Agreed and it is a quagmire we still find ourselves in.I think the Sinnott pick was actually, in hindsight, just a bad match pick and evidence of a first time GM not quite knowing what they are doing.
It's year 1, they have Kliff as the OC. Everybody has to know what his offense is like. ** This is different than what a lot of people THINK it is like, but you have to expect the GM to know what it is really like.
What Kliff's offense needs is:
1. A lot of speed. Everywhere.
2. Players who can do multiple things
3. Get on the move, because almost everything is meant to space a defense out
In picking Sinnott, they said he was somewhat similar to Kyle Juszczyk, who's more of a fullback. That type of player is just not a fit in Kliff's offense. So why pick him?
Now, he might be more of a fit in whatever Blough runs. Who knows.
When the GM picks a player which doesn't fit the scheme, and then expects the OC to change the scheme, that's generally not great. Flip side, the OC should mold the offense around players you have.
But philosophically, Kliff doesn't use FBs. He already had the primary blocker on the team in Bates. A better pick would have been another TE with speed who can stretch the defense vertically down the middle. That creates the spacing Kliff's offense is based on.
Instead you have old, slow Ertz, blocker Bates, and tweaner Sinnott.
It just never fit right.
We have a great blocking non YAC guy and a good on the move blocker, neither being very fast but Sinnott testing well athletically. He was not given great opportunity under Kliff.
Knowing by most accounts the TE position takes some time to develop and get up to NFL speed, it's not the best scenario for drafting that second or early third day YAC type TE.
Instead we more than likely need to grab a FA TE with some YAC potential



