2017 49ers Draft Class

I've seen Garnett with the team. I haven't seen Williams. Did he go AWOL again?

Originally posted by Heroism:

I've seen Garnett with the team. I haven't seen Williams. Did he go AWOL again?

I don't have high hopes. Strikes me as kind of a strange kid, or at the very least, uncommitted. That's why Lynch didn't want him.

Hopefully I'm wrong.

There were questions sure, but i don't recall anyone calling Witherspoon a wasted pick besides those certain posters who make it abundantly clear that they hate absolutely every player Lynch signs.

Most were actually pretty high on him pre and post draft until the video of him came out talking about life after football.

The concern about was Witherspoon was his dedication to the sport, and the willingness to sacrifice his body in run support. His response? Lighting up Adrian Peterson.

The concern about Joe Williams was his dedication to the sport. His response? Show up to camp out of shape, and have lackadaisical practices.

Originally posted by miked1978:

This was one of the best drafts the 49ers have had in a long time. Only time will tell if this is truly a great draft but it sure is shaping out to be up there with the best.

This kind of draft really accelerates the rebuild. Getting early production out of these young men is awesome.

Remember about mid season there was a bunch of bellyaching how schiddy our draft was? Now 6 games later with a Real QB, injuries so those new guys had to play...suddenly , our draft was soooo good. Cripes, i hate it when early on some bellyachers say our draft was a bust. Usually you have to wait a yr or two...this yr, nope. We know now. The Adrian and Spoon thing was really a blessing ...and i mean it. Of course the real prize was jimmy G, but again, that was because of John and Kyle , baalke being gone, Shalyn calling the shots , and then the work our GM/HC have already done. Yes, not being in the AFC and specifically the AFC East, sure helped . But still without Kyle/john I don't think jimmy is here.
Still without a doubt our best FA//draft/trade /UDFA we have had this century and best in 20+ yrs anyway.

Originally posted by adrianlesnar:

There were questions sure, but i don't recall anyone calling Witherspoon a wasted pick besides those certain posters who make it abundantly clear that they hate absolutely every player Lynch signs.

Most were actually pretty high on him pre and post draft until the video of him came out talking about life after football.

The concern about was Witherspoon was his dedication to the sport, and the willingness to sacrifice his body in run support. His response? Lighting up Adrian Peterson.

The concern about Joe Williams was his dedication to the sport. His response? Show up to camp out of shape, and have lackadaisical practices.

I won't lie, I was worried about Witherspoon being a healthy inactive 3 straight games, he had to show he was willing to tackle, I don't think his coverage was ever the problem..so far he has shown he is and has done a good job so far considering what was being said..

Originally posted by SammyFrancisco:
Yep, very impressed with this draft, more so than I though I would be back in April.

1. Solomon: B.
Gets a lot of criticism on this board, but I think he's already proven he will be a valuable starter and maybe more than that. Still, it is fair to hope for more out of a #3 pick.
1. Reuben: A-
Guy is a stud on the field and a great locker-room presence. Only concern is the rash of injuries. Might not have a long career.
3. Witherspoon: A-
Looks like he'll be a starting-calibre CB for years to come. Excellent value.
3. C.J.: B+
Should be a good backup at minimum. Brings toughness and leadership.
4. Joe Williams: D
Still early, but he looks to be a bust. Not all 4th rounders are hits though.
5. Kittle: B+
I think he has a future as a starter, but he hasn't quite proven it yet. This pick could easily rise to an A.
6. Trent Taylor: A
A legit slot receiver and punt-returner is a great find in the fifth round.
6. D.J. Jones: B
Looks like he'll be a contributor going forward. I love his hustle.
7. Pita: B-
No expectations for a 7th rounder, so his grade is pretty meaningless. He hasn't been cut, and that says something.
7. Colbert: A
Incredible to find an above-replacement starter in the 7th. Absolute home-run pick!

That's about as high a GPA as a draft could have. 8/10 players that look like long-term contributors. And a handful of guys that are already among the best players on the team. Lynchahan

I agree with these grades. Giving Thomas a C+ is a bit harsh I think. He has played through some injuries too. I'm confident he will be a fine player for this team in the future...and perhaps a great one. The NFL is a huge step up from college and some guys just take a bit longer to adjust to that jump.
The fact that all of the players from the draft are still on the roster also says something. To get 4 starters and a few other quality back up players in one draft is impressive. An excellent job by Lynch, especially for a first try.

Cheers!

Originally posted by pasodoc9er:

Originally posted by miked1978:

This was one of the best drafts the 49ers have had in a long time. Only time will tell if this is truly a great draft but it sure is shaping out to be up there with the best.

This kind of draft really accelerates the rebuild. Getting early production out of these young men is awesome.

Remember about mid season there was a bunch of bellyaching how schiddy our draft was? Now 6 games later with a Real QB, injuries so those new guys had to play...suddenly , our draft was soooo good. Cripes, i hate it when early on some bellyachers say our draft was a bust. Usually you have to wait a yr or two...this yr, nope. We know now. The Adrian and Spoon thing was really a blessing ...and i mean it. Of course the real prize was jimmy G, but again, that was because of John and Kyle , baalke being gone, Shalyn calling the shots , and then the work our GM/HC have already done. Yes, not being in the AFC and specifically the AFC East, sure helped . But still without Kyle/john I don't think jimmy is here.
Still without a doubt our best FA//draft/trade /UDFA we have had this century and best in 20+ yrs anyway.

I have said similar, more than once.

Lynch needs to be less democratic and let his judgement control roster decisions.
Cant let coaches have too much sway; most of them suffer from hubris--thinking they can fix player faults.
The gm has to realize that you do not ignore disqualifiers, and must maintain cold, hard reason.

Imo, lynch whiffed a bit on the draft because he let some wishful thinking enter his decision making.
Thomas: drafting a player at 3 is drafting a position at 3, and that means a can't-miss fit with little-to-no disqualifying characteristics.
Thomas had a major question mark: tweener size, and resulting run game stoutness. Other draftable positions/players were rock solid, and are paying off for other teams.
Spoon: lacks physicality that lynch knows is necessary to defensive playmaking. Lynch denied his gut on this--bad.
Williams: possesses the blueprint for psych disqualification. Horrendous failure on lynch's part.

Originally posted by gold49digger:

if pita and joe are the only blunders this draft i would be okay. So far all of these guys had great moments.

lol so the 2 guys who haven't gotten a single chance to play yet...

Originally posted by xcfan:

Lynch needs to be less democratic and let his judgement control roster decisions.
Cant let coaches have too much sway; most of them suffer from hubris--thinking they can fix player faults.
The gm has to realize that you do not ignore disqualifiers, and must maintain cold, hard reason.

Imo, lynch whiffed a bit on the draft because he let some wishful thinking enter his decision making.
Thomas: drafting a player at 3 is drafting a position at 3, and that means a can't-miss fit with little-to-no disqualifying characteristics.
Thomas had a major question mark: tweener size, and resulting run game stoutness. Other draftable positions/players were rock solid, and are paying off for other teams.
Spoon: lacks physicality that lynch knows is necessary to defensive playmaking. Lynch denied his gut on this--bad.
Williams: possesses the blueprint for psych disqualification. Horrendous failure on lynch's part.

Is that you Trent?!

Originally posted by xcfan:

Lynch needs to be less democratic and let his judgement control roster decisions.
Cant let coaches have too much sway; most of them suffer from hubris--thinking they can fix player faults.
The gm has to realize that you do not ignore disqualifiers, and must maintain cold, hard reason.

Imo, lynch whiffed a bit on the draft because he let some wishful thinking enter his decision making.
Thomas: drafting a player at 3 is drafting a position at 3, and that means a can't-miss fit with little-to-no disqualifying characteristics.
Thomas had a major question mark: tweener size, and resulting run game stoutness. Other draftable positions/players were rock solid, and are paying off for other teams.
Spoon: lacks physicality that lynch knows is necessary to defensive playmaking. Lynch denied his gut on this--bad.
Williams: possesses the blueprint for psych disqualification. Horrendous failure on lynch's part.

Is this serious? I suggest you review your draft expectations. Aside from Williams who remains a query, you aren't going to get much better than this draft. Words like "horrendous failure" are just totally inappropriate. It's the draft, not a computer game.

And you appear to have forgotten that both Lynch and Shanahan had only just started. Listening to coaches opinions, under the circumstances (Baalke) was not only appropriate, it was absolutely vital for building a long term relationship.

Thomas: Shows promise, disappointing for #3 overall pick
Foster: Winner if stays healthy
Witherspoon: Shows promise, wait and see
Beathard: Backup QB
Williams: Not good so far
Kittle: Ok, wait and see
Taylor: Good for late round pick
Jones: unknown
Taumoepenu: Nothing there
Colbert: Shows promise, wait and see.

I would give it a B to B+

It's time to put to bed all of this talk about Solomon Thomas not being worthy of the number 3 overall pick, as if Joey Bosa represents the "norm" for players drafted number three overall. Below is a list of the players drafted at number 3 overall in the last 20 drafts. You could argue that half of these guys, half are busts. After surveying the list of this motley cruel, I think people should cool it on their knocking of Solomon Thomas as if this was a huge mistake in drafting him. Keep in mind the players from the list should only be evaluated based on their rookie years.

Solomon Thomas
Joey Bosa
Dante Fowler
Blake Bortles
Dion Jordan
Trent Richardson
Marcell Dareus
Gerald McCoy
Tyson Jackson
Matt Ryan
Joe Thomas
Vince Young
Braylon Edwards
Larry Fitzgerald
Andre Johnson
Joey Harrington
Gerard Warren
Chris Samuels
Akili Smith
Andre Wadsworth