Grade the 49ers 2012 Draft Class

Originally posted by SanDiego49er:

I'd say B-. But you have to take this into account.

1) We are picking later now as a mature team with talent and a winning record.
2) We are apparently stockpiling draft picks for next year. So it comes out of this year a little.

All things considered we added some speed, explosiveness, gamebreaking ability and some developmental prospects at G and OLB and DB. That's all you can ask for. I think where we were picking and how much we traded away for next year to be better we did the best we could. I'm happy overall. I like the first 2 a lot. We needed more speed, explosiveness and gamebreaking ability on this team.

This but I give it a B

solid B

Originally posted by SanDiego49er:
I'd say B-. But you have to take this into account.

1) We are picking later now as a mature team with talent and a winning record.
2) We are apparently stockpiling draft picks for next year. So it comes out of this year a little.

All things considered we added some speed, explosiveness, gamebreaking ability and some developmental prospects at G and OLB and DB. That's all you can ask for. I think where we were picking and how much we traded away for next year to be better we did the best we could. I'm happy overall. I like the first 2 a lot. We needed more speed, explosiveness and gamebreaking ability on this team.

Could be stockpiling to think they can move up next yr. for a QB we want! Maybe Barkley?? who knows

B, I like the picks. Good job FO.

B+, we added nice speed at WR in AJ Jenkins, speedy RB LaMichael James, 2 solid OL in Looney and Slowey, solid pass rushing OLBs Fleming and Johnson, solid steal at S Trenton Robinson, and to add in the 3 picks added for 2013(Panthers 3rd, Colts 5th and Dolphins 6th) helps a lot, but I grade on the players picked, so a B+ is a solid/great draft right now. We didn't have any major holes to fill, like I said we didn't need Coby Fleener, we have Delanie Walker, and he is solid, and should be an easy re-sign. So thank god for Baalke, he is a great GM.

To think, we have had IMO 3 good/great drafts, in 2010 we got 3 solid picks(RT Davis, LG Iupati and ILB Bowman), 2011 we got 5 solid picks(OLB Aldon, CB Culliver, RB Hunter, FB Miller and S Jones), Not to mention Kilgore may start, and 2012 we got solid players at WR(Jenkins), OG(Looney), RB(James) and the depth at OLB, S and OL.

I really feel we have maybe 4-5 open roster spots, couldn't say that 3 years ago, was 15 a year, due to bad drafting, but great draft, and great offseason, got our guys retained(Brooks, Rogers, Alex and Goldson, who I hope for extension soon), and added Manningham to bolster the WR core.

A

I have to admit the Niners made some picks under the Radar, but in baalke I trust. I got a big goose egg in my mock draft, but I don't get paid to scout.

Having the second Baalke/Harbaugh draft you really see some tendencies. They added quality, depth, explosion and HIGH CHARACTER, SMART, FOOTBALL guys none of these guys are question marks. The Golden Helmet that they are talking about is a HUGE X factor for them. They could have had Jenoris Jenkins or Trumaine Johnson or Mike Adams but they weren't interested. You might say that hurts the team in passing up potential talents like those guys but they also don't have to deal with excess baggage that catches up with some players. To give nolan, singletary and McCloughan some props....they added a lot of talent and high character guys to the team, but those coaches and GM's also had some major "freaking" misses. Did anyone enjoy McCloughan drafting for the Seahawks I thought he made some typical McClueless moves like drafting Irvin so high and Bobby Wagner high (those reminded me of the Manny Lawson miss with a lot of speed but no moves) but they did pick up Turbin who I liked. Anyway, I'm glad Baalke is running the show and not Scot!

Another huge X Factor for them is they want SMART, FOOTBALL obsessed guys. Again it's too tough to tell but the interviews with Jenkins, and James in particular don't sound like Divas at all. And most of their guys are seniors so there is added maturity too. Think of all of the wrinkles harbaugh is going to add to the Offense and Defense, they need smart guys who can SMASHMOUTH too!

They also REALLY REALLY like production in college (see LaMichael or AJ Jenkins). They also like lineman from smaller schools (application st, Western Oregon, Montana State, Idaho) who are versatile and play more than one position and dominate competition. (If you can get the stud left tackle in college you can probably move inside.)

1st 30th AJ Jenkins looks like a great sleeper pick. More than 53% of the receiving yards his senior year with a rotation of college quarterbacks and he had broken his jaw and hurt his wrist but still had over 90 receptions and over 1200 yards. He has huge hands, is smooth in his route running and can play all of the receiver spots (X, Y, slot)

2nd 61st ) LaMichael James was the most productive back in college, he lead had the most yards per game average in college and missed 2 games his senior year not to mention his 7.3 average rush. THAT IS SICK. HE was supertough and can be our sproiles. He is going to be tough to match up against. Put him in the slot like Reggie Bush and FORGETABOUTIT!!!!! I also like him getting lost behind the line and picking a crease to pop.

4th 117th ) Joe Looney has a great name for a lineman. He is big 6 3 320 and can run (5.0 in the 40) and pull very well. He got hurt at the Senior bowl on the first day, but he has been medically cleared to play. What I also thought was interesting is that he play both guard spots and he was also trying out at center. Maybe Kilgore is the guard and looney backs up at guard and center. Or Looney takes the RG spot and Kilgore backs up at center.

5th 165th ) Darius Fleming is a 3-4 olb backer. The guy ran a 4.55 at his pro day (his combine type was 4.77) at 62 245 the guy can get bigger. This is great guy to develop and he can drop back into coverage. If you watch his combine tape the guy is fluid and had some interceptions in college.

6th 180th) Trenton Robinson Safety is a guy the niners needed. He seems like a Donte Whitner clone. 5 10 205 pounds and ran an unoffical 4.4 at his pro day. He has 11 interceptions in his career, 4 as a senior with 80 tackles. He was also the leader of the defense and can lay the wood. The guy doesn't have any weaknesses and can play the run and pass equally well.

6th 199th) I like Slowey when I read abut him, 38 to 45 reps in the weight room bench press and check out his video on Matt Barrows page. He played left tackle in college which is the hardest position to line on the line. He projects to center or guard. If you watch him he plays with great balance and has a nasty attitude. You can watch him knockdown a lot of guys. (It was at divsion 2 Western Oregon).

7th) DE Cam Johnson might be the steal of our draft. Johnson ran a 4.81, 40-yard dash and leaped 35 inches at the 2012 NFL Scouting Combine. He projects as a OLB plus you can probably line him up as a DE on the passing downs. Mayock had him as his 50th ranked player in the draft and had a 2nd round grade on him.

NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock listed Johnson as the 50th player on his Top-100 list and gave the Virginia linebacker a second-round grade.

Undrafted Chris Owusu - Next speedy WR 4.36 former stanford WR who has a history of concussions. But a practice squad guy you gotta love. Harbaugh gets a Stanford guy.


And the capper....they pick up a 3rd, 5th, 6th and have a 7th in the next years draft AWESOME with all this talent that's a lot of ammo to make moves in next years draft. I was a little concerned they weren't moving around early but I really like the two trades back with the colts for a 5th and panthers for a 3rd.

The negatives that I have. I was on the Fleener bandwagon for sure, but Harbaugh knows him better than anyone. Obviously with my knowledge and the draft boards it seemed like they reached on AJ Jenkins and went with a luxury pick at RB with La Michael James on an undersized, and not speed demon (4.45). But these guys had EXCELLENT production in their college years and were healthy throughout their career so they are a little undersized as well, but they give us speed and quickness which is what our team needs.

Another knock is that they didn't get "bigger" skill guys, but if the guys can produce that is all that matters. I would have liked to get a big WR or TE but we needed speed more than size. But if they give us an extra dimension and production, again, I don't care what size they are.

One final note, it is interesting that the NIners didn't move up at all (until late in the draft was it the 6th pick), I thought they might have made a run at DeCastro but do you want to have 5 first round picks on the line, that isn't good balance for your team. WR was needed. Looney and Slowey look like interesting picks, I can't wait to see more of them. Person, Kilgore, Looney, Beeler, Boone and Slowey are going to going to have a dogfight for the practice squad and starting RG position. Someone is going to get cut but that breeds a lot of competition amoung these guys.


Only time will tell, but right now I'm geeked up like a kid on christmas. This is our early football christmas.

I'll give the draft a B- for the picks (it could be anything we will see when they hit the field) but if you factor in all of the picks we picked up than it's more like an A-.

I love the draft and I CANT WAIT FOR THE SEASON

I gave it an A for 3 reasons:

1. Used the first 2 picks on offensive playmakers. We ranked 26th in total offense last year. We need guys who are explosive and can pick up yards in bunches. Jenkins and James fit the bill.

2. The rest of the draft addressed depth for the O-line, LB corps, and Safety position, which we needed. Each pick made sense.

3. I thought Baalke did a masterful job of trading up and down to maximize value. We started the draft with 7 picks, and ended it with 7 picks. Yet somehow he was able to maneuver his way into getting a 3rd, 5th, & 6th for next year. Brilliant.

It's feels great to have confidence in the front office & coaching staff again. The 2012 49ers are gonna kick some serious ass. CANT WAIT!!

A+ for getting 4 additional picks for next year and for the quality of the players we picked.


the future is bright for the 49ers. cheers!

A+++++ for Baallsy

Another great Fing draft from the brain trust.

Probably a high C+.

First 2 picks were MONEY, the rest of the draft was garbage, shouldn't of traded back so much; the Looney pick was horrible (and you don't even need to be an armchair expert to know such).

-Neither of our draft picks will probably even start until 2013 (with limited action this year); we needed a quality full-time solution to compete at RG regardless of how we feel about Boone/Kilgore, cause anything can happen, and you need a quality/competitive player at every position -This alone will come back to bite us in the ass when we make the NFC Championship again, and Alex is running for his life again with Kilgore out with an injury, and Looney letting more players past him to f**k Alex in the ass like a German leather bar turnstile.

Yeah you can use the excuse that we drafted late, or that 'wowee zowee we're winners again' homerism crap, but this draft class leaves an odd taste in my mouth, it feels like a Scot McCloughan draft, all bang and limited substance.

Round 1-AJ Jenkins. I would have been upset if they had drafted Randle, who really struggles to get separation and is much similar to Crabtree, or Hill who is simply very raw and would take time to develop. AJ Jenkins is quick, gets off the line and into his breaks smoothly, has good hands, good field awareness, able to get separation from defensive backs, a little bit cocky, hard worker and good character guy, I love the pick. No b******t the guy reminds me a lot of Isaac Bruce. I have a very, very good feeling about this pick. All he did was produce on a team with mediocre QB play and with no other major threats around him, he made plays even with the defense focusing on shutting him down and even had some good games against major competition. I love this pick. Its a total Baalke pick in that it came out of nowhere but when you look at the guy, it makes a hell of a lot of sense. A+ as far as I'm concerned.

Round 2-LaMichael James. Incredibly talented guy, explosive, total playmaker and homerun hitter although I'm confused on just how they'll use him since Kendall Hunter is somewhat similar, was kind of surprised by this, thinking they might take Lamar Miller instead but the guy has made plays against the top competition in college and kept making plays even when teams were determined to shut him down. I'm sure Harbaugh and Roman have figured out some creative ways to use him in this offense. B+

Round 3-No pick, but the fact that the 49ers were able to get 2 6th rounders this year, a 3rd, 5th and 6th round pick next year for this pick is really nice, pretty happy with how it worked out. A

Round 4-Joe Looney. Really like this pick a lot, Looney is a physical guy, tough, plays with somewhat of a mean streak, intelligent and a team leader, he could very well end up being the starter this upcoming season. He was one of the most highly ranked guards in the draft and at worst will provide quality depth, can't be upset with this pick at all. B+

Round 5-Darius Fleming. Very good pick for depth, he's not spectacular but he does a lot of things well, plays aggressively, can defend against the run, can be a good pass-rusher, his initial value will be on special teams and he could do a pretty damn good job in that. I think the 49ers wanted someone else that the Packers pounced on but this is still good value and important depth in a crucial area. B

Round 6-Trent Robinson. Love this pick. He's one of the better coverage safeties, will provide depth in the area that the team seems to lack in the most. He was a leader on his team, has played against major competition, is solid against the run, fairly big hitter for his size, plays aggressively, nice guy to develop into a potential starter down the road. Some questions about his durability but mostly speculative. Very good value at this point. A-

Round 6-Joe Slowey. This is an intriguing pick, this guy is a small school sleeper but plays very aggressively, has a definite mean streak, seems to love to knock defenders around, he could very well end up making the team as a backup center. B

Round 7-Cam Johnson. Was expected to go anywhere from the late 2nd to late 3rd round. Definite pass rush skills, good size and strength, seems to hold up against the run well. Questions about his focus and motor plus some medical concerns led him to fall all the way down here. At this point he's excellent value, hopefully the coaching staff can get him motivated and focused, could end up as a very nice 3rd down rusher for this team. A+

Originally posted by SnakePlissken:
Probably a high C+.

First 2 picks were MONEY, the rest of the draft was garbage, shouldn't of traded back so much; the Looney pick was horrible (and you don't even need to be an armchair expert to know such).

-Neither of our draft picks will probably even start until 2013 (with limited action this year); we needed a quality full-time solution to compete at RG regardless of how we feel about Boone/Kilgore, cause anything can happen, and you need a quality/competitive player at every position -This alone will come back to bite us in the ass when we make the NFC Championship again, and Alex is running for his life again with Kilgore out with an injury, and Looney letting more players past him to f**k Alex in the ass like a German leather bar turnstile.

Yeah you can use the excuse that we drafted late, or that 'wowee zowee we're winners again' homerism crap, but this draft class leaves an odd taste in my mouth, it feels like a Scot McCloughan draft, all bang and limited substance.

You're nuts. The Looney pick is one of the best ones, he was one of the highest ranked guards in the draft. Slowey is a nice guy for potential, a small school guy that didn't get a lot of burn but he plays aggressively and with a mean streak. I'm sure if they picked a major "name" like Chilo Rachal you'd be okay with it because the draft guys gave their explicit approval, right???


This was a very good draft that filled in a lot of needs, love the Trent Robinson pick, love the Looney pick, AJ Jenkins was a good one, LaMichael James will make the offense more explosive, Cam Johnson was tremendous value in the 7th.

I give it a F, cause Baalke didn't listen to the webzone fans. No Fleener. No Hill. No Zeitler. No Silaotu. Where is our 6'3" 220 lb receiver?

Of course, we will just have to wait for training camp to get a sense if the miscreants that Baalke drafted can compete.

I'd say B/B-

I don't think any of these guys will contribute right away (Save for James or on special teams). Our team really did not have a lot of glaring holes to fill and we could pick project/ depth players. We were able to pick that up with some of our later picks.

Ask again after this year or next and then you'll get an accurate grade