First & Second Round Priorities

Adding a 6'6 TE like fleener gives Alex something he has never had. Elit height, he has never had a reliable jump ball target, and fleener gives us the perfect compliment to vd. We need a receiver but a 2nd rounder and a mid tier free agent should be fine. Delanie is good and all but he is the poor man's version of Vernon.

Originally posted by 9ersLiferInChicago:
I just don't think TE was our weakest link. In fact it was a strength for us. I think it would be unwise to use any of our 1st 3 (at least first 3) on anything other than a real nead. TE isn't a need for us. Again, our most glaring needs are WR and FS/CB

i think te ind first is a complete waste.... we have vernon and delanie plus a few good back ups 1st should sgtart immediately and fleener might be on ps which he would be taken from right away

Originally posted by martysofresh:
AM I THE ONLY PERSON TO NOTICE THAT DRE KIRKPATRICK FELL OUT OF THE FIRST ROUND ON EVERY SINGLE MOCK?

Evidently you are. However it isnt true. Dre is still being mocked in the first rounds and he will be a first round pick. Too good a player at a valuable position to drop completely out of rd 1.

http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/Mock-Draft-Version-20.html
http://walterfootball.com/draft2012_1.php
http://www.fftoolbox.com/nfl_draft/2012/2012-nfl-mock-draft.cfm?writer=10

I like Fleener and would be fine with the selection IF the Niners also get a top WR in FA or in rd 2.

Dream???? Of course it is..

FA Bowe
Rd1 Fleener
Rd 3 Joe Adams

WRS: Bowe, Crabtree, Morgan, Adams (slot), Williams
TES Davis, Fleener, Walker

Now the Niners would have some real weapons on offense

Originally posted by jacklegniner:
1st - from your orginal post, I don't think crabtree is approaching bust mode. He had 874 of Alex's 3000 yards. That's almost a 3rd of the production and he didn't play every game either. Crabtree is fine and getting Morgan back should definately help.

2nd - I like Fleener but I don't know if the Niners will feel the same. If they do go for him it makes a lot of sense. It is all about having playmakers on the field and mismatches for defenses to scheme against. Tom Brady quietly threw for 5000 yards this year. After Wes Welker, his wr's are crap. They get the job done but for the most part they run the 2 TE (Gronk and Hernandez) set. It's different than how most teams do it but still effective. The 2 big TE's also are great blockers for our ball control offense. It will be really exciting if we go this way. I like D. Walker as a player but he is not really a mistmatch for the defense. I saw a stat for this year that Stanford's offense threw 20 of it's 38 td's to TE's. I don't know if I am remembering it correctly but it was really high and it showed that Harbaugh's/Romans system loves TE's and it's doesn't matter who's catching them.

3rd - I agree with adding depth to the wr position. This year's draft is deep so since we are at the end of the draft it really is best player available. We just don't know what the board will bring us. We target a bunch of guys that we like and see who's left when our turn comes up. Baalke showed last year that they will trade up for a player when they want them (Kaep) so we could do that again but they also waited on the Stanford fullback and we missed out on him to Cleveland???

1st - Ok, maybe not a "bust", but certainly no longer a #1 or #2 receiver in my book. The 2011 season is all the proof I need on him. And I hardly consider 874 yards #1 production, not that you said it was. For me Morgan is our solid dependable #2, so I hope that they let Crabs fight for #3.

2nd - I can't imagine our coaching staff not addressing our need for WR in the first. I think they will. But LasVegasWally is right. Who we can get in FA will have a lot to do with who we pick in the 1st. I'd like to see us get a M. Colston or V. Jackson if we don't have to give up Ft. Knox. And I won't re-hash my feeling about drafting a TE vs. a WR. Look, I'm a meat and potatoes guy. If I got a freezer full of meat, a pantry well stocked with bread and veggies, but running short on potatoes, I'm not going to go out and spend money on more meat only to have just enough money left for two bottom barrel potatoes. I'm gonna get the best potatoes I can get my hands on, and if I have anything left I'll get some snacks.

3rd - Drafting a WR in the first won't be just adding depth. It would be addressing a need. This years draft IS deep with WR's. That's why I think, mark my words, there will be a run on WR's in the 2nd. (Mark it mods, this year could be a record year for drafted WR's.) So, if we can't address this need in FA I don't think it will be wise for us to wait for the 2nd or the 3rd rounds to get one of the top-tear WR's.

Originally posted by niners4lyfe:
BPA

THIS

But with everything being equal, I would get a burner with their first pick AND THEN trade up in the second round to pick up Fleener. With the 3rd round, i would select LaMichael James(probably have to move up) With the rest of the draft, you could find a safety, corner, G, or BPA. We need more speed and height on offense.

It all depends on what happens in free agency, but I would be surprised if WR is a higher priority to Harbaugh than interior OL. This is Jim Harbaugh we are talking about, a guy who never had a top flight WR in college, but did stress running the ball down people's throats, which is what he attempted to do this year. Expect help inside rather than outside.

Originally posted by MadDog49er:
It all depends on what happens in free agency, but I would be surprised if WR is a higher priority to Harbaugh than interior OL. This is Jim Harbaugh we are talking about, a guy who never had a top flight WR in college, but did stress running the ball down people's throats, which is what he attempted to do this year. Expect help inside rather than outside.

Yes I would not doubt that happens. I really do not think we are going to draft a WR maybe till the 3rd round. Maybe we take a look at Ryan Broyles from Oklahoma like in the 3rd. I would also not rule out another high motor DE in the 1st.

Originally posted by WRATHman44:
Disagree about Brooks. Effective edge rushers who also play tough against the run and pursue backside are the 2nd toughest position to find, after franchise QB.



Think of Fleener as a down-field and redzone threat. He runs his routes, adjusts to the ball, and catches like a WR. At 6'6, possibly running a 4.5-4.6, he is probably a better big WR than whatever else we would get at the spot. Imagine him being used more like a Jimmy Graham or Aaron Hernandez than a classic TE. He was used frequently as a WR at Stanford, too. If we are still looking for that burner, Joe Adams should be available at the end of the second, and he could still be there for us at the end of the third, even though he destroyed the Senior Bowl today. If Adams is gone at 62, Streeter has loads of speed to go with his height (not real sure about his hands), and he would have time to develop if the Niners already have Fleener on board. There are several other little speedy dudes (Rainey is having a tough time showing that he can convert to WR, but he is nasty w/screens, swings, and underneath routes) that can be picked up later on.
So, to summarize this long-winded post, I wouldn't feel great about going out and getting any tight end in the first, but Fleener offers more than that.

Left tackle is the second toughest position to find, but i agree we really need to re-sign Brooks.

I'd only be okay with drafting Fleener if we trade back into the second round. I wouldn't take him at 30 and he won't be available at our pick in the second round.

Originally posted by NC49erfan82:

Yes I would not doubt that happens. I really do not think we are going to draft a WR maybe till the 3rd round. Maybe we take a look at Ryan Broyles from Oklahoma like in the 3rd. I would also not rule out another high motor DE in the 1st.

I simply don't see a huge incoming free agent WR, nor an early draftee at the position. The Niners already have their four key receiving targets on the roster: Crabtree, Davis, Walker and Gore. And, I think they really like Morgan and Williams as guys who block, and offer multiple functions for the team. Not sure they will keep Ginn, but may have to simply to return punts.

I will go on a limb and say the WR group next year will be: Crabtree, Morgan, Williams, Ginn, one mid-round rookie WR, and one free agent WR who signs for no more than $3 million per year.

Originally posted by MadDog49er:
I simply don't see a huge incoming free agent WR, nor an early draftee at the position. The Niners already have their four key receiving targets on the roster: Crabtree, Davis, Walker and Gore. And, I think they really like Morgan and Williams as guys who block, and offer multiple functions for the team. Not sure they will keep Ginn, but may have to simply to return punts.

I will go on a limb and say the WR group next year will be: Crabtree, Morgan, Williams, Ginn, one mid-round rookie WR, and one free agent WR who signs for no more than $3 million per year.

You likely will be right. But I don't think Morgan will be a starter next season.

Originally posted by MadDog49er:

Originally posted by NC49erfan82:
Yes I would not doubt that happens. I really do not think we are going to draft a WR maybe till the 3rd round. Maybe we take a look at Ryan Broyles from Oklahoma like in the 3rd. I would also not rule out another high motor DE in the 1st.

I simply don't see a huge incoming free agent WR, nor an early draftee at the position. The Niners already have their four key receiving targets on the roster: Crabtree, Davis, Walker and Gore. And, I think they really like Morgan and Williams as guys who block, and offer multiple functions for the team. Not sure they will keep Ginn, but may have to simply to return punts.

I will go on a limb and say the WR group next year will be: Crabtree, Morgan, Williams, Ginn, one mid-round rookie WR, and one free agent WR who signs for no more than $3 million per year.

I feel the same way. Maybe someone like Robert Meachem but thats it.