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One thing about the guard position is that I do really get tired of hearing the cliche (no disrespect intended BossChief) "he has the tools" going into the third year of a player's career.
I'd rather be hearing "he made an impact his rookie year and has shown exceptional growth in year two." That would be something, but it isn't the case.
All this means is that LDT remains a huge question mark at guard; his strength wasn't noticeably better in year two. I don't trust Fulton at guard because he has heavy feet, but he's a functional backup center. Jah Reid should be a backup guard at best given his play throughout his career, but he's really kind of too long for the position and struggles with footwork.
Call me less than elated, or whatever you want to term it. I think the guard position is a huge issue at this point. I would not be disappointed with an early pick at he position to solidify one of the two spots. Guys like Cody Whitehair, Josh Garnett, Isaac Seumalo, Joe Dahl, Connor McGovern, and Christian Westerman all look light years ahead in development at the position compared to what is currently on the roster.
I'm also a big believer in having really good guards in the NFL. I think you can get by with average tackles if you have good guards. Keeping immediate pressure off the quarterback and giving him an area in the pocket he can step up into and away from outside pressure is a huge key to throwing the football effectively.
I don't think you take a guard in round 1, but round 2 is certainly in play.
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