no OT in the first?

As I've stated in some of my previous posts, this really comes down to the best OT on the board (Williams, Bulaga, or Davis) and one of these three: Iupati, Grahm, or Spiller. How devastating would it be for us to avoid OL in the first, and instead try to address it later in the draft, and go with Grahm and Spiller?

2nd:
Calloway
Ducasse
Fox
Asamoah
Saffold

3rd:
Capers
Black
Mike Johnson
Lauavo
Petrus
Jerry

Later:
Kopa
Marinelli


Does it make sense for us to wait, and go elsewhere in the 1st, or is it critical for us to at last address RT?

I think you're going to get hammered by the Fix-the-OL-first hardliners, but I think it's an interesting concept. Spiller/Graham would be unbelievable. Playmakers! In the old McKittrick days we didn't draft too many OL high. Also there's depth, as you point out, at OL in this draft, more so than in game-changing RBs (very thin) and even pass-rushing 3-4 OLBs. I'd be down with it, but as I said, get ready to duck.

I can live with not drafting an OT in the 1st round assuming we have signed a big name Free Agent OG and use our 2nd round pick on an OT. This OL needs a serious talent injection.

Originally posted by rivercity:
I think you're going to get hammered by the Fix-the-OL-first hardliners, but I think it's an interesting concept. Spiller/Graham would be unbelievable. Playmakers! In the old McKittrick days we didn't draft too many OL high. Also there's depth, as you point out, at OL in this draft, more so than in game-changing RBs (very thin) and even pass-rushing 3-4 OLBs. I'd be down with it, but as I said, get ready to duck.

With respect and hammering nobody, you cannot compare the position with McKittrick's time. We were running an offense that the rest of the NFL had not yet got, with some of the finest players ever to have played the game at the skill positions. And some of the line like Sapolu were pretty damn good as well. Chop blocking helped, but mostly it helped that no one else was looking for smallish athletic linemen.

Had they been, we would not have been able to pick our guys up so late. A fairly underestimated part of our success story, possibly.

The situation now is very different. We need two starters minimum IMO. FA is unlikely to yield us much. So, draft low and hope? Or draft high and increase your chances of having a line this autumn.

I know there is a backlash against using early picks to sort the line out once and for all. For me, the risk of not sorting the problems far outweighs the benefits of taking a couple of sexy picks

Providing that he proves himself at the combine and Texas v Nation I have no problem with going Spiller and Graham in the 1st and then drafting Jared Veldheer in the 2nd.

You can make the case that Veldheer has more potential at left tackle than any of the 1st rounders. I've already heard that some scouts have him in their top 3 tackles this season.

Pashos is a big part of this. If he comes back and plays like he did before the injury then we can afford to draft an OT in the second. Though, picking up a OG in FA is still critical for this to work.

If our biggest need was a LT, then I would certainly pick one in 1st round. But a G and RT can be had in 2nd and 3rd for sure. It would be my wish come true to see Spiller and Graham picked in the first.

Both Spiller and Graham are IMPACT players, game changers!

I have been advocating taking Spiller and Graham in the first for awhile now. These are the only two players (except for maybe Dan Williams) that are worth holding off on the OL until the second and third rounds.

Getting a blue-chip RT in the first gets us to he playoffs, but we need playmakers lke Graham and Spiller to help us compete to WIN the Super Bowl. We still don't have enough explosive players on n offense or defense.

Check out this mock from before the senior bowl....I believe these players make us a better team than taking a RT in the first.

http://www.49erswebzone.com/forum/thread.php?num=137287

Disagree fellas and Oher is the perfect example, a LT who can play both sides as he did for Baltimore this year. Davis, Bulaga, and Williams seems to be able to play both with Williams being the best ROT of them all who played LT this last year.

Hell yes OT in the first and I am hoping for either Williams or Bulaga, but Bulaga may not get there at #13 as there are quite a few teams before #13 who need LTs. That is why I keep saying that Williams will get to us because out of those three he is the least favorite as a LT.

Sure you can get RTs and OGs in the second and third, but not even close to the caliber of some 1st rounders.

On another note, McKittrick didn't use first rounders...did Solari? Yes, I believe.

And another thing, don't we already have some second and third rounders playing RT and OG who are not cutting it?

JMHO

It's all about getting the OT (not about getting an OG). Scotty has drafted only 1 guy in his 42 picks over the last 5 years, to play OT for the Niners and that was a Round 1 pick (Staley). BTW, Staley was the 2nd of 2 first round picks, as the club is also set up this year. The club needs an OT and I expect Scotty to follow his own form and use one of his Round 1 picks to select at OT this year.

On the other hand, he has drafted 4 guys in Rounds 2-4 to play C/OG: (Baas, Snyder, Wallace, Rachal).

At the top of the 49ers get well plan is to to upgrade the OL and in particular the ROT position. If Snyder is still the ROT next year then the team will have failed to address it's single biggest deficiency in my opinion.

That said, if the 49er scouting department, coaches and Scotty feel they can adequately upgrade the ROT position with a player selected in the 2nd, 3rd or later round, then so be it.

They just better get it (ROT) fixed!!!

Now if I were GM, I would leave nothing to chance and use one of the 2 first rounders on the best available OT prospect on the board.

Originally posted by ninertico:
Disagree fellas and Oher is the perfect example, a LT who can play both sides as he did for Baltimore this year. Davis, Bulaga, and Williams seems to be able to play both with Williams being the best ROT of them all who played LT this last year.

Hell yes OT in the first and I am hoping for either Williams or Bulaga, but Bulaga may not get there at #13 as there are quite a few teams before #13 who need LTs. That is why I keep saying that Williams will get to us because out of those three he is the least favorite as a LT.

Sure you can get RTs and OGs in the second and third, but not even close to the caliber of some 1st rounders.

On another note, McKittrick didn't use first rounders...did Solari? Yes, I believe.

And another thing, don't we already have some second and third rounders playing RT and OG who are not cutting it?

JMHO

ninertico, while i am a newer poster, i have read the zone for the last few years and enjoy the positiveness and optimism of your posts.

I too, REALLY want Bulaga or Davis in the first round to solve our RT issues, IF either Spiller or Graham are unavailable. If we passed on Spiller and went RT and then Graham I would not be upset, unless we let Seattle get him next at #14. That would be tough to swallow. Or if we took Spiller at #13 and passed on Graham and took a RT at #16, I would also not be upset (just a bit disappointed) because we would have our starting RT.

But I think it is safe to say Graham will be there at our second first round pick. And there is a decent chance that Spiller will be there at #13. Personally, I would prefer to grab both in the first and pick up Jason Fox in the 3rd, if it determined he is in good health. Fox was a bordeline first rounder, and if he is healthy would be just fine protecting Alex Smith at RT.

So do you think we should have chosen Oher last year instead of Crabtree? IMO, a talent like Crabtree on our team makes us WAY better now and in the future than having Oher on the team (and I think Oher is great). I would argue that Spiller is just like Crabtree, but just at a different position, where good teams have at least two quality backs to rotate in. He can also change games with field position returning kicks. He, like Crabtree, gives us the additional talent we need at the skill positions that will help us to compete with the likes of the Saints and Colts and Vikings and actually have a chance to win the Super Bowl in the coming years. If we get a RT at 13, i just hope it is because Spiller is gone.

Maybe a Spiller/RT/Hughes first three picks might work. What would people think of that? I would be quite content with that. I just think we really need an explosive guy like Spiller.

Originally posted by YouGotGored:
Pashos is a big part of this. If he comes back and plays like he did before the injury then we can afford to draft an OT in the second. Though, picking up a OG in FA is still critical for this to work.

Pashos got let go because the Jaguars drafted a OT in the first round. We can't expect to upgrade the o-line with other teams left overs. I wouldn't pass on a OT this draft. OT rookies who were drafted in the first round contributed the most as rookies compaired to other positions drafted.

Originally posted by ninertico:
Disagree fellas and Oher is the perfect example, a LT who can play both sides as he did for Baltimore this year. Davis, Bulaga, and Williams seems to be able to play both with Williams being the best ROT of them all who played LT this last year.

Hell yes OT in the first and I am hoping for either Williams or Bulaga, but Bulaga may not get there at #13 as there are quite a few teams before #13 who need LTs. That is why I keep saying that Williams will get to us because out of those three he is the least favorite as a LT.

Sure you can get RTs and OGs in the second and third, but not even close to the caliber of some 1st rounders.

On another note, McKittrick didn't use first rounders...did Solari? Yes, I believe.

And another thing, don't we already have some second and third rounders playing RT and OG who are not cutting it?

JMHO

just as in your case for Oher in 1st round, think about Ryan Harris for the Broncos. He was drafted in the 3rd round as a RT and has been more than solid.

Originally posted by Hitman49:

Originally posted by YouGotGored:
Pashos is a big part of this. If he comes back and plays like he did before the injury then we can afford to draft an OT in the second. Though, picking up a OG in FA is still critical for this to work.

Pashos got let go because the Jaguars drafted a OT in the first round. We can't expect to upgrade the o-line with other teams left overs. I wouldn't pass on a OT this draft. OT rookies who were drafted in the first round contributed the most as rookies compaired to other positions drafted.

Teams let go of players for many different reasons. Not all the time it is because of poor performance. I recall Pashos doing fine before he got hurt.

But I do agree a OT is necessary in the first two rounds. All I am saying is that a second round OT would not be the end of the world.

Staley---FA Gaurd---Heitman---Rachal/Bass----Pashos

Then you have Sims, Wragge, Rookie OT (grooming), Synder ,