Podcast: 49ers’ QB Room Gets Interesting...Again →

Brad’s Bodacious 49er Draft Board

Mar 30, 2002 at 12:00 AM


With little cap room remaining, the 49ers have made it fairly clear what needs they will fill through the draft and which ones they will fill through free agency. With discussions heating up with guards Chris Naeole of New Orleans and Ron Stone of the New York Giants and safety Tony Parrish of Chicago, it appears that they will not be drafting a starting guard or a safety. The 49ers also will have a healthy John Keith and Ronnie Heard competing for the strong safety job. This simplifies things quite a bit.

My draft philosophy is pretty simple: give me reliable, coachable players in the early rounds and take risks in the middle rounds. As much as I love Charles Grant, Anthony Weaver is probably a better pick because he’s more of a sure thing. Weaver will be a very good NFL player – you can bank on it. Even though I think Grant will be very good, he’s simply too much of a risk for the 49ers, who are competing for the Super Bowl NOW and cannot afford a first round bust or a player who takes three years to develop.

I think cornerback Joseph Jefferson has a chance to be special. But he’s not going to step right in during his rookie year and play good ball. By the time a player like Jefferson is playing consistently, he’s almost a free agent. Echols, on the other hand, can step in on day one and play. We’ll get three-four years of solid play from Echols; we’d get maybe two from Jefferson.

The remaining needs are defensive line, cornerback, wide receiver, and offensive line depth - in no particular order.

1 (27) Anthony Weaver, DT/DE, Notre Dame
A great, intense player. Will add a lot of depth and versatility to the line.
Other Options:
Lito Sheppard, CB, Florida – A great cover guy who would move Webster to nickel.
Charles Grant, DE, Georgia – Best size/pass rush end after Peppers.
Levi Jones, T, Arizona – Big, talented, smart. Needs more heart. Could be gone before we pick, though.
Mike Pearson, T, Florida – Another athletic tackle for the 49ers to consider.
Dwight Freeney, DE, Syracuse - Should be a great third down pass rusher at the very least.
Edward Reed, S, Miami – Plays the same position as Bronson, but he’s just too good to ignore.
Kendall Simmons, G, Auburn – Looks like a great player…but a guard in round one?

2 (61) Mike Echols, CB, Wisconsin
A reach at this spot, but he’s a great cover corner to play nickel. Could trade down.
Other Options:
Bryan Thomas, DE, AL-Birmingham – High effort speed rusher.
Eddie Freeman, DT, Alabama-Birmingham – Big tackle who could be a star. Needs some refining.
Joseph Jefferson, CB, Western Kentucky - Was the best corner at the Blue-Grey game.
Marquise Walker, WR, Michigan – Just as good as JJ Stokes but a HELL of a lot cheaper.
Fred Weary, G, Tennessee - Very athletic guard with adequete size who has tackle potential.
Coy Wire, S, Stanford – Could be a great strong safety. 49er kind of player.

3 (no pick currently)

4 (125) Kahlil Hill, WR, Iowa
A big, athletic player with more playmaking ability than Stokes. Great return guy, too.
Other Options:
Kevan Thomas, CB, UNLV – Good little cover guy with solid fourth round value. Needs to bulk up.
Joanquin Gonzalez, T, Miami (Fl) – Tough, hard nosed player. Limited athlete.
Brian Poli-Dixon, WR, UCLA - A very big, very athletic, player, but injury prone and inconsistent.
Tony Beckham, CB, Wisconsin-Stout – Could develop into a great player. Size and speed.
Ron Johnson, WR, Minnesota – Very big, physical receiver. Team leader and clutch player.

5 (157) Matt Hill, T, Boise State
Big, athletic tackle who could be a starter by 2003. Was very raw but improving rapidly.
Other Options:
Charles Hill, DT, Maryland – Has the size and the desire to be a solid tackle.
Chris Cash, CB, USC – Could be a contributor. Good cover skills. Injury must check out.
Steve Smith, S, Oregon – Corner who could develop into a very good safety. Plays the ball well.

6 (191) Kurt Vollers, T, Notre Dame
A big (6-7, 321) mauler who will likely be a guard in the NFL.
Other Options:
Nate Dwyer, DT, Kansas – Has the frame and strength. Needs to work harder.
Kyle Kosier, G, Arizona State – Has pretty good feet and movement skills. Could be bigger.
Frank Romero, G, Oklahoma – No very big, but a good athlete who plays hard and never misses games.

7 (223) Scott Mitchell, QB, Western Washington
Could be a very good 49er quarterback with some tinkering.
Other Options:
Brandon Doman, QB, BYU – Another guy who looks like a WCO player.
Jeremy Allen, FB, Iowa – Big, athletic, fast. Needs some time to work on blocking.
The opinions within this article are those of the writer and, while just as important, are not necessarily those of the site as a whole.


0 Comments

  • No Comments

Facebook Comments



More San Francisco 49ers News



49ers held pre-draft meeting with Minnesota CB Terell Smith

By David Bonilla
Mar 20

The San Francisco 49ers are among the teams to formally meet with Minnesota cornerback Terell Smith ahead of next month's NFL Draft, per Justin Melo of The Draft Network. The incoming NFL rookie also met with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Miami Dolphins, and Jacksonville Jaguars. [email protected] CB @TerellSmith7 reached 21.37 MPH at @ShrineBowl



6 biggest 49ers draft mistakes of the Shanahan and Lynch era

By Rohan Chakravarthi
Mar 21

The San Francisco 49ers have been known as a team that has built throughout the draft in the Kyle Shanahan era, which has led to seasoned success throughout the head coach's tenure, with the organization reaching the NFC Championship Game three times over the past four seasons. However, among the several draft hits that have propelled their roster to one of the league's best, there have been several mistakes that set the organization back at the time. With the NFL Draft approaching next month, and the 49ers having another integral draft for their future success, let's revisit the five biggest draft mistakes of the Shanahan-Lynch era thus far. Honorable Mention: Trey Lance It feels absolutely unfair to place Trey Lance on this list at



NFL Draft: 49ers meeting with Wisconsin OL Tyler Beach

By David Bonilla
Mar 23

According to Rohan Chakravarthi, the San Francisco 49ers spoke with Wisconsin offensive lineman Tyler Beach on Thursday at the school's pro day. Area scout Ryan Kessenich plans to meet with the player after the event. Can confirm that G/T Tyler Beach has spoken with the #49ers.He's expected to meet with area scout Ryan Kessenich after today's Pro Day.#49wz— Rohan Chakravarthi (@RohanChakrav)



49ers met with Wisconsin S John Torchio, who may attend local pro day ahead of NFL Draft

By David Bonilla
Mar 23

According to Rohan Chakravarthi, the San Francisco 49ers spoke with Wisconsin safety John Torchio on Thursday at the school's pro day. The defensive back may attend the team's local pro day before the 2023 NFL Draft. Torchio (6-1, 208) registered 55 tackles, three tackles for a loss, a sack, six passes defensed, five interceptions, and two touchdowns through 13 game appearances as a senior in 2022, per Sports Reference. He recorded 97 tackles, seven tackles for a loss, 1.5 sacks, seven passes defensed, nine interceptions, and two touchdowns through his four collegiate


Featured

More by Bradford Seaman

More Articles

Share 49ersWebzone