Grade the 49ers Draft After Round 3

Originally posted by BrianGO:
This is the only grade I don't understand.

This. 3rd round value in the 7th and its a C grade? Sounds like one of those amateur draft sites rankings...or WalterFootball.......which is pretty much the same thing.

As I said earlier I feel we progressed tons as far as depth, but I feel we are basically the same team as last year. How many of these guys are going to come in and make an immediate impact? Ward? At times. Hyde? Great player but what about Lattimore and Gore. Martin? May solidify C and is versitile but that is yet to be seen. Borland? Probably will get a good amount of time, but he's no Bowman. Thomas? Injured. Ellington? I don't see him moving above Patton. And for the rest, we still don't have our starting CB.

We drafted great players, but I just don't see how they get us over the hump of the last 3 seasons.

So A for the future
D for immediate

Originally posted by JiksJuicy:
As I said earlier I feel we progressed tons as far as depth, but I feel we are basically the same team as last year. How many of these guys are going to come in and make an immediate impact? Ward? At times. Hyde? Great player but what about Lattimore and Gore. Martin? May solidify C and is versitile but that is yet to be seen. Borland? Probably will get a good amount of time, but he's no Bowman. Thomas? Injured. Ellington? I don't see him moving above Patton. And for the rest, we still don't have our starting CB.

We drafted great players, but I just don't see how they get us over the hump of the last 3 seasons.

If you consider 60% of the snaps to be....... at times. I mean, one of the big reasons the 49ers have lost games over the past few years is failure at the slot position. It's cost them big, from Cruz lighting them up to Boldin making big plays in the slot to the Seahawks completing huge passes right at Rogers. I think you are WAY underestimating the impact of having a tough, hard-nosed guy like Ward who also has outstanding speed and athleticism to handle that spot.

That is the biggest difference I see.


Gore is 31, I know people would like him to play forever but if he regresses, "hits the wall", it'll come quickly without any real warning. Having Hyde on deck to go along with Hunter and Lattimore creates outstanding depth at a crucial position for the 49ers. Look at the difference that Eddie Lacy made for Green Bay last year, they were a far tougher team with him in the mix and Hyde brings some of those same exact traits to the 49ers. Love the pick and while not a major need, it could easily have been one if Gore had struggled, Lattimore hadn't fully recovered and then you'd be left with Hunter to pull the main load.


As far as WR, I consider Johnson as a part of the draft and the 49ers are going to be able to trot out a 3 WR group of Crabtree, Boldin and Johnson to go along with V.D......good luck defending all those guys at the same time.


In the end, a draft really isn't for today but a year or two down the road. Andrew Brandt praised the 49ers for recognizing just that fact. This draft will keep this team contending for a Superbowl this season, next season, the season after that, the season after the season after that....etc. This is why drafts are judged after 2 or 3 years, not 2 or 3 hours.



Beyond that, I don't know what you were expecting. The 49ers are loaded, there was one starting spot open and they took care of it. This team was a few inches away from a second consecutive Superbowl appearance. They were on the cusp, now they come back with even better depth all over the place.

Originally posted by JiksJuicy:

As I said earlier I feel we progressed tons as far as depth, but I feel we are basically the same team as last year. How many of these guys are going to come in and make an immediate impact? Ward? At times. Hyde? Great player but what about Lattimore and Gore. Martin? May solidify C and is versitile but that is yet to be seen. Borland? Probably will get a good amount of time, but he's no Bowman. Thomas? Injured. Ellington? I don't see him moving above Patton. And for the rest, we still don't have our starting CB.

We drafted great players, but I just don't see how they get us over the hump of the last 3 seasons.

At this point, the impact of the players drafted cannot be seen much less judged.

We, well at least I, do know which players will have an immediate impact.

I am not even sure to what degree the draft should be judged on its immediate impact.

Originally posted by MC9BEAT:

Originally posted by IdahoNiner:

Originally posted by MC9BEAT:
Don't care for the Borland pick with soo many players we could use on the board that would not only add depth but had a very good chance to become starters. CB's Gaines and Desir, Wr Moncreif, G Gabe Jackson.

Not sure why we traded back from #94 to #106 for a 6th rd pick. Now we have two 4ths and two 5ths, a 6th and two more 7ths. Are there 7 more players we need to draft. I hope they have some amazing players they spotted to add late in the draft. Otherwise we should have demanded a 2015 5th rd pick instead of the 6th rounder. It's not like we needed extra late picks this year in the draft. Don't get the strategy.

Tomorrow is where we turn those picks into 2015 pics. I dont know why people are shocked with this strategy. It is classic Baalke. Get used to it.

I have seen Baalke trade back and get future picks but I haven't seen him trade a 4th rounder for a future 3rd rounder or a 5th for a future 4th rounder.

Why trade back from the 3rd rd and get a 6th round pick? Why not at least demand a 2015 5th rd pick?

We will see Saturday. With 6 picks in the 1st 3 rounds I would have liked to see at least 1 WR drafted.

He turned a one spot drop back into a future 4th yesterday.

Originally posted by IdahoNiner:
He turned a one spot drop back into a future 4th yesterday.

Next year, your strategy is to bash every single player you really like. If its any consolation, the Steelers and Broncos basically ripped off my entire draft board.

To Buck and Phx

I guess I was just expecting us to go harder on CB and WR earlier. Not sure where we are playing Ward. I don't necessarily think we need more players with talent(no room really) but as said true "impact" players. We had the picks to move around, and I expected us to do so earlier. And yeah there's really no way to know at this juncture who will flop and who won't but how many of these guys will even make the roster? That's where I'm getting at.

And about Gore, I'm thinking these moves make it his last year as a featured back. But he still is going to get the majority of the carries this year. We had Lattimore and Hunter to take the some load off. Now I'm wondering where does Hunter or Lattimore fit? We have great depth but not enough playing time or carries to go around. Same for Ellington. Is he going to even make the roster? Yeah I know, he will, but he's stuck behind Boldin, Crabtree, Johnson, Patton, and maybe even Lloyd. Where are his touches?

Again, not a whole lot of improvement, as being more championship ready than we were last year. I just dont feel we "upped" our chances, but stayed neutral. Later on down the road these picks will pay off, but as far as winning now, we are the same 49ers of last year.

About the Johnson trade. Great trade but I still think we need to change up our offense to get more than one or two receivers involved. Not sure if it's Kaep or Roman but if we play the same style of offense I'm just not sure how much he will see the ball. Especially with Crabtree out there.

Admittedly I could be 100% wrong, and a lot, if not most, of this is opinion based. I just don't see it right now. I understand it, but not sure BPA is always the way to go.

I personally think our best pick was Borland because he's a definite need.

Edit: And I've been working the last two nights so admittedly I haven't had time to put the whole thing into perspective. Kind of my initial thoughts, and how I thought we would be more "aggressive" as one thread starter addressed.

I give it a B+ altogether. We came into this draft with a loaded roster, as it is. This draft was deep and our picks were about depth... not one of the rooks (well, maybe one) is going to unseat the (original) starter, i.e., A. Brooks, both Smiths, Crabs/Boldin, you get the point.

Anyhow, the fact that Baalke got guys in later rounds that quite possibly will be as good or better than guys that were picked before them is "magically delicious"

Originally posted by JiksJuicy:

To Buck and Phx

I guess I was just expecting us to go harder on CB and WR earlier. Not sure where we are playing Ward. I don't necessarily think we need more players with talent(no room really) but as said true "impact" players. We had the picks to move around, and I expected us to do so earlier. And yeah there's really no way to know at this juncture who will flop and who won't but how many of these guys will even make the roster? That's where I'm getting at.

And about Gore, I'm thinking these moves make it his last year as a featured back. But he still is going to get the majority of the carries this year. We had Lattimore and Hunter to take the some load off. Now I'm wondering where does Hunter or Lattimore fit? We have great depth but not enough playing time or carries to go around. Same for Ellington. Is he going to even make the roster? Yeah I know, he will, but he's stuck behind Boldin, Crabtree, Johnson, Patton, and maybe even Lloyd. Where are his touches?

Again, not a whole lot of improvement, as being more championship ready than we were last year. I just dont feel we "upped" our chances, but stayed neutral. Later on down the road these picks will pay off, but as far as winning now, we are the same 49ers of last year.

About the Johnson trade. Great trade but I still think we need to change up our offense to get more than one or two receivers involved. Not sure if it's Kaep or Roman but if we play the same style of offense I'm just not sure how much he will see the ball. Especially with Crabtree out there.

Admittedly I could be 100% wrong, and a lot, if not most, of this is opinion based. I just don't see it right now. I understand it, but not sure BPA is always the way to go.

I personally think our best pick was Borland because he's a definite need.

It will interesting to see to what degree, or if, the offensive play calling changes or if more players are active in the passing game. There have been some hints that there would be more three wide receiver sets.

But, much like the impact of this draft class, we really do not have any choice other than to wait and see what unfolds.

I have argued in favor of Jimmie Ward for sometime. I think that he could have a significant positive impact in the coming year. But, I do not know that he will.

Originally posted by buck:
It will interesting to see to what degree, or if, the offensive play calling changes or if more players are active in the passing game. There have been some hints that there would be more three wide receiver sets.

But, much like the impact of this draft class, we really do not have any choice other than to wait and see what unfolds.

I have argued in favor of Jimmie Ward for sometime. I think that he could have a significant positive impact in the coming year. But, I do not know that he will.

Will we move him to CB? I mean, I love the pick, the kid is solid, but where's he fit with Bethea? That signing is a little confusing to me now. Basically he'll be a certain situation back, which is great and all, but was it one of our biggest voids? If we move him to CB or some sort of hybrid role that would make much more sense.

Originally posted by JiksJuicy:
To Buck and Phx

I guess I was just expecting us to go harder on CB and WR earlier. Not sure where we are playing Ward. I don't necessarily think we need more players with talent(no room really) but as said true "impact" players. We had the picks to move around, and I expected us to do so earlier. And yeah there's really no way to know at this juncture who will flop and who won't but how many of these guys will even make the roster? That's where I'm getting at.

49ers already said Ward will be competing for the nickel corner position and will have every opportunity to win it. I think its becoming clear that you won't see the 49ers drafting a lot of CB's early. Baalke has shown a great eye for late round gems. Look at Seattle, how many early CB's do they draft? If you've got a consistent system, then you don't necessarily need to draft guys early at certain positions. For the 49ers, the emphasis will be on their safeties and not so much CB's.

As far as WR goes, where would that WR play? Once Johnson was added, you had basically one roster spot open for a receiver. Whether they take a guy in the 2nd, the 3rd, the 4th or the 5th, they are still riding the bench pretty much. Who is more likely to see the field, a 2nd round WR or a guy like Carlos Hyde?

You have Crabtree, Boldin, Johnson and Patton. I don't see where a rookie who doesn't know the system just jumps in. Ellington was a good pick because he is highly talented but also raw and needs time to develop which he'll get. With him and Patton, the 49ers have the basis for their future WR corps.

And about Gore, I'm thinking these moves make it his last year as a featured back. But he still is going to get the majority of the carries this year. We had Lattimore and Hunter to take the some load off. Now I'm wondering where does Hunter or Lattimore fit? We have great depth but not enough playing time or carries to go around.

If Gore stumbles out of the gate badly, averages 2 yards per carry and is generally ineffective, then what would you think? That is the risk with older RB's, the regression comes on quickly and suddenly. I suspect personally that he was starting to really wear down at the end of last season. The 49ers played some tough defenses but he also seemed to be pressing a lot and didn't seem like the same guy. If nothing else, adding Lattimore and Hyde will extend his career, at least through the end of the season. At his age, very few RB's are still even somewhat productive. All those hits and carries take their toll and I guess the way the 49ers look at it are "better safe than sorry." Better to go into the season with apparently more depth than you need than panicking and realizing you have no running game when Gore falls off a cliff and Lattimore isn't ready to contribute.

Same for Ellington. Is he going to even make the roster? Yeah I know, he will, but he's stuck behind Boldin, Crabtree, Johnson, Patton, and maybe even Lloyd. Where are his touches?

Absolutely Ellington makes the roster IMO. He won't be stuck behind an aging Lloyd. I think Lloyd and Baldwin are both basically goners. Ellington is a very talented guy who will be given every opportunity to play. He can also contribute as a returner. As far as I'm concerned, the receiver depth chart stacks up as the following.....Crabtree, Boldin, Johnson, Patton, Ellington, Osgood.

Again, not a whole lot of improvement, as being more championship ready than we were last year. I just dont feel we "upped" our chances, but stayed neutral. Later on down the road these picks will pay off, but as far as winning now, we are the same 49ers of last year.

Faster and younger at the slot, far deeper at WR, deeper pretty much everywhere else, faster in the secondary, beefed up on the OL, deeper at RB, not sure how you can say that this team hasn't improved. I think you were looking for some impact franchise guy but the reality is, there aren't any open spots on this team other than the slot position which they took care of. There was no miracle rookie that was going to come in and start at CB, WR, DE...etc.

When you have a team that has been to 3 straight NFC Championship games and was inches away from a Superbowl last season, there's only so much more you can improve. The 49ers are already at the top, a few bounces go differently and they are holding the Lombardi trophy. All Baalke can do is try to patch weaknesses and build the depth to replace guys who will walk in free agency next season and the season after. Looking at what teams were paying to move up, doing so was prohibitively expensive so I'm glad Baalke stood pat and let the draft come to him rather than giving up a bunch of picks for a guy who may or may not be a star player but still wouldn't be a starter as a rookie. There were no CB's worth trading up for honestly. Neither Gilbert nor Fuller is a true #1 guy that you give up a bunch of picks for IMO. Very nice #2 guys but not distinctly better than what the 49ers have in Brock and Culliver.

About the Johnson trade. Great trade but I still think we need to change up our offense to get more than one or two receivers involved. Not sure if it's Kaep or Roman but if we play the same style of offense I'm just not sure how much he will see the ball. Especially with Crabtree out there.

I would assume that the logical basis of such a trade is that the 49ers wanted more depth at WR and that they will be running a lot more 3 WR sets. They finally have depth from top to bottom, quality receivers throughout and I think you'll see a lot more 3 WR and even 4 WR sets. Harbaugh and Roman can only work with the personnel that they have, when Brett Swain or Kyle Williams is your #2 WR, you're not going to be running a whole lot of 3 WR sets, now the 49ers are in a whole different world comparatively when it comes to their WR situation.

Admittedly I could be 100% wrong, and a lot, if not most, of this is opinion based. I just don't see it right now. I understand it, but not sure BPA is always the way to go.

I personally think our best pick was Borland because he's a definite need.

Edit: And I've been working the last two nights so admittedly I haven't had time to put the whole thing into perspective. Kind of my initial thoughts, and how I thought we would be more "aggressive" as one thread starter addressed.

If you look around the internet, people are giving the 49ers massive kudo's for their draft, NFL Network gave them an A, SI gave them an A for the 1st and 2nd rounds(that's as much as I know of), Baalke is generally getting a ton of praises. They improved the team for the present and added a ton of depth and talent for the future too(Thomas, Reaser and Millard will all be coming around in 2015), meaning they will compete for a Superbowl and will continue to compete for a Superbowl.



You're obviously entitled to your opinion but please keep an open mind, I think some of these players may surprise you. I see this draft as having come together beautifully and taking the 49ers back to the essence of who they are while expanding their talent all across the board pretty much. One thing's for sure, the preseason is going to be highly intriguing with all the competition going on all across the team.

Originally posted by JiksJuicy:

Originally posted by buck:

It will interesting to see to what degree, or if, the offensive play calling changes or if more players are active in the passing game. There have been some hints that there would be more three wide receiver sets.

But, much like the impact of this draft class, we really do not have any choice other than to wait and see what unfolds.

I have argued in favor of Jimmie Ward for sometime. I think that he could have a significant positive impact in the coming year. But, I do not know that he will.

Will we move him to CB? I mean, I love the pick, the kid is solid, but where's he fit with Bethea? That signing is a little confusing to me now. Basically he'll be a certain situation back, which is great and all, but was it one of our biggest voids? If we move him to CB or some sort of hybrid role that would make much more sense.

Harbaugh, Baalke, and the kid himself have all publically stated that he will begin working covering the slot and learning the safety, strong safety I believe, position.

In essence, he will be competing for the position of slot cornerback (or nickel cornerback) this year. Fangio has made it clear that slot corner is considered a distinct position in the 9er defense. The brain trust have all stated that it is considered a starting position.

Originally posted by JiksJuicy:
Will we move him to CB? I mean, I love the pick, the kid is solid, but where's he fit with Bethea? That signing is a little confusing to me now. Basically he'll be a certain situation back, which is great and all, but was it one of our biggest voids? If we move him to CB or some sort of hybrid role that would make much more sense.

He's going to compete for the nickelback position with Wright and Cox and long-term be groomed as a replacement for Bethea, that's according to reports from Maiocco, Baalke, Fangio...etc.

Originally posted by Phoenix49ers:
If you consider 60% of the snaps to be....... at times. I mean, one of the big reasons the 49ers have lost games over the past few years is failure at the slot position. It's cost them big, from Cruz lighting them up to Boldin making big plays in the slot to the Seahawks completing huge passes right at Rogers. I think you are WAY underestimating the impact of having a tough, hard-nosed guy like Ward who also has outstanding speed and athleticism to handle that spot.

That is the biggest difference I see.


Gore is 31, I know people would like him to play forever but if he regresses, "hits the wall", it'll come quickly without any real warning. Having Hyde on deck to go along with Hunter and Lattimore creates outstanding depth at a crucial position for the 49ers. Look at the difference that Eddie Lacy made for Green Bay last year, they were a far tougher team with him in the mix and Hyde brings some of those same exact traits to the 49ers. Love the pick and while not a major need, it could easily have been one if Gore had struggled, Lattimore hadn't fully recovered and then you'd be left with Hunter to pull the main load.


As far as WR, I consider Johnson as a part of the draft and the 49ers are going to be able to trot out a 3 WR group of Crabtree, Boldin and Johnson to go along with V.D......good luck defending all those guys at the same time.


In the end, a draft really isn't for today but a year or two down the road. Andrew Brandt praised the 49ers for recognizing just that fact. This draft will keep this team contending for a Superbowl this season, next season, the season after that, the season after the season after that....etc. This is why drafts are judged after 2 or 3 years, not 2 or 3 hours.



Beyond that, I don't know what you were expecting. The 49ers are loaded, there was one starting spot open and they took care of it. This team was a few inches away from a second consecutive Superbowl appearance. They were on the cusp, now they come back with even better depth all over the place.

Good post Phoenix. Sometimes teams draft into strength, particularly when that strength is thin. Whether you talk about KC drafting D rather than a WR or the niners drafting a RB rather than WR, it often makes sense to shore up and area that is your strength. KC's defense began to wear down through the year and fell apart in the playoffs, though the Offense seemed to jell and become potent. So they decided to make sure the strength did not wear down next year.

The niners drafting of Hyde is similar. They could have picked a good WR but they decided to pick a top RB instead...makes sense to me. The teams RBs were all a bit iffy going into the draft--Gore with age, Lattimore's injury, Hunter unlikely being able to carry the load, and James under acheiving. Gore seemed to wear down at times so Hyde will add a power back who can fill in with no leveling off...and may be a better result. I liked Dixon but he was a dancer for someone his size...didn't intimidate the D at all.

On top of that, they gained, as you said, Johnson at WR--which is much more likely to help next year than a rookie would. And then they took Ellington who may be better than the guy in the second round...at least he filled a need better than a possession receiver would have.

So, comparing the team from last year I do not see it as the same:

2013
RB: Gore, Hunter, Dixon, James
WR: Boldin, Patton, Baldwin ,Crabtree, Manningham, Jacobs

2014
RB: Gore, Hunter, Hyde, Lattimore, James
WR: Boldin, Crabtree, Johnson, Patton, Lloyd, Ellington

Didn't want to quote whole message but fantastic points Phx. Got me thinking a bit. As said, just my initial thoughts pondering about the draft during work.

Originally posted by buck:
Harbaugh, Baalke, and the kid himself have all publically stated that he will begin working covering the slot and learning the safety, strong safety I believe, position.

In essence, he will be competing for the position of slot cornerback (or nickel cornerback) this year. Fangio has made it clear that slot corner is considered a distinct position in the 9er defense. The brain trust have all stated that it is considered a starting position.

And I guess I did kind of forget how excited I was, thinking about having a Reid/Ward duo. I think the thing that threw me a bit off is that if we didn't add a CB like McGill or Desir(any decent CB to pair with these guys) today. We would have had a monster backfield for years to come. 100% homer but I'm a die hard Utes fan and I really think McGill would have been a fantastic addition and immediately been fighting for playing time. We could have gotten him in the 4th as well, and kept most of the same picks. Then focused less on CB in the later rounds. He's the one player on defense that really stood out all the year. Desir as well, but I only know of him what I watch on highlights.