Originally posted by nw9erfan:You make some good points and obviously put some thought into your post. Well stated.
With all due respect to Maddog (and he does deserve a lot of respect for his tireless research and for compiling his lists), I do disagree with his assessment for the simple reason that he seemed to have misunderstood the intent of the Niners' first two picks, which was to add explosive, fast, and dangerous players to their rather pedestrian offense.
Now, one can certainly disagree with...
1) Their strategy or approach to personnel decisions this off-season (which was clearly to shore up any major weaknesses through free agency and then to have the luxury of choosing whomever they really liked in the draft)...or...
2) Their choice of players in the draft based on their strategy...or...
3) The positions they chose to fill in the draft (WR, RB, OG, OLB, FS, C, and OLB)...and the value that those players bring to the team.
MD seems to be questioning the strategy itself (but please correct me if I am wrong) because he felt they should have shored up their biggest obvious weakness (at RG) in the first round and then gone after the so-called "skill-position" players later. That is certainly a valid criticism based on the recent failures of the OL and in particular, the RG position.
However, what that fails to take into account is the Niners' own player evaluations on the guys they had on the current roster. If for example, the Niners really like Kilgore, Boone, and Person and believe that any or all of those guys can effectively play RG, then using a first round pick on a guy like DeCastro doesn't make sense in their minds....especially when one takes into account that they are already committing a lot of money to the other 4 OL starters. Even if DeCastro ends up being a Pro Bowl player, the team may not be able to afford 2 Pro Bowl OGs in the long term....just saying.
I tend to think that each player chosen in a draft should be evaluated on...
1) His overall talent
2) What immediate need he fills
3) His work ethic / love for the game
4) What intangibles he brings to the team (leadership, enthusiasm, etc.)
5) The chances that he has to play and contribute to the team in his first year or two in the league
6) Whether or not he is a good "fit" in whatever offensive or defensive scheme the team plays
Because all post-draft grades are not based on a player's actual field production (because the player hasn't even played yet), they really are all simply educated guesses. I admit that I like to read draft grades as much as the next guy does but I think the Niners' approach this year was rather unique because they had so few obvious needs. Therefore, they could afford to take a few risks (or felt they could) and go after specific players they really liked. Such an approach is very difficult to praise or criticize because again, so much is unknown to us.
Based on the above criteria however, I think the Niners did a very good job with their picks. There is no telling how they will all play out (whether they will all be productive players or not) but I believe the Niners had a solid strategy, stuck with that strategy, and made solid picks based on it.
Cheers!
Two points. 1. The building of an effective OL seems, to me, to require more than just throwing the best five athletes out there and hoping they'll work together. Sometimes a guy who is not the most athletic is the one who has other intangibles that make the unit work best together. Snyder wasn't the physical specimen that Rachal was, but its hard to argue that the OL was better with Rachal at RG instead of Snyder. I was a little surprised, and disappointed, that they let Snyder walk, but he apparently priced himself off the team--and to his credit got what he was looking for. Its a business.
I find it difficult to believe that Boone is the answer at RG, but if he is, he wouldn't be the first guy 6'7" who played guard for the Niners. Wasn't Gogan 6/8" or so? If Boone can play himself onto the field at RG, so be it. However, like Snyder getting reps last year at Center, it looks like Boone is just getting some reps at G during the offseason. My belief is that Kilgore will be the starter at RG on opening day--and he is also the reason they let Snyder walk. Boone is too valuable at swing tackle. IMHO.
2. The drafting of LMJ was a real surprise, to me. He appears to fit all the categories you list, but with the addition of Jacobs in FA, and with Hunter already aboard, I thought they'd take someone a little bigger to groom as Gore's eventual replacement. In retrospect, and based on the explosiveness and versatility of LMJ, it appears that they wanted to add another weapon on short yardage plays, third downs, and in the red zone. That was a major weakness on offense last season.
It remains to be seen how the selection of LMJ will affect the roster. How many RBs will they keep? Who goes? Dixon? Jacobs? Cartwright? Or maybe even the unthinkable . . . ?
Finally, your post looks beyond the obvious draft strategy: "draft the highest rated guys to fill any holes on the roster;" and examines what the Niner's strategy may have been: "address the biggest weakness of the offense--the lack of speed and explosive playmakers."
As you point out, it remains to be seen whether the picks they made will adequately address that weakness, but its difficult to question the shrewdness, the intelligence of the stragegy. IMHO.