Pre-Draft Roster Breakdown

I always like to take a look at our roster position by position and try to see where we can expect players to fit. With the number of Free Agents that we have it will be a bit of a guessing game.

Offense:

QB: We generally keep three at this position
Right now David Carr is the only QB under contract and I don't expect that to last. Harbaugh has said he wants to take a "scorched earth" approach to the roster and Baalke has definitively stated that the starter is not on the roster right now. The best plan would be to target McNabb or Hasselbeck, draft two QBs and possibly resign Troy Smith. If we draft two QBs we can put one on the practice squad.
Need: 2 draft picks

WR: We generally keep 5 players
Locks: Crabtree, Morgan, Ginn, Kyle Williams
Crabtree and Morgan seem like ideal WCO receivers and Kyle Williams is the unknown. I would really like to see if he can become the slot receiver this team desperately needs. Ginn solidified the return game but it is unclear if he can ever make an impact as a receiver.
Need: 1 draft pick

TE: We generally keep 3 players
Locks: Davis, Walker, Byham
This is one area where we are set. Byham is an above average blocker and may even see some time as the H-Back. Davis will benefit from Harbaugh's offense and Walker should see a dramatic increase in production.
Need: None

OL: We generally keep 9 players
Locks: Staley, Iupati, Heitmann, Snyder, Davis, Boone, Rachal
Yes, Rachal is a lock in my mind. He is young, under contract, and Harbaugh will give him a year under new management to prove himself. The FAs we have are Baas, Wragge, and Sims. Baas is a must to resign. He will most likely be the starting Center while Heitmann backs him up and pushs for time as RG. Wragge would be nice to resign, but I could also see the team using a late round pick on a player that can play OG or C. Sims becomes unnecessary because of Boone's improvements. Plenty of people are calling for Snyder's head as well, but he is still under contract and a decent backup on the interior. He can also serve as the fourth OT. He might not be very good on the outside but not many teams have a fourth OT that is starter caliber. If Baas and Wragge are both resigned that makes nine. The team will probably draft an interior guy late just in case.
Need: 1 draft pick

RB: We generally keep 5 players
Locks: Gore, Dixon, Norris
FAs: Westbrook
This is going to be an interesting position to watch. We only have two RBs that are definitely coming back. Westbrook needs to be convinced because he is an extremely effective WCO RB. I think Gore will recover from the hip issue but will probably go down again during the season. Dixon showed some promise but has some work to do before he is a trustworthy replacement. As for FB, Norris will be retained, at least through training camp. Our idea of a WCO FB might not be that accurate. Harbaugh uses a power running game version of the WCO and so a solid blocker is a must. Norris has looked like he is losing a step though, so he could easily be gone. I actually love the idea of Byham getting some time back there. We know he can block, he has good footwork, and is a devent receiver out of the backfield. Regardless, we will probably need to spent two picks here just to guard against injury. That is assuming we bring back Westbrook or another veteran of equal value.
Need: 2 draft picks (1 RB, 1 FB)

Defense

DL: We generally keep 7 players here
Locks: Smith, Sopoaga, Jean-Francois
FAs: Franklin, McDonald
Wildcard: Tukuafu
This group was our strength last year and we need to make sure it stays that way. Resigning Franklin and McDonald is a must and I believe Tomsula will make that clear. Many of you on here are excited about Tukuafu's potential, so we will see what he brings to the table. Evans might be back, but I doubt it. He never factored into the rotation and Tukuafu would be the one to push him out. RJF is an interesting option for the Nose, but I hope they take the time to train him on all three positions. Assuming we resign Franklin and McDonald, that will leave one spot. We will need to look at guys that can potentially play NT.
Need: 1 draft pick

LB: We generally keep 8-9 players
ILB Locks: Willis, Spikes, Bowman, (McKillop)
OLB Locks: Brooks, Gibson
FAs: Lawson, LaBoy
I think Haralson is done. I like the guy and he seems like a hard worker, but he is simply ineffective as a pass rusher. Also, as many of you have stated, I think Lawson is done. He's a great talent, except for pass-rushing, but he will be too expensive to keep. Good luck to both guys. That leaves Brooks and Gibson as the guys under contract. LaBoy should be relatively easy to resign and he was arguably our best pass rusher in limited action. He proved that he can still move after the foot problems. He could be a nightmare in Fangio's blitzing schemes. This is an area that needs to be addressed early in the draft. Gibson as a ton of potential and Brooks seems to be a back-up at best, so we need a guy that can step in and take the role. As for ILB, I don't see a need to use a draft pick. Willis is.... well, he's Willis. Spikes wants to come back and I don't see Baalke letting him walk. Bowman is a work in progress and McKillop will be coming back from injury. Plus we can always find a veteran during training camp if need be.
Need: 1-2 draft picks depending on the talent available.

DBs: We generally keep 9-10 players
CB Locks: Spencer, Brown, Adams, Clements (Yes, he will restructure)
S Locks: Mays, Smith, Taylor
FAs: Goldson
Goldson made a big deal out of getting a big contract extension in the offseason only to follow it up with a very frogettable season. Perhaps he was hurting more than he let on, perhaps he was pressing too hard, or perhaps he was just dealing with an inneffective group in the secondary. Whatever the reason, he won't be getting that huge contract this year. My guess is that he resigns for two years at a reasonable salary with the hope that he puts up the numbers to cash in next time. If he is still demanding an unreasonable contract, let him walk. As for Clements, I believe he will restructure his contract and return. The team will load up on the incentives and he will have a chance to make up for a generally disappointing season. CB remains the area of concern for this team and we will look to use a pick in the top three rounds to stabilize this area.
Need: 1-2 CB draft picks

Right now we have 10 picks with another one likely in the 7th round as a compensatory pick. Here is how I see the 11 picks breaking down on draft day:

QBs: 2
WRs: 1
OL: 1
RBs: 1
FBs: 1
DL: 1
OLB: 2
CBs: 2

OFF: 6 picks
DEF: 5 picks

Of course we will use the free agent market to fill some of those needs, but we should be getting a really nice infusion of youth on this team!

I forgot to add when I think we will address the needs in the draft:

Rounds 1-3:
CB, OLB and QB are our biggest needs, so at least two of those three positions should be addressed here.

Round 4:
We have two picks here and at least one of them needs to be a RB or FB. Depending on the value available I would then look at DL or one of the above three positions if they have not been addressed already (CB, OLB, QB)

Rounds 5-6:
We have one 5th rounder and two 6th rounders. Obviously we will draft for value rather than need here, but the positions that are most likely to yield value will be WR, OG/C, RB. This might also be a great place to find a future NT if we didn't get one in the 4th. We could also grab a second QB here.

Round 7:
Here is where we look to double up on the three positions of major need. We should be able to find a second QB here, if we haven't taken one already, and look for another CB gem in the rough.

I also realize that about 50% of the people on this forum will open this thread and be unable to read it because it contains more than ten words. I am looking for feedback from those of you with some knowledge and educated opinions.

Teams need to draft with the best players in mind not necessarily how many they need to select at each position.

I also disagree with needing to draft 2 qbs. They definitely need at least one and I would say within the first 3 rounds but later on they need to take the best players available. If one of them is QB so be it.

I think the top 3 needs are clear - OLB, QB, CB

We can really use help all over though. RG, NT, FS, WR, DE, RB, FB

I think it's imperative that we walk away from this draft with a QB and a pass rushing OLB.

Originally posted by genus49:
Teams need to draft with the best players in mind not necessarily how many they need to select at each position.

I also disagree with needing to draft 2 qbs. They definitely need at least one and I would say within the first 3 rounds but later on they need to take the best players available. If one of them is QB so be it.

I think the top 3 needs are clear - OLB, QB, CB

We can really use help all over though. RG, NT, FS, WR, DE, RB, FB

I think it's imperative that we walk away from this draft with a QB and a pass rushing OLB.

Drafting 2 QBs is something that I have been advocating. I think it's obvious that we need to bring in a veteran with some experience in the WCO if we have any hope of competing next year, but I think bringing in two young guys is the way to go. They will be able to push each other, study the playbook together and it gives us the best chance to find our guy for the future. Everyone has their guy between Stanzi, Devlin, Locker, Dalton, Ponder, and so on. The problem is that this position is based just as much on your mental toughness as you physical tools. Sometimes guys blossom in the NFL and we don't want to miss out on the next Brady, Romo, or so on. Leave no stone unturned!

Very well though out and thorough.

OLB is the obvious hole on the roster. Under your scenario, we are lacking either starting OLB. And in all likelihood, we will need both the draft and FA to fill the need.

Here's to hoping one of Quinn, Bowers, or Miller are available at 7.

Originally posted by Karma:


Drafting 2 QBs is something that I have been advocating. I think it's obvious that we need to bring in a veteran with some experience in the WCO if we have any hope of competing next year, but I think bringing in two young guys is the way to go. They will be able to push each other, study the playbook together and it gives us the best chance to find our guy for the future. Everyone has their guy between Stanzi, Devlin, Locker, Dalton, Ponder, and so on. The problem is that this position is based just as much on your mental toughness as you physical tools. Sometimes guys blossom in the NFL and we don't want to miss out on the next Brady, Romo, or so on. Leave no stone unturned!

I have the feeling that all the QBs that Harbaugh would want in the first 3 rounds will be gone by the time we make our third pick, and our two top picks will be on defense (CB/OLB/DL). In that case, I hope he identifies someone under most people's radar who can be gotten later on. Depending on what happens with the CBA, I share MD's opinion that the Niners will target Dennis Dixon as an UFA, who has been under everyone's radar since his injury, but if well is a smart, athletic QB.

Originally posted by Karma:

Originally posted by genus49:
Teams need to draft with the best players in mind not necessarily how many they need to select at each position.

I also disagree with needing to draft 2 qbs. They definitely need at least one and I would say within the first 3 rounds but later on they need to take the best players available. If one of them is QB so be it.

I think the top 3 needs are clear - OLB, QB, CB

We can really use help all over though. RG, NT, FS, WR, DE, RB, FB

I think it's imperative that we walk away from this draft with a QB and a pass rushing OLB.

Drafting 2 QBs is something that I have been advocating. I think it's obvious that we need to bring in a veteran with some experience in the WCO if we have any hope of competing next year, but I think bringing in two young guys is the way to go. They will be able to push each other, study the playbook together and it gives us the best chance to find our guy for the future. Everyone has their guy between Stanzi, Devlin, Locker, Dalton, Ponder, and so on. The problem is that this position is based just as much on your mental toughness as you physical tools. Sometimes guys blossom in the NFL and we don't want to miss out on the next Brady, Romo, or so on. Leave no stone unturned!

I think the niners will pick some guy like Yates or Mcelroy off of UDFA. There are still too many holes to fill to draft 2 players from the same position. (unless maybe we picked Quinn in the first, already had a qb in Ponder, and then selected Brooks who somehow fell to the third)

Originally posted by NinerBuff:
Very well though out and thorough.

OLB is the obvious hole on the roster. Under your scenario, we are lacking either starting OLB. And in all likelihood, we will need both the draft and FA to fill the need.

Here's to hoping one of Quinn, Bowers, or Miller are available at 7.

Thank you! One of those three will definitely be available, I just hope it's Miller. Quinn has been up and down the draft boards, I've seen him as late as the second round but that seems unlikely, and his status as the unknown won't change much until the combine.

Bowers seems like a 4-3 end and I question whether he can be an OLB, but I'm no scout, so we'll see. In all likelihood he'll be the first of the three to come off the board.

Originally posted by 49erThrowback:

Originally posted by Karma:


Drafting 2 QBs is something that I have been advocating. I think it's obvious that we need to bring in a veteran with some experience in the WCO if we have any hope of competing next year, but I think bringing in two young guys is the way to go. They will be able to push each other, study the playbook together and it gives us the best chance to find our guy for the future. Everyone has their guy between Stanzi, Devlin, Locker, Dalton, Ponder, and so on. The problem is that this position is based just as much on your mental toughness as you physical tools. Sometimes guys blossom in the NFL and we don't want to miss out on the next Brady, Romo, or so on. Leave no stone unturned!

I have the feeling that all the QBs that Harbaugh would want in the first 3 rounds will be gone by the time we make our third pick, and our two top picks will be on defense (CB/OLB/DL). In that case, I hope he identifies someone under most people's radar who can be gotten later on. Depending on what happens with the CBA, I share MD's opinion that the Niners will target Dennis Dixon as an UFA, who has been under everyone's radar since his injury, but if well is a smart, athletic QB.

I don't know much about Dixon, so I can't really say one way or the other on him. All I know is that he's got a strong arm and runs well when he's healthy. If he is accurate enough, then he would be a good pick-up. He seems to be a similar player to Troy Smith, who I wouldn't mind seeing as the back-up.

Originally posted by NinerBuff:

Originally posted by Karma:

Originally posted by genus49:
Teams need to draft with the best players in mind not necessarily how many they need to select at each position.

I also disagree with needing to draft 2 qbs. They definitely need at least one and I would say within the first 3 rounds but later on they need to take the best players available. If one of them is QB so be it.

I think the top 3 needs are clear - OLB, QB, CB

We can really use help all over though. RG, NT, FS, WR, DE, RB, FB

I think it's imperative that we walk away from this draft with a QB and a pass rushing OLB.

Drafting 2 QBs is something that I have been advocating. I think it's obvious that we need to bring in a veteran with some experience in the WCO if we have any hope of competing next year, but I think bringing in two young guys is the way to go. They will be able to push each other, study the playbook together and it gives us the best chance to find our guy for the future. Everyone has their guy between Stanzi, Devlin, Locker, Dalton, Ponder, and so on. The problem is that this position is based just as much on your mental toughness as you physical tools. Sometimes guys blossom in the NFL and we don't want to miss out on the next Brady, Romo, or so on. Leave no stone unturned!

I think the niners will pick some guy like Yates or Mcelroy off of UDFA. There are still too many holes to fill to draft 2 players from the same position. (unless maybe we picked Quinn in the first, already had a qb in Ponder, and then selected Brooks who somehow fell to the third)

I personally think Ponder will be available in the third. He has too many injury issues to warrant a second round pick. Plus Gabbert, Mallett, Newton are likely to be the only first round QBs taken leaving Ponder, Dalton, Stanzi, Delvin, Kaepernick to fall into the 2nd or later. I believe the run on most of those guys won't happen until the 3rd or 4th.

Originally posted by Karma:



I don't know much about Dixon, so I can't really say one way or the other on him. All I know is that he's got a strong arm and runs well when he's healthy. If he is accurate enough, then he would be a good pick-up. He seems to be a similar player to Troy Smith, who I wouldn't mind seeing as the back-up.

One difference is that Dixon is 6'3" to Smith's 6'0", and probably a better runner. But I would expect Harbaugh to coach Dixon to use his feet to set up good passes, rather than take off downfield, given his injury history.

Originally posted by 49erThrowback:

Originally posted by Karma:



I don't know much about Dixon, so I can't really say one way or the other on him. All I know is that he's got a strong arm and runs well when he's healthy. If he is accurate enough, then he would be a good pick-up. He seems to be a similar player to Troy Smith, who I wouldn't mind seeing as the back-up.

One difference is that Dixon is 6'3" to Smith's 6'0", and probably a better runner. But I would expect Harbaugh to coach Dixon to use his feet to set up good passes, rather than take off downfield, given his injury history.

That works. Ultimately, I think Harbaugh is going to interview as many QB candidates as possible and decide who he wants based on personality. He's a tough nosed guy that got every ounce of production out of his own limited physical skills and he will want a guy capable of doing the same. That's the hardest thing for us, as fans, to determine. We get to see how well a guy runs and how far he can throw, but we don't get to know guys like the coaches can. What ever direction we take, I will be excited!