OTC's Pre-Combine Mock 2/18/14

I'd be happy if the draft went down this way. As others have said, I might opt for a cornerback or even another wide receiver in the second instead of an offensive tackle but its not a huge issue.

Originally posted by NCommand:

Now THIS is a Baalke-like draft to me...and will initially piss a lot of people off. I'm not sure what your mindset was (what you want vs. what you think our FO will do) but I like the positions you pick (and trust your selection of the players there). Nice work IMHO.

Exactly. I did this intending to go after guys I think the FO will target. As you said, it will anger the crap out of some people initially until they settle down and really think about it.

Originally posted by MadDog49er:

I like Larsen. Good player and good value pick.

I love the athleticism of Hageman, and he will destroy the combine, but don't think he loves the game. Motor is way too inconsistant. Better athlete than player. Would need somebody to light a fire under him 24/7.

This is true, he should blow up the combine -- and may not even be available for us at our pick. Could work out in our favor though. There are other DL I would like to have. I like Easley, but the fact that he has two torn ACLs scares the crap out of me, honestly. He's so good, but the health concerns are scary.

Originally posted by RishikeshA:

OTC I think you've nailed it with the Niners taking a D-lineman with the first pick. Good call on Fortt.

The more I watched Fortt, the more I saw a poor man's Bowman, who just needs some more development to up his game. I think Fortt would provide great competition for the last LB spot, and between him and Moody, either way we'd get a good ST contributor out of it.

One little side note: We are basically guaranteed to re-sign Wilhoite, because he is an exclusive rights free agent -- this is great news because another team could consider him starter worthy, but there's nothing they can do if we make Wilhoite an offer, according to this page: http://football.calsci.com/FreeAgency.html

Exclusive-Rights Free Agents (ERFA)

An Exclusive-Rights Free Agent is an NFL player who is not under contract, but has only two years of NFL experience. If his former club makes him an offer at the three year veteran minimum salary, then that's it, he has to take it or leave the NFL. These guys have no right to negotiate with other teams. They are "free" only in the sense that they're free to quit.

Originally posted by OnTheClock:

I think the beauty in drafting a talented DL while you already have starters is for the same reason you like Easley -- we can stash him for a year behind those guys. I expect Dial to land on the PS and how likely are we to get all season without a single DL having an injury? We could use some insurance.

I think unless we don't re-sign Whitner, it's going to be WR, CB, DL or an outside chance of OL in the first. If Whitner doesn't re-sign, the chances of taking a safety skyrocket.

I don't see Dial making it to a practice squad; he's likely to get scooped up by another team looking for a young, cheap 6'6", 300 pound DE/DT. What I like about a guy like Easely is that you don't have to expose anyone to release if he's drafted. You can put him on the PuP from day one then move him to the IR-Recall list...let Justin Smith, RayMac, Tank, TJE and Dial do battle for the first 8 games and see what happens. Easley is then waiting in the wings to join the team at the mid-point, or can stay on IR and get ready for 2015.

But it comes down to a preference really. I like Easely more than I do Hageman overall and especially like that he can be stashed and not count towards the 53-man roster, allowing the other young guys to show their stuff. But if the team sees more upside in a guy like Hageman, that's cool too. I wouldn't have an issue with it.

If we keep Whitner and Boldin, then I like picking Hageman and Moncrief. I think we would give fits to offenses if we had Hageman, Smith, Carradine and McDonald in a d-line rotation. Moncrief is underrated and has never had a good QB. With a QB like Kaep, he could be a superstar.

I like this mock. For some reason I can really see Baalke going DL in the 1st.

But every mock I see that has Whitner and Boldin coming back is wishful thinking, imho.

Originally posted by JimHarbaugh:
I like this mock. For some reason I can really see Baalke going DL in the 1st.

But every mock I see that has Whitner and Boldin coming back is wishful thinking, imho.

Not really. Releasing Rogers, Dahl and Baldwin (all very releasable players) saves ~$8M.

Restructuring Gore's deal to make him more aligned with other 30+ year old RBs can save anywhere from $2/3M, and restructuring/extending Willis' deal (like we did Justin Smith's) can get you another $2M or so. That's $12/13M dollars plus the $8M in cap space we'll have going into the 2014 season, gives you ~$20M to work with.

They can then structure Boldin and Whitner's deals to count ~$4/5M in cap space for 2014, knowing the 2015 cap is set to expand more aggressively than in prior seasons.

Originally posted by OnTheClock:
1. RaShede Hageman-DL-Minnesota, 6-6 318 4.89
I understand that on the surface, it looks like we have great depth at the position. However, when you consider much of it is either still developing and/or unproven (Carradine, Dial, TJE, Okoye, Purcell, etc.) -- Justin Smith admitted a year ago he might only have a couple years left in him. Ray McDonald has gutted it out but has struggled with injuries. With Dial the 4th string NT behind Dorsey, Williams, and TJE, he may end up on the practice squad. Hageman has monstrous potential to supplant either starter. If a player this good gets to you, you take him. There's a chance Smith and McDonald both aren't here in 2015. The 49ers have already shown interest and I expect Hageman to be a target on draft day.

my earlier opinion on drafting a DE with our 1st-rounder was: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

During the last weeks my opinion changed a little bit.
Given that Justin will turn 35 in september and we dont s**t about Tank's ability yet and that Justin will end his career soon or could even become a cap casualty (4.2 Mio in savings if cut in 2015), we have to go for another DE. Additionally to that, RayMac could also become a cap casualty in 2015 or even before and we dont know whether TJE can take over without any quality loss on a consistent basis.
IF a very good DE falls to us, we have to pick him.

the games are won in the trenches.

2. Donte Moncrief-WR-Mississippi, 6-2 226 4.49*
If there's one thing that just out the most to me on tape for this kid, it's this: I have not seen him caught from behind. I do not care what he times at the combine, this kid is FAST. On top of his size and speed, from everything I have seen on the field, I believe he has star potential. Moncrief's speed and ability to get open would give us everything we could really want in a player -- the speed to threaten deep, but the size and strength to be strong as a blocker and a threat in the red zone as well. In a deep WR draft, there's the possibility we could get him later, but I expect his stock to rise, and personally, if it were me at the helm I would not wait long to draft him.

Ok. No one would complain here, imo.

2. Jack Mewhort-OT-Ohio State, 6-6 306 5.28
I'm sure I wasn't the only whose heart sank with grief and started shouting "NO! NO! NOOOO!" when Joe Staley went down with an apparent serious and gruesome injury against the Rams early in the year. Thank God it was not what it appeared (and sounded) to be. The 49ers top replacement at LT is their outstanding RG in Boone and we really need to get a legitimate backup that allows us to keep our all-pro caliber guard in place in the case that we need someone to fill in at tackle. The 49ers showed interest in Mewhort at the Senior Bowl and this could be a year they take an OL a little earlier.

Cannot say anything specific about the player for now but in general I am absolutely ok with this pick. Again, you win the games in the trenches. Your trenches should be as non-sensitive to injuries as possible. Iirc, we dont have any REAL ot-backup; we can count ourselves lucky that our tackles are not injury-prone.
Especially the tackles are the insurance for our success, for the success of our QB (look at the last play of the Seattle game!!! Kaep failed because our RT sucked...). It is NOT a coincidence that these guys are well-paid throughout the league.

3. Marcus Smith-DE/OLB-Louisville, 6-4 258 4.76
Long-armed, productive, and showed up in the team's biggest game of the year to make plays. Smith has already reportedly sparked interest from 49ers scouts and was spoken to at the Senior Bowl. Players we've talked to there have historically had a very good chance of becoming selections for us. Teams that keep their pass-rushing arsenal stocked are the teams that dominant. The old adage remains true: Defense wins championships. Smith I believe is going to be one of our targets and would be a nice addition to have.

Imo, we are stacked at OLB right now, no need to go for another one.

3. Pierre Desir-CB-Lindenwood, 6-1 195 4.56
A long-armed, small-school, high-potential player who made big strides over the week at the Senior Bowl, proving he can adjust to playing with the "big boys" of major conferences. He fits the bill in just about every way that Baalke typically searches for a player. I imagine Stanley Jean-Baptiste is another potential target here. Desir should have the edge though because of better fluidity. If the 49ers re-sign Wright, they likely would go into the season with Brock/Culliver/Wright as their starters -- this would give Desir and promising 2nd year man, Daryl Morris, more time to develop and keep our CB corps still fully stocked with talent.

Ok.
Imho, this will be our strategy again: getting CBs late because we are good at drafting CB-quality in later rounds.

4. Tyler Larsen-C/OG-Utah State, 6-4 317 5.17
Durable, incredibly smart, and athletic. Fits our scheme well. Could play all three interior positions, but primarily would compete at center.

perfect.

4. Marqueston Huff-S/CB-Wyoming, 5-11 198 4.40 Huff possesses arguably top 5 sideline to sideline speed among the DBs in this class. At the Senior Bowl, he reportedly blanketed receivers showing he could be considered a CB prospect and not just a safety, which he played at Wyoming. The 49ers took Chris Culliver and converted him from safety into a CB so Huff could be another target to do the same. Then again, he could provide just better safety depth behind Whitner and/or start at some point if Whitner goes elsewhere.

perfect^2. a DB-tweener, very nice.

5. Khairi Fortt-LB-Cal, 6-2 240 4.67*
I think the 49ers would be very interested in this local product if they see the same similarities as I do to Navarro Bowman. Fortt was a Penn State transfer and like many 49ers draftees, has the coveted attributes of long arms and explosive athletic ability. He would immediately be a contributor on special teams while he develops as a linebacker, and could potentially play inside or outside, although he may be better suited inside for the 3-4. He needs work, no question, but with coaching Fortt could be starter material.

In general, I dont think that we have to go for a LB, neither inside nor outside BUT on day three, especially at the end of round 4 and later, I'm ok with it. IF he can play inside AND outside, like Skuta, and could be lined up on the special teams, then I like it.


What I absolutely dont like is that you didnt go for a quick WR on day two at all. Herron or Abrrederis is what I want to see here and in every mock
In all seriousness, even if Moncrief brings it up to the table, we still need another one, especially a guy like JA who seems to be pro-ready. With Boldin and Crabtree, we got two classicals possession receivers, Patton is somewhere between a speedster and a possession guy whereas Moncrief, by your definiton, would be the only one with speed.
What if Moncrief is injured for weeks or months? Should we lose against Seattle again because we were not able to draft against their most glaring weakness?

If we are talking about the picks in general, it is a A-, OLB in the 3rd round I dont like...given that we still have too little speed, I dont know about Archer, it is a B/B-.

Originally posted by OnTheClock:
Not bringing back Whitner would completely change things obviously. Right now, for whatever reason, it seems like the 49ers might try to bring him back to keep the veteran leader (who is only 28 still) on defense. He helped Reid a LOT and I just have to wonder how bad the rest of the defense will suffer if we bring in new players -- whether vets or rookies -- with the loss of Whitner's leadership and intelligence. Those are things that people don't consider sometimes but they make a tremendous difference.

Again, love the draft. But I respectfully disagree with the value of Whitner's leadership and intelligence. Would love a bit more salary-cap room saving moves but kudoes to a nice mock off-season. Looking forward to your post-combine mocks

Originally posted by GhostofFredDean74:
I don't see Dial making it to a practice squad; he's likely to get scooped up by another team looking for a young, cheap 6'6", 300 pound DE/DT. What I like about a guy like Easely is that you don't have to expose anyone to release if he's drafted. You can put him on the PuP from day one then move him to the IR-Recall list...let Justin Smith, RayMac, Tank, TJE and Dial do battle for the first 8 games and see what happens. Easley is then waiting in the wings to join the team at the mid-point, or can stay on IR and get ready for 2015.

But it comes down to a preference really. I like Easely more than I do Hageman overall and especially like that he can be stashed and not count towards the 53-man roster, allowing the other young guys to show their stuff. But if the team sees more upside in a guy like Hageman, that's cool too. I wouldn't have an issue with it.

Do you like Stephon Tuitt more or less than Hageman? By the way Ghost do you think you can develop a 49ers specific draft board?

Looks like Don Banks from SI.com read this post, OTC. He has the same pick as you in the first round in his latest mock.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/nfl/news/20140219/2014-nfl-mock-draft-johnny-manziel/?eref=sihp
30. San Francisco -- Ra'Shede Hageman, DT, Minnesota
Receiver and cornerback are the short-term needs in San Francisco, but Hageman's potential to be a long-term force on the defensive line might change the 49ers' thinking. With Justin Smith nearing the end of his career, San Francisco would view Hageman as his eventual replacement, while hoping it can get some early production from him as he rounds off the rough edges of his game. Hageman's talent and ability aren't in question. The former high school basketball player has freakish athletic ability and might post impressive numbers in Indy and come out of the combine as one of the first round's risers. But he needs to improve his technique and show more consistent effort, and the team that takes him may have to show some first-year patience with him.
And I have to agree with communist in his post above. I didn't like that 1st round pick, but it's starting to make a lot of sense.

Originally posted by NinerAce:

Looks like Don Banks from SI.com read this post, OTC. He has the same pick as you in the first round in his latest mock.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/nfl/news/20140219/2014-nfl-mock-draft-johnny-manziel/?eref=sihp
30. San Francisco -- Ra'Shede Hageman, DT, Minnesota
Receiver and cornerback are the short-term needs in San Francisco, but Hageman's potential to be a long-term force on the defensive line might change the 49ers' thinking. With Justin Smith nearing the end of his career, San Francisco would view Hageman as his eventual replacement, while hoping it can get some early production from him as he rounds off the rough edges of his game. Hageman's talent and ability aren't in question. The former high school basketball player has freakish athletic ability and might post impressive numbers in Indy and come out of the combine as one of the first round's risers. But he needs to improve his technique and show more consistent effort, and the team that takes him may have to show some first-year patience with him.
And I have to agree with communist in his post above. I didn't like that 1st round pick, but it's starting to make a lot of sense.

If we don't go after a speed receiver, I think DL is a distinct possibility with -- as mentioned in some other posts -- Tuitt being an option too.

Also, I know many have said they don't think we would go after a pass-rusher early after getting Lemonier last year and seeing Skuta perform so well. I have though about it and think it's a good point -- although they did talk to Marcus Smith at the combine, my guess is they want to do their research on talented prospects they like, regardless, and also especially if they think they might fall (Smith slipping to the late 3rd or 4th would be a steal). I still think we will draft another pass-rusher to compete, but I think it will be a late-rounder we can develop like we did recently with Cam Johnson.

Also, to further discuss some of these prospects that I believe we'll target: DB Marqueston Huff is a guy who really stood out as a player I think we'd absolutely love to bring in and develop into a starting player. The range on this kid is just terrific and I can see him excelling at any defensive back position we might elect to place him at.

I think the 49ers will be digging everywhere to find a Delanie Walker type, someone they can mold into a hybrid WR/TE like him. Hoskins is very close except has better hands and isn't quite as fast with his straight line speed. Whether it's late in the draft or in UDFA, I expect us see another prospect like this on the team.

Originally posted by SonocoNinerFan:

Very nice. I like the idea of picking up an OT AND an OG/C anytime from rounds 2-5. I had high hopes for Looney and Kilgore but when Iupati was down Snyder kept them out of the rotation for the most part . . . so WTF? What do we have with those two? The competition level needs to come up. And your point about keeping Boone in place if Staley or Davis go down is spot on.

I think we will draft an OT earlier than some might expect, but I admit it will come down to the right player at the right spot. I'm sure we won't force it. But I think the team recognizes right now that Snyder is not a long-term answer for depth and certainly not for development in terms of fortifying our OL for the future years to come.

Originally posted by Ninefan56:

Originally posted by GhostofFredDean74:
I don't see Dial making it to a practice squad; he's likely to get scooped up by another team looking for a young, cheap 6'6", 300 pound DE/DT. What I like about a guy like Easely is that you don't have to expose anyone to release if he's drafted. You can put him on the PuP from day one then move him to the IR-Recall list...let Justin Smith, RayMac, Tank, TJE and Dial do battle for the first 8 games and see what happens. Easley is then waiting in the wings to join the team at the mid-point, or can stay on IR and get ready for 2015.

But it comes down to a preference really. I like Easely more than I do Hageman overall and especially like that he can be stashed and not count towards the 53-man roster, allowing the other young guys to show their stuff. But if the team sees more upside in a guy like Hageman, that's cool too. I wouldn't have an issue with it.

Do you like Stephon Tuitt more or less than Hageman? By the way Ghost do you think you can develop a 49ers specific draft board?

I like Tuitt a lot more than Hageman, but it's more a matter of taste and perception as they're both really talented. Hageman is definitely the more freakish athlete, but I like what Easley does on the football field a little more.

I'd love to develop a team-specific draft board but not sure I have the time!

Not a bad draft. I agree with a lot of your reasoning, but we would see very little immediate impact from this draft. That seems to be in accordance with Baalke's past strategies, but after coming up short 3 years in a row, I think he strays from the plan a little.

I also don't see us resigning Wright after how his season ended, and I think they'll want to create a lot more competition in the defensive backfield, mainly through upgrades to our depth. Bringing in Desir in the 3rd only does so much to that end.