In Kenner's defence, they were based on the way that velociraptors were portrayed in Jurassic Park, which was a main competitor against Transformers during the G2 years. It's not paleontologically correct, but it's what was popular with kids. Kenner had the unenviable task of saving Transformers from extinction so it would've been very important for them to capitalise on whatever was popular with kids at the time, according to their market research. And it worked. Hasbro's Beast Wars packaging had the Saurian eye and scales on it, reminiscent of the iconic scene from Jurassic Park where the 'raptor stares at the camera.