I think anytime you have unproven players taking over key positions you will feel uncomfortable until they actually prove themselves on the field.
OL has 2 talented yet unproven projected starters with Rookies and a 2nd year player as the primary depth. I am hopeful but a bit still a bit uncomfortable.
Edge has Fowler, Matthews, Ebu and Obo plus some other unproven types. Matthews may be a bit past his prime but still usable and Fowler is probably going to be at least decent though he may not excel. Ebu has a year of playing experience and we should expect him to be coached up and should see improvement in his performance. Obo got a year of watching and learning and should be much more ready to contribute than a rookie would have been. When I look at the edge I think it is more proven then the Offensive line. Also if you add JMF to this group it seems like we will have good competition and there should be a good probability that someone will emerge as a significant contributor. Still there are unknowns here so it is not bad to feel uncomfortable.
ILB is another position where we don't have a proven player except if they decide to move Matthews inside which is an option if Kiser is not ready or not skilled enough provide a good starting option. I also think Rapp may come in and play ILB during passing situations and all indications are that he is NFL ready and should be able to contribute as a rotational player. Since we already have Littleton who I believe is proven I don't fee quite as uncomfortable here especially since it is a passing league and we may only need Kiser on the field for 30-40% of the plays.
You did not mention DL but I think that is a positions group that should also be concerning. Brocker, Donald and ????. You have JMF who is a presumed starter or Gaines as the NT with Brockers playing end. Either way you either have an unproven starter who is a 2nd year player or a unproven rookie. Also the defensive line rotates player and the depth on the DL seems to be lacking with Joseph and Smart added to the list. Perhaps Fowler can plan an End position but we seem very light and inexperienced on the DL.
The focus on the Edge position is a bit of a misnomer as the real question really should be can we get good pressure on the QB. With AD we have the best in the business and he should time up 2 offensive players. I think there are a lot of potential players on the roster that can put pressure on the QB and that 2 or more will emerge and provide a good pass rush. I also think we upgrade the secondary with Weedle, Rapp and Long and our coverage should improve if we stay healthy.
With the salary cap we will always have holes that need to be replaced by younger players and when you pick late in the rounds those players will tend to need some coaching up to reach their potential so a year of sitting and learning is optimal. Of course as fans we don't really get a glimpse of their potential where the coaches who see them everyday are in a good position to evaluate them. If they were really concerned about the edge/pass rush they would have drafted a pass rusher. If they were really concerned about ILB they would have drafted one before round 7. If they thought they needed a start on the OL they would have stayed at 31 and taken an OL prospect. I think the draft does give us insight into how the coaches feel about the roster and young players and what the priorities are. So I guess that says I am comfortable knowing that the coaches identified and priorities the roster needs going into the draft and that the draft reflects those priorities to some degree.
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