Do the 49ers load up on D-Linemen in the draft.

With the possibility of having Defensive Linemen such as Jesse Williams, Margus Hunt and Jonathan Hankins available at 31 and 34 should the Niners target their first picks on this position. Please add other names, there are many possibilities.

I hope so.

The word is rotation and we didn't have one worth poop.

Either through the draft, FA or a combo of both we need:

2 DE that can actually play and contribute and a NT.

Just imagine if Justin goes down again and Ray Mac goes down - we don't have anyone to come in and effectively pick up the slack.

I say yes. We go DL with our first 2 picks. We can then go WR or DB at the bottom of the 2nd rd. (I'd prefer the DB).

I think they go d lineman then safety(need goldson's replacement) or vice versa. Then they still have another 2nd and 2 3rd rounders to go after guys for d line depth and other needs.

1st 3 rounds with the 5 picks I want a DE, NT, FS, CB, and WR. It doesn't matter to me in what order.

Originally posted by toppdogg32:
I say yes. We go DL with our first 2 picks. We can then go WR or DB at the bottom of the 2nd rd. (I'd prefer the DB).

This.

That D-line needs some rotation. They needd a couple of 300 pounders who could play end or NT in our base and slide inside in nickel. The WR and DB (probably a safety) can come next.

Our true depth on the d-line is still a mystery to me. I forgot which article I read, but Baalke stated that the lack of a rotation had to do with defensive philosophy, not the ability of the backups. That's actually what I suspected. They are very high on Tukuafu, Dobbs, Williams. The former two in particular have played well when given an opportunity. It remains to be seen if we choose to shift our philosophy and start rotating more. We probably will select a couple of lineman with RJF and Soap possibly gone.

Originally posted by SofaKing:
Our true depth on the d-line is still a mystery to me. I forgot which article I read, but Baalke stated that the lack of a rotation had to do with defensive philosophy, not the ability of the backups. That's actually what I suspected. They are very high on Tukuafu, Dobbs, Williams. The former two in particular have played well when given an opportunity. It remains to be seen if we choose to shift our philosophy and start rotating more. We probably will select a couple of lineman with RJF and Soap possibly gone.

I would add Tony Jerod-Eiey to that list. Also, for some reason I think Ian Williams is now closer to 320 pounds.

If the coaching staff feels that one of these guys is ready to step-up, that will effect our use of drat picks in the upcoming draft.

IMO, don't by into Baalke's philosopy stuff. Another smoke screen that's keeps others off balance and more so now because FA is almost upon us.

Yes we do need get the fastest strongest DL players so we can get more sacks - especially on that slippery midget Wilson.

Absolutely...despite what Baalke said about the DL being a philosophy issue...that is, Fangio likes to keep his vets on the field, but that backfired toward the end of the season, of course exacerbated by Justin Smith's injury, but the BL is he doesn't have confidence in his b/u's, so it's definitely time to upgrade. If I were running the draft, I'd make sure I came away with a couple of "bigs", guys who can play inside & out, secondary (CB & S), OLB, TE, WR and QB.

Originally posted by LasVegasWally:
IMO, don't by into Baalke's philosopy stuff. Another smoke screen that's keeps others off balance and more so now because FA is almost upon us.

This, the 49ers keep talking cornerback, cornerback, cornerback......which only leads me to conclude that they're going to draft a whole bunch of defensive lineman.

Don't know if they will but I sure won't be mad if they do. Like others have stated I'd like to see 3 of our first 4 picks go to the defensive side of the ball with a WR sprinkled in to round out the 4.

I'd be happy if we took a late-round flier on DL Nick Williams out of Samford (AKA The Forgotten Williams).
Why?

.6'4" 309 lbs.
.10-yard split (the best predictor of DL success of any combine statistic) was 1.63. That's the fastest time of anyone over 290 lbs. He's 309.
.Vertical jump: 33 inches. That's the highest of anyone over 290 lbs. Again, he's 309.
.Bench press: A rock solid 28 reps with long 34+ inch arms.

Has a basketball background, has only played football for 3 or 4 years. Can't teach his size and athleticism. A project. I think he's absolutely worth a late pick. Could become a steal with the right coaching.

Originally posted by captain_planet:
I'd be happy if we took a late-round flier on DL Nick Williams out of Samford (AKA The Forgotten Williams).
Why?

.6'4" 309 lbs.
.10-yard split (the best predictor of DL success of any combine statistic) was 1.63. That's the fastest time of anyone over 290 lbs. He's 309.
.Vertical jump: 33 inches. That's the highest of anyone over 290 lbs. Again, he's 309.
.Bench press: A rock solid 28 reps with long 34+ inch arms.

Has a basketball background, has only played football for 3 or 4 years. Can't teach his size and athleticism. A project. I think he's absolutely worth a late pick. Could become a steal with the right coaching.

At that point he's definitely worth the risk, certainly has the physical potential. Have you seen Chris Jones of Bowling Green? I love him as a small-school player, he absolutely dominated and he ended up doing pretty well at the Combine as well.