thesack12 wrote:CrimsonCrew wrote:wco81 wrote:They had Staley too and in Bosa’s rookie year Armstead and Buckner were all beasts.
Staley was Pro Bowl level and Buckner and Armstead were All Pro level.
Nice building blocks, though Staley was about to retire and they couldn’t afford to keep Buckner.
I mentioned Staley. Three players that had a role on the SB team, and one of them had been a huge disappointment when they came in. I wouldn't say that's much to build on.
Again, they've made loads of mistakes. I just think most fans zero in on their team's mistakes and overlook the many mistakes other teams have made.
I completely agree. People are all to willing to focus on the lowlights, but won't put much thought into the highlights. And as you mentioned the lowlights are magnified since people are hyperfocused on their team.
I also don't think some people consider just how difficult it is to build a perrennially contending roster in the NFL. Let alone trying to do it without an elite QB in the fold that can mask a lot of the inadequacies on the roster. Then consider that the 9ers reside in a gauntlet of a division.
To this point, just as an illustration, I took a look at the last few years of Steelers drafts. I picked the Steelers because they are universally considered a well-run team, but they have had the following draft history (I will highlight particularly good and particularly bad picks, mostly looking at the first three rounds). It's worth noting that they're almost always picking late in the round, so that increases the odds of a miss, but shouldn't really impact the value of second-day players.
2015Took Bud Dupree 22nd overall. Dupree was alright, but never an impact pass rusher. Arguably the best thing you can say about him is that he netted a solid comp pick.
Second-round pick CB Sequez Golson literally did nothing.
Third-round pick WR Sammie Coates had 528 yards and two TDs over a four-year career. He only made it two seasons with the Steelers.
No real late-round values, although fifth-rounder Jesse James has been okay. Overall, a very lackluster draft.
2016Took CB Artie Burns 25th overall. He was a starter for his first couple seasons, but struggled, got replaced, and departed for Chicago last year. He's now on the Seahawks. Disappointing pick.
Took CB Sean Davis in the second round. He was better than Burns, and started most games through his first three seasons, but couldn't stick and played for three teams last year.
Took DT Justin Hargrove in the third, and he's been a solid piece, starting most of his games. He went to Philly in 2020 and made the pro bowl for them last year.
Overall, not a great draft.
2017DE TJ Watt at 30 was a huge steal. One of the better first-round picks in a good long while.
Took WR JuJu Smith-Schuster in the second. That one's a tough eval for me. Outperformed expectations at first, but then crashed pretty hard. Jury is still out, but he's also on to a new team.
They took CB Cameron Sutton in the third. He's an interesting one. just a handful of starts through his first four years, but he started 16 games for them last year, so we've got to consider him a solid pick for a third-rounder.
Also took RB James Conner in the third. Conner was good for them and has been good for the Cards. Maybe a bit early for him, but tough to really fault this one.
TJ Watt alone makes this draft, but they sweetened the pot with Sutton and the other two.
2018Took S Terrell Edmunds 28th overall. He's started almost all his games, and he's been okay. He was a FA this year and PFF considered him a marginal starting safety. Returned to the Steelers on a one-year deal. Bit of a reach when drafted, and a disappointment.
WR James Washington in the second. He's flashed a couple times, but never lived up to second-round potential. Off the team now.
QB Mason Rudolph in the third. Pretty clearly nothing more than a mid-tier backup, though arguable that's worth a third-round pick.
Got to consider this draft a disappointment.
2019Took LB Devin Bush 10th overall, and he's been a bit of a disaster, oddly. I thought he was a pretty fool-proof add.
WR Diontae Johnson in the third has really panned out.
CB Layne Johnson in the third has basically just been a body.
2020 starts to get a little too recent to really judge. They took Claypool in the late second, and he's flashed, but they also drafted at least one guy who is likely to play ahead of him in 2022.
Anyway, as you can see, the draft is tough, even for the best FOs. It's full of at least as many misses as hits. But fans tend to expect every guy to pan out.
