
-DL: Very difficult to leave out Dial and Carradine - I like Dial and this could be a good system fit for Carradine but you can only have so many DL towards the 53; Lynch needs to pick up his game but we've seen what he can do and it's impressive; C. Jones sounds like he's off to a good start and looked pretty good last year; Blair is versatile and a hard worker - I think he gets just that much better this year; D.J. Jones has shown to be very athletic for a squatty, run-stopping NT
-LBs: Again, only so many spots and Harold isn't included (not an easy decision - I hope he does well in the new scheme); Smith will show his worth at times with his athleticism and in knowing the scheme well (wasn't overjoyed in signing him but I can see the reasoning); Armstrong is also athletic and seems to be a quality backup; Watson and Coyle are decent backups and are too valuable on ST (plus, Coyle played in this scheme)
-CBs: I like going with 6 due to the injuries that always seem to hit this position group (and, the team has the above 6 that right now seem worthy of a roster spot); really looking forward to seeing Robinson build on the good year he had last season; hoping Redmond is healthy as I like his potential to be a starter; Witherspoon I have high hopes for...we know he can cover and has the physical traits + athleticism for that; however, it's his physicality that has me a little worried - will he stick his nose in there when needed for run support?; hoping Reaser improves on last season as I liked many things I saw from him; Johnson is a little perplexing - he's up and down - but I still like his upside and hopefully he impresses the new coaching staff; (Wildcard is Colbert due to his ability to play CB & S along with being big & fast)
-S: Will Ward be a quality centerfield FS? I hope so - I want to see some playmaking from him back there and want to see him play a full season; For Reid, I'm hoping for improvement and him staying concussion-free; Tartt has a lot to prove - he took some brutal angles last year in tackling but he can make plays when playing closer to the line of scrimmage - maybe this scheme will be good for him?; Looking forward to seeing how Jerome's game translates to the pro level after being a playmaking S in college - though he didn't show the best results at the combine, this guy could just be a player that really shows well during games with good instincts, "playing faster" than what he's timed at, etc.
-K, P, & LS: Gould hopefully will have a good season (better than Dawson last year?); Pinion needs to really help flip field position and be consistent in helping win that battle weekly; Nelson is a very solid LS - can't remember the last bad snap he's had.
Football season can't get here fast enough!
[ Edited by LottDMontanaO on May 30, 2017 at 11:33 PM ]
