Geek's Mock Plan v1.0

Some thoughts on the draft.

Jesse Williams - at this point I do not believe he is a first rounder. A better target, if he comes out, is Louis Nix of Notre Dame (Junior)

Quinon Patton - a 2nd rounder? He is a physical WR but I doubt he has the speed to qualify for a 2nd rounder. Combine and such will be really crucial for him to prove the speed.

Micah Hyde - at this point, it would be a surprise he was not drafted in the first 3 rounds

Bruce Taylor - he is a 7th rounder? That would be quite a drop. Right now I'd say he is a mid-rounder.

I'm not trynna be a buzz kill or a troll but I wonder why do guys make mock drafts when:

A) The draft order has not been set yet.
B) The ncaa football season is still being played. What happenes if a top player gets hurt or regresses?
C) Eligibility of players: Players decide to stay or leave. That can screw up one's draft board.

Originally posted by pdizo916:
I'm not trynna be a buzz kill or a troll but I wonder why do guys make mock drafts when:

A) The draft order has not been set yet.
B) The ncaa football season is still being played. What happenes if a top player gets hurt or regresses?
C) Eligibility of players: Players decide to stay or leave. That can screw up one's draft board.

A - relatively minor for the draft order to change much. A player whose value is at 15 is likely to go at 10-20, pending need son team
B - Only 1 or 2 regular season games for NCAA. Barring major injury, their game tape is in for the season.
C - Eligibility is crucial. But typically if a Junior is a 3rd round grade or better, they often come out. Rare instances are when a 3rd rounder wants to return for a shot at 1st round. Andre Ellington of Clemson is an example, he was given a 3rd round grade by NFL Draft advisory, but decided to return for his senior year to prove he wasn't injury prone and improve his draft grade.

Why do people do this? Fun and love of football....pretty obvious why.

Originally posted by SunDevilNiner79:

Some thoughts on the draft.

Jesse Williams - at this point I do not believe he is a first rounder. A better target, if he comes out, is Louis Nix of Notre Dame (Junior)

Quinon Patton - a 2nd rounder? He is a physical WR but I doubt he has the speed to qualify for a 2nd rounder. Combine and such will be really crucial for him to prove the speed.

Micah Hyde - at this point, it would be a surprise he was not drafted in the first 3 rounds

Bruce Taylor - he is a 7th rounder? That would be quite a drop. Right now I'd say he is a mid-rounder.

Fair points. Williams doesn't have flashy stats, but his game tapes tell a different story. If he has a strong combine, and I think he will, then he's in that 23-37 range of being picked.

Agreed with the combine comment on Patton. Teams will really need to do their homework on Hyde if they want to take him within the first 3 rounds. When you look at Vontae Davis and Talib, no team wants to repeat that.

ILBs are very hard to project after the top 3-4 prospects are off the board. He's got on field production, but combine will define his draft value.

You make good points though. I kind of want to modify this mock after seeing the Stanford TE last night, too. BEAST.

Originally posted by GEEK:
Resign - ($13M in 2013)
Dashon Goldson - FS
Ricky Jean-Francois - NT/DE
Tavares Gooden - ILB
Leonard Davis - OT/OG
Darcel McBath - FS

Release - ($7.5M in savings)
Parys Haralson - DE/OLB
Jonathan Goodwin - C

Extend - ($6M in savings)
Justin Smith - DT/DE
Donte Whitner - S
David Akers - K

Free Agency - ($2M in 2013)
Desmond Bryant - DT/DE - Raiders
*Bothered by a couple of injuries in 2012, Bryant was a nice rotational player in 2011 for the Raiders. He's good in run support, but has a nack of applying pressure to the QB. 6-6, 310+ frame, he'll add depth to the position.

Antwan Barnes - DE/OLB - Chargers
*Barnes has had a quiet 2012 after a breakout performance of 11 sacks in 2011. Coached by Fangio in the beginning of his career, Barnes can add a nice wrinkle to our pass rush arsenal as a rotational player. He'll be a cheaper option than keeping Haralson.

NFL Draft -

49ers trade up in 1st round via 3rd round pick

R1: Jesse Williams - NT/DE - Alabama
*Williams instantly replaces Isaac Sopoaga on our defensive line. Effective at demanding double teams and closing running lanes, Williams also does a nice job of applying pressure to the QB on passing situations. Needs to work on his tackling ability and lower body technique, but that's a coaching thing.

R2: Quinton Patton - WR - LA Tech
*With Randy Moss retiring, Patton is a nice replacement in our WR unit. Great size at 6-2 with a large wingspan, Patton has deceptive speed on short and intermediate routes, and has a knack of getting YAC. He also doesn't mind doing the dirty work in the running game. Also, remember....Moss and Ginn are gone, and Manningham is in the last year of his contract. We need the pipeline of talent, and Patton is a big upgrade to Ginn in the passing game.

R3: Kiko Alonso - ILB - Oregon (via Carolina)
*If it wasn't for his off the field issues, Alonso would be a late day 1, early day 2 pick. Outside of that, Alonso has great size (6-4) and does it all...tackle, cover, and has had a handful of INTs this year for Oregon. Potential replacement for Bowman perhaps?

R4: Jordan Reed - TE/FB - Florida
*Reed is a smooth route running and pass catcher in his hybrid TE/FB/WR role at Florida. Reminds me a bit of Delanie Walker. Needs to improve blocking technique, but provides a bigger #2 option for Alex Smith at the TE position.

R5: Graham Pocic - OG/C - Illinois (via Colts)
*6-7 center that will transition to guard in the pros.

R5: Micah Hyde - CB/FS/ST/PR - Iowa
*Hyde was arrested in mid-Oct which will cause teams to drop his value or remove him from their draft boards. But assuming he's worked his issues out, Hyde can be a nice add to the team. While he needs to improve his game in man coverage, Hyde does a nice job providing value in other areas. He's seen time at FS, PR, and as a gunner on special teams. Replaces Brock on the depth chart.

R6: Joe Vellano - DT/DE - Maryland (via Dolphins)
*Nice late-round prospect to compete with Bryant for the final defensive line spot.

R6: Brad McDougald - S - Kansas
*Additional competition at the safety spot vs. Trent Robinson.

R7: Ryan Otten - TE - San Jose State (via Carolina)
*Competes with Celek for the #3 TE role.

R7: Bruce Taylor - ILB - Virginia Tech (via Bengals)
*Competition with Gooden for the last ILB spot.

R7: Brett Maher - K/P - Nebraska
*Potential developmental prospect to succeed Akers. Good leg strength.

Depth Chart -

QB: Smith/Kaepernick/Tolzien
RB: Gore/Hunter/James/Dixon
FB: Miller/Tukuafu
TE: Davis/Reed*/Otten*

WR: Crabtree/Patton*
WR: Manningham/Jenkins
WR: Williams

LT: Staley (Boone/Davis)
LG: Iupati/Pocic*
C: Kilgore/Looney
RG: Boone/Davis
RT: Davis/Wiggins

LE: Smith/J. Williams*
NT: Jean-Francois/I. Williams
RE: McDonald/Bryant*

OLB: Smith/Fleming
ILB: Willis/Gooden
ILB: Bowman/Alonso*
OLB: Brooks/Barnes*

CB: Brown/Rogers/Hyde*
CB: Culliver/Cox
FS: Goldson/McBath/Robinson
SS: Whitner/Spillman

ST: Akers, Lee, Jennings

I would like to see us trade out a few of our middle picks for better positioning for 2014.