He did goto Richmond and got selected in the 5th? round for a reason....
Somehow this reasoning really falls short.A lot of talented players end up at small schools because they came from terrible HS programs. Then in college, they put up good numbers with their talent, but still endure sub-standard coaching. OFTEN, players like this go late in NFL drafts because they're raw. They've played with lesser coaches and lesser talent around them. Often, they struggle for a year or two before catching up to the curve. Fortunately for them, they usually have that year or two because the NFL team is not highly invested...the player was drafted as a backup to begin with.Westbrook is a perfect example of this dynamic.Hightower had a lot of pre-season buzz because his talent shone through in camp. He has the right combination of speed, hands, power. He has the raw skills. What he doesn't have is a ton of time playing with quality coaches against quality opponents.We got too worked up on his skills, and expectations were inflated too quickly. Now...because he's struggled and doesn't appear to have top-flight natural instincts, suddenly everyone is jumping ship completely and saying he's no good? Isn't it just as likely that he struggled partly because he wasn't ready? Then....he ran behind a horrible run-blocking line to boot?Just like expectation were too high too soon....people are jumping ship too soon. Two months ago, he was a sell-high. He's now become a buy low, even waiver wire in some cases. Give him another year.
