Originally posted by CatchMaster80:
Drafting is half scouting and half luck. Nobody has a crystal ball that can predict how a college player will be when he gets some money and has to work to keep his job. Nobody knows if a previously uninjured player will keep getting hurt in the NFL like Ward. In college, these guys are virtually guaranteed a job because of the scholarship. If they get hurt, they redshirt (sometimes). In the NFL they have to fight every day and some guys just aren't up to it. All the drills at the combine can't tell you if the player has that kind of drive. If you looked at the history of the NFL over the last 15-20 years, every team probably has more guys that didn't make it than guys that did. The Niners seem have drafted a lot of injured players but I don't know how many other teams have done the same.
Good point. Just to dig into that point a little bit. It's true, once a college guy gets paid *Millions* - will he stay hungry and motivated? Second thing, injuries. Greg Cook was a super star and then got injured and his career was finished in just one year. Third, coaching change, when the scheme changes - a player who was outstanding in a particular scheme, loses that with the next coach who does things differently. I think those three things ends a players career or helps him become a bust.
Good coaches can deal with the first and third, to a certain extent, but the second is all luck. I think Bosa has a great future here and most of Kyle's draftees have a great future here so long as the coaching staff is stable and the players stay healthy. Personally, I am really impressed with the players ShanaLynch has acquired in the two offseasons - this last 2019 draft has the makings of a 2011 HarBaalke draft that helped us get into the playoffs. If he does two more of those drafts equivalent to the 2011 draft, Kyle will have the makings of a super bowl contender soon.