Why we shouldn't draft a WR in the 1st round

The 49ers have been on the cusp of greatness for 3 straight seasons. Last year, they had the talent to win it all, but fell short because of one ill-advised throw. Offensively, the 49ers have the tools to get it done. The defense however is lacking. The shadows cast by a few bonafide defensive stars is why this fact has gone unnoticed by fans. But we only have to look as far as the Seahawks to find the blueprint for success.

I can safely say that the 49ers have a more impressive offence than the Seahawks, even with a healthy Percy Harvin. Crabs, VD and Boldin form a passing nucleus that ranks among the NFL's best. Patton and McDonald will make strides in their 2nd season and Patton in particular is a player I believe has 1000 yard potential. We also have a hungry Lattimore champing at the bit to go along with a very good offensive line. Again, I think we are fine on offence with room to grow.

Defensively, there are holes. By design, the 49ers have a very good pass rush. However, getting to the QB with regularity is a tall order in the NFL. Ideally, you want to sack the QB on every play, but obviously this is difficult to do. So who needs to step up when the rush doesn't get to the QB? The Secondary! Guys like Ed Reed, Troy Polamalu and the Legion of Boom get it done! The prospect of losing Whitner (which is a blessing in disguise), Tarell Brown and Carlos Rogers (also a blessing) is alarming, especially when you consider who is in line to start if none of them are re-signed. We're talking about Darryl Morris, Craig Dahl, C.J. Spillman, Chris Culliver and Tremaine Brock. These players are good, but will never be Pro Bowlers.

The 49ers pride themselves on having good depth at almost every position, yet the secondary has been neglected in terms of draft picks. It's time to end this trend! Draft a DB in the 1st round, simply because it is our most pressing need!

Also, the WR class this year is DEEP. There are diamonds in the rough in the 2nd and 3rd rounds!

Not so sure how losing Whitner is a blessing in disguise. At this very second Whitner is a better fit over both Ed Reed and Troy Palomalu.
I do think we need depth at corner. However, Crabtree is a free agent after next year and we need someone who can step in if he isnt resigned. Sure we could always draft someone next year but we have zero depth at wr and an injury to either one of our starters would be catastrophic. The same can be said for either of our corners.
Wr and cb are our two thinnest positions and I fully expect to be heading into round 3 of this years draft with a wr and a cb having been drafted. What order they go in doesnt matter so long as they are quality players.

Originally posted by doc_brown_:
The 49ers have been on the cusp of greatness for 3 straight seasons. Last year, they had the talent to win it all, but fell short because of one ill-advised throw. Offensively, the 49ers have the tools to get it done. The defense however is lacking. The shadows cast by a few bonafide defensive stars is why this fact has gone unnoticed by fans. But we only have to look as far as the Seahawks to find the blueprint for success.

I can safely say that the 49ers have a more impressive offence than the Seahawks, even with a healthy Percy Harvin. Crabs, VD and Boldin form a passing nucleus that ranks among the NFL's best. Patton and McDonald will make strides in their 2nd season and Patton in particular is a player I believe has 1000 yard potential. We also have a hungry Lattimore champing at the bit to go along with a very good offensive line. Again, I think we are fine on offence with room to grow.

Defensively, there are holes. By design, the 49ers have a very good pass rush. However, getting to the QB with regularity is a tall order in the NFL. Ideally, you want to sack the QB on every play, but obviously this is difficult to do. So who needs to step up when the rush doesn't get to the QB? The Secondary! Guys like Ed Reed, Troy Polamalu and the Legion of Boom get it done! The prospect of losing Whitner (which is a blessing in disguise), Tarell Brown and Carlos Rogers (also a blessing) is alarming, especially when you consider who is in line to start if none of them are re-signed. We're talking about Darryl Morris, Craig Dahl, C.J. Spillman, Chris Culliver and Tremaine Brock. These players are good, but will never be Pro Bowlers.

The 49ers have prided themselves on having good depth at almost every position, yet the secondary has been neglected in terms of draft picks. It's time to end this trend! Draft a DB in the 1st round, simply because it is our most pressing need!

Yes, the guy who played at a Pro-Bowl level all season and had his best year as a 49er, losing him is certainly a blessing.

Whitner has poor instincts in pass coverage and becomes a liability on passing downs.

I stopped reading after " we lost because of one ill-advised throw."

Tramaine Brock and Chris Culliver will never be pro bowlers? I'm sure a lot of people thought Richard Sherman would never even be a starter in the league, let alone a pro bowler. Brock played at near pro bowl level this year, so to declare that he'll never be a pro bowler is silly. Also Culliver is immensely talented and I think he could be a stud in the league.

And losing Whitner is a blessing in disguise? I would have agreed after the 2012 season, but not after this season. He was 10 times better in coverage this year and had the best year of his career in my opinion.


Now I will agree we can improve the defense, but this past year most of our struggles were on offense. We need at least one receiver that can stretch the field and we of course need Kap to improve as a passer. Receiver must be addressed early in the draft, along with a center, corner, safety,and probably another d linemen as Justin Smith's future replacement. We should draft best player available at these needs.

LOL. Polamalu may have had one of his best statistical years last year but you do realize Ed Reed was benched the Houston Texans amidst their spiral of doom right? Please pick examples better, Seattle's DBs play a style of D that makes them the most penalized team in the league but when they get away with it are able to capitalize on their front 7 constantly blitzing......

We don't blitz, we don't play school yard football, and we don't pay over-the-hill SB winners tons of cash.......

You do realize that in 2011 Culliver was the best statistical corner in all of the NFL right? Was at least top 5 in 2012 IIRC -- only not a pro bowler because he is a nickel CB and there are always starting CBs that win PB noms simply because they play more.

Brock has more ball skills in then most teams #2/#3 CBs do. Back off definitive statements like this unless you have experience scouting in the NFL or college, I'll assume you don't.

...I agree that drafting a WR in the 1st doesn't make sense unless we truly can have him accept the concept of at best being a #3 in our offense but you've got a twisted perception of reality.

We're going to re-sign Boldin and let the market tell us if Whitner or Brown comes back but the top end of the Safety class is weak so we'll likely bring Whitner back, draft someone like Ahmad Dixon or Jimmie Ward in the late 2nd or 3rd. Baalke has proven he can find gems in the CBs, making Brown expendable. I'd rather see us trade up for Gilbert or Dennard, put him with Culliver, Brock, and a new veteran.

Crabs is your franchise receiver unless someone with length and speed falls to you, then you can maybe draft a receiver high. I think we are MORE than fine going In to the season with Crab, Davis, Boldin, McDonald and Patton. Use the high picks on someone special on the defensive side or some beef up front, O or D

Brock was bumped by Eric Wright at time this year because of inconsistent play. He's good, but not great. Culliver's body of work is limited, but he also looked suspect in pass coverage at times during his rookie season. Granted it was his first year, still his development has been stunted by injury, which makes him a gamble.

Right now, I'd take these guys over Donte Whitner:

Earl Thomas
Eric Berry
Kam Chancellor
Jarius Byrd
T.J. Ward
Devin McCourty
Eric Weddle
Kenny Vaccaro
Mark Barron
Harrison Smith

There may be others as well, but this is off the top of my head.

I like Whitner, but I don't think the 49ers should re-sign him. The fact that re-signing Whitner is debatable tells you something about his value.

Originally posted by doc_brown_:
Brock was bumped by Eric Wright at time this year because of inconsistent play. He's good, but not great. Culliver's body of work is limited, but he also looked suspect in pass coverage at times during his rookie season. Granted it was his first year, still his development has been stunted by injury, which makes him a gamble.

Right now, I'd take these guys over Donte Whitner:

Earl Thomas
Eric Berry
Kam Chancellor
Jarius Byrd
T.J. Ward
Devin McCourty
Eric Weddle
Kenny Vaccaro
Mark Barron
Harrison Smith

There may be others as well, but this is off the top of my head.

I like Whitner, but I don't think the 49ers should re-sign him. The fact that re-signing Whitner is debatable tells you something about his value.

Brock was bumped by Wright?? haha. Wright played in all of 7 regular season games and was left out of game planning heading into the final weeks of the season and into the playoffs because the coaches were upset with his preparation. This per multiple beat writers -- I have no idea where you are getting your info but Brock was consistent all year and if he missed snaps it was because he was getting a break. I'm pumped that Wright got to play for his childhood team but Brock had his starting job on lockdown from week 3 on, Wright won't be back unless he is happy being a #4 CB.

Brock was easily our best CB, Brown #2 maybe even 1b but he got called for far too many penalties.

Look man, you have your opinion but back them up with facts, don't just say "he's bad or won't be a pro bowler"

I'd take most of that list over Whitner too but guess what. They are either under contract or will cost $8 mill per year or more. Like I said already we don't throw money like that at outsiders.

That list is like saying "I'd rather have Calvin Johnson rather than Boldin/Crabtree" or "AP rather than Gore"...... it just won't happen.

Originally posted by doc_brown_:
Whitner has poor instincts in pass coverage and becomes a liability on passing downs.

Agreed %100. It is a blessing if he is replaced with a better player. We are not going to win any superbowls with Whitner starting on this team. I'm scared s**tless when Whitner has to cover a tight end.

Originally posted by kronik:

Originally posted by doc_brown_:
Whitner has poor instincts in pass coverage and becomes a liability on passing downs.

Agreed %100. It is a blessing if he is replaced with a better player. We are not going to win any superbowls with Whitner starting on this team. I'm scared s**tless when Whitner has to cover a tight end.

He may be liability in coverage but what Safety on the market isn't? Or which one could we trade for? Nit picking for a safety that is elite against TEs is almost impossible unless you are going to pay a ton of money or picks for.

The 9ers won't do that. Even if SS is perceived to be the missing piece by us or the media, the 9ers likely don't agree. Case and point, 2011 to 2012.

WR was our most glaring need according to everyone, even the 9ers and we had a chance to get Mike Wallace and his rookie wage contract for just a 1st rounder and didn't pull the trigger.

What makes anybody think we'll do that for an SS?

Originally posted by sfout:

Originally posted by doc_brown_:
Brock was bumped by Eric Wright at time this year because of inconsistent play. He's good, but not great. Culliver's body of work is limited, but he also looked suspect in pass coverage at times during his rookie season. Granted it was his first year, still his development has been stunted by injury, which makes him a gamble.

Right now, I'd take these guys over Donte Whitner:

Earl Thomas
Eric Berry
Kam Chancellor
Jarius Byrd
T.J. Ward
Devin McCourty
Eric Weddle
Kenny Vaccaro
Mark Barron
Harrison Smith

There may be others as well, but this is off the top of my head.

I like Whitner, but I don't think the 49ers should re-sign him. The fact that re-signing Whitner is debatable tells you something about his value.

Brock was bumped by Wright?? haha. Wright played in all of 7 regular season games and was left out of game planning heading into the final weeks of the season and into the playoffs because the coaches were upset with his preparation. This per multiple beat writers -- I have no idea where you are getting your info but Brock was consistent all year and if he missed snaps it was because he was getting a break. I'm pumped that Wright got to play for his childhood team but Brock had his starting job on lockdown from week 3 on, Wright won't be back unless he is happy being a #4 CB.

Brock was easily our best CB, Brown #2 maybe even 1b but he got called for far too many penalties.

Look man, you have your opinion but back them up with facts, don't just say "he's bad or won't be a pro bowler"

I'd take most of that list over Whitner too but guess what. They are either under contract or will cost $8 mill per year or more. Like I said already we don't throw money like that at outsiders.

That list is like saying "I'd rather have Calvin Johnson rather than Boldin/Crabtree" or "AP rather than Gore"...... it just won't happen.

Yeah I'm wondering if we are watching the same games and same players. Culliver was a baller his rookie year. For a third round project, he played lights out. Always seemed to be locked on to whoever he was covering. I rarely saw him get beat. And Eric Wright never bumped Brock down the depth chart. Lol.

Whitner was one of the top strong safeties in the league this past year. His coverage went from horrible in 2012 to being very solid in 2013. It would be ideal to bring back Whitner and draft a strong safety that can take his place in a few years. Hopefully we can bring Whitner back at a decent price. Would not feel comfortable with a rookie back there. Can't assume we'll draft another Eric Reid who can step in right away and excel. I don't want a drop off in our safety play. We need to do our best at keeping this defense intact and adding more studs to it. Don't fix what isn't broken, instead try and add onto it with depth and players that will become starters down the line. Of course the salary cap and the players demands will have a say, but we need to try our best to keep the defense intact.

cb and or saftey if whitner goes is the most necessary draft need...culliver brock and a high draft pick would give us a nice stock of corners, you can never have too many

whitner is going to be expensive...Hopefully we get a discount because he seems motivated to play here.