Free Agents;
Resigned- Boldin, Dawson, Whinter, Wilhoite, Cox, Wright, McCoy, Brown.
Boldin, Dawson and Wilhoite are a given to be resigned, they will all play a key role in the 49ers quest for six in 2014. Cox and Wright are simply camp fodder unless one of the two surprises and works himself into the 3rd or 4th corner spot. The surprise here is obviously McCoy, he is obviously not the most popular player on the team, nor the most talented. With that said he isn't as bad as some Zoners would have you believe. For the most part he will be camp fodder as I'm sure the 49ers will draft another quarterback in this years draft. I think Jim wants to see at least one more year of pre-season play from Colt, and prove to himself and the world that he is one of the best qb whispers in the game. To be completely transparent I'm not sure if we keep Whitner or Brown but I don't think the 49ers will keep both but anything is possible.
Walk- Terrell Brown, Jonathan Goodwin, Mario Manningham, Kassim Osgood, Anthony Dixon.
With teams like Oakland, Cleveland, and Indianapolis holding on to tons of cap money I expect guys like Brown, and Dixon to get the true cap number they deserve from a team with much more money to spend in free agency than us. It will be bitter sweet to see some of these guys go, you hate to lose a good player but with the 49ers war chest of draft picks the options to fill that need are limitless.
Restructure- Willis, Gore, Vernon, Rogers.
Three of the 49ers leaders step up and move some money around to help their team get better now. I'm sure most of you are surprised to see Rogers as a restructured player. Instead of being cut all together. To be honest I think he will be asked to reduce his deal to epic portions or see the door. If Rogers is smart he will reduce his deal and hope that he can beat out Wright, Cox, and a pair of rookies in order to make the team in 2014. I don't see Baalke giving him any more or less than he gave Nnamdi last season. The ONLY reason I don't think they cut him out right is because with Brown leaving, and not knowing what condition Culliver will be in, the coaching staff and front office will feel better if they had Rogers veteran presence in the secondary. Not to mention that Rogers is better than most 49ers fans would ever give him credit for.
Cut- Dahl (I know there will be others, more than likely Rogers and we give his salary to Brown, and use the extra 5 mill bump in cap to resign Whitner maybe?)
The LMJ Situation- Traded to some team for a 2015 pick.
Trent and Jim just need to chalk the 2012 draft up to being a big mistake with good intentions. We all know the debacle that A.J. Jenkins was, but in my opinion LMJ was a train wreck. All for the simple fact that you don't draft a rb in round 2 to be a kick returner and/or change of pace back. The offensive staff just didn't give the guy a legit shot, mainly because he does not fit what the 49ers want to do on offense. It's time to move on and salvage what they can for LMJ, and draft a legit punt/kick returner.
The draft-
1. (PICK 30) Odell Beckham Jr. (WR, LSU)
Even if Boldin comes back, the 49ers still need an answer at wide receiver past the next year or two. They also need someone who can beat press at the line of scrimmage and apply pressure on the Seahawks secondary with speed and the threat to make some big plays deep. In the 2013 off season the 49ers brought aboard two LSU Tigers, Eric Reid and Glen Dorsey, I think they go back to the swamp again and find them an offensive weapon from the bayou.
2. (Pick 56) Jason Verrett (CB, TCU)
The 49ers use a luxury pick awarded to them in the Alex Smith trade to find a corner who can step in and play from day one. Verrett can work as a nickel corner this season but will eventually be bumped outside once he builds confidence with coaching staff and shows that he can be trusted to play the majority of the defensive snaps.
3. (Pick 61) Trent Murphy (DE/OLB, Stanford)
The 49ers finally select a player from Stanford since Jim Harbaugh has been head coach. I know this won't be the sexiest or most popular pick but this kid is a grinder, with all the measurable to be a 49er pass rusher. With Aldon Smith's situation and the fact that our pass rush was just lacked at times during last season I see this as a perfect fit.
4. (Pick 77) Craig Loston ( S, LSU)
Every year there is a common theme in the draft, last year everyone was draft offensive tackles left and right. This year I think the "trend" will be big corners and safeties due to the Seahawks success. I think Jim and Trent will do their due diligence and find the best football players regardless of size. This allows the 49ers to get a steal in the second round with Loston. He also serves as a long term solution to replacing Whitner, seeing as how we know he and Eric Reid make a great safety tandem.
5. (Pick 94) Cyril Richardson (G/OT, Baylor)
Sure he had a horrible Senior Bowl, but I don't think that should be an indictment on the kid's chances at the next level. Playing at Baylor, I'm sure he's familiar with pass blocking seeing as how Art Briles loves to sling the rock around. He's also no stranger to run blocking and can be as nasty as a Wal-Mart toilet seat when making a hole for running backs. At the end of the day the 49ers get a guy who can replace Mike Iupati if he leaves in free agency during the 2015 season, or he can replace Anthony Davis at tackle if he continues to struggle in pass protection.
6. (Pick 125) Rob Herron (WR, Wyoming)
He's fast, elusive and a flat out playmaker. The 49ers need a guy like this who can make something out of nothing and force a secondary to play two safeties deep. He can also chip in on kick return duty until he works himself into a regular role in the WR corps. This kid is going to be the type of WR that flat out gives the Seahawks fits. To be honest he could be mediocre in every other game he plays just as long as her burns the Seahawks.
Well that's as far as this train goes boys. I don't know enough about all the talent coming in to do deep into the draft with predictions. I do know a few things; at one point the 49ers will trade down, or out of a round all together and horde some picks for next year. I expect a play like Aaron Colvin to be drafted and rehabbed, as well as a potential back up for Kap that doesn't make fans s**t the bed at the thought of the backup quarterback actually having to play a game or two. Hope you enjoyed, feel free to rip my thought process…
[ Edited by 24plus25er on Feb 20, 2014 at 10:23 PM ]