49ers Need to Draft a Quarterback
The following article is an exclusive guest piece by Matthew Davin. Matthew is a writer for DraftWatchers.com, a site that focuses on draft analysis.
When I think of a quarterback for the 49ers, I think of Shaun "Will Ferrel" Hill, chucking up ducks and picks for all defenses to feast on. Then I contemplate Alex Smith, who did look good, but I don't think has the mojo to be the team leader for a whole season.
In less than two weeks, I the 49ers are going to be in great position to do two things at one time. Since they obviously they have two first round mid-picks, why not take advantage of a very good situation, and draft one player for now, and another for the short term future.
My first pick would be an area of need. 49ers fans: YOU NEED AN OFFENSIVE LINEMAN. I don't care who. Shift some guys around, and pick the best player available. But after that, there should be no doubt that a quarterback for your soon future should be considered. It's not like San Francisco is Detroit or St. Louis. They are a team that is on the brink of the playoffs. But do you think Alex Smith is that guy? The answer to that is no. With a guy like that, you will always be one year away from making the playoffs till he is out of there. Jimmy Clausen is the guy that will take this team to the next level.
I sure a lot of you Rice-A-Roni people are thinking something more immediate, but don't get greedy. In a league that moves at the speed of light when it comes to rebuilding, you may as well get a step ahead of that and draft a big arm, that can make Michael Crabtree an even more viable threat. Jimmy Clausen makes the big plays, and gets it done.
Frank Gore ... more effective. Vernon Davis ... more open. Jimmy Clausen ... a good risk when you have a chance to afford one.
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.
-
James
Uhhhhh swing and a miss?
Apr 16, 2010 at 11:38 PM
-
mike
First of all, you're an idiot to think Clausen will be a great QB. And quite frankly, the Niners are on the cusp of being a legitimate playoff team. If you are going to spend a first round pick on a quarterback, trade #13 and next year's second round pick to Pittsburgh for Big Ben. It sounds as if the Rooney's are interested in deals. That's the only way I would spend a first rounder this year on a QB.
Apr 16, 2010 at 10:27 PM
-
jeff b
your an idiot i stopped reading after you said hill threw a lot of interceptions. obviously you have no idea what your talking about.
Apr 16, 2010 at 4:07 PM
-
Frank
It's easy to say the Niners need a QB...but when you look closer at the situation, it's not so easy. If they were to draft Clausen, they'd have 4 QB's....so one would have to go. It wouldn't be Alex, nor Nate Davis. Carr would appear to be the odd-man out. I seriously doubt Singletary would accept opening the next season w/Alex, Davis and Clausen. Both he and OC Jimmy Raye want a veteran behind Alex...for good reason. It's obvious the writer doesn't understand all this...but, that's where we knowledgeable fans come in.
Apr 16, 2010 at 3:22 PM
-
getaclue
ok who here is an NFL scout???.... k now that thats settled all of u morons needs to shut up and stop acting like you know what you are talking about. bottom line is all of u just go by watching some college games and what other people say. none of u break down game film looking at technique and wouldnt even know what specifics to look for even if you did. the only things fans can get right is when its an obvious need on the team that shows dramatically..like our need for OT. i know its fun to debate players to take in draft but keep things in perspective that none of us know about scouting a NFL player
Apr 16, 2010 at 12:10 PM
-
Peter H.
49ers need to draft Offensive Line Joe Haden? Jimmy Clausen? Trade up for Eric Berry? Dez Bryant??? CJ Spiller? It's as obvious for the 49ers to draft an offensive linemen with their 13th pick in the 2010 NFL Draft as it is that Sam Bradford, Ndamukong Suh, and Gerald McCoy will be selected in that order. I mean #1, 2, and 3 were already the consensus a long time ago and so was the glaring need at offensive line. Do you want to put Jimmy Clausen behind that offensive line? Might as well name him the next Alex Smith! Did you ever see Jimmy Clausen in his first year at Notre Dame? If you didn't here's a highlight or should I say, lowlight reel of him: see Jimmy Clausen for Heisman on youtube I mean I really don't quite understand the logic some people have here. If you put CJ Spiller behind our offensive line, he's not going to do much better then Frank Gore. If you put Colt McCoy (who I think is a better QB then Clausen) behind center, he is still going to take longer then Clausen to develop because they ran shotgun most of the time at Texas. Regardless, the 49ers need to select an OFFENSIVE TACKLE. Please...please Draft Warlord Baakle, heir to the throne, plea
Apr 16, 2010 at 8:09 AM
-
WTF?
I dont know what you were looking at but Jimmy Clausen is a chucker. He is horrible and will NEVER make it in the NFL NEVER BE A STARTER. HERE ME NOW NEVER NEVER NEVER. he might ge this shot but it will be short lived. He is a panicky loser. Great a losing games and getting bitch slapped. Drafting him would be a waste
Apr 16, 2010 at 7:13 AM
-
Dan B.
I remember when I first started writing on football forums in my teens; I look back and laugh at my thoughts then, which where uninformed and "out there". I never thought pragmatically and I got a kick out of stirring the pot. I used ALL CAPS sometimes just to make a point. Well after I got laughed at a few times I learned to not talk about things that sound intrinsically true but in reality they arent. Your uninformed and bystander assesment of our teams needs is clear when you say " Jimmy clause... a good risk when you have a chance to afford one" What??? We have no RT; a good LT whose been hurt, an aging center, a horrible backup left gaurd and chilo rachal leaves all of us scratching our head not knowing which chilo is showing up. And you want to put a QB behind that Huh??
Apr 16, 2010 at 12:57 AM
-
Ted B
Are you basing Clausen's performance from college, combines, or private workouts?? Did you watch any of the Notre Dame games? Rick Mirer was a god compared to Clausen and you know how Mirer turned out or do you?. If your going to post a commentary and not provide facts, don't bother. There are countless commentaries/opinions of "experts" that have been posted yet fail to mention circumstances or situations. That's what this team needs, pay millions to another unproven commodity and not address the most glaring need, the O-line. I love how you try to address this weakness with such a well thought out suggestion. The biggest regret I have is I wasted my time reading your article and wasting more time responding to it.
Apr 15, 2010 at 11:48 PM
-
Nick S.
"Then I contemplate Alex Smith, who did look good, but I don't think has the mojo to be the team leader for a whole season." Hey Matt, you do know Alex Smith did take every single snap as quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers in 2006, right? This is what I don't like about league-wide football "experts." It's nearly impossible for one to watch every play of every game of a given NFL season, so why pretend to think one knows what is best for all 32 teams? Add to that the complete lack of statistical or anecdotal evidence given to support the author's thesis. This article is a complete bust from start to finish and reads more like a message board posting.
Apr 15, 2010 at 11:24 PM
-
sf4916
How will Clausen help the 9ers get to the playoffs? How will he make Gore more effective? Will he block for Gore on the right side since that was such a gaping hole last year? This analysis is garbage since he doesn't give specific examples of how Clausen is better than Alex. I know I'm in the minority among 9er fans but I rather wing it with Alex in 2010 to finally see what he's made of, rather than giving up and trust another new quarterback running the team and failing once again t make it to the playoffs.
Apr 15, 2010 at 9:38 PM
-
greebs
Given that you wrote to "49ers fans" I think it's clear you aren't a keen observer of the team. Jimmy Clausen has one major fault: HE ISN'T GOOD. And, the team can win the division without improvement at QB. Were there clearly great QB options that would be available, I'd tend to agree. But Clausen is a total question mark - inconsistent arm, accuracy and he's NEVER WON. Sorry folks, that's a waste - plus he's an arrogant punk. Pass, please - let's take Joe Haden and Anthony Davis instead.
Apr 15, 2010 at 6:12 PM
More San Francisco 49ers News
QB Brock Purdy part of another historic record for the 49ers
By Rohan Chakravarthi
Sep 24
The San Francisco 49ers comfortably improved to 3-0 on the season with a 30-12 Thursday Night Football win over the New York Giants, dominating on the ground once again, while quarterback Brock Purdy threw for a season-high 310 yards in the victory.
In the win, Purdy and the 49ers broke another unique record, becoming the first team in NFL history to both rush and pass for at least 140 yards in 8 consecutive regular season games, according to Opta Stats.
The @49ers are the first team in NFL history to both rush and pass for at least 140 yards in
49ers DL experiment reaping rewards through three games
By Rohan Chakravarthi
Sep 24
The San Francisco 49ers have started off strong to begin the 2023 season, winning of each their first three games while scoring at least 30 points a game and allowing under 15 points per game on average.
Defensively, the 49ers came into the season with a strong roster, but a couple of questions, as they had lost key depth pieces while entering the season with a new defensive coordinator.
While the majority of the defensive alignments have been similar, the 49ers have increased the usage of five-man fronts, experimenting with the implementation of Javon Kinlaw alongside Arik Armstead and Javon Hargrave on the interior.
Thus far, the early rewards have been plentiful.
Through three games, the trio has combined for 32 of San Francisco's 79
Are 49ers LB Dre Greenlaw's penalties getting out of hand?
By Rohan Chakravarthi
Sep 24
The San Francisco 49ers comfortably won their third straight game to begin the regular season, defeating the New York Giants 30-12 to improve to 3-0.
However, for the second consecutive week, linebacker Dre Greenlaw committed a 15-yard penalty that cost the team, which was an issue at times last season due to the aggressiveness of his play.
Greenlaw enjoyed a breakout season in 2022 after signing a well-earned 2-year contract extension and cemented himself as the No. 2 linebacker next to Fred Warner.
But, after two straight weeks with 15-yard flags, are Greenlaw's penalties getting out of hand?
Head coach Kyle Shanahan provided his take on the matter, valuing Greenlaw's aggressiveness, while also pointing out the close nature of both
49ers starting to figure out running back rotation behind Christian McCaffrey
By Rohan Chakravarthi
Sep 24
Through the first two games of the season, San Francisco 49ers star running back Christian McCaffrey dominated the team's touches, recording 27 in Week 1, when he rushed for 152 yards and a touchdown, and 23 in Week 2, when he gained 116 yards on the ground and another touchdown.
When on the field, McCaffrey was dominant, but he was earning a lion's share of the reps at running back, including a 100% snap share in Week 2 during the 49ers' 30-23 win over the Los Angeles Rams.
That led to head coach Kyle Shanahan taking some accountability after the Week 2 win, understanding the need to balance the running back rotation to preserve McCaffrey for the full season.
"Yeah, we definitely got to get Elijah in there more and do better with our rotation than
