Interesting thread, guys. You see this is all about hope, coaching, and coachability. We all know about the dozens of players who slipped through the cracks and wound up being great players. You see that most were already great athletes BEFORE they were devalued for some reason by the draft process.
The simple fact is that SOME players get better, both physically and mentally during their careers. Brady didn't have a "gun" when he entered the league, in fact his lack of arm strength was probably the main reason he fell so far. But over the years, he improved his strength and mechanics to the point where everyone has forgotten even during the time when he won his 3 rings, Brady was the weak armed game manager. Now when people describe strong armed QB's, Brady is often the exemplar. Ninkovich is another example of a player who took years to develop into what he's become.
The question is, when you come right down to it. Who progresses and who doesn't. I would wager that Nate Ebner has measurables that are fairly equal to all the best S choices people are talking about. Physically he COULD be the kind of S we are all wishing for. Big, physical, but with enough athletic ability to not to be a liability in coverage. The problem is, what he has in physical skills, he lacks in experience at his position. In that respect he's much like Julian Edelman.
The Bottom line is, who knows. There is no reason why anyone shouldn't believe that any and ALL of the players mentioned in the OP, won't eventually explode on to the scene. We shouldn't be shocked because we've seen it happen so often. Likewise, it shouldn't be that shocking if some, or even most of them fail to become anything more than what they are now. What IS very likely is that some of them will continue to develop and end up making significant contributions to the team. Which ones? That's anyone guess. All those who knew for certain Julian Edelman would become a 100 catch WR before last season, raise your hands.
That's what I thought. I was one of his biggest supporters and I wouldn't have guessed that.
But I guess that's what being a fan is all about. We try to look into the future and speculate on what will happen. That way if we are right, we have bragging rights, and when we are wrong, we can conveniently forget.