BOLD Predictions

[VY]

25 minutes ago, TitanSS said:

Kelly's a good backup, but he's a backup. Conklin will and should be the starting RT for 2019.

I went back and watched him vs Ohio State in 2015 the other day. It's just hard to believe it was the same person we saw this year. He absolutely dominated Tyquan Lewis, who is starting at DE for the Colts now. Something wasn't right with him after the injury.

If he fails again in 2019 we can try him at G, but I think he will be back in shape. Footwork was his biggest issue coming out of the draft, and I think he really struggled with it missing the entire off-season.

I agree, but also in terms of 2019 planning waiting doesn't seem like the best option. Conklin's ceiling could be the next Bruce. Talented enough to move around the line, but ultimately better-suited inside. Having that kind of lineman during Bruce's heyday was so invaluable. You can build depth at any position across the line, keep whoever is best at the end of camp for depth. Having a back-up / swing tackle being a starting guard gives you a lot of flexibility. It's not as if it was just this year Conklin was shaky, last year was a noticeable drop-off from his rookie year. 

We have to figure out his 5th year option next year, and he's been pretty inconsistent (all-pro to a liability this year). Even his all-pro year there was a bunch of chatter on how much TE help he got from Fasano. In the spirit of this thread, that could be a bold prediction, moving him inside.