Kiper's grades are in

Originally posted by nickbradley:
I think our draft rides on how Mays turns out.

Originally posted by oldninerdude:

Originally posted by nickbradley:
I think our draft rides on how Mays turns out.

Ummm. . . NO.

The success of this draft will be measured by the success of Davis and Iupati--which will directly relate to the wins and losses over the next 5 or 10 years.

Mays could boom or bust. Won't matter nearly as much as the performance of the two new OL. IMHO.

Originally posted by LA_NINERS:
Kiper is spot on.

I don't know how you think this draft deserved higher than a B.

Originally posted by red42x:
From John Czarneck in Fox Sports

The 49ers bolstered their offensive line and didn’t take a quarterback, meaning they will stick with Alex Smith this season. Anthony Davis of Rutgers will be given every chance to start at right tackle this season while Idaho guard Mike Iupati is a tremendous run blocker with a nasty streak. These two players will allow the 49ers to pound the ball while also providing Smith with better pocket protection. Free safety Taylor Mays of USC was considered a top ten pick a year ago, but he slipped this season because he didn’t track the deep ball very well and missed so many interception opportunities. But Mays can run and tackle and should be a good fit. He is motivated to prove his worth, too. Mississippi State RB Anthony Dixon was a one-man offense in college and is a good fit behind Frank Gore. LB Navorro Bowman played well at Penn State, but his draft stock fell because of some off-the-field issues.
Grade: A

Originally posted by Niners99:

Originally posted by LA_NINERS:
Kiper is spot on.

I don't know how you think this draft deserved higher than a B.

Kiper is a moron. he got all butthurt that we made him look dumb by passing on Clausen twice. he pronounced Clausen as the second coming for a long time, and looked like a moron on draft day when everyone was passing on him left and right for DT's and TE.

we got the two OL we wanted, and have now likely fixed our league worst OL. now maybe we'll actually have a winning season.

didnt care for the Mays pick, but he was the best S left at pick 49, and its possible the holes in his game came from the style of player Carroll coached him to be to fit their scheme. now he has some elite players in front of him, maybe he turns out to be a good NFL SS.

both ESPN and NFL Networks draft crews were retarded though. right before we picked Mays, they were like "lets see who the Niners pick here...Colt McCoy? it could be."

after they said that, i wanted to punch someone. they get paid to sit up there and have a general idea about what each team needs and is looking to add. the 49ers clearly werent going the QB route, and if we didnt want Clausen, why would we want that undersized McCoy? his NFL career will be little better than Jason White.

Originally posted by Tru2RedNGold25:
I think that douch Kiper is just like any other ESPN analyst they hate the niners because they always seem to kee us down the only 49ers backers we got at bristol are Boomer & Steve

F**K YOU KIPER!!!!!

Originally posted by MadDog49er:
I have no problem with Kiper's grade. This is what I posted last night a few hours after the draft:

Davis- "A-" grade. Best available OT in the draft when the team was on the board. Has the highest upside of any OT in the draft. I think he's a huge upgrade, and will easily start from Day One. Completely engulfs rushers, and looks smooth in the process. The only downgrade for me was losing the 4th rounder in the trade up, but I can understand the paranoia the team had about being leapfrogged.

Iupati- "A" grade. One of the best OG prospects in the last decade. He should easily bench Baas at LG. Just like Davis, completely engulfs defenders. Still learning the game, and will only get a ton better. Think about how good he is already, with Idaho coaching, weight room facilities, strength coaches, etc.

Mays- "D" grade. Good value spot for a team looking for a safety who is not going to cover anyone. That is not us.

Think about his athleticism, speed, jumping ability. Off the charts. Why was he bypassed by all of these teams in the first round, and more than half of the second round? And, nobody lower than 49 wanted to move up to secure his services. He is simply not a coverage safety. Mays was exposed badly in Senior Bowl practices as someone who is incredibly stiff and cannot change directions. Many scouts believed, and stated, that he will need to transition to OLB in the NFL. The team needed a centerfielder who can cover a lot of ground, and put Goldson into the SS role. Now, we have two guys with coverage limitations. Not a smart move. Many other better coverage safeties on the board at the time. I could not have blamed the team if they sacrificed both the second and third rounder to jump up and grab Nate Allen, some who clearly has the ability to patrol the back end of the secondary, cover speedy receivers in a big play league, and make plays.

Bowman- "D-" grade- I have no idea what the Niners are thinking here. I'm not sure they do as well. Bowman is strictly a 4-3 defender in the NFL. He cannot rush the passer effectively, and is not the best at taking on blockers. To blow a third rounder (which is a common issue with the team the past few years) on a backup to Willis is not a good investment. In the first presser, Singletary did not seem to know where they would play him as well. Welcome to the "We Don't Know where they are going to Play" club of Balmer, R. Smith, and others.

Ginn- "A" grade in trade. Ginn has to be included in the draft, since this is the value we receive for our fifth rounder. Ginn's best football is in front of him. He instantly eliminates our second most glaring need this offseason, and becomes our first deep threat at WR in a LONG time. I believe he assumes the number three WR role, and could even push Morgan (depending on Morgan's development).

Dixon- "A-" grade- The Niners did not appear to have any confidence in Coffee last year, so they better pick up someone they can hand the rock to when Gore is on the bench, or injured. Dixon was second in the SEC in rushing (behind Ingram), with a brutal OL in front of him. Wes Bunting said this about Dixon, "Becomes a starter in his rookie season...Becomes a solid NFL player with no real weakness". Now, I'm not going to go as far as Bunting, but this is a guy really liked in NFL scouting circles.

Byham- "B-" grade- I know this is a head scratcher for many fans, but this team did not execute well on third and short last year. Byham is a stud blocker, better than Bajema and better than Bear. So, while he is not going to catch more than 5 balls this season, he will probably make this team with ease, and have a chance to play on Sunday in situational roles.

Kyle Williams- "A-" grade- The team needs an insurance policy for Ginn, who has had some health problems in the past. So, why not select another lightning rod who can run like the wind. Williams has a terrific shot at making the team as the team's fifth receiver, and a guy who can play in the slot in 4 WR sets. He needs to work on route running (few rookies don't have issues). A guy to stretch the field.

Philip Adams- "D" grade- Better CB's were on the board, including McClain (the Niners plucked Patrick Stoudamire off the priority free agent market), but the team could use a developmental CB on the practice squad, so I understand the positional selection. Might have to move Adams to FS down the road, but I honestly don't give the kid much of a chance to make the team.

A more interesting option would have been to select one of the small school 3-4 DE's on the board (Lissemore or Howard), a big school 3-4 DE who I think is going to make an NFL roster in Doug Worthington, or go complete off the chart and select Jameson Konz, a freak athlete the Seahawks selected later, who might be able to play at numerous positions on the field.

That is the short answer to the best and worst picks. I give the Niners a final grade of 82.5% in the B/B- range.

Cheers.

P.S. With the solid FA pickups, I'd move the grade to 84%. One more note of correction for MM and MB: Both have reported that Dixon led the SEC in rushing. I think both probably received an inaccurate wire statement. The leading rusher in the SEC last year was Mark Ingram.

Originally posted by Ninerjohn:

Originally posted by MadDog49er:
I have no problem with Kiper's grade. This is what I posted last night a few hours after the draft:

Davis- "A-" grade. Best available OT in the draft when the team was on the board. Has the highest upside of any OT in the draft. I think he's a huge upgrade, and will easily start from Day One. Completely engulfs rushers, and looks smooth in the process. The only downgrade for me was losing the 4th rounder in the trade up, but I can understand the paranoia the team had about being leapfrogged.

Iupati- "A" grade. One of the best OG prospects in the last decade. He should easily bench Baas at LG. Just like Davis, completely engulfs defenders. Still learning the game, and will only get a ton better. Think about how good he is already, with Idaho coaching, weight room facilities, strength coaches, etc.

Mays- "D" grade. Good value spot for a team looking for a safety who is not going to cover anyone. That is not us.

Think about his athleticism, speed, jumping ability. Off the charts. Why was he bypassed by all of these teams in the first round, and more than half of the second round? And, nobody lower than 49 wanted to move up to secure his services. He is simply not a coverage safety. Mays was exposed badly in Senior Bowl practices as someone who is incredibly stiff and cannot change directions. Many scouts believed, and stated, that he will need to transition to OLB in the NFL. The team needed a centerfielder who can cover a lot of ground, and put Goldson into the SS role. Now, we have two guys with coverage limitations. Not a smart move. Many other better coverage safeties on the board at the time. I could not have blamed the team if they sacrificed both the second and third rounder to jump up and grab Nate Allen, some who clearly has the ability to patrol the back end of the secondary, cover speedy receivers in a big play league, and make plays.

Bowman- "D-" grade- I have no idea what the Niners are thinking here. I'm not sure they do as well. Bowman is strictly a 4-3 defender in the NFL. He cannot rush the passer effectively, and is not the best at taking on blockers. To blow a third rounder (which is a common issue with the team the past few years) on a backup to Willis is not a good investment. In the first presser, Singletary did not seem to know where they would play him as well. Welcome to the "We Don't Know where they are going to Play" club of Balmer, R. Smith, and others.

Ginn- "A" grade in trade. Ginn has to be included in the draft, since this is the value we receive for our fifth rounder. Ginn's best football is in front of him. He instantly eliminates our second most glaring need this offseason, and becomes our first deep threat at WR in a LONG time. I believe he assumes the number three WR role, and could even push Morgan (depending on Morgan's development).

Dixon- "A-" grade- The Niners did not appear to have any confidence in Coffee last year, so they better pick up someone they can hand the rock to when Gore is on the bench, or injured. Dixon was second in the SEC in rushing (behind Ingram), with a brutal OL in front of him. Wes Bunting said this about Dixon, "Becomes a starter in his rookie season...Becomes a solid NFL player with no real weakness". Now, I'm not going to go as far as Bunting, but this is a guy really liked in NFL scouting circles.

Byham- "B-" grade- I know this is a head scratcher for many fans, but this team did not execute well on third and short last year. Byham is a stud blocker, better than Bajema and better than Bear. So, while he is not going to catch more than 5 balls this season, he will probably make this team with ease, and have a chance to play on Sunday in situational roles.

Kyle Williams- "A-" grade- The team needs an insurance policy for Ginn, who has had some health problems in the past. So, why not select another lightning rod who can run like the wind. Williams has a terrific shot at making the team as the team's fifth receiver, and a guy who can play in the slot in 4 WR sets. He needs to work on route running (few rookies don't have issues). A guy to stretch the field.

Philip Adams- "D" grade- Better CB's were on the board, including McClain (the Niners plucked Patrick Stoudamire off the priority free agent market), but the team could use a developmental CB on the practice squad, so I understand the positional selection. Might have to move Adams to FS down the road, but I honestly don't give the kid much of a chance to make the team.

A more interesting option would have been to select one of the small school 3-4 DE's on the board (Lissemore or Howard), a big school 3-4 DE who I think is going to make an NFL roster in Doug Worthington, or go complete off the chart and select Jameson Konz, a freak athlete the Seahawks selected later, who might be able to play at numerous positions on the field.

That is the short answer to the best and worst picks. I give the Niners a final grade of 82.5% in the B/B- range.

Cheers.

P.S. With the solid FA pickups, I'd move the grade to 84%. One more note of correction for MM and MB: Both have reported that Dixon led the SEC in rushing. I think both probably received an inaccurate wire statement. The leading rusher in the SEC last year was Mark Ingram.

Maddog I agree with your assessments much of the time. However, I have to believe that Mike Singletary knows just a bit more about linebackers than you do and he thinks Bowman can be a great player in the Niners system. I am going with that.