IF we get another Mass Effect game....

If you actually played the game you'd know that the only reason Sara became pathfinder at that juncture was because her father chose to give his life for hers. Just sayin'. Not opinion. Fact. Also Tann made it clear she could be muscled out if Eos didn't become viable. Another fact. 

EDIT: The above was directed to Majesticjazz's quote.

I do agree there should have been story possibilities for crewmates to die. If you know it's genuinely possible one or more of your crew won't make it, the game's excitement factor can rise. That was missing from the ME:A's story.

Ryder earns his title in the end.

No, Ryder may have proved through actions in the game that he/she was worthy of the position GIVEN to them, but that still does not change the fact that Ryder was GIVEN the position and didnt earn it upfront but rather given the position upfront with an opportunity to prove they deserved it over the course of the game.

Shepard wasn't given the N7 rank by his daddy with the chance to prove he is worthy of the N7 rank....we went through tough training and trials to earn in.

Fact, not opinion.

can we axe all of them and try to get a decent selection of characters next time around?

Okay it was different to how Shepard started but it had the same result. They became heroes.

Ryder helped save the initiative from failing, activated the vaults, and had a huge hand in relations with the Angara. And Ryder had SAM to help them interface the vault.

Nah.

Ryder never faced the same level of decisions and setbacks as Shepard.

Eh, Space Deity Shepard should've been able to save both Ashley and Kaiden or leave both of them

And this matters to you why, exactly?

I don't get how Ryder doesn't fit an archetypal hero. There are loads of stories where the protagonist is some average person but through circumstances becomes bigger then themselves. These consist of some of the most famous stories in history, for example King Arthur whom was some boy raised in the country until events led him to being the one to pull out the Sword in the Stone and become the new King and doing all his feats. Another example is Luke Skywalker, some farmboy who gets pulled into a war and saves the galaxy.