What we've learned about last year's draft class

Originally posted by Travisty13:

Our 2nd pick is a DE, so in all reality, you're really saying Ray McDonald and Justin Smith aren't getting it done. Plus Fleming is coming off an injury and Johnson was hurt most of the year. And with the lack of OLB depth we had last year, shows Baalke doesn't want to be put in that position again. To me is shows Parys Haralson is gone and we are going with a more youthful core. Plus Fleming could always kick inside and be a backup ILB.

Why would they re structure haralson's contract just to cut him????????

Originally posted by NinerFan408:

Originally posted by Travisty13:
Our 2nd pick is a DE, so in all reality, you're really saying Ray McDonald and Justin Smith aren't getting it done. Plus Fleming is coming off an injury and Johnson was hurt most of the year. And with the lack of OLB depth we had last year, shows Baalke doesn't want to be put in that position again. To me is shows Parys Haralson is gone and we are going with a more youthful core. Plus Fleming could always kick inside and be a backup ILB.

Why would they re structure haralson's contract just to cut him????????

Psyops

I think we didnt learn anything from last year's class. This is a Huge Preseason for the 12' draft class. If AJ dont pick it up, Patton will pass him up and same goes for Fleming (iknow he was injured so leash might be longer on him) and Cam Johnson is as good as a goner if you ask me. Looney will be fine & safe atleast at the start of the season. Trent Robinson must show he can hold up physically and deliver hits & clean tackles at 5'9 190 lbs or he"ll also be gone.

Still can't grade last year's draft until Fleming and Johnson are cut this year...or not.

Jenkins--year two, worked with CK, will be better this year pushed by Patton
James--scarey talent, returner, change of pace back
Looney--OC of the future?
Fleming--? still have hope but must come back strong from injury
Robinson--evidently the coaches like him or they would have picked up another safety
Slowey--gone
Johnson--competes with a number of guys who may blow him out of the water, still a possible...barely

We'' know a lot more after TCamp.

lol.

Originally posted by LieutKaffee:
1. Cam Johnson and Darius Fleming will never amount to anything
2. AJ Jenkins is coming along fine

Well.. you got Darius Fleming right anyway.

Does the emergence of Cam Johnson suddenly make that class a lot better?

I wouldn't go as far to say "a lot" better but definitely better.

Can't call it an emergence. Right now, he just made the roster and may be active. The 2012 draft looks bad all around. Guys like Joe Looney, LaMichael James, and Cam Johnson can salvage it, but they are long shots. I held out hope for awhile, but the AJ Jenkins trade pretty much sealed the deal. If those three guys remaining with the team can be key back-ups, the draft could earn a C.

Looking at Trent Baalke's track record, it really is out of character for him to miss that bad in a single draft. This is why I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt for so long. However it looks like he's back on track so far with 2013. We already have 3 players who figure to be bigger role players than the 3 guys I mentioned from the 2012 draft and one starter. Not to mention guys like Carradine, Lattimore, Dial, and BJ Daniels who will get into the mix more in 2014.

I think we learned that we shouldn't overrate a player's abilities (AJ Jenkins). I think the guy could still pan out and would be brought along more slowly if he were a 3rd or 4th round pick. But no way he should've been a first round pick with first round aspirations. I think we learned that we should draft guys that can absolutely be starters. Now if they end up as backups because of the talent level on the team, but don't use early picks in the draft looking for backups.

We also learned that Baalke will admit mistakes and make the best out of nothing. Has anyone ever heard of a GM trading away a first round pick after one regular season? He also made some trades in 2012 that worked out quite well for us in 2013. I cannot recall all the players from 2013 linked to that trade, but the reality is, even in a "bad" draft for Baalke, he still netted the team something positive out of the draft.

We learned that over his four year track record, Baalke is the best GM in the NFL.

Like we thought Baalke isn't perfect but in his four years yeah he's been one of the best GM's in the NFL. We knocked the 2010, 2011 and 2013 drafts out of the park IMO. We have done really well in FA too. Keeping the guys that were good value and moving on from the others. Haven't really overpaid too many.... didn't go out and get a high priced FA that flopped. Also, we did really well with bargain players in FA. As for the 2012 draft I really thought it was a draft for the future. Now we are down to James, Looney and Johnson with Robinson possibly on the PS and Fleming on IR. I'd say James and Looney have disappointed but there is still hope as both should get better. I don't think some fans realize how many bad drafts teams have had. Every draft is full of busts and guys who do nothing. A lot of teams are lucky to get 1, maybe 2 starters out of a draft much less 2-3 pro bowlers or all pros like we have. Keep in mind we also used the 3rd we got last year from Carolina to move up to get Reid. If we kept our 3rd last year we wouldn't have had Reid who could become a very good player. I believe we also used our 6th we got from a trade last year to take Moody.

So even though it looks like the 2012 draft class is dieing I'm still not giving up on it until we see: 1. How Baldwin does since he was traded for Jenkins He's basically a part of our 2012 draft class now. 2. What James, Looney, Johnson and maybe Robinson (if signed to PS/another shot at the team next year) and Fleming (if brought back after injury) do. 3. What Eric Reid does. He's not a 2012 draft pick but again without 2012's trade down to get a 3rd this year we don't have the pick traded up to get Reid. And if we did use our 3rd instead of Carolina's then we don't get Corey Lemonier. So without that trade in 2012 we don't have one of the following, Reid, Lemonier.

Originally posted by Gore_21:

Like we thought Baalke isn't perfect but in his four years yeah he's been one of the best GM's in the NFL. We knocked the 2010, 2011 and 2013 drafts out of the park IMO. We have done really well in FA too. Keeping the guys that were good value and moving on from the others. Haven't really overpaid too many.... didn't go out and get a high priced FA that flopped. Also, we did really well with bargain players in FA. As for the 2012 draft I really thought it was a draft for the future. Now we are down to James, Looney and Johnson with Robinson possibly on the PS and Fleming on IR. I'd say James and Looney have disappointed but there is still hope as both should get better. I don't think some fans realize how many bad drafts teams have had. Every draft is full of busts and guys who do nothing. A lot of teams are lucky to get 1, maybe 2 starters out of a draft much less 2-3 pro bowlers or all pros like we have. Keep in mind we also used the 3rd we got last year from Carolina to move up to get Reid. If we kept our 3rd last year we wouldn't have had Reid who could become a very good player. I believe we also used our 6th we got from a trade last year to take Moody.

So even though it looks like the 2012 draft class is dieing I'm still not giving up on it until we see: 1. How Baldwin does since he was traded for Jenkins He's basically a part of our 2012 draft class now. 2. What James, Looney, Johnson and maybe Robinson/Fleming do. 3. What Eric Reid does. He's not a 2012 draft pick but again without 2012's trade down to get a 3rd this year we don't have the pick traded up to get Reid. And if we did use our 3rd instead of Carolina's then we don't get Corey Lemonier. So without that trade in 2012 we don't have one of the following, Reid, Lemonier.

I believe Trent Robinson got released.

LMJ will turnout being the player we expect him to be.

Probably see Cam in the rotation. If applicable, may move him to the d-line.

Originally posted by robniner:
I believe Trent Robinson got released.

Yep, that's why I said maybe Robinson as in if we would bring him back to the PS and then he'd have another shot at the team next year. Sorry didn't make it clear.