Feat Walls Continued

I have recently picked up the D&D 5th Edition PHB.  I was mildly excited to see some changes to the way feats are handled in that game.  

On the positive side, each individual feat does a lot more.  I was noticing that some feats were the equivalent of maybe three of their predecessors from the 3.x/PF era.  This is a good thing.  

On the negative side, there are two issues I'm seeing in my brief read of 5th Edition.  First, there are only about five actual feats that aren't class specific features.  I will admit this is taste/opinoin, but this doesn't feel like it is enough to represent character growth.  We're back to the idea of deeply investing levels until your "build" lets you not suck by becoming a one-trick pony.  

Moreover, there are still some versions of captive mechanics.  Page 75 of v5.1 of the 5th Edition System Reference document includes one example of a feat: Grappler.  (link)  The text reads as follows: 

Grappler

Prerequisite: Strength 13 orhigher

You’ve developed the skills necessary to hold your own in close-­‐‑quarters grappling.  You gain the following benefits:

• You have advantage on attack rolls against a creature you are grappling.

• You can use your action to try to pin a creature grappled by you.  To do so, make another grapple check.  If you succeed, you and the creature are both restrained until the grapple ends.

 Why isn't this just a normal thing characters can do in the game?  Why does it need to be a feat?  I can see the feat gives you advantage on rolls, but is that worth it especially against the more flavorful & mechanically powerful options?  This is an example of a feat wall. 

Source:

Document 5.1 Copyright 2016, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Chris Perkins, Rodney Thompson, Peter Lee, James Wyatt, Robert J. Schwalb, Bruce R. Cordell, Chris Sims, and Steve Townshend, based on original material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.