POLL: Grade The 49ers' 2013 Draft

Originally posted by brodiebluebanaszak:
This draft is a weak b due to not being 100% focused on what cost us the super bowl. I was expecting trade ups for lots of mass and size up on the d-line, not so much edge rushers -- but real 290 lb 4-3 tackle types plus a 300 lber or two. Figured that out of 4-5 DL picks maybe 1.5 would pan out and take maybe 600 snaps in 2013. Let Willis and Bowman be carnivors again.

Yeah yeah we don't play a 4-3 but that's the physical package that we need in a league where OL bench sitters clock in at 315.

Trading up for Reid was great. Things after that were ok and interesting and maybe will produce winners but weren't focused on our 100% NEED that cost us the SB.

We lost the superbowl because our pass rush evaporated late in the year. Justin and Aldon got injured, and wore down. We needed to add quality depth. That is why we drafted Carradine and Lemonier -- they create pressure. Carradine will spell J. Smith and McDonald, while Lemonier has serious pass-rush potential as an OLB. Dial is a big man that will help ensure we remain stout against the run. We DID address our most serious need on the defensive side.

With 13 picks and the ability to trade up and down, we better have 4 pro bowlers in that group

Our favorite reporter Cohn gave the Niners draft a C+.

Originally posted by SealTeam6:
With 13 picks and the ability to trade up and down, we better have 4 pro bowlers in that group

It's easier for good teams like ours to have our players named to the pro bowl, even if they don't deserve it, so the chances of this happening are pretty good. But to be more specific, I like our chances of at least having three:

1.) Eric Reid - If a 4th round, CB conversion prospect like Goldson can make the pro-bowl in this scheme, so can a highly touted 1st rounder like Reid. They have very similar physical attributes (though Reid is faster), play a very similar style of safety and seem to be natural leaders on defense. High likelihood, IMO.

2.) Corey Lemonier - Eventually will end up playing opposite Aldon Smith which should give him plenty of 1-on-1 opportunities, and has even more speed/rush ability than Brooks (2nd team all-pro DE who was a MLB in college).

3.) Marcus Lattimore - With the big "if" being his health, he should be able to duplicate Gore's numbers (4x pro bowler) behind this line and in this offense. Again, if healthy, he's a special running back who not only pounds the rock, but has amazingly soft hands for a big man.


I think Tank might get there and will be an impactful defender, but he may not ever put up big enough numbers because of our scheme. Vance McDonald will be sharing time with VD so again, he may just not put up the numbers even if he makes a huge impact. Same could be said for Patton; though he could eventually develop into a #1 WR which would change his fortunes.

Of course, a lot can/will happen before any of this ever comes to fruition, so just take this for what it is...one man's opinion.

Originally posted by SofaKing:

We lost the superbowl because our pass rush evaporated late in the year. Justin and Aldon got injured, and wore down. We needed to add quality depth. That is why we drafted Carradine and Lemonier -- they create pressure. Carradine will spell J. Smith and McDonald, while Lemonier has serious pass-rush potential as an OLB. Dial is a big man that will help ensure we remain stout against the run. We DID address our most serious need on the defensive side.

Sure. I get all this. And I think it could work out, too. But I really thought we would be more aggressive about getting better rated picks higher up. Plus some really big dudes that generate their own gravitational field. So, sort of like our plan but without the te/qb distractions and bigger bodies. I expected 6 Elaine picks, 2 safeties 2corners and the rest pot luck.

I hope the guys we got work out and can handle 500 snaps this year. I hope dorwilliams can hold up 90 percent effective this year but I doubt it.

I hope ck puts up 600 points so none of this will matter.

Originally posted by brodiebluebanaszak:

Originally posted by SofaKing:
We lost the superbowl because our pass rush evaporated late in the year. Justin and Aldon got injured, and wore down. We needed to add quality depth. That is why we drafted Carradine and Lemonier -- they create pressure. Carradine will spell J. Smith and McDonald, while Lemonier has serious pass-rush potential as an OLB. Dial is a big man that will help ensure we remain stout against the run. We DID address our most serious need on the defensive side.

Sure. I get all this. And I think it could work out, too. But I really thought we would be more aggressive about getting better rated picks higher up. Plus some really big dudes that generate their own gravitational field. So, sort of like our plan but without the te/qb distractions and bigger bodies. I expected 6 Elaine picks, 2 safeties 2corners and the rest pot luck.

I hope the guys we got work out and can handle 500 snaps this year. I hope dorwilliams can hold up 90 percent effective this year but I doubt it.

I hope ck puts up 600 points so none of this will matter.

What ratings are you referring to?

Originally posted by GhostofFredDean74:

What ratings are you referring to?

Individual performance ratings that you can find on nfl.com. But generally I am thinking about consensus opinion, referring to some of the dline guys who went top 20.

Originally posted by brodiebluebanaszak:
This draft is a weak b due to not being 100% focused on what cost us the super bowl. I was expecting trade ups for lots of mass and size up on the d-line, not so much edge rushers -- but real 290 lb 4-3 tackle types plus a 300 lber or two. Figured that out of 4-5 DL picks maybe 1.5 would pan out and take maybe 600 snaps in 2013. Let Willis and Bowman be carnivors again.

Yeah yeah we don't play a 4-3 but that's the physical package that we need in a league where OL bench sitters clock in at 315.

Trading up for Reid was great. Things after that were ok and interesting and maybe will produce winners but weren't focused on our 100% NEED that cost us the SB.

Lack of a pass rush was the biggest defensive issue the last quarter of the season. With the way the draft went, I believe the 9er brain trust thought so too. Plus, Carradine is 285ish, and Dial is well over 300. Heck, they got a tight end that is near 270. I see plenty of beef.

Originally posted by British9er:

Originally posted by SanDiego49er:
They don't seem to share it. But on this I think they are wrong. The track record is excellent though so I have to give him the benefit of the doubt. I have no idea how Dorsey and Ian Williams will work out. We haven't seen Ian much. and Dorsey was by most regards a bust.

Bust + Unknown = Greatness.....?......

I agree totally with the premise that the FO believes it has the NT in the 3-4 this season already on the roster in Williams and Dorsey. A thought that has occurred to me (albeit one that it perhaps biased) is that the FO have realised that last year Soap's play fell off a lot and even despite this the opposition chose not to run against the 49ers that much. The Defence spent most of the season in the nickel and therefore there were many games when Soap wouldn't get on the field that much at all.

Therefore perhaps the 49ers are happy to 'give a little' at NT and load up abit more with pass rushers - Tank, Leomnier and Dial (untapped rush potential according to Fangio) and add in Reid and Asmoguha to the secondary. I think our dline wore down during the season as a result of playing so much in the nickel. If teams decided to try and run more on the 49ers defence would it be such a crime? Personally I'm delighted when teams hand the ball off and try and run into that line.

My other linked thought is that the 2013 49ers offence should score more pts per game than the 2012 version. Kaep is a more dynamic QB than Alex Smith and with him under centre in 2013 having prepared all off-season to be the starter I expect the 49ers to score mroe pts and to score more quickly. The other offensive players will also have had a full off-season to practice the offence we will run under Kaep. I can therefore forsee that opponents will be playing catch-up more often and may abandon the run earlier in games to throw more to stay in the game. When this happens how often would a "heifer" get onto the field to play NT??

I think that the FO is quite happy with what its got already and is willing to go with a more athletic DL/NT rather than a one dimensional "heifer"

Nailed it...and I am one fan who has ALWAYS wanted a true 2-gap NT dating back to Vince Wilfork. I think you are 100% correct in your assessment. My only concern is that we've actually had good to great pressure on the outside with the Smiths and Brooks BUT, the QB always seemed to have just enough to step up into and make those killer throws (picture the Superbowl).

Now if Fangio plans to A-gap blitz more with Willis/Bowman, great. Otherwise, this is still a big issue esp. b/c it's the easier of the throws for QB's to throw...step up and throw right down the middle of the field on a rookie FS and a pint-sized SS while Willis/Boman trail in underneath coverage.

But no question we'll be bringing the heat from the edges with a heavy rotation of pass rushers who are also great athletes who can chase QB's such as Wilson around all over the place.

Originally posted by rk1642:
I gave us a B but it could bump up to an A pending Lattimore of course.

Yes we did pickup a 3rd in next years draft but this was the year to kill it with all the high draft picks we had accumulated. For whatever reason, I'm not super happy with this draft and that's after I said we would take the Safety and Dline with our first 2 picks.

The offseason as a whole is also a B for me. We give up a pro bowler FS and get a guy with potential = downgrade for this season.
Let our backup TE go, who was a killer in the Wham department and overall great backup TE and got another good prospect but that will be a downgrade for this year.
Got a couple of Dline in the draft who have potential as well and I'd expect that to be a wash for this year.
Big upgrade is in the wr department. Only loss is Moss and Ginn and we get Boldin and Patten = big upgrade this year!
Lattimore could be huge for us in a year if he comes back healthy and can stay that way. Would be perfect timing with Frank getting up there in age and with mileage!

So, for me its basically a wash, could be better but could also be slightly off of last years team, only time will tell.

Look man, with all due respect, you don't seem to grasp the notion of the salary cap. The Niners would have kept Goldson, D Walker and RJF if they could have...but they simply couldn't afford them. They knew that they are going to have to sign Kaep and Aldon Smith soon and they simply don't have the room under the cap to give big contracts to everybody....unless they want to end up like the Raiders.

It is the same deal all over the league. The Niners had about 10 -12 guys who have made the Pro Bowl or the All Pro Team in the past 2 years. There is no way a team can give a big contract to all those guys and remain under the cap...and we aren't even talking about solid backups like Walker and RJF.

Goldson, BTW, for all of his good attributes, is not that great in coverage, especially for a FS, so my view is that Reid will probably be as good as he is in his first year and down the road, even better. Reid is a superior athlete, smart as hell, competitive, and has a great work ethic. He'll do what it takes to get good.
Both Carradine and Dial are young, athletic, talented, hard working, and cheap (at least for now) additions to the D-line. Both will help this year and I think the D-line unit overall is better now than last years', if for no other reason than R Mac and J Smith don't have to play on every damn down any more.
Vance McDonald is also a much better fit at second TE than Walker was because of his size, strength, athleticism, and red zone capability. That dude is probably good enough to start for at least half the teams in the league right now. He is a major talent.
You already mentioned the additions of Patten and Boldin at WR...big upgrades there.

Now, I'm not saying this draft was perfect. The Niners desperately need a CB that can cover those damn slot receivers that now seem to be everywhere, especially in the NFC West. For that reason, I gave it an "A-".

However, my larger point is this. Retooling is the way of the league now. The Packers, Patriots, Steelers, and Giants have been doing the same thing for years now, and that is why all those teams are consistently good. They retool. They get younger. They make tough decisions....and they win.

Cheers!

Originally posted by VaBeachNiner:

Our favorite reporter Cohn gave the Niners draft a C+.

f**k dat doot meng

Lowell Cohn gave the niners a C+!!!!!!!!!!!

LMFAO

Originally posted by brodiebluebanaszak:

Originally posted by GhostofFredDean74:
What ratings are you referring to?

Individual performance ratings that you can find on nfl.com. But generally I am thinking about consensus opinion, referring to some of the dline guys who went top 20.

Those are definitely more generic, whereas team's grading systems factor in months and months of film study with an eye towards scheme fit, plus the in-depth character assessments based on input from personal visits/interviews and background checking (college coaches, teammates, school administrators, etc.). There's so much more depth and specificity to the team's boards compared to what's publicly available that I personally don't put much faith in the latter. That's just me.

Originally posted by DonnieDarko:
Lowell Cohn gave the niners a C+!!!!!!!!!!!

LMFAO

/Thread

Trading up #157 (Dial) and #180 (Moody) would have netted a slot corner Hawthorne or in McGee=A
Otherwise: B