Why WR should be priority number one...

Originally posted by JamesGatz83:

Originally posted by tatdwolf49:
Our team is built in such a way that we can basically take BPA in each round...WRs N CBs are such a deep class so BPA will be a great thing cause someone really good will fall right in our lap....

Or we'll end up with a DL that won't see more than 10 snaps a game for the next 2 years.

We need immediate impact from the top of this draft.

What receiver we draft is going to see that many snaps? The only position where anyone would even have a shot is a corner, and even then, we can afford to wait. When you have a stacked team, it's going to be hard to draft impact players that don't start. I did see that Fangio is willing to rotate his lineman more, so that bodes well for Tank and another DL if we do draft another. I'd like a steady rotation of DEs. It would prevent our starters from wearing down and we'd have insurance in the event of injury.

And we still could get some future starters at receiver and DB in the 2nd and 3rd rounds.

Originally posted by LifelongNiner:
What receiver we draft is going to see that many snaps? The only position where anyone would even have a shot is a corner, and even then, we can afford to wait. When you have a stacked team, it's going to be hard to draft impact players that don't start. I did see that Fangio is willing to rotate his lineman more, so that bodes well for Tank and another DL if we do draft another. I'd like a steady rotation of DEs. It would prevent our starters from wearing down and we'd have insurance in the event of injury.

And we still could get some future starters at receiver and DB in the 2nd and 3rd rounds.

I agree, not many openings for draft picks to start in their first year. There are basically 2-3 openings and that is safety and CBs. If we drafted stellar players, who shocked us all, and were ready to start, then the field is ready for them. But I would expect one CB to possibly start, and SS to learn for a year or two under Bethea. But it would not surprise me to see a safety come in a start from the beginning but he would be almost an instantaneous candidate for Defensive rookie of the year. Safety is going to be a high draft pick - in the first three rounds.

Originally posted by LifelongNiner:
What receiver we draft is going to see that many snaps? The only position where anyone would even have a shot is a corner, and even then, we can afford to wait. When you have a stacked team, it's going to be hard to draft impact players that don't start. I did see that Fangio is willing to rotate his lineman more, so that bodes well for Tank and another DL if we do draft another. I'd like a steady rotation of DEs. It would prevent our starters from wearing down and we'd have insurance in the event of injury.

And we still could get some future starters at receiver and DB in the 2nd and 3rd rounds.

This. People who keep pushing for a receiver in the first....why exactly? This team barely ever runs 3 WR sets. You have Crabtree, Boldin and Patton, not to mention VD, short of injury(and you can say that for pretty much every other position), just how many snaps is a rookie WR actually going to get???


This draft is deep enough with WR's that I think you can afford to take a couple in the latter rounds and let them develop. If there's a need in the 1st round, it is at CB, otherwise, I say BPA is the best way to go.

Originally posted by Ninefan56:
I agree, not many openings for draft picks to start in their first year. There are basically 2-3 openings and that is safety and CBs. If we drafted stellar players, who shocked us all, and were ready to start, then the field is ready for them. But I would expect one CB to possibly start, and SS to learn for a year or two under Bethea. But it would not surprise me to see a safety come in a start from the beginning but he would be almost an instantaneous candidate for Defensive rookie of the year. Safety is going to be a high draft pick - in the first three rounds.

I don't see any safety outside of Clinton-Dix that is ready to start right away in this draft. I especially don't see a rookie safety beating out Bethea, a smart, quality veteran with plenty left in the gas tank still. The whole purpose of signing Bethea IMO is that the 49ers didn't believe or weren't comfortable with the idea that any safety in this draft could come in and start the way Reid did last season. He is a 2 year stopgap to help develop a safety. I don't see the 49ers taking a safety in the 1st round and potentially not even in the 2nd but definitely in the 3rd or 4th rounds.

Originally posted by JamesGatz83:
Fair point, but we still have a frightening lack of depth after Boldin and Crab. I love Patton's potential, but he has 3 career catches. Do you remember how god awful we looked on offense before Crab came back? Do you remember Brett Swain lining up out wide against the Giants in the NFCCG?

I won't be upset about taking a corner at all, but I maintain WR is a bigger need.

Crab is an impending FA and Anquan is going to be 34. A big target like Evans or Benjamin or a burner like Cooks would make us more dynamic now and for years to come.

The draft is stacked with WR's. Building depth doesn't mean you have to take one in the 1st round. I think Patton can develop into a fine WR, if the 49ers can add a WR or two in rounds 2-4, I think they'll be fine. Plenty of talent to be had throughout.


If you draft a WR in the 1st, they aren't going to play much this season anyways. How is that any different from drafting a DL? Drafting a WR because Boldin is aging is no different than drafting a DL because Justin Smith is aging and McDonald has been somewhat injury prone recently. The key is that this team is dependent on its front 7 far moreso than they are on their receivers.


I still think BPA in the 1st, if BPA is a WR, so be it, if BPA is a CB, fine, is BPA is a safety.....a DL....etc, then go with that. They have enough draft picks that they can fill in depth at WR and CB without having to force the issue, especially trading up in a draft where the talent is largely flat outside of the Top 10 picks.

No argument Baalke should probably draft a couple of WR's...but don't expect it with his first two picks. He won't overlook CB...which is a position that arguably gets more snaps than the WR's. Fangio will use 3-4 CB's in certain situations...it's rare to see more than two WR's on the field at the same time. That could change, but I'd say 3's about the limit. I'd love Matthews or Moncrief and maybe a smaller, speed guy for the slot. Again, though, I just don't see Baalke taking two WR's to begin the draft.

Did you miss that we lost 3 out of 4 of our secondary? We resigned Boldin. We still have Crabtree under contract. And we have VD. We signed guys like Chris Cook to hold down the secondary.

Honestly I could see something like this.

1) Secondary
2A) Secondary
2B) Secondary

Rest of draft...

We have a massive hole there. It needs to be fixed. WR is a luxury. We have Boldin, Crabtree and Davis + a really good O Line. That's better than what 90% of the teams are playing with. If you can't get it done with that you can't get it done. We can pick WR next year. This year the NEED is huge at secondary. Not want which is different from need.

Originally posted by SanDiego49er:
Did you miss that we lost 3 out of 4 of our secondary? We resigned Boldin. We still have Crabtree under contract. And we have VD. We signed guys like Chris Cook to hold down the secondary.

Honestly I could see something like this.

1) Secondary
2A) Secondary
2B) Secondary

Rest of draft...

We have a massive hole there. It needs to be fixed. WR is a luxury. We have Boldin, Crabtree and Davis + a really good O Line. That's better than what 90% of the teams are playing with. If you can't get it done with that you can't get it done. We can pick WR next year. This year the NEED is huge at secondary. Not want which is different from need.

I can't see the FO/Baalke taking a WR in the first. If he swings and misses on two first round picks (AJ), they won't be able to live it down. They'll take two WRs before taking one in round one.

Originally posted by SanDiego49er:
Did you miss that we lost 3 out of 4 of our secondary? We resigned Boldin. We still have Crabtree under contract. And we have VD. We signed guys like Chris Cook to hold down the secondary.

Honestly I could see something like this.

1) Secondary
2A) Secondary
2B) Secondary

Rest of draft...

We have a massive hole there. It needs to be fixed. WR is a luxury. We have Boldin, Crabtree and Davis + a really good O Line. That's better than what 90% of the teams are playing with. If you can't get it done with that you can't get it done. We can pick WR next year. This year the NEED is huge at secondary. Not want which is different from need.

Should also be noted that Culliver is a free agent at the end of year too and teams tend to overpay that position.

I agree that WR is the most important position for us this year in the draft. We have to hit on a stud... or 2. I would be happy if we took Cooks in the 1st and Moncrief in the 2nd, if not Moncrief than Bryant in the 3rd. Hell Landry might even fall to the 3rd.

Originally posted by tjd808185:

Originally posted by SanDiego49er:
Did you miss that we lost 3 out of 4 of our secondary? We resigned Boldin. We still have Crabtree under contract. And we have VD. We signed guys like Chris Cook to hold down the secondary.

Honestly I could see something like this.

1) Secondary
2A) Secondary
2B) Secondary

Rest of draft...

We have a massive hole there. It needs to be fixed. WR is a luxury. We have Boldin, Crabtree and Davis + a really good O Line. That's better than what 90% of the teams are playing with. If you can't get it done with that you can't get it done. We can pick WR next year. This year the NEED is huge at secondary. Not want which is different from need.

Should also be noted that Culliver is a free agent at the end of year too and teams tend to overpay that position.

Yeah you always over pay for CB's in FA. So we need to restock in the draft. Get younger and cheaper.

Originally posted by tjd808185:
Should also be noted that Culliver is a free agent at the end of year too and teams tend to overpay that position.

49ers are now working on an extension with him. I think their draft strategy will be partly driven by whether or not that extension gets done. If not, you might see a couple CB's picked between Rounds 1 and 4.