I'm not saying he's wasted them NOW. Not yet. But I'm very concerned that this may be the case. Maybe Baalke and the scouts saw things no one else did. Maybe. Maybe not. We had four picks after the 4th round. The outcome of these later picks will be a testament to how good Baalke & company really are. If none of them make the team, I will be furious. You can't throw away picks like that. You don't pick players you don't think can make the team and contribute. That's the whole point of the draft, so obviously they believe these guys were worth it.
I haven't seen the results yet, but I admit I was underwhelmed with some of the picks. The success of this is tied heavily -- check that, almost ENTIRELY -- to the long term development of some talented, but project players. I'll give Baalke credit for getting a couple more picks for next year again, but that doesn't change my grade much.
1. Arik Armstead, DL, Oregon
While not a bad pick, he wasn't the best value on the board to me. There is obviously a lot of upside and his playoff/bowl game/championship performances were very good, but I thought he was a borderline 1st, early 2nd. Yes, his numbers weren't great partially due to the scheme and his role, but Henry Anderson played in the same scheme -- even spending some time at NT -- and put up superior numbers. GRADE: B+
2. Jaquiski Tartt, S, Samford
I graded Tartt as an early third rounder. Small school status bumped him down a little, but he competed well at the Senior Bowl and depending on how quick he adjusts, he can contribute in year one. He is one of the better safeties in a weak class and provides insurance if Reid gets hurt again. Slightly higher than I thought he'd go, but not exactly a reach when there was a chance another team probably would've taken him if we tried to trade back. Still, several players available here at WR I would've taken instead and then got a safety later. GRADE: B+
3. Eli Harold, OLB, Virginia
Still needs a lot of work, but that is to be expected from a raw, 20 year old underclassman. He flashes potential and is the right value here in the 3rd. This is a good pick. GRADE: A
4. Blake Bell, TE, Oklahoma
This is a better pick than people think. Great red zone threat who is just scratching the surface of his potential. 6-6 260 yet quicker (6.88 3-cone time at combine) than most receivers. Bell talked about how at QB you're not focusing on the same kind of muscle development you do in the upper body at tight end and that he continues to get stronger and stronger there. Vernon likely isn't back in 2016 and if we cut ties with McDonald, Bell probably makes the team. Grade: A-
4. Mike Davis, RB, South Carolina
Certainly needs to improve his conditioning and take care of his body so he stays healthy, but when he is healthy, he's a good, balanced player. Solid par-value pick here. GRADE: B+
4. DeAndre Smelter, WR, Georgia Tech
Was picked way sooner than I expected, and hopefully he can fully recover. The massive learning curve and the injury had me giving him a 6th - 7th round grade. While he has some skills to work with, I'd have waited at least until the 5th or so to take him. Reason? He'll likely miss all of this season. Even if he does recover, considering the learning curve in his next seasons, at best we have a good possession receiver in 3 years. GRADE: C+
5. Bradley Pinion, P, Clemson
In researching the punter, his best ability was pinning teams inside the 20. But I don't think he was the best K/P in this class. Would have taken Justin Manton (who doubles as a kicker -- anyone remember the great Craig Hentrich?) in the 7th. He may eventually be something, but I'm sorry, I don't see him beating out Andy Lee or even making the PS, so I can't be on board with an underclassman punter this early. GRADE: F
6. Ian Silberman, OG, Boston College
He shut out Leonard Williams in their matchup this year in the sack/TFL column (although, he did have help some of the time on double-teams). But that was just one game. He does flash a nasty streak but he played much of the season below 300 pounds which probably hurt his value to some teams. Also comes with a variety of technical flaws and inconsistencies, but that's typical for a sixth rounder. PS Candidate and maybe someone to compete for a job in year two. GRADE: B-
7. Trenton Brown, OT, Florida
This pick I like. Massive lineman who is remarkably light on his feet for his size. If they conditioned him to lose even a little bit of that weight and play at around 335-340, you've got a developmental OT with swing-tackle potential. GRADE: A
7. Rory "Busta" Anderson, TE, South Carolina
I actually mocked him to the 49ers a couple months back. Thought he was a very, very strange candidate for us to pick him if he was still here and sure enough, we did. Zero risk, high reward. Very athletic TE who could contribute if only he could stay healthy. Still think there were better players on the board, but I'm OK with this pick. B+
Overall grade: B
Bottom Line: Even though I like several of the players, the simple fact remains is that we were aware that none of these players were likely instant impact players, and we were okay with that. I cannot reconcile that as a fan. I am not a proponent of making your entire draft contingent upon projects developing. There needs to be balance, and having some projects and some immediate contributors throughout your draft should be the goal. We really didn't appear to do that -- or have any intention of doing that -- this year. When your "projects" aren't good enough -- and you already knew that there's a good chance they don't make the team -- and you take them anyway, that is wasteful, ineffecient drafting that won't get you maximum value to your team. The success of the players in the second half of this draft will tell us either Baalke knew something we didn't, or he's just not as good of a talent evaluator as some think.
[ Edited by OnTheClock on May 4, 2015 at 1:02 PM ]