2016 49ers Draft Needs - What Will Be Our #1 Need?

As it stands right now: BPA between pass rusher and OL. I lean toward pass rusher. I believe Brown and Thomas will develop with good coaching and in a system that better favors their skill set. I don't plan on Davis' return. Martin will continue to improve, IMO.

That leaves pass rusher. They make the whole defense better.

Originally posted by HERN:

Originally posted by Gore_21:
I would agree it's RT at the moment followed by OLB and then WR. It will depend on if Brown can take over for Pears and do well. If neither do well then I say RT should be no doubt our #1 pick. If he does do well then maybe we can think about OLB or WR in round 1.

My question is:
If Anthony Davis comes back, and Marcus Martin does a good enough job, do you feel like the need of drafting an OL in the 1st would be a thing of the past?

It depends on what shape davis is in and I'm not sure we would even trust him to stick around long term. Would we just hand him back his job? Probably not. Very well could trade him if he comes back if someone is doing well at RT. Heck we could keep him and move him to RG you never know. I'm hoping trent brown takes over at rt (or even rg) and does well this year. I hope he's the future at one of those spots. If Martin does good at G after moving there when Kilgore gets back and Boone is gone then maybe OL is a 3rd-4th round depth need. Of course we would have to have confidence in Thomas at LG. So I can see situations where the OL would be a 3rd-4th round depth pick but odds point to us taking one early... probably 1st or 2nd. It's been 5 years seems like we are do. We've probably drafted every other position in either the 1st or 2nd since then. Highest OL since then is Martin in the 3rd and Thomas with the last pick of the 3rd.

Originally posted by Gore_21:

Originally posted by HERN:

Originally posted by Gore_21:
I would agree it's RT at the moment followed by OLB and then WR. It will depend on if Brown can take over for Pears and do well. If neither do well then I say RT should be no doubt our #1 pick. If he does do well then maybe we can think about OLB or WR in round 1.

My question is:
If Anthony Davis comes back, and Marcus Martin does a good enough job, do you feel like the need of drafting an OL in the 1st would be a thing of the past?

It depends on what shape davis is in and I'm not sure we would even trust him to stick around long term. Would we just hand him back his job? Probably not. Very well could trade him if he comes back if someone is doing well at RT. Heck we could keep him and move him to RG you never know. I'm hoping trent brown takes over at rt (or even rg) and does well this year. I hope he's the future at one of those spots. If Martin does good at G after moving there when Kilgore gets back and Boone is gone then maybe OL is a 3rd-4th round depth need. Of course we would have to have confidence in Thomas at LG. So I can see situations where the OL would be a 3rd-4th round depth pick but odds point to us taking one early... probably 1st or 2nd. It's been 5 years seems like we are do. We've probably drafted every other position in either the 1st or 2nd since then. Highest OL since then is Martin in the 3rd and Thomas with the last pick of the 3rd.

Generally speaking, the best OLs are filled with 1st and 2nd round picks. The Iupati/Davis combo set up the 49ers for a three years though I would argue they were not used/coached all that well.

Of course Dallas has been a good example of a team that uses high picks to create great lines. I believe they will prove again this year that a great line makes for a great run game.

So, BPA OL if that value seems better than a pass rusher. Either way works for me.

Free Agency will factor into draft needs. If the RT spot is still an issue I can see FA as a route to fix it.

OLB and ILB are the two big spots to address early.

Originally posted by 9ers4eva:
Free Agency will factor into draft needs. If the RT spot is still an issue I can see FA as a route to fix it.

OLB and ILB are the two big spots to address early.

FA is typically, at best, a decent way to add depth. The times you can get a Justin Smith-level player in FA are few. In today's market they are very costly.

ILB is a team need right now, however, keep in mind, if Michael Wilhoite hit the FA market he would be a starter for a dozen or more teams around the league.

An OLB that can rush the passer is a greater need now with Alldone gone. Just think back to the difference he made to the defense when he was playing well. THAT is a greater priority than an inside guy right now. Let's hope Harald can develop his potential as a rush guy by the second half of the season.

Originally posted by dj43:

FA is typically, at best, a decent way to add depth. The times you can get a Justin Smith-level player in FA are few. In today's market they are very costly.

ILB is a team need right now, however, keep in mind, if Michael Wilhoite hit the FA market he would be a starter for a dozen or more teams around the league.

An OLB that can rush the passer is a greater need now with Alldone gone. Just think back to the difference he made to the defense when he was playing well. THAT is a greater priority than an inside guy right now. Let's hope Harald can develop his potential as a rush guy by the second half of the season.

Not on O line. You can find right tackles in FA. Now will they have to pay for one? Sure. But if they don't think Trenton is the guy and AD can't be trusted then it's something I would definitely consider.

Originally posted by 9ers4eva:

Originally posted by dj43:
FA is typically, at best, a decent way to add depth. The times you can get a Justin Smith-level player in FA are few. In today's market they are very costly.

ILB is a team need right now, however, keep in mind, if Michael Wilhoite hit the FA market he would be a starter for a dozen or more teams around the league.

An OLB that can rush the passer is a greater need now with Alldone gone. Just think back to the difference he made to the defense when he was playing well. THAT is a greater priority than an inside guy right now. Let's hope Harald can develop his potential as a rush guy by the second half of the season.

Not on O line. You can find right tackles in FA. Now will they have to pay for one? Sure. But if they don't think Trenton is the guy and AD can't be trusted then it's something I would definitely consider.

Buying a starting quality OT comes with great risk to the salary cap.

Because all teams try to put their best pass rusher on the outside, all opponents have to put their best OL against that guy. That, in and of itself, means that good OTs are going to cost a lot of money.

I'd much rather draft OL in round 1 or 2 than sign one in FA. Free agency has become a place to way overpay average players. The few good players that end up getting way overpaid mostly bust. Hardly any elite players make FA because teams lock them up first. That being said if we are going to spend in FA I'd rather do it with WR (smith) since we cant really develop them guys. CB, RB, ILB, S, etc we dont need to spend big money on in FA we can draft those players well.

My sense is that in the upcoming draft the we need to look for the eventual replacement for Staley. I also tend to think that we will be looking for an inside linebacker early in the draft.

Other than the above I will wait to see what the existing players do in the coming year.

At this point, I have no sense of how we will use our first and second round picks.

OL, ILB, OLB In that order

Updated after week 1 and personally I could see us letting Davis go unless he will sign a 2-3 year deal and not 5 x 8 mil per. I'd just collect our 3rd round comp and move on and get younger and cheaper. Boone not sure on but if he's going to be 29 before playing on his next contract and if we can successfully create a good zone blocking scheme you dont need to spend much on your OL. You can plug anyone in there like Denver or Houston and create a 1k back. I collect my 3rd round comp and move on.

My needs would be pass rushing OLB opposite Lynch (Brooks should be gone after this year) or a playmaking WR. Possibly a guard/tackle but like I said if we can make Pears/Devey work we can make anyone work and maybe we dont need one high anymore. As for TE even without Davis we can probably wait until mid rounds for TE (Bell/McDonald/Celek or Anderson still solid) and ILB I wouldn't pick before 2 or 3 if we want to upgrade over Wilhoite and get younger/cheaper.

The team looked pretty good during week 1 and my top needs haven't changed much, even after our performance. I'd say number one need is a pass rusher. When we had Aldon Smith, it was assumed we had an outright dominant pass rusher in Smith, along with a potential one coming along in Aaron Lynch, and then Ahmad Brooks and Eli Harold to bring extra pressure. With Smith gone, it would be great to bring another guy with elite potential in there to get after the QB. I'd like to see this with either our first or second round pick. I expect Ahmad Brooks to be back, but we will be prepared in case there is any noticeable drop off in his game.

The other top need is TE. Looking at some of the top guys at TE, it would be great to have reliability. I absolutely love what Vernon Davis can bring to the table and hope he regains his 2009 - 2013 form. With that said, it's been so long since we've seen it, and if he does become the home run threat we want him to become again (its about all you can hope for + his great blocking), is it worth paying top dollar to a guy entering his 11th NFL season? It's unlikely we get a TE that can run a 4.3, but anyone with reliable hands will do. Speed is just an added bonus.

Beyond that, I would O-line. Essentially a guy to groom for the future, either at RT or LT. I'm not concerned at all with the ages of Joe Staley and Alex Boone. Offensive lineman do not hit a wall at 30 years old. But with the loss of Anthony Davis, it would be nice to have a young guy that can play tackle. The Alex Boone holdouts have pissed me off, but he has been more of a plus than a minus for this team. And his versatility is like having an extra starting caliber tackle on the roster. I say he stays and holds down the left side with Staley for the remainder of his prime years.

Everything else is just about adding younger talent- possession receiver (to replace Boldin) and maybe an ILB. It's funny how after all of the losses we have had, we don't have anymore absolutely glaring needs. Baalke really had this team loaded. Sure we could always do better, but I don't see many true weaknesses.

Our #1 need will be OLB. We need a beast to go along with Lynch.

Harold is good but probably is fit for a 3 down role. He will be an awesome #3 OLB though.

Brooks and Lemonier are probably gone next year.

I definitely expect us to either sign a high price FA or draft a stud.

Originally posted by buck:
My sense is that in the upcoming draft the we need to look for the eventual replacement for Staley. I also tend to think that we will be looking for an inside linebacker early in the draft.

Other than the above I will wait to see what the existing players do in the coming year.

At this point, I have no sense of how we will use our first and second round picks.

i think boone is staley's eventual and that is why they switched him to LG so it would be an easy transition for him. Boone is going to want tackle money next year and probably wont settle for guard money. I think we welcome A.Davis back and are set at O-line. Probably spend a 3rd or 4th on a swing tackle prospect.

Originally posted by JustinNiner:

Our #1 need will be OLB. We need a beast to go along with Lynch.

Harold is good but probably is fit for a 3 down role. He will be an awesome #3 OLB though.

Brooks and Lemonier are probably gone next year.

I definitely expect us to either sign a high price FA or draft a stud.

Won't be any high priced guys available. Miller will get tagged. Really isn't anyone else.

I could see a vet guy signed. Not sure I love this olb draft class. Good depth but no one I can say is hands down above Harold that the 9ers will likely have a realistic shot at.