Why not draft a RB in the First Round???

1st a back up RB should have starting RB ability so just because he does not start that doesn't mean he will not contribute all over the field.

- In 4 out of 5 of the 49ers super bowl years there was over a 1000 yards rushing from non featured RB. ( 912 the other year). This year the 49ers got 483 yards rushing from players not name Frank Gore. Gore is a great RB but he can't carry the running game by himself.

2nd Josh Morgan needs to focus on being the second receiver on the team.

-Josh Morgan averaged over 15 yards a reception before he started returning kicks. He no longer proved to be a deep threat after picking up returning duties. Dropping his average down to only 10 yards for the season.

3rd the 49ers do not have anyone on the team capable of being a good punt returner

-Arnaz Batlle had an average of 2.9 yards a punt return. The team had the lowest punt return average in the NFL. The ball often was not caught and caused the 49ers to have bad field position which caused conservative play calling.

Why C.J. Spiller would be a good fit.

Spiller has proven to be a great receiver . In his college career he had 123 rec (Josh Morgan had 122 in college) He also showed his explosiveness in the passing game with 4 receptions on the season over 50 yards. He is a mismatch for anybody 1 on 1 in the open field.

Next Dexter Carter??
he has proven he can be a good change of pace RB. He was durable his whole college career, having 32 rushing TDs in 4 years. (Dexter Carter 17 career TDs in college and never had 1000 yards rushing) Proved he could be effective with low carries in his first 3 years and carried the whole load this year as the featured back. Spiller has had 4 good years running the ball, 49ers drafted Coffee after having 1 good year where he shared carries.

Everyone is aware of his return abilities. avg 15 yds a punt return and over 33 a kick return. 5 return touchdowns this year.

Why use a 1st rounder on a back up RB, return specialist??
Fills every skill position hole that was a glaring problem this year.
- Back up Running back, Punt Returner, Kickoff Returner, Explosive Receiver.
-The only player in the draft this year that can feel all of those needs
(Jahvid Best was an OK receiver with a 9 yd avg and never returned punts)
-As a punt and kickoff returner alone you get 6 touches a game, That's more than any 3rd option receiver.. (Crabtree, Davis being 1st and 2nd next year)
-Being able to be used all over the field will allow Spiller to be a weapon that the 49ers would be able to use more than a WR or traditional RB. Spiller's is the highest rated RB on all the draft boards.

What about need at OL, S, OLB??
49ers had the 4th ranked scoring defense, and the 18th ranked scoring offense. The obvious need on the team is offense, there is needs on the offensive line, but bring in two rookie OL to start will not help the pass protection at all next year. Having a 1, 2 punch in the backfield will take a lot of focus off Alex Smith. The bonus is that Spiller is a kick returner, punt returner, and a pass receiver on top of that.

[ Edited by tmg808 on Jan 7, 2010 at 16:13:29 ]
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If you look at 9 of the top 10 rushing teams in the NFL this year they are two RB systems. The top team rushing for almost 2800 yards.

Frank Gore is only one man and who else in the backfield would help the 49ers get close to those type of yards?? Frank Gore often gets tired after long runs and comes out of the game, and normally the drive stalls unless he gets back into the game.

The 49ers stop running the ball when Gore comes out of the game. After Gore came back from injury Coffee only saw 12 carries in the 9 games he played in. The 49ers obviously did not trust him this season.

A RB like CJ Spiller would be ideal because he can do everything that you don't want Frank Gore doing. He can return punts, and he can return Kick offs. His return skills could feel an obvious whole that has effected the 49ers field position all year.

He had over 1200 yards rushing on the season while doing it all for Clemson. As a RB he averaged 14 yards a reception and over 500 yards receiving which makes me believe he could be used as a Percy Harvin type of player. Clemson often split him out as a receiver in there no back sets.

He would give the 49ers another player with big play capability in the run game, pass game, return game.

It's logical that the 49ers bring in a change of pace RB that will bring another dynamic to the offense. The 49ers can use help on offense no matter where it comes from on the field.

[ Edited by tmg808 on Jan 7, 2010 at 16:35:52 ]

I like Cj spiller but in all honesty this offensive line needs to be addressed 1st and foremost. I don't think Spiller will be on the board when the Niners picks. Niners gonna have to find a speed guy that can contribute in the later rounds. The main problem with the teams rushing attack is the o line stinks. I think they reached for coffee last year. He's just an average back that they could have found in the 6th round. Look at that Howlings guy for the Cards, or Johnny Knox for the Bears. Not sure where they were picked but they both add great speed and have good return skills. I think they have to do there research and find a guy like that somewhere in the draft. If they take spiller I wouldn't be mad at all though.

I have no problem with us drafting a RB in the first round only if it is Spiller though, Gore will not be here forever. We will get our OLB & OT in FA. The draft will be about filling holes and adding more talent to the roster.

He'll still have a weak Oline and nowhere to run.

The problem is deffinately the run blocking as much as anything else. I think that Coffee will turn out alright but deffinately isnt a change of pace back. The team needs to address the O-line before the RB's. You could grab a speed back in one of the later rounds since the first round seems a little high to me.

Originally posted by lamontb:
I like Cj spiller but in all honesty this offensive line needs to be addressed 1st and foremost. I don't think Spiller will be on the board when the Niners picks. Niners gonna have to find a speed guy that can contribute in the later rounds. The main problem with the teams rushing attack is the o line stinks. I think they reached for coffee last year. He's just an average back that they could have found in the 6th round. Look at that Howlings guy for the Cards, or Johnny Knox for the Bears. Not sure where they were picked but they both add great speed and have good return skills. I think they have to do there research and find a guy like that somewhere in the draft. If they take spiller I wouldn't be mad at all though.

Well I don't think the 49ers will draft 2 OL in the first round. RB has not been a high draft pick as of late in the draft. I seen someone say the Browns would draft him but I think they found there RB of the future. The Browns have a return man in Cribbs, they were 8th in the league in rushing. So Spiller there makes no sense. Every other team that isn't a top 5 pick doesn't need a RB before the 49ers pick so I do see him available unless the Raiders who are a wild card pick him..

Unless we fix the Oline, no RB will be of much difference. We have one NFL quality starter on the oline, Staley, and he missed more than half the season. Heitmann is a nice player but he is a back up. Baas, Rachal and Snyder need to be upgraded. There will be little activity this offseason in Free Agency due to the uncapped year so the need must be address in the draft.

49ers Backfield.

#24 Robinson- More of a special teams guy than anything. I don't see him making plays on offense.

#29 Coffee- A willing pass blocker.. Solid inside runner but not a great receiver, can not return kickoffs or punts.
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Spiller - Can split him out or run screen passes to him. Can fill the whole as a kickoff returner ( Singletary said he doesn't want Josh Morgan back there) Can fill the hole as punt returner. can be an offensive specialist that makes plays in all parts of the offense.

Besides OL there aren't any full time position open that could have an immediate effect on an offense that needs help. (I don't see them drafting two OL in the 1st round) Spiller would be a play maker in the kicking game and on offense in the pass or run. If you try to start 2 rookies on the Line next year the 49ers will be in much more trouble than this year.

if that RB is spiller i personally am all for it.
his abilities in the return game add way too much value to pass up.
he could get 5-10 touches as a KR/PR,
and then another 10 as a RB/slotWR.
that's not a lot of touches but his impact will be much greater than his total touches,
PLUS you gotta remember that most running backs are gonna miss 3-4 games per
year with injuries so he could be our starter for those games, instead of us having
only coffee and mrob.

My reasoning for not wanting a RB is the fact that we are not a running team. We can't run and RB isn't the reason why we can't.

Using a 1st round pick on a guy only sniffing the field 10-12 plays(as opposed to a guy on the field 50+ plays) is a waste. Sure we need a backup RB. Sure we need an eventual replacement for Gore. It's just not smart IMO.

It would be one thing if Gore was the reason we couldn't run. Or if We was a team that ran the ball 25+ times a game. But it's/we're not.

I don't mind Spiller. I was actually on his bandwagon for a long time. Until the Rams and Detroit game when we could manhandle their opposing d-line. That's a HUGE concern to me. We address the o-line with Iupati and Anthony Davis, both Gore and Coffee can run inside.

Good RB's are always easier to get in the later rounds than great offensive linemen. Gore is a perfect example as a third round pick. If the Niners FINALLY rebuild the offensive line, they will be able to pass the ball more effectively which should also help the running game as well. I think that should still be the priority.

There are two first round picks.. One I admit should be Offensive Line but starting 2 rookie OL would be dangerous. Just look at what happened to Jacksonville this year.

Spiller would be 1 of the 2 first rounders. 49ers aren't a rushing team because they only have 1 threat. No rushing QB, and Coffee wasn't the answer. There 4.3 average per carry is 11 in the league. The problem is Gore is getting the ball 25 to 30 times a game receiving and rushing, and nobody else feels the void when he leaves the field.

Originally posted by BigRon:
Unless we fix the Oline, no RB will be of much difference. We have one NFL quality starter on the oline, Staley, and he missed more than half the season. Heitmann is a nice player but he is a back up. Baas, Rachal and Snyder need to be upgraded. There will be little activity this offseason in Free Agency due to the uncapped year so the need must be address in the draft.

You can't replace 3 o-lineman just via the draft and realistically expect them to play better than they did the year before. It takes time for lineman rookies/young players to learn the league, and of course, gel as a unit. To think you can plug in 2 rookie guards and a RT from the draft and things will be better is lunacy.

Here's what I think needs to be done:

LT - Staley needs to step up, but he's still the starter (re-sign Sims as a backup)
LG - Re-sign Baas to a 1 year-tender; draft his replacement in the 2nd or 3rd
C - Heitmann to start; see what Cody Wallace can do too
RG - Give Rachal another year to see if he can improve; Wragge as the backup
RT - Use a 1st rounder to find a starter; release Snyder

We weren't a bad rushing team because we had a bad o-line (we ranked 13th in yards per carry...compared to the much talked about Colts line, who only averaged 3.5 yards per carry)...we were a bad rushing team because we didn't run the ball enough (ranked 30th in attempts). We gave up on the run to many times...but when we kept at it, we did pretty well.

In terms of sacks, we gave up 40 for the year, which is actually a MAJOR improvement over the last 2 years (we gave up 55 sacks in both 2008 and 2007).

So though I'm not saying our line is great by any stretch, the truth is, this line isn't as bad as people think it is. Draft a starting RT, a backup to eventually replace Baas at LG and we should be ok. Not perfect, but definitely ok.

The REAL problem with this team is our QB...but that's another conversation.

Originally posted by tmg808:
There are two first round picks.. One I admit should be Offensive Line but starting 2 rookie OL would be dangerous. Just look at what happened to Jacksonville this year.

Spiller would be 1 of the 2 first rounders. 49ers aren't a rushing team because they only have 1 threat. No rushing QB, and Coffee wasn't the answer. There 4.3 average per carry is 11 in the league. The problem is Gore is getting the ball 25 to 30 times a game receiving and rushing, and nobody else feels the void when he leaves the field.

If we were a consistent running team even with Gore in the lineup. I would agree with you. But we weren't. Our backup RB's are a problem. But not a 1st pick worthy of a problem.