MadDog's Niners Draft Grade and Analysis for 2012 NFL Draft

Originally posted by tjd808185:
I really don't get the logic of giving the pick an F when you have the player graded as a C+.

Anyways good player analysis. I really don't care if you feel you could have drafted better for us by trading up for Decastro.

Just stick to grading the picks that we did make. I really think that's your problem. You're very good at scouting out guys but you fall in love with someone and when we pass on them for a more talented player that you grade out to be a good selection but not your selection you sh** on the pick.

This is not Niner Talk, so logic does not apply. Duh.

The thing about DeCastro is, don't you think Jim Harbaugh knows more about him than any of us?

Originally posted by oregonniner:
The thing about DeCastro is, don't you think Jim Harbaugh knows more about him than any of us?

No. Harbaugh sucks as a coach.

Originally posted by English:
13 picks! Unless we re-trade them. That is going to be an epic draft

I'm only counting 12. I might be missing something. Ive got 7 regular picks, a 3,5 and 6 from 2012 draft, a 7th for the USC safety mistake, and a compensatory pick ( figuring 3 players lost, 2gained). Did I miss something?

Originally posted by GolittaCamper:
I think we could have found value at WR in the 2nd, I would even have traded one of next years picks to move down if I had to, but I'm a fan not a GM! LOL I'm disappointed with this draft right now, but I expect to be happy once I see how JH uses these guys!

I just like Baalke mind set, if he feels Jenkins was a better player then Fleener, then you take the better player, not someone who fan wanted. And by taking Jenkins over Fleener, it shows Harbaugh knew Jenkins is a better player then Fleener.

I know it doesn't look flashy but we didn't have many holes, so it was an effective draft as of now, so I am happy, hopefully the players prove me right, and those picks in 2013 help a lot next offseason.

Originally posted by AB83Rules:

Originally posted by GolittaCamper:
I think we could have found value at WR in the 2nd, I would even have traded one of next years picks to move down if I had to, but I'm a fan not a GM! LOL I'm disappointed with this draft right now, but I expect to be happy once I see how JH uses these guys!

I just like Baalke mind set, if he feels Jenkins was a better player then Fleener, then you take the better player, not someone who fan wanted. And by taking Jenkins over Fleener, it shows Harbaugh knew Jenkins is a better player then Fleener.

I know it doesn't look flashy but we didn't have many holes, so it was an effective draft as of now, so I am happy, hopefully the players prove me right, and those picks in 2013 help a lot next offseason.

In JH we trust, oh and TB too! GO NINERS!

LEAVE MADDOG ALONE!

Originally posted by OnTheClock:
We differed a bit this year and one example would be our sixth rounder. I was very unenthused by the Trenton Robinson pick. In my opinion, his trait of "not being afraid to tackle" is negated by his inability to tackle well or get run over because of his midget size compared to most NFL players.

I gave him a 6th-7th round grade because I thought the primary attributes needed to be a starting safety weren't there -- good tackling and the ability to physically match up with strong receivers. His IQ is good I think and he's decently athletic, so my belief is he would make he mark on special teams.

Robinson to me was a guy that wouldn't fit what we need at safety. Too short (below 5-10), easy to throw over because of that and his tendency to get outmuscled would make him less effective fighting for balls he might have a chance at, and a guy who even if he was in position with the receiver may not be able to make the tackle after the catch since I don't think he tackles all that well. In the Senior Bowl, he was horrendous really.

In my mind, he's actually a better fit for a slot corner. I think that matches up to his abilities better. It's all a matter of opinion though, so we'll see. If they really like him, it wouldn't shock me to see them let Goldson walk for big money in 2013. But that'd be a terrible move.

But if he's anything like these early minutes of this clip (and to be honest, this was a game I didn't even catch, but was much like the others I watched of Robinson), he won't do much here.

I was really mad at this pick because we could have gotten George Iloka at some point in the draft, couldve had trumaine Johnson at some point in the draft. IMO, Mark Legree beats out Trent Robinson for that spot as the backup.

I would have taken Minnesota's offer to trade down to 35 which they reportedly offered us. We turned it down and Baltimore then accepted a similar offer. If we accepted we could have taken either Cordy Glenn or Amini Solatou at 35. Rueben Randle at 61 and Lamar Miller at 92. Then in the fourth round Baalke would have had two picks to wheel and deal with.

Originally posted by domingo:
I would have taken Minnesota's offer to trade down to 35 which they reportedly offered us. We turned it down and Baltimore then accepted a similar offer. If we accepted we could have taken either Cordy Glenn or Amini Solatou at 35. Rueben Randle at 61 and Lamar Miller at 92. Then in the fourth round Baalke would have had two picks to wheel and deal with.

I didn't see why anyone liked Randle, he like any LSU WR, doesn't do crap in the NFL. It was clear we valued Jenkins higher than trading down. And We feel Kilgore is ready, so no need to add a flashy OG name in there.

Originally posted by GolittaCamper:
I think we could have found value at WR in the 2nd, I would even have traded one of next years picks to move down if I had to, but I'm a fan not a GM! LOL I'm disappointed with this draft right now, but I expect to be happy once I see how JH uses these guys!

Mike Lombardi wrote a piece before the draft about his time with Walsh. You don't draft for value, you draft because the player can contribute. Walsh bristled when scouts said the player wasn't a good 2nd round pick but was a good value for a third round. Here is the link to that article and some highlights...

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d82857c66/article/bill-walshs-nfl-draft-philosophies-six-lessons-from-the-master

Walsh hated hearing a scout tell him a player was, for example, not a good second-rounder, but a great third-rounder. He always said the only time people talk about rounds is in draft preparation and on draft day. Never during any player's career, Walsh would vent, does anyone say a player was picked in the right round. The day after the draft, every player is graded on his playing performance, not his selection round. Walsh only cared about what a player would be able to do for his team. He thought "round talk" was the wrong way for a scout to measure his own abilities. It was not talent evaluation, but rather round prediction.

Even though Walsh loved to move up or down...
When the cost of draft picks soared in prior years, moving down was a great option. But with the new collective bargaining agreement's reduced rookie pay scale, it is not as financially dangerous to just make the pick. Walsh believed there was always someone worth picking, because three years from any draft, people will look back at the great players in the league who were passed over by a number of teams. Once again, Walsh was all about the talent, not the spot.

Watch out for players from downtrodden programs -- particularly programs that have just fired a coach -- being unfairly downgraded. In Walsh's mind, players from a program that has just fired its coach pay a price in draft evaluation. Coaches rarely admit the real reason for their termination -- bad coaching -- instead placing the blame on bad players. These side effects of a losing culture can taint a scout's visit to a particular school. Walsh insisted that all the college prospects in this situation had to be examined closely.

Originally posted by oregonniner:
The thing about DeCastro is, don't you think Jim Harbaugh knows more about him than any of us?

It is not that JH didn't like Decastro, but they feel must good about Kilgore and Alex Boone, although Looney will compete, look for him to be the primary backup for center/guard and sit and learn unless the chosen starter does a Chilo. The niners went into the draft with a certain mindset. I think, when they saw L. James dropping, they decided against moving up for a guard. Their philosophy for this draft was to get faster on offense. Adding Owusu is more evidence of that. With Moss, and VD, they now have a very fast track team.

Originally posted by domingo:
I would have taken Minnesota's offer to trade down to 35 which they reportedly offered us. We turned it down and Baltimore then accepted a similar offer. If we accepted we could have taken either Cordy Glenn or Amini Solatou at 35. Rueben Randle at 61 and Lamar Miller at 92. Then in the fourth round Baalke would have had two picks to wheel and deal with.

The niners obviously had a TYPE of player they wanted, not just any wr. As for RB, James was there, and they felt he was more talented, but more importantly didn't think he would be available at their pick. Harbaugh had nightmares against him, and now wants him to cause nightmares for others.

Again, the niners went with the mindset of the need for speed. Randle is not a speed guy and neither is Miller. Cordy and Amini are raw, both would be worse than A. Davis was his rookie year if thrust into the line up. Both played tackle not guard in college. Plus Davis would suffer with a rookie next to him.

Originally posted by OnTheClock:
MadDog made it clear that he likes the player, but thought we passed up on someone better. Time will tell. I agree with him. I don't hate Jenkins, I just think he has a limited role and I don't envision him as a starter.

Among positives, Jenkins is deceptively quick, however while he has decent speed, he is not as fast as his 4.3 time would indicate. Another positive is his focus and initial burst off the line, also deceptive in this regard, surprising defenders often times.

Jenkins' lesser traits are that he lacks strength compared to most of the receivers of this class. He is not going to break a lot of tackles, and he's got average moves in the open field. His lack of strength also hurts him when fighting for balls, negating his good vertical because most corners can out-jockey him, and when running with the ball he is a guy who is susceptible to fumbles. This lack of strength again haunts him in press coverage when he faces a physical corner that locks onto him to keep him from using his quickness to get downfield. Jenkins must also fix his problems stopping on his routes -- that can KILL a QB's confidence in you. He is generally good with his hands but not as consistent at "plucking the ball" or extending his arms as I would have liked to see the past season. I think his production was slightly inflated due to being the only legitimate option, but that's just my opinion.

Jenkins weakness is his YAC, but that could be coached and his strength can be strengthened. If you watched old tape of how walsh coached his players in making decisions of which route to take after the catch and why. I also don't think Jenkins has to out muscle the CB if the ball is thrown properly. On the deep ball, he just needs to get open, according to scouting reports he gets good separation, watching the vids of him it is his choice of which way to break. Besides smaller receivers rarely break the tackle, they outrun or put a move on them which goes back to my statement about coaching. You don't catch 90 balls by getting outjockeyed much. All he has to do also is just beat the guy and catch the ball providing the QB does his job of placing it on the money. The thing is most people complained our receivers dropped balls or weren't getting open. Well, if he gets pass the 1st down marker and catches the ball, that will be a big step, even if he doesn't break many balls. Catch the ball first, get pass the marker, then worry about more later.

Originally posted by ishkabibel:

Originally posted by English:
13 picks! Unless we re-trade them. That is going to be an epic draft

I'm only counting 12. I might be missing something. Ive got 7 regular picks, a 3,5 and 6 from 2012 draft, a 7th for the USC safety mistake, and a compensatory pick ( figuring 3 players lost, 2gained). Did I miss something?

At this point it is only 11 picks.


The compensation pick is likely, but we just do not have that pick (or picks) yet.

at first glance i wasnt too happy with a few picks this year. i gotta admit i am rather excited about the players we picked. especially aj jenkins